The Pronunciation Thread

[anonymousnick2001]

Metal is a diverse subset of music, and under this vast umbrella of styles and interpretations lie the various languages spoken by metal connossieurs, fans, and the musicians spread across the world. Although it is a testament to metal's cross-pollination and diversity, the use of such a wide palette of languages, not to mention the various ethnicities and cultures of the players has left many of us on the other side of the world a little iffy as far as pronunciation or meaning.

Use this thread to clear up any misconceptions about pronouncing band names, member names, song titles, or deciphering any meanings behind any of them.

My first few are band names: Borknagar, Gorgoroth, Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, and Asmegin.

 

[Intoxicator]

Very good idea for a thread. Here's mine:
Suidakra
Quo Vadis

Amon Amarth means Mount Doom in Elven (LotR), and I'm pretty sure it's pronounced "Uh-mon Uh-Marth." Gorgoroth is also from LotR. It is a wasted plateau in Mordor and means "place of very great dread." I think it's pronounced just how it looks. Borknagar is "Ragnarok" rearranged, with a "B" thrown in there.

 

[Ben_t]

I've always wondered how to pronoune : Nagelfar and Myrkskog.

 

[genocide roach]

naglfar is pronounced how its spelled. think nag- l -far

for me: nephasth, tsjunder (im guessing the j is soft)
~gR~

 

[The Grimace]

I got these, though most of em are obvious...

Borknagar= BORK-na-GAR

Gorgoroth= GOR-GOR-awth

Ensiferum & Asmegin are like they sound, with the accents on 'me' and 'fer'.

Suidakra = The beginning of the world is that word farmers call pigs with, but faster.

Quo Vadis = KWO-VAHD-IS

Nagelfar = Naag-UHL-far

Myrkskog = MEERK-skog (long 'O' sound, not short 'A'.)

 

[The Grimace]

nephasth, tsjunder

Nephasth is exactly how it is spell, it's just hard to actually say.

Tsjunder - Beginning of the word is a sort of a guttural D and Z combined sound, like DZ-YOON-DARE.

Keep em coming, I'm good at this shit!

 

[MasterOLightning]

Akercocke is a tough one. I think it just is a German pronunciation with the "e" as a soft "a". Anybody know the meaning of this one?

 

[Jaar-Gilon]

is Wyrd just "Wierd"?
Astriaal. Drudkh. Hrossharsgrani.
Myrddraal. Mytile Vey Lorth. Taake. Woods of Ypres (i know how to say Woods of clever me)

 

[The Grimace]

Hrossharsgrani.

The sound of an exploding water buffalo.

 

[NAD]

I'd like to know how Taake is pronounced, thanks.

 

[The Grimace]

I'd like to know how Taake is pronounced, thanks.

I'm gonna go with 'Tah-KAY', just an educated guess, I've never actually heard the name spoken before. Now that I think about it though, I can't really think of another way to say it. 'Tah-KEY' I guess, but that'd be stupid.

 

[Alex78]

Suidakra (german band? so if it's meant to be pronounced german): Zooey-dah-kra

 

[lord667]

Akercocke is a tough one. I think it just is a German pronunciation with the "e" as a soft "a". Anybody know the meaning of this one?

Akercocke is a more Germanic-sounding alias of Mephistopheles, one of the aristocracy of Hell. Simon Magus got it from something in which Akercocke appears to someone, says words, and does things.

 

[Henrik Main]

Hey, Grimace, why not leave this to someone who actually speaks the languages in question?

Just crank up the volume and listen to these correct pronounciations:

Asmegin

Myrkskog

Tsjuder

Taake

 

[NAD]

Henrik Main, now I know your love for me is real, twice you have helped me today.

 

[Henrik Main]

Henrik Main, now I know your love for me is real, twice you have helped me today.

Indeed, I do love you. Now you can be cool and diss all the other kids who don't pronounce Taake correctly

 

[Melodeath]

This thread is SUCH a good idea.

Ypres - ee-pray (as soemone already said)

For now: How do you pronounce Drudkh?

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Quo Vadis

If you want to use actual latin, 'v's are actually pronounced like the present-day 'w' (in America at least, I know in Finland they do it, too). So it would be Kwoh Wa-Diss.

Akercocke is a tough one. I think it just is a German pronunciation with the "e" as a soft "a". Anybody know the meaning of this one?

It's the name of the capuchin monkey in Faust.

For now: How do you pronounce Drudkh?

If I ever had to say it, I would say "DROOD-k" with the 'k' being just the sound a 'k' would make.

 

[NAD]

Yeah, especially Gorgoroth and Amon Amarth, anyone got Sauron's phone number?

If you were cool like me you would have books on how the languages of Middle-earth are pronounced. :Spin:

 

[The Grimace]

Hey, Grimace, why not leave this to someone who actually speaks the languages in question?

I've listened to so much black metal, I think I do speak Norwegian now. I'm kvlt as fvck.