“Shamans retreat, sometimes very long, to be reunited with their power”: Heilung to go on hiatus
Heilung say they will go on hiatus in 2025.
The 'Amplified History' collective, known for their vast live shows featuring dozens of costumed musicians and dancers, will take a break for an undisclosed period of time after completing their summer tour.
In a statement, the Scandinavian outfit – led by vocalists Maria Franz and Christopher Juul and musician Kai Uwe Faust – imply they are nearing burnout and need to "recharge". However, they will eventually come back "stronger than ever before".
They write: "Life is a journey and all journeys end at one point. After several years of extensive touring, Heilung has decided to retreat for a while.
"Heilung's work has strong notations of traditional shamanism. Shamans retreat, sometimes very long, to be reunited with their power, their spirits; to recharge. If they would constantly work, they would burn out, lose contact to themselves, their helping entities and their light."
The band finish: "Heilung retreats now. It will vanish from the stages, the roaring drums will be silent and the ecstatic dance is over. It will go to sleep, rest for a time and return stronger than ever before."
Before they temporarily split, Heilung will tour Europe from March to April 2025, then again in June and July. The support act on the spring dates will be Faroese songstress Eivør, whereas Mongolian folk rockers The Hu will join them in the summer. Sowulo, Alcest and Nini will also support them on the June 6 date, with Alcest again joining them on June 8.
Tickets to the summer shows go on sale on November 7 at 10am CET. See dates and details below.
As well as the confirmed shows, Heilung will play one last concert at an undisclosed location on August 17. Support acts, if any, are yet to be named.
Heilung formed in 2014 and have released three studio albums: Ofnir (2015), Futha (2019) and Drif (2022). They also put out live album Lifa lotungard earlier this year.
The band's live performances have been consistently acclaimed. Metal Hammer attended their headline performance at Arctangent festival in Bristol last year and awarded it a perfect five-star review . Journalist Matt Mills wrote, "Heilung's awe-inspiring rituals are raising the bar for live music."
(w/ Eivør) Mar 07: Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland Mar 09: Stockholm Hovet, Sweden Mar 12: Oslo Spektrum, Norway Mar 14: Aarhus ACC, Denmark Mar 16: Copenhagen Black Box, Denmark Mar 19: Oberhausen Turbinehalle, Germany Mar 21: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland Mar 23: Esch-sur-Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg Apr 15: London O2 Brixton Academy, UK Apr 17: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland Apr 19 Edinburgh O2 Academy, UK Apr 21: Manchester O2 Apollo, UK Apr 23: Lille Zenith, France Apr 25: Lyon Halle Tony Garnier, France Apr 27: Milan Teatro Arcimboldi, Italy
(w/ The Hu) Jun 06: Maastricht Gashouder, Netherlands (also Sowulo, Alcest, Nini) Jun 08: Mannheim Palastzelt, Germany (also Alcest) Jun 14: Lingen Emslandarena, Germany Jul 01: Munich Tollwood, Germany Jul 05: Königstein Festung, Germany Jul 08: Kiel Wunderino Arena, Germany Jul 10: Wroclaw Hala Stulecia, Poland Jul 12: Saarbrücken Open Air Am E-Werk, Germany
Aug 17: TBA
