@Judas - I agree but estonain culture are so close to Finland and actualy then finish bands cant play real viking metal(BTW there are not viking band sin finland, Enisferum, Moonsorrow are folk) and I there can be mix viking/folk/pagan metal and IMO viking metal goes in same category how folk metal viking/folk, black/viking

There was viking contacts in Latvai too specely in 'Kurzeme' west notyh. west east part and pll from there goes to Danmark and attack to viliages there but it was not big historic event and here are no viking bands and only one folk band Skyforger and ist NOT viking metal

Written by Bad English on 18.04.2007 at 14:13

@Judas - I agree but estonain culture are so close to Finland and actualy then finish bands cant play real viking metal(BTW there are not viking band sin finland, Enisferum, Moonsorrow are folk) and I there can be mix viking/folk/pagan metal and IMO viking metal goes in same category how folk metal viking/folk, black/viking

There was viking contacts in Latvai too specely in 'Kurzeme' west notyh. west east part and pll from there goes to Danmark and attack to viliages there but it was not big historic event and here are no viking bands and only one folk band Skyforger and ist NOT viking metal

I never actually called Ensiferum and Moonsorrow 'Viking', although with the latter I've grudgingly accepted that definition (they actually have referred to themselves as more 'Viking' of late, rather than their earlier preferred 'Epic Heathen'). Oh, and way back when you were new to MS, you were the one who recommended me Skyforger, and I do agree they're great and NOT Viking!

OK, I'm now guilty of further off-topic discussions too. To pull things back into some shape of order, shall we take the examples of bands like Runic, who aren't from Nordic lands but sing Viking Metal? What are your thoughts on occurrences like that?

I personally think that as long as they fulfill the requirements (i.e. lyrics, music, and to an extent, image) that it's fine. Runic play Viking Metal, sing about Vikings, and try and be as Scandinavian as they can!

@Valaskjalf: Have you gone one way or another yet with your musical expression?

Written by Judas on 18.04.2007 at 14:38

Written by Bad English on 18.04.2007 at 14:13

@Judas - I agree but estonain culture are so close to Finland and actualy then finish bands cant play real viking metal(BTW there are not viking band sin finland, Enisferum, Moonsorrow are folk) and I there can be mix viking/folk/pagan metal and IMO viking metal goes in same category how folk metal viking/folk, black/viking

There was viking contacts in Latvai too specely in 'Kurzeme' west notyh. west east part and pll from there goes to Danmark and attack to viliages there but it was not big historic event and here are no viking bands and only one folk band Skyforger and ist NOT viking metal

I never actually called Ensiferum and Moonsorrow 'Viking', although with the latter I've grudgingly accepted that definition (they actually have referred to themselves as more 'Viking' of late, rather than their earlier preferred 'Epic Heathen'). Oh, and way back when you were new to MS, you were the one who recommended me Skyforger, and I do agree they're great and NOT Viking!

OK, I'm now guilty of further off-topic discussions too. To pull things back into some shape of order, shall we take the examples of bands like Runic, who aren't from Nordic lands but sing Viking Metal? What are your thoughts on occurrences like that?

I personally think that as long as they fulfill the requirements (i.e. lyrics, music, and to an extent, image) that it's fine. Runic play Viking Metal, sing about Vikings, and try and be as Scandinavian as they can!

@Valaskjalf: Have you gone one way or another yet with your musical expression?

me to I never call them viking metal and I dont know if tahy call them selfs viking too
Yes Skyforger are great and its pagan/folk/black black first album and demo

About Runic well if thay come from not viking countries then thay shood be good in music, lyrics and make them selfs lbe real viking band but a lot of bands just dont do it

Well at first i know there is excellent Thronar from Netherlands (yes, Holland still quite close to "viking countries")

but what about for instance Viking Throne from Brasil?



i claim this is real Viking WAR...possibly even more than Swedish War's

I think you can always try playing music with influences from the folk music of your place, and maybe you can get the same pagan feeling and atmosphere

You can always "try", but not always you success with it

I dunno if they have been mentioned already, but DoomSword from Italy is fucking outstanding. Every song on every album is memorable...to me anyway.

In my opinion, when bands from "non-viking countries" make viking metal, its really often cheap and easy, in the sense that the lyrics and the style is just plain retarded. In particularly often seen after the boom of folk/viking metal bands and their popularity that happened some time ago. As I see it the bands with the best quality on the content both lyric and music wise seems to be from the countries who has vikings originally. There's just something about it, far away foreign countries use it as a "cool" thing and don't appear authentic at all. Lyrics like "Odin I raise my mead/sword/ for you as I go to war!" makes me laugh rather than making me feel ready for battle.

Arkona is from Russia and they're pretty fucking good.

Usually viking metal from non-nordic countries is garbage, especially if it's from the USA

Ulveheim from Mexico, lol, though I kinda like them, at least I like them more than most prehispanic black metal bands(prehispanic influences and black metal could be an interesting mix, unfortunately most bands who play this style fail a lot). Also, they sing in norwegian.

Written by danielllewis on 17.02.2010 at 01:45

Arkona is from Russia and they're pretty fucking good.

Usually viking metal from non-nordic countries is garbage, especially if it's from the USA

If I remember correctly Arkona played Folk metal / Slav Metal. But hey they might still be damn good.

Written by danielllewis on 17.02.2010 at 01:45

Arkona is from Russia and they're pretty fucking good.

Usually viking metal from non-nordic countries is garbage, especially if it's from the USA

Well... Russia is actually rather legitimate to play this music because they use Russian (and also Finno-Ugric) style plus it should not be forgotten that vikings were around in Russia as well... tho in Russia they were called varyags... they made their way along the Volga river down to Byzantine Empire...

Viking does not mean Norway/Sweden only in that sense...

When countrys who are not viking countrys, such as US, it comes out as some deformed death metal thing, so the only viking metal that should be out there sould come from the origanal viking countrys.

This is untrue and unfair...just take the fact, that "original viking countries" may produce shitty music as well easily...one must judge every band separately

Written by Ellrohir on 04.03.2010 at 19:43

This is untrue and unfair...just take the fact, that "original viking countries" may produce shitty music as well easily...one must judge every band separately

and its true there many Norvegian, swedish, danish bands(specely danish because I dont like moust of it) play shity muisc and moust overated danish band is where Kim Bendix Petersen plays, now re located in Dallas

I know of lots of Canadian bands that play viking metal. I guess it doesn't have anything to do of whether or not you live in Scandinavia. Bands here are not less talented, musicially. But i've heard of some people make fun of other bands who don't fit the viking image yet play viking metal.

Hammer Horde is a US-act, pretty close to viking-metal, though obviously more death metal-oriented like AA

Bah! For shame.

If a band creates their craft well then who gives a shit where they're from, aside from a few native Scandinavian elitists who want to own a hereditary monopoly on a sub-genre. Nevermind the fact that such closed systems are inherantly doomed for failure.

It shouldn't matter if a band is made up of Wodaabe tribesmen from the Sahara, if they create convincing sounding "viking metal" then so be it.

Written by Jötun on 23.09.2010 at 21:30

Bah! For shame.

If a band creates their craft well then who gives a shit where they're from, aside from a few native Scandinavian elitists who want to own a hereditary monopoly on a sub-genre. Nevermind the fact that such closed systems are inherantly doomed for failure.

It shouldn't matter if a band is made up of Wodaabe tribesmen from the Sahara, if they create convincing sounding "viking metal" then so be it.

I absolutly agree here. No problem with a band from a non-viking country playing viking metal as long as it's done good. Saying otherwise would be like saying that only bands from say Ireland can play folk metal with an "Irish sound or inspiration"

See it the bands with the best quality on the content both lyric and music wise seems to be from the countries who has vikings originally. There's just something about it, far away foreign countries use it as a "cool" thing and don't appear authentic at all. Lyrics like "Odin I raise my mead/sword/ for you as I go to war!"





nse tips
nse market

Manowar is not... Viking metal, but they sound like a silly Viking-Lyric oriented sometimes... It's like Iron man512 said... "I raise my sword to thy Odin/My hammer to thy thor/ etc".

Here in Brazil we have... Tuatha de Danann, it's not viking, but it's folk, and it is about celtic mithologies.

But i know a viking metal from Brazil, it's called Hugin Munim.

If somebody lives in South Africa and wants to form a Viking Metal band, then by all means go for it. Vikings were by far the most metal people in history, the more viking metal the better.

It has nothing to do with where you're from ...
It's art, it's music. You can do whatever you want.

Written by infernalius on 17.02.2011 at 11:09

It has nothing to do with where you're from ...
It's art, it's music. You can do whatever you want.

I couldn't agree more.
But if it's to talk about folk, or something like that...
I would prefer to talk about folklore off my own country...
But i got to admit, Celtic or Nordic mithologies, are far more interesting than brazilian folklore.
(Brazil has some interesting myths, but there's nothing like a real history conneting all of them)