Explore the sacred domains

Origin: Lithuania
Formed: 1994
Status: Split‑up
Location: Utena
Genre: Pagan / Folk Metal
Label: Eldethorn
Themes: Paganism, Lithuanian folklore

Ha Lela was one of the earliest and most evocative pagan/folk metal projects to emerge from Lithuania’s mid‑1990s underground—a period when Baltic pagan metal was still forming its identity. Founded in 1994 in Utena, the band fused raw black‑metal‑leaning aggression with authentic Lithuanian folk instrumentation, ritualistic atmosphere, and melodies drawn directly from ancestral tradition. Their music stood at the crossroads of metal and folklore, carrying the spirit of ancient songs into a harsher, electrified form.

Their first demo Rauda (1994) introduced a sound steeped in mournful folk motifs, ritual percussion, and early black metal aesthetics. By the time Pabudimas appeared in 1996, Ha Lela had developed a more confident, atmospheric approach—one that resonated strongly within the Baltic pagan metal movement. The band’s participation in influential Dangus Productions compilations (Dark Fire Dancing II and III) helped cement their place in the emerging Lithuanian pagan/folk metal lineage.

Ha Lela’s only full‑length, Pabudimas (1998), released through Eldethorn, remains their defining work. It blended traditional instruments—kanklės, lumzdelis, dambrelis, pipes—with electric guitars, keyboards, and harsh vocals, creating a sound that was both archaic and modern. The album’s lyrical themes centered on Lithuanian folklore, mythic memory, and the awakening of ancestral spirit. Its atmosphere was earthy, ritualistic, and deeply rooted in Baltic cultural identity.

The band’s lineup featured musicians who would later become central figures in Lithuania’s pagan, folk, and ritual music scenes. Their connections to Poccolus, Zpoan Vtenz, Sala, Donis, and other foundational projects reveal Ha Lela as part of a tightly interwoven creative circle that shaped the early Lithuanian pagan metal aesthetic.

Despite their strong early presence, Ha Lela faded from activity after the late 1990s. No official disbandment was announced, but the death of vocalist and kanklės player Vilma Čiplytė in 2009 marked a poignant end to the project’s legacy. Today, Ha Lela is remembered as a formative and culturally significant act—one that helped define the Baltic pagan/folk metal sound before it had a name.

---

Members (past and last known)

Core lineup

• Audrius Šimkūnas – Drums
  (ex‑Poccolus, Sala, ex‑Zpoan Vtenz)
• Ramūnas Peršonis – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing vocals
  (Zpoan Vtenz, ex‑Nemesis, ex‑Poccolus, Sala, Sovijus, ex‑Nahash, ex‑Abnormity)
• Lauras – Guitars, Keyboards, Backing vocals
  (ex‑Laumė)
• Vilma Čiplytė – Kanklės, Vocals (R.I.P. 2009)
  (ex‑Zpoan Vtenz, ex‑Gostauta)
• Donatas – Pipe, Dambrelis, Lumzdelis
  (D.N.S., Donis, Notanga, Wejdas, ex‑Eirime)
• Vadmias – Tamburine, Backing vocals
• Laura – Backing vocals
  (ex‑Laumė)
• Vaidas – Lead vocals

Past members

• Giedrius – Bass
  (Nahash, ex‑Poccolus)
• Dainius – Clarinet

---

Discography

Demos

• Rauda (1994)
• Pabudimas (1996)

Split

• Live at Black Friday, Riga 13/06/97 (1997)

Full‑length

• Pabudimas (1998)

Compilation appearances (selected)

• “Užmirštas Kelias” – Dark Fire Dancing II (1996)
• “Išjojo Bernelis” – Dark Fire Dancing III (1998)
• “Išjojo Bernelis” – Unto a Long Glory… (1996)
• “Sidabrinės Saulės Simbolis” – Temsta ’98 (1998)