Rocking the Arctic Henge: Skálmöld’s legendary concert at Iceland’s remote landmark

Good news! The Arctic Henge is now officially the Icelandic version of the Red Rocks music venue. The amazing Icelandic Viking metal band Skálmöld recently performed the inaugural concert at this otherworldly venue.

The Arctic Henge is off the beaten path

The Arctic Henge is not exactly on the beaten path. It is in an unlikely place, at the hamlet of Raufarhöfn, on the other side of Iceland from Reykjavik. While Reykjavik is in the southwest corner of Iceland, Raufharhöfn and the Arctic Henge are in the country’s northeast corner. It is worth noting that Raufarhöfn is the northernmost municipality in Iceland.

I find it hard to describe the Arctic Henge. Its circumference is 50 meters (164 feet). In its center is a ten-meter (33-foot) high pillar. Four six-meter-high gates surround the center pillar: one in the south, one in the north, one in the west, and one in the east. There is an unobstructed view of 360 degrees. A sunset at the Arctic Henge is magical. The Arctic Henge invokes many different things. I can see a set from a Sci-Fi movie, or it could be something from the set of Conan the Barbarian. Imagining it as an ancient religious site like Stonehenge is also easy; after all, I suspect Stonehenge is an inspiration to this outdoor work of art. When I first came there earlier this summer, it felt like I was immersed in a gritty Viking-themed video game. 

A work in progress

The Arctic Henge is a work in progress and will be even more impressive when completed. The Arctic Henge website describes the project as a joint project by the people who live in the northeastern part of Iceland. It is Iceland’s largest outdoor work of art, where the day is long during the summer, and you don’t see the sun for a few weeks during the winter solstice. The Arctic Henge is supposed to comprise concepts and ideas from Icelandic culture, literature, science, and its unique northern location. Its chief inspiration is the worldview of the Norse pagans, as recounted in the Snorra Edda. 

I have been to the Arctic Henge twice this summer. My wife and I made it our mission to see it on our road trip around Iceland. We found it an exceptionally photogenic place, and I cannot wait to see it completed.

The legendary Skálmöld is the perfect band for the Arctic Henge

On September 7th, my sister in Blood and Rock, Hildur, who runs the wonderful Kjarnalundur hotel in Akureyri, and I saw the legendary band Skálmöld perform there with about 1,500 others.

That is when the Arctic Henge came into its own for me. We arrived at twilight, and the central pillar and the gates were lit up. The sun was slowly descending behind the horizon, the still ocean gleaming from the final rays of the sun. It was cold but still. When night descended, the concert started, and it was just legendary. 

Of course, a pagan priest had to sanction the concert. In his intonation, he reminded everyone that this was now sacred ground, and everyone there should respect one another.

Then we heard the warm-up act. Barði of Bang Gang fame was a surprising choice by Skálmöld, but he was masterful, and his music fitted the Arctic Henge. Check out his work with the Icelandic goth band Kælan Mikla for impressive atmospheric music.

You may think that a Viking metal band is not for everyone, but Skálmöld has a way of making everybody feel welcome. Well, I exaggerate a little. A decade ago, they came out publicly to turn away white nationalistic and anti-LGBTQA+ elements of their fanbase. That was a very Quinticessanltally Icelandic thing for them to do!

What?! Accessible and fun Viking metal?!

Their music is highly melodic and performed by extremely charismatic, world-class musicians. Little kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents, Icelanders, and foreigners sang and danced together to their music under the star-lit sky in the otherworldly work of art at the northern edge of Iceland. What a night to remember for the rest of my life.