Your Favorite Viking/Folk Metal Band

[Cythraul]

And they're certainly not good, either.

 

[Goffdahl]

Considering my Last.fm chart basically almost ALL I listen to is considered viking/pagan/folk. I have removed everything else and this is what's left:

1 Riger 740
2 Menhir 698
3 Windir 670
4 Summoning 628
5 Agalloch 579
6 Dornenreich 495
8 Nokturnal Mortum 488
9 XIV Dark Centuries 478
10 Skyforger 465
11 Helrunar 451
12 In the Woods... 439
13 Alkonost 430
14 Wolfchant 427
15 Satyricon 422
17 Ulver 407
18 Sear Bliss 402
19 Taake 395
20 Primordial 393
21 Enslaved 383
24 Nocte Obducta 380
26 Vintersorg 377
26 Black Messiah 377
28 Drudkh 360
29 Nomans Land 357
30 Solefald 356
31 Fjoergyn 350
34 Negură Bunget 334
36 Nagelfar 309
37 Hellebaard 304
37 Heidevolk 304
39 Rivendell 301
41 Borknagar 298
41 Equilibrium 298
43 Moonsorrow 291
43 Einherjer 291
45 Tenhi 290
46 Forlorn 279
47 Thyrfing 277
50 Bergthron 274
53 Finntroll 265
54 Korpiklaani 261
57 Raventhrone 257
58 Forefather 255
59 Hollenthon 254
60 Bathory 251
60 Amon Amarth 251
63 Mithotyn 248
66 Alcest 239
67 Empyrium 236
67 KromleK 236
70 Haggard 234
75 SuidAkrA 224
76 Eluveitie 223
80 Noekk 213
81 Otyg 207
84 Wyrd 199
85 Love History 198
86 Insomnium 195
87 Odroerir 194
91 Falkenbach 185
92 Aisling 184
94 Nest 176
95 Arkona 175
98 Minas Morgul 173
98 Thrudvangar 173
101 Radigost 169
103 Gernotshagen 166
109 Helfahrt 162
110 Heimdalls Wacht 161
110 Myrkgrav 161
120 Hromovlad 147
122 Kalmah 146
123 Månegarm 145
126 Týr 141
127 Nastrandir 132
129 Sorgsvart 129
130 Melechesh 128
133 Cor Scorpii 126
136 Kampfar 125
138 Nebelhorn 122
139 Neun Welten 121
140 Helritt 120
144 Taunusheim 117
146 Of the Wand and the Moon114
152 Helheim 106
162 Slartibartfass 100
162 Trollech 100
166 Skymning 97
174 Forest Silence 91
177 Potentiam 86
182 Sad Legend 81
184 Ensiferum 79
186 Ulvhedin 76
191 Ahnenstahl 74
191 Turisas 74
197 Falconer 70
197 Ajattara 70
201 Ásmegin 69
204 Arbor Ira 68
207 Cruachan 66
219 Surturs Lohe 57
222 Heiden 55
224 Falchion 53
224 Aeternus 53
230 Wintersun 49
237 Lumsk 46
241 Svartsot 45
256 Lord Wind 38
260 Mael Mordha 36
279 Isengard 27
310 Thundra 14
352 Graveland 4

I guess there could be some inspiration for some people in that list.

 

[Tennyson]

SPANISH VIKINGS?!

 

[Einherjar86]

Considering my Last.fm chart basically almost ALL I listen to is considered viking/pagan/folk. I have removed everything else and this is what's left

I saw Fjoergyn, Kromlek, and Falchion in that list. Well done sir.

There were a lot of bands that really aren't viking or folk too though. Insomnium and Amon Amarth, for instance, are just melodic death.

 

[Vilden]

Considering my Last.fm chart basically almost ALL I listen to is considered viking/pagan/folk. I have removed everything else and this is what's left:

So, you almost only listen to viking/pagan/folk and have Graveland last in your chart. Care to explain yourself?

 

[Goffdahl]

I saw Fjoergyn, Kromlek, and Falchion in that list. Well done sir.

There were a lot of bands that really aren't viking or folk too though. Insomnium and Amon Amarth, for instance, are just melodic death.

So you think Falchion makes the cut and Insomnium does not?

Well - I think you're right... There are probably a few bands there that shouldn't be there but people tend to label them as such so I brought them along.

 

[Einherjar86]

Touche, I suppose. But Falchion sounds so much like Ensiferum that it basically qualifies them for mentioning in this thread.

SPANISH VIKINGS?!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTeiR6jjPe8

Epic intro!

 

[Tennyson]

hahah listening to some Alestorm now I love it. It's like glory metal. Same feeling I get from Dragonheads (the song) by Ensiferum. You just wanna swing your mead mug and sing along!

 

[The Creator of Failure]

Amon Amarth are Viking. Musically they're death metal, but when you add the lyrics to that, overall they are Viking metal.

 

[Einherjar86]

Yeah, but lyrics don't determine genre. Stormwarrior have dozens of songs about Vikings, but they're not Viking metal.

 

[The Creator of Failure]

In this case, they kind of make it more... specific. Viking metal itself musically can hardly be clean and defined, most bands musically are very similar to black/death metal, but it's the lyrics why they're Viking metal, and not black/death metal. Such is the case with Amon Amarth too. At least I see it like that.

 

[Omni]

I don't really consider Viking metal to be a genre of music. If it was, it would probably mostly be applied to bands that sounded like Hammerheart-era Bathory, which doesn't really sound like black metal.

 

[Guardian of Asgaard]

Amon Amarth
Ulver
Suidakra

 

[Matt]

Viking metal sounds like a genre describing the lyrical content, and we all know that's not allowed.

 

[Einherjar86]

Let me take a shot at this, and we'll see how others agree/disagree, and what conclusions we can arrive at.

Viking metal is defined by the sound created during Bathory's "Viking" metal era (i.e. Blood Fire Death, Hammerheart, Twilight of the Gods). It typically has a slower sound than black and death metal, although it can definitely be said to derive from black metal, and many Viking metal bands possess black metal qualities. I would posit that keyboards/symphonics play a generally larger role in Viking metal than in most traditional black/death metal. The presence of the keys creates what I believe most of us would designate an "epic" sound. I would also suggest that a mix of clean and harsh vocals are utilized frequently in Viking metal (but aren't necessary). In general, most traditional "Viking" metal bands exhibit a much slower sound than other forms of extreme metal, and strive for a sound that I would describe as "epic" or "glorious" (as cheesy as that sounds).

Bands that I would say qualify as strict Viking metal bands:
Bathory
Einherjer
Spectral
Ancient Rites (although they frequently exhibit strong black metal tendencies)
Fjoergyn
Kromlek
Myrkvar
Black Messiah (although they also lend toward black metal as well)
Thyrfing
Mithotyn

I know that there are more. Anything others that people would like to add to this list? Anything someone disagrees with, from either the list or the description?

EDIT: bands like Ensiferum and Turisas are not Viking metal, but rather fall into the folk metal category, which is why they can be included in this thread. As far as Viking metal goes, I believe that it is a very strict, specific category.

 

[skezzmo]

EDIT: bands like Ensiferum and Turisas are not Viking metal, but rather fall into the folk metal category, which is why they can be included in this thread. As far as Viking metal goes, I believe that it is a very strict, specific category.

How do you differentiate between folk and viking then?

 

[Einherjar86]

I don't think that "folk" metal is a specific genre, whereas Viking metal is. Folk is a descriptive term that can only be applied to other genres. There is no "folk" metal band. Eluveitie is folk/melodic death metal. Turisas and Ensiferum are extreme folk/power metal. Borknagar and Black Lotus are folk/black metal. Early Amorphis is folk/death/doom. Folk metal doesn't exist as its own genre, whereas Viking metal does. And Viking metal can possess elements of folk, but doesn't have to.

 

[skezzmo]

I think this is one of those instances when metal fans become too obsessed with classifying their metal to hyper specific sub-genres and shit like when somebody is trying to explain a band to me as melodic blackened death metal or whatever. I guess I'll go with Billy Joel and Abbath in saying It's all rock n roll to me.

 

[Goffdahl]

I don't think that "folk" metal is a specific genre, whereas Viking metal is. Folk is a descriptive term that can only be applied to other genres. There is no "folk" metal band. Eluveitie is folk/melodic death metal. Turisas and Ensiferum are extreme folk/power metal. Borknagar and Black Lotus are folk/black metal. Early Amorphis is folk/death/doom. Folk metal doesn't exist as its own genre, whereas Viking metal does. And Viking metal can possess elements of folk, but doesn't have to.

While you're right in almost everything you say, I would still say that folk metal exists as a genre.

Bands like Lumsk, Otyg and such are clearly folk metal. All other bands mentioned in this thread are not folk metal bands they just have folk incorporated in their respective style - precisely like the examples you have shown.

Edit:
This is a list I made at another forum (only picking the most significant)

Viking metal
Enslaved
Forlorn
Einherjer
Bathory
Falkenback
Windir

Pagan metal
Moonsorrow
Menhir
Helrunar
Equilibrium
XIV Dark Centuries
Primordial
Skyforger

Folk metal
Otyg
Korpiklaani
Lumsk

 

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

Pagan Reign (rus) is also pure folk.