Varang Nord, a heavy metal band from Daugavpils, Latvia, have been variously described as ‘folk metal’, ‘Viking metal’, and ‘pagan metal’, and, in their musical arsenal they include heavily distorted guitars, growled death metal style vocals, as well as symphonic elements and even accordion. In the band’s words, their songs ‘praise a mighty battle, a bloody sacrifice to the Old Gods and a joyful northern feast with endless mugs of ale.’ Their latest album, Mygla, was released at the end of 2025.

The band, made up of Maksims Popovs (guitars, vocals), Jeļena Kaļniša (accordion, vocals), Valērijs Solovjovs (guitars), Vjačeslavs Janens (percussion and drums), and Ņikita Kobcevs (percussion), was formed in 2014 and Mygla is their sixth studio album. The group also won the Wacken Metal Battle in 2019.

Mygla continues the bands musical expansion and evolution, incorporating more melodic and symphonic elements in their songs, most of which are sung in the Latgalian language of eastern Latvia.

Kaļniša’s accordion adds a distinct musical element to the band’s sound on songs like ‘Ašņa Ausma’, a song about a battlefield after the battle is done, and the accordion blends with the rest of the instruments to create a vivid picture of the former battlefield. The melodic accordion introduction of ‘Moldu Dīvs’ gives this song about the ancient gods still being present a kind of musical link to a past time. The song also features clearer vocal harmonies, and one hopes that Varang Nord further explore these kinds of vocal arrangements.

Varang Nord describe themselves as being ‘from the cold woodlands of Latvia’, and many of their songs reference forests and include themes of nature, such as on the evocative title track ‘Mygla’, with its descriptive lyrics about a fog descending and the spirits being all around.

For the music’s orchestral elements, the band worked with composer and arranger Yuri Borin, and the added strings add an additional layer to the songs, for example in ‘Vylku Bors’, the orchestral introduction provides an ominous atmosphere to this song about an encounter with a pack of wolves. The extended orchestral outro on the song ‘Ziemeļu uguns’, which concludes the album, gives this song an epic atmosphere and brings the album to a satisfying conclusion.

‘Shrooms’, which features vocalist Alex Under, a song about a seemingly unpleasant experience with hallucinogenic mushrooms, does not quite fit stylistically and thematically with the rest of the songs, but is still another attempt by the band to expand their musical and thematic horizons, but perhaps not as effectively as on the other songs.

The growled, guttural vocals may not be to everyone’s taste, as it is not really possible to understand them without having the lyrics handy, but the group’s expansive musical palette still offers much for the listener to enjoy.

With their unique blend of metal music, pastoral and battle themes, orchestral arrangements, accordion sound and lyrics in Latgalian, Varang Nord have established a distinctive style and powerful sound that is woven throughout the songs on Mygla.

For further information, please visit the Varang Nord Facebook page and Bandcamp page.

Mygla

Varang Nord

2025

Track listing:

1. Mygla

2. Ašņa Ausma

3. Trokais Pļāgurs (feat. Janis Dregeris)

4. Moldu Dīvs

5. Shrooms (feat. Alex Under)

6. Pūrs

7. Vylku Bors

8. Dīvu laiks (feat. Lesley Knife)

9. Tymsa īt

10. Ziemeļu uguns

Latvian a cappella ensemble Latvian Voices have now, for more than fifteen years, been one of the premiere vocal groups actively working today. Performing throughout Europe and around the world, their singing talents and ability have earned them extensive praise and plaudits.

The group, led by soprano, composer and arranger Laura Jēkbsone, also includes Beāte Krūmiņa, Zane Stafecka-Tene, Paula Pērkone, Una Stade, and Jānis Strazdiņš (who, having joined in 2020, was the first male voice in the ensemble).

The group has also actively recorded, and their most recent album – their 11^th album overall – Rotā was released in 2025. Their 10^th album – SNIEGums – was released in 2024 and featured winter and Christmas songs.

Rotā features arrangements of Latvian and other Baltic culture folk songs, all by Jēkabsone. Jēkabsone’s composition and arrangement abilities result in multi-layered and nuanced interpretations of songs like ‘Vakarā kalnā kāpu’, where all the voices of the group are woven together to create a spirited and exultant performance that celebrates the power of song.

Themes of singing appear in many of the songs on the album, such as on the undulating and flowing ‘Es bij’ liela dziedātāja’, as well as on the playful and rhythmic ‘Jo dziedāju, jo skanēja’.

The Latgale region of Latvia represented by two arrangements, the touching and heartfelt arrangement of the song ‘Muote dieleņu auklieja’, a song of a mother nurturing a son who will grow up to be a soldier, as well ‘Zvīdzi, zvīdzi sērmais zirdzeņ’, a which is about a young man who is desperate to avoid war, but the only one who will provide the funds to release him is his bride, who has to sell her bridal crown.

The majestic arrangement of the song ‘Rotā’ features the rich bass of Jānis Strazdiņš, and having a male voice in the ensemble adds additional dimensions and layers to the group’s sound.

The album also contains arrangements of not just folk songs from Latvia, but Lithuania (the bouncy ‘Titity, Tatatoj’) and Estonia (the energetically pulsating ‘Ilus Hääl’), displaying Jēkabsone’s arrangement skills with the songs of other nations

Enthusiastic and exuberant, the songs on Rotā, with their rich, layered arrangements, confirm again Latvian Voices’ place as one of the premiere a cappella ensembles active today. Jēkabsone’s arrangements, with their intricate structures and harmonies, allow each voice in the ensemble to shine and display their vocal skills and talents. The lustrous and radiant voices of Latvian Voices make Rotā a memorable entry in their discography.

For further information, please visit the Latvian Voices website.

Rotā

Latvian Voices

2025

Track listing:

1. Vakarā kalnā kāpu
2. Es bij’ liela dziedātāja
3. Muote dieleņu auklieja
4. Zvīdzi, zvīdzi sērmais zirdzeņ
5. Jo dziedāju, jo skanēja
6. Titity, Tatatoj
7. Ilus Hääl
8. Ik vakara es dziedāju
9. Rotā
10. Mana dziesma neizdziedāta

Distinguished and prolific Latvian pianist Dzintra Erliha has released her latest album Christmas by the Piano, a collection of her arrangements of well known Christmas songs.

The digital album, released by the Prima Classic label and currently available on many streaming platforms, includes arrangements of 10 popular melodies, including O Come, Little Children (Jūs bērniņi, nāciet), Away in a Manger (Ne šūpulī greznā), and Silent Night (Klusa nakts). Her arrangement of “O Christmas Tree” (Ak, eglīte) was selected for the Apple Music playlist “Classical Christmas” and received 50 000 listeners in its first week.

Erliha, currently residing in New York, has a number of concerts planned in the near future, including a Christmas Eve concert at the Latvian church in Melville, New York, as well as a concert on March 28, 2026 at the Latvian Hall in Lincoln, Nebraska.

For further information, please visit Dzintra Erliha’s website

Dzintra Erliha – Christmas by the Piano

Track listing:

1 O Come, Little Children

2 Away in a Manger

3 Jingle Bells

4 Joy to the World

5 O Christmas Tree

6 O Come Ye All Faithful (Adeste Fideles)

7 O Little Town of Bethlehem

8 The First Nowel

9 We Wish You a Merry Christmas

10 Silent Night