NYTT LAND was created in August 2013 as a ritualistic Nordic folk band and driven by the musical vision of the husband and wife duo Natalya and Anatoly Pakhalenko. The couple lives in the Siberian town Kalachinsk that is located on the banks of River Om and crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railway.
In the wake of three self-released albums, "Nytt Land" (2013), "Hávamál" (2015), and "Scopun: Songs from the Elder Edda" (2016), their label debut "Fimbulvinter" hit the streets in 2017 and was followed by the 2018 full-length "Oðal". The latter works opened many doors for the duo, who performed across Europe at viking, folk, and metal festivals – including the Norway’s Midgardsblot Metalfestival and UK at the York Viking Centre Festival in 2018. Even before the global release of "Fimbulvinter", Nytt Land had already supported several Russian concerts of the Norwegian band WARDRUNA in 2016 and 2017.
Despite working with a label, Nytt Land also continued to self-release albums, mostly as an outlet for those albums that are dedicated to the preservation of Siberian traditions. In a natural development, the native element also surfaced more often on the label releases starting with "Ritual" (2021).
True to their often dark and mysterious subjects, the lyrics of Nytt Land echo myth and stories from legends and historical sources. Those are told in the languages of both indigenous Siberian tribes and Old Norse, with the balance gradually shifting towards the former over time.
Songs of the Shaman
Nytt Land’s Songs of the Shaman stands as a distinctive project that bridges music, heritage, and research. Far more than a new release, the album represents the band’s deep immersion into traditional Siberian Shamanism, drawing on firsthand engagement with ancestral rituals, spells, and spiritual practices. Their goal: to bring ancient shamanic texts to life with as much authenticity as possible.
In an era when “shamanism” is often used loosely in Western pop culture—frequently tied to vague new age imagery or misunderstood spiritual concepts—Nytt Land returns the word to its roots. The project focuses specifically on the shamanic traditions of indigenous Siberian peoples, whose practitioners entered altered states to communicate with the spirit world and protect their communities.
On Songs of the Shaman, Nytt Land interprets traditional chants and spells from Manchu–Tungus ethno-linguistic groups. These pieces employ ancestral techniques such as throat singing and ritual drumming, and the band deliberately performs them in their original languages. Preserving the sound, rhythm, and phonetic power of these texts is central to the album’s intent: a transmission of primordial magic rather than an adaptation. The selection features invocations, spirit-summoning songs, protective incantations, and other ritual forms—while consciously avoiding any spells meant to inflict harm.
As the band prepares to meet audiences on their European tour, they present this collection as both an artistic and cultural experience. Songs of the Shaman invites listeners into a world governed by spirits, shaped by ancient cosmologies, and resonant with energies that predate written history.
Nytt Land offers a journey into the deep origins of shamanic sound—immersive, raw, and filled with echoes of a time when music, magic, and survival were inseparable. A powerful encounter for audiences willing to step into this otherworldly space.
1 August 2026
Village stage
