List of Viking metal bands explained

This is a list of Viking metal bands. Viking metal is a style of heavy metal music with origins in black metal and Nordic folk music, characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. Viking metal is quite diverse as a musical style, to the point where some consider it more a cross-genre term than genre, but it is typically manifested as black metal with influences from Nordic folk music. Common traits include a slow-paced and heavy riffing style, anthemic choruses, use of both clean and harsh vocals, a reliance on folk instrumentation, and often the use of keyboards for atmospheric effect.

Viking metal emerged during the late-1980s through the mid-1990s as a rejection of Satanism and the occult, instead embracing the Vikings and paganism as the leaders of opposition to Christianity. It is similar, in lyrics, sound, and thematic imagery, to pagan metal, but pagan metal has a broader mythological focus and uses folk instrumentation more extensively. Most Viking metal bands originate from the Nordic countries, and nearly all bands claim that their members descend, directly or indirectly, from Vikings.

Though artists such as Led Zeppelin, Yngwie Malmsteen, Heavy Load, and Manowar have previously dealt with Viking themes, Bathory from Sweden is generally credited with pioneering the style with its albums Blood Fire Death (1988) and Hammerheart (1990), which launched a renewed interest in the Viking Age among heavy metal musicians. Enslaved, from Norway, followed up on this burgeoning Viking trend with Hordanes Land (1993) and Vikingligr Veldi (1994). Burzum, Emperor, Einherjer, and Helheim, among others, helped further develop the genre in the early through mid-1990s. Through the work of artists such as the German project Falkenbach, Viking metal soon spread from the Nordic countries to other nations with Viking history or an even broader Germanic heritage, and has since influenced musicians across the globe. The death metal bands Unleashed and Amon Amarth, which emerged in the early 1990s, also adopted Viking themes, broadening the style from its primarily black metal origin.

BandFormedOriginclass=unsortableNotes
Adorned Brood1993Germany[1]
Amon Amarth1992Sweden [2] [3] [4]
Ancient Rites1988Belgium [5]
Antestor1990Norway[6]
Ásmegin1998Norway[7] [8]
Barbariön2007Australia[9]
Bathory1983Sweden[10]
Black Messiah1992Germany
Borknagar1995Norway[11] [12]
Brothers of Metal2012Sweden
Burzum1988Norway[13]
Claim the Throne2004Australia[14]
Darkwoods My Betrothed1992Finland[15]
Destroy Destroy Destroy2003United States [16]
Doomsword1997Italy[17]
Drottnar1996Norway [18] [19]
Einherjer1993Norway
Elexorien2004Netherlands[20]
Eluveitie2002Switzerland[21]
Emperor1991Norway[22]
Ensiferum1995Finland [23]
Enslaved1991Norway [24]
Equilibrium2001Germany [25]
Falkenbach1989Germany [26]
Fejd2001Sweden[27]
Finntroll1997Finland
Finsterforst2004Germany[28]
Folkearth2003International[29]
Folkodia2007International[30]
Forefather1997England[31]
Glittertind2001Norway [32]
Grand Magus1996Sweden[33]
Heidevolk2002Netherlands[34]
Hel1999Sweden[35]
Helheim1992Norway [36]
Holy Blood1999Ukraine[37]
Isengard1989Norway
Ithilien2005Belgium[38]
Kampfar1994Norway[39]
King of Asgard2008Sweden[40]
Kivimetsän Druidi2002Finland[41]
Korpiklaani2003Finland
Leaves' Eyes2003Germany
Norway		[42]
Månegarm1995Sweden [43]
Metsatöll1999Estonia[44]
Mithotyn1993Sweden [45]
Myrkgrav2003Norway[46]
Moonsorrow1995Finland [47] [48]
Obscurity1997Germany[49]
Primordial1987Ireland[50]
Satyricon1991Norway
Skálmöld2009Iceland [51]
2003 United States [52]
Slechtvalk1999Netherlands[53]
Solefald1995Norway[54]
Storm1994Norway[55]
Svartsot2005Denmark[56]
The Sword2003United States[57]
Thyrfing1995Sweden [58] [59] [60]
Trollech1999Czech Republic[61]
Turisas1997Finland [62]
Týr1998Faroe Islands[63] [64]
Ulver1993Norway[65]
Unleashed1989Sweden [66]
Vardøger1994Norway[67]
Vintersorg1994Sweden[68]
Windir1994Norway [69]
2003 Finland [70]
Wolfchant2003Germany[71]

See also

References

Notes and References

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  2. [#refKahnHarris2007|Kahn-Harris 2007]
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  5. Web site: Steiff. Review - Ancient Rites - Laguz. Metal Only.de. Wolfgang Steiner. 3 January 2017. de. February 2015.
  6. Drummer Svein Sander of Antestor in an interview with Art for the Ears webzine, 1998, Art for the Ears
  7. Matthijssens. Vera. Asmegin - Arv. Lords of Metal. April–May 2015. 157. 8 May 2015. Horst Vonberg.
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  10. Web site: Rivadavia, Eduardo . [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=blood-fire-death-mw0000171761|pure_url=yes}} ''Blood Fire Death'' review ]. . 13 March 2009.
  11. Weinstein, pg. 60.
  12. Freeborn 2010, pg. 846.
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  16. Web site: Tennessee metalheads Destroy to the third power. Kurosu. Jason. 9 January 2009. Highlander Newspaper. College Publisher. 15 May 2009.
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  21. Dieters. Frank. Eluveitie - Spirit. Lords of Metal. July–August 2006. 61. 3 January 2017.
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  30. Sadeghi. Nima. Folkodia - The Fall Of The Magog. Lords of Metal. 3 January 2017. August 2013. 138.
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  35. Web site: Hel. MusicMight. 4 March 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226081806/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/sweden/hel. 26 February 2014.
  36. Hoad 2013, pg. 63.
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  38. Web site: METALGLORY Magazine - Reviews - From Ashes To The Frozen Land CD Review Rezension. METALGLORY. Tomektor. www.metalglory.de. 13 March 2017.
  39. Web site: Bowar, Chad . Kvass review . . 13 March 2009.
  40. Web site: King of Asgard Songs, Albums, Reviews & Bio . 25 May 2024 . AllMusic . en.
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