Formáli

The conceptual and epic black metal album "Nine Lives of Einarr the Raven" is a Czech and Icelandic solo project by the musician and musicologist Martin Sigurður Kajzar. At its core, it seeks to preserve and honour medieval melodic traditions while employing tonal structures characteristic of Northern European and Norse cultures.

The album is original in its harmonic design, with motivic development that draws on both minimalism - often bordering on trance - and a wide range of modal modulations. The compositional approach, with recurring motifs linked to characters and events, recalls the broader Wagnerian concept of Leitmotif. Tritones mark elements of evil, while the Dorian mode evokes the spiritual realm. Sigurður thus weaves a sophisticated and often rigorous connection between the musical and textual planes. Referencing tradition and identity, the record also features a variation on an old Icelandic lullaby and a chorale using the lyrics by the Icelandic poet Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674).

Thematically, Nine Lives of Einarr the Raven portrays the life and posthumous journey of an Icelandic boy oscillating between the realm of men and that of supernatural entities who confront him with epic challenges and shifting views on mortality and the inevitability of death.

Sigurður draws from traditional mythological sources (especially the Edda), yet creates a completely new, deeply personal narrative. The saga opens with the story of Einarr’s birth - “on the night when the raven awakens” - foretelling an unusual destiny. His longing for adventure leads him to the mythical Erda, but curiosity brings tragedy that culminates in the imprisonment of his soul within a raven’s body.

This posthuman existence functions as a cosmological metaphor - the raven moves through a sequence of stories, episodes, and events united by the theme of searching and understanding. Dialogues anchored in sacred numbers (three gods, nine lives, nine compositions, etc.) unfold between Einarr and key figures of Norse mythology such as the goddess Kólga, the wolf Fenrir, and the serpent Miðgarðsormr.

"Nine Lives of Einarr the Raven" includes special guest appearances from:
– Ashok (ex-Root, ex-Cradle of Filth) - guest guitar
– Veronika Rovná (National Theatre Prague) - soprano as Kólga
(More guests to be revealed before release date!)