Wardruna use ancient Nordic roots to forge connections across cultures

Nordic folk music with roots in black metal might sound ridiculously niche, but Wardruna are more than the sum of their parts—and to prove it, here they are at the Auditorium Theatre. Einar Selvik (aka Kvitrafn) and Kristian Eivind Espedal (aka Gaahl), both of Norwegian black-metal band Gorgoroth, formed the collective in 2003 with Norwegian vocalist and composer Lindy-Fay Hella. They developed expansive, visceral compositions that draw from Nordic history, the natural world, and their own musical instincts, threading the needle between past and present and insisting on a connection between humanity and the environment that runs much deeper than the trappings and noise of modern society. Wardruna have connected widely with listeners, even those without a vested interest in Nordic culture o