Viking Metal

[staffino]

I was listening to this today and was thinking it's a pretty strange/interesting subgenre of metal.
Does anyone else have other recommendations and what does the group think of Viking metal in general?

Ensiferum - Victory Songs (Limited Edition) (2007)

 

[Koude Haat]

moonsorrow

 

[RosesofShadow]

Falkenbach FTW...

 

[thisisaformicatable]

Does anyone else have other recommendations and what does the group think of Viking metal in general?

It's the weaker form of folk metal due to the large volume of shit bands such as Ensiferum. Listen to Bathory.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

Bathory
Thyrfing
old Moonsorrow (fuck the new stuff)
Nomans Land is solid
Enslaved

 

[Seditious]

Does anyone else have other recommendations

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/band-recommendations-forum/332941-folk-metal.html

what does the group think of Viking metal in general?

best sub-genre ever

Ensiferum - Victory Songs (Limited Edition) (2007)

their worst album

 

[Seditious]

Bathory
Thyrfing
old Moonsorrow (fuck the new stuff)
Nomans Land is solid
Enslaved

both Nomans land and very similar band Mithotyn are legendary

another favourite viking/pagan/black/folk band I happen to have something uploaded of, Pagan Reign

edit: accidentally deleted the link yesterday, updated with the new one

 

[Blue_Jay]

Falkenbach
Thyrfing

 

[Melkor66]

Falkenbach
Moonsorrow
Unleashed
Enslaved
Ensiferum

 

[tagradh]

Most the bands I like have already been mentioned. Runic are pretty cool but lean heavily towards melodic death. Adorned Brood are okay providing you don't mind female vocals. Kroda, Myrkgrav, Pagan Reign, Wulfgar and Windir are all nice too. I'm sure people will come back saying that half these bands aren't viking or folk or what ever but still. ;>

 

[Black Core]

Viking metal > any form of metal

bands:
Asmegin
Finntroll
Falkenbach
Wyrd
Manegram
Moonsorrow
Windir
Drudkh
Trollfest
Korpiklaani
Temnozor

 

[challenge_everything]

Amon fucking Amarth.

 

[Seditious]

Most the bands I like have already been mentioned. Runic are pretty cool but lean heavily towards melodic death. Adorned Brood are okay providing you don't mind female vocals. Kroda, Myrkgrav, Pagan Reign, Wulfgar and Windir are all nice too. I'm sure people will come back saying that half these bands aren't viking or folk or what ever but still. ;>

Whatever they are, Runic and Myrkgrav deserve a mention just cos they rule

 

[Vilden]

Scald - Will of the Gods is Great Power is the best from this genre except Bathory.

 

[DigToChina]

Suidakra, anyone?
Signs of the Fallen
Emprise to Avalon
Command to Charge
Caledonia
^---All really good albums

On the topic of Ensiferum... Victory Songs is so much better than Dragon Heads

Edit: Ah, that's an EP :[

 

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

Suidakra used to be pretty good...I don't like their new stuff much. Signs For The Fallen was a good CD, though. Trails Of Gore is so fucking catchy.

 

[waif]

Don't have an extensive knowledge of Viking metal, but I can tell you it rules...and that Bathory is the fuckin' greatest of all
Best of all would be Bathory; epic, epic, and more epic...check out One Rode To Asa Bay...flat out best song ever. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDpc-831GPs
Also, listen to Song To Hall Up High, Home Of Once Brave, Baptised In Fire And Ice, Father To Son, Bond Of Blood, and For All Those Who Died
Also, Enslaved is pretty good, more of a black metal thing.
If you like melodic death metal, check out Amon Amarth; you'll probably hear something off the new album, if you don't like it check out the older stuff cuz it's all good but it's a totally different style. Asator, Under The North Star, Runes To My Memory, An Ancient Sign of Coming Storm, Victorious March, Death In Fire, and of course The Dragon's Flight Across The Waves for starters...

If you dig viking metal it might be worth your while to check out some other folk-metal; Eluveitie, Skyclad, and Elvenking are all fuckin' awesome.

 

[SionsBrother]

Viking metal > any form of metal

Hell yeah!

Ensiferum is my favorite by far. Bathory's albums, Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods were pretty instrumental to the genre in my opinion by far, so give those a listen also.

I guess you can call Moonsorrow viking metal, although they label themselves as "Epic heathen metal", give these guys a listen too.

 

[Skepticism]

Enslaved > all.

 

[Marevix]

It's the weaker form of folk metal due to the large volume of shit bands such as Ensiferum. Listen to Bathory.

I'd take Ensiferum over Bathory (the viking metal Bathory, anyway) any day. I personally find that most of Hammerheart is straight up boring for the sheer lack of melody and variety between the songs. My respect for Bathory's viking metal work ends at its influence upon other bands in the genre.