Nerds the World Over Were Exposed to Heilung Last Night During The Game Awards
Last night, the gaming industry got together to celebrate 2023’s best games and look forward to next year’s hotness, with more than a million people streaming the show all over the world. It’s an annual, momentous event with a lot of eyeballs. Which ended up being super beneficial to experimental folk act Heilung, who performed live ahead of the new trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.
Cast under a red hue as thundering drums pounded a constant rhythm amidst lit torches, the band got about three uninterrupted minutes to show what they’re made of. It’s a striking performance that definitely got people talking, especially when you consider the rest of the show is full of high-tech bombast and flashy visuals.
For those that don’t know, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is the sequel to Ninja Theory’s critically acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Set in a world inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, the game follows Senua as she tries to save the soul of her loved one. Yet the more she dies, she begins to rot from the darkness that consumes her. It deals a lot with psychosis, using sounds and voices in the character’s head to convey what the character’s going through.
I’m doing a piss poor job of explaining the game, really, but it’s something that you should definitely check out if you’re interested. The sequel looks absolutely stunning and makes me wish it wasn’t an Xbox exclusive.
Still, it’s awesome that Heilung’s music wasn’t relegated to a trailer like it was last year. Given the ritualistic and highly visual nature of the band, it’s pretty damn cool to think that there’s a world of gamers out there that got to see such a striking performance first-hand.
As of right now, Heilung only has a few live dates scheduled, with their next “ritual” set for this Monday in Los Angeles. The band also has a few European festival dates planned for next summer.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is set to release sometime next year for Xbox and PC.
