Rob wanted the world of The Northman to feel harsh and uncomfortable, and for
everything to feel like it was caked in mud and dry blood, so it was crucial for the
score to mirror that. Composers Robin Carolan (Tri-Angle Records) and Sebastian
Gainsborough (Vessel) were given a task of epic proportions when director Rob Eggers
(The VVitch, The Lighthouse) asked them to create the score for his ambitious and highly
anticipated new film The Northman, releasing on April 22nd. They needed to make a
score that both honored the immense research that had gone into the authenticity of this
Viking era period piece and complimented the cinematic maximalism of the film for a
modern audience. The artists stretched themselves to the depths of their creativity and the
resulting album is a gorgeous sonic tableaux that places the listener right in the center of
the film.
While arranging the score the composers consulted musician and ethnographer Poul
Høxbro for inspiration and insight into the history of Viking music. Having backgrounds
in left field electronic music, Robin and Sebastian felt liberated by the constraint of using
a small selection of musical tools for this piece. "Electronic music has almost limitless
potential when it comes to making sounds and that's obviously an incredible thing, but
you can also go down the wormhole and get lost in it sometimes. There's no risk of
that happening when you only have a few primary instruments to draw upon." Robin
remarked.
They utilized traditional instruments such as the tagelharpa, langspil, kravik lyre, and
säckpip to build the cinematic world of The Northman but they also took creative
freedoms in adding instruments likes drums, which some academics believe wouldn't
have played a big part in Viking musical culture, simply due to the lack of archaeological
evidence of actual drums. "One of the pieces we wrote was intended to emulate the sound
of a bullroarer; an ancient instrument used in sacred rituals or in battle to intimidate
enemies. It makes a really disorienting roaring vibrato sound and low frequencies capable
of traveling insane distances." Robin says when asked about one of the more unique
aspects of the score. Everyone involved put so much effort into both their research and
their creativity and this richness is evident in every track. The album as a whole is a
cinematic masterpiece of sound and ambiance, both gorgeous and disturbing, like the
film it so beautifully accompanies.
