ALBUM REVIEW: “Hex” By Faun

I’ve long had a love for pagan folk music, from the likes of Heilung and Wardruna and gothic music from the likes of Darkher. Faun are another band that have been long time favourites and they’re about to drop their latest album “Hex’ on 5th September.

Formed back in 1998 in Germany, Faun play a mix of pagan folk, darkwave, and medieval music and unlike others rooted in Norse of Germanic history, they perform the vocals in a variety of languages, including German, English, Latin, Greek, Scandinavian and Hungarian. They also perform with instruments including Celtic harp, Swedish nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, cittern and flutes. They take this wide range of influences and sounds, and create something quite unique. But unlike some others, Faun mix these predominately ancient sounds with model sounds from electric guitar and synthersizer in places to great effect, building a bridge between old and new.

They released their debut album “Zaubersprüche” in 2002 and their most recent “Pagan” in 2022. “Hex” which is out on 5th September 2025 is their twelfth album. The title “Hex” comes from the Germanic word for witch, and it has focus on wise women and female healers. As well as their Germanic roots, “Hex” has a distinct Celtic and Anglo-Saxon edge to it, taking the listen on a journey back to the times of the tales of Merlin and Arthur.

The album opens with Belladonna an Irish folksong steeped in old sounds and old rhythmic drums, and a hurdy-gurdy-like chorus, but as it grows its brought right up to date with the addition of electric guitars to the mix. The vocals have a bright bouncy feel to them and it’s a great fusion of old and new to welcome us into the new album. In a world dominated by technology it acts as a bridge to the past walking us to a point where the pagan beats and sounds of the past echo back at us, and the dream of a simpler time.

Lament is just that, a soulful and heartfelt lament for the lost ancestors, a beautiful tribute which is based on a pre-Christian Celtic song, whisking you off to the heather and gorse strewn moorlands.

On Nimue Faun team up with one of my favourite singers Chelsea Wolfe to deliver something truly magical. Light and breathless the song is the story of the sorceress Nimue who imprisons Merlin in a sacred tree for all eternity.

Check out the video for Nimue below:

There are other influences present on the album, and Blot for example is more like the Scandinavian folk of the likes of Wardruna, a song about the ritual sacrifices of the Viking people in their nature based belief system. With stirring, repetitive drum beats, it has an almost processional feel to it. The vocal harmonies on Blot are incredible.

Stirring something deep within the soul, the band’s latest album Hex holds the listener spellbound over the course of fifty minutes by employing traditional instrumentation such as Celtic harp,

Perhaps a surprising, but very welcome song is a cover of Black Eyed Dog a classic song by Nick Drake who passed away in 1974. They give it a whole new style and make it their own taking the originals beautiful guitar tones, and expertly mixing it with their trademark pagan tones. They bring a classic, and make it feel ancient with a finale that builds with a ritualistic chanting lyric. Stunning and beautiful in equal measure.

One of the highlights is Hare Spell a song based on a spell written by Isobel Gowdie during a witch trial in Scotland in 1662. It’s rich and textured and the rhythm has the feel of an incantation to it, underpinning the vocals which are stunning, with a fitting haunting tone. It is dark and brooding and spectacular.

The album closes out with Alfar, about the Elven hills inhabited by spirits, which starts with a spoken word section before joined by a lute-like instrument. The song has the feel of a storyteller telling of the wonders they have experienced on their travels. Bright and with an infectious beat, it screams out to be danced to round a roaring fire on a clear starlit night.

“Hex” is an infectious album, it certainly put a spell on me. It draws you in with its lively tones and haunting vocals. It’s an album you can leave on repeat and just lose yourself in. A thoroughly enjoyable album and a worthy 9.0 from LiveWire Music.