Combining elements of metal, progressive rock, psychedelic, doom, jazz and folk, Helfreya takes fans on a strange adventure. Fronted by vocalist Violet Vopni, of Metis and Icelandic descent, and backed by members of former local punk rock band Wormhole. Keith Meyer on guitar, Russ Maskus on bass and Travis Stephenson on drums. Keith and Travis met in high school and have been playing various gigs around Winnipeg including the Royal Albert and The Park Theatre since 1994 and Russ has been in the band since 2017.
Violet joined the band in 2019 and the guys decided it was time for a fresh start with a new name and a new musical direction. Violet’s 4-octave range, powerfully trained voice and 25 years of song writing experience allowed the band to expand to new genres. Helfreya has been described as TOOL if Lzzy Hale were singing. The band has also been compared to Pink Floyd, Evanescence, Led Zeppelin and Flyleaf. Helfreya draws upon Norse and Celtic mythology in their song writing and their name is derived from two Norse Goddesses, Hel, the Goddess of death and Freya the Goddess of love. Helfreya describes themselves as the duality between light and dark, and the enigmatic amalgamation of love and death. Helfreya played their first show at Recovery Day 2019 in support of ending the stigma against addiction and mental health. They plan to release their first album in 2020, and you’ll be able to catch them at shows around Winnipeg.