The Mosh Pit 10.23.09: Viking Metal!

Posted by Dan Haggerty on 10.23.2009

It’s all about the lands of ice and snow as the Mosh Pit looks at Viking Metal. Where did it come from and what can you expect? We look at albums from Bathory, Ensiferum, Wintersun, and Falkenback. Now with videos so you can take these heavy classics out for a spin! Check out the full column for all the details.




Vikings!

The word is enough to command a reaction in the ardent listener. Be it a sneer of contempt at the idea of some buff blonde dude thwacking a big pile of cheese with his hammer, or a mighty "Hell Yea!" at the image of Thor striking down the Midgard Serpent to drench the world in poison, the name will get your attention. Painted in a myriad of ways through pop culture, from comic book heroes to the crazy image of barbarians in that credit card commercial, Vikings are an often misunderstood enigma of what a modern thinker likes to paint as tough guys in long boats. Even in music this hasn't been safe. For every serious standard like "Immigrant Song" from Led Zeppelin's III, you get something that is less than serious like Manowar. And don't get me wrong, Manowar has got some damn fine albums, but lets face it the band became cheesier than whip in a can later on and even the later 80's stuff is as much sweaty guys in furry loincloths pounding their chest and thrusting swords in the air as a serious study in metal.

But heavy metal is the true frontier of creativity and proves it by continuing to push outwards by absorbing new styles and ideas into its ever growing tapestry of concrete splintering muse. Viking metal would rear its pagan head full bore this decade and earn its way into a full blown subgenre by the end.

The question is, how in the hell did that happen?


We Come From The Land Of Ice And Snow

The tale of Viking metal going from an interesting new style to full blown genre is one with two parts, the first being the subject matter. And really that is what people often imagine when they think Vikings. But the question we should ask is "Why did it take so long?" I mean, Vikings have been an on again off again image in pop culture for sometime that has certainly bled over to music. I've often joked that the aforementioned "Immigrant Song" is the first black metal song because if it's unapologetic Viking theme, so that tells you how early this goes in metal. In fact if you cornered me on when Zeppelin did their first true metal song proper I would point to that one for the riff structure and overall consistency (in a metal sense). The fact it also happened in 1970 is just gravy!

Moving forward these themes did return. Manowar is another good example of a band that took that ball all the way to the bank (and eventual self parody – sigh). But the thing with the 80's is that the underground got really cranking around ideas, and by the time the music evolution of extreme music was ready to make it's debut in the 90's bands were playing metal as dead serious concepts. For every Poison, you got Possessed playing metal so serious (and awesome) that it made the hairspray brigade look like pop music.

Bathory - HammerheartThe deep metal scene, while filled with bands like Venom who tossed insanity at you for the sake of it, also had many bands that took the ideas they said very seriously. Metallica is a great example of a band that made it a point to make a point every time they slapped down a riff. Iron maiden mixed stories with history and literature. Mercyful Fate just scared the crap out of you (making Motley Crue's pentagram look like a cartoon fetish).

Fun fact: Motley Crue got that pentagram from Blackie of W.A.S.P. who was getting rid of it back then. He was sick of lugging it around on tour.

I give the Crue shit, but their first two albums are great. A few later ones are fun as well. Still, they were the history of selling out (Part I) for two albums so they're on the shit list.

Anyway back to the matter at hand. Metal themes were serious business to those who took their metal serious. American politics and issues where early east targets while Black Sabbath certainly showed the themes of England's metal factories in the imagery of their music as well, Ward going so far to say he positioned some fine skin pummeling from rhythms he heard all night due to the local factory presses working 24/7. It was only a matter of time before people started to look at their own culture, or others, and use that as inspiration.

Enter a man named Quorthon and his band called Bathory. He would embrace the themes and would eventually build entire albums around them. By the time Hammerheart rolled off the presses in 1990 he was telling tales of pagan lands in frozen lands.

But before we get into that we need to discuss the music more.


From The Midnight Sun Where The Hot Springs Blow

Early metal was as much a blues and hard rock affair until Judas Priest showed up and kicked the scene in it leather codpiece. One British invasion later and the metal scene was off and running. Themes would continue to interplay around in it. Blues and hard rock still influenced it (with the pop version becoming the darlings of MTV). Ideas on symphonic music and arena rock also crept in as well. Metal was diversifying but still staying within its much louder format. It was also pushing the boundaries of extreme as it went.

Motorhead put the attitude and speed into metal, which begot thrash as the new extreme metal. While thrash was ratcheting up speed and converting us punters to the new church of skull crushing communion, it was also going wild into dark places deep in the scene. Venom showed up and went straight to 10 on the meter in attitude (directly disproportional to their actual musicianship at the time funny enough), and Celtic Frost painted an unholy world of bleak symphonic noise where the dense wall was composed of lightning riffs, screechy vocals, and production so vacant you wondered if it was recorded in space. Sound familiar?

These were the earliest of the extreme metal acts, pointing to the first hints of death and black metal to come. After them Possessed came in and released the seminal Seven Churches which is a top ten contender for a list of greatest metal albums (music and historically) most people don't know.

That would make a good column sometime.

In fact, their demo was called Death Metal which has led many people to point to them as the godfathers of death metal proper. Here, the reality is proto-death, or a blistering version of thrash on red bull with a guitar sound that could kill. Really great stuff.

In addition to bands like Possessed (and Slayer) pointing the way to death metal, Venom and Celtic Frost became the extreme thrash prototypes to become the first wave of black metal (a bit of a misnomer since it really wasn't black proper, but hey I don't make up the rules). They begot the mighty Bathory who released their debut in 84 which is more in tune to being the first black metal album proper. It was a dark and deep high intense run through dense yet vacant guitars that snuffed the light out of anything cheery.

So, with the entry of the mighty Bathory and its iconic Quorthon in the musical end, as well as the lyrical end, we can continue the story.


The Hammer Of The Gods

Damn. I'm on fire keeping this in time with the lyrics there. Bathory fans will get it, the rest will when I get to the album.

While Bathroy had gained a well earned reputation for musical might and intensity in the deep underground, he was also changing his style ever slowly to take on the themes of Northern Europe that seemed to match the chill and forsaken soundscape of his music. By the band's fourth album in 88 there was a couple of songs that are regarded as the first true Viking metal songs (I'm not going to tell you, check the album out!) but it was his fifth in 1990, Hammerheart, that is now the classic first pure Viking metal album that captured the themes of the genre.

The symphonic guitar bleakness gave way (ratcheted up) to epic songs fit for a (skull damaging heavy as fucking hell) opera, and the Satan themes of earlier was replaced by tales of ancient pagans and folk tales of mythological lore. More importantly this wasn't some cheesy picture of men in helmets with horns (a myth), but a real look at the true folk legends of those lands. You could feel the fire warming your face while your bones chilled with the wind howling outside of your animal skin tent, the old story teller painting wonderful and tragic tales of heroes and history. These were legends that felt vital to the character of the lands you were in. More importantly it felt real, honest, and just all around mind blowing.

Quorthon wouldn't stop there either. He would continue on his path and would not only set the mold of Viking metal, but also black metal as tales of pagans and folk legends of Northern Europe. Black metal as a medium to rail against the Church, while true in some cases (Norway being a very bad ugly example), was more about pagan themes and Scandinavian folk themes with imagery of those frozen lands. Sons of Northern Darkness anyone?

Bathory would continue to stump a mud hole into anything resembling mainstream metal in the 90's. Quorthon would eventually drop the Northern themes, going into a sort of thrash/death sound mixed with his menacing muse to evetually devolve to a primitive black bleakness, still quality stuff although Octagon was certainly a step backwards. When the new century rolled in he would return to Viking themes with his last two appropriate named albums Nordland I and Nordland II.


Will Drive Our Ships To New Lands, To Fight The Horde

This set the stage for other band to pick up on the idea. While black and death was the obvious place, power metal got in on the act as well. The real genre changing theme being the fact that the type of metal was not necessarily the essential part of the mix; it was the adaption of Scandinavian Folk themes that that made something Viking metal. Song structures supported by traditional melodies, toss in some actual traditional instruments at times, atmosphere being a real picture painter, and most importantly the lyrical content. Lyrics needed to help paint that picture, a combination of history, tradition, perspective, or what not. The classic party all the time themes wouldn't cut it.

The net result is music that isn't cheesy for its adherence to some D&D cult following of elfs and dwarfs, although I certainly have no issue with that, but a real look through a historical lens that makes you feel part of those traditions. When Quorthon screams "Baptized!" at you, you feel the blood of battle from friend or foe splattered across your face. You see a world that is dark and brutal, understanding why the culture developed such myths while gaining an appreciation for it on its own proper terms.

From here, the idea of regional folk music inspiring metal starts to really expand into many diverse and awesome sounds. Bands like…

Well, you now what? That will need to be another column… Next week!

As for now, let's get things wrapped so you can check out a few tunes.


Singing And Crying: Valhalla, I Am coming!

There are so many great albums to choose from it's hard to choose a place to start. Bathory is obvious and I'm way over due to have an album from him in the column. Ensiferum was one of the first albums I got in this genre so I'm including it for personal reasons. Further, if I'm going to do Ensiferum then I might as well do Wintersun for reasons to be explained, as well as the fact it is a great album that knocks heads in the melodic death range. Finally one of my personal favorites and an album that would make my Top 25 of this decade, a Falkenbach classic rounds out the selection. So without further fanfare here is some music for the new student of Viking metal to check out (or the rest to fondly remember)!


Bathory - Hammerheart

The first song "Shores In flames" greats you with a well place, non-overstated rolling guitar intro mixed with the rolling waves of the sea, along with Quorthon singing (good clean voice). It's a lament that isn't sad, but distant. Then the music kicks in several minutes later and BAM, guitar riffs crunch down hard. This isn't the fast picking of black metal, but an almost doom like take on thrash that is heavy as hell for its tone. Seriously, the guitar tone is killer. It makes the riffs sound fat, heavy, and epic. They slowly pick up speed as solo licks swirl in dizzying speeds around those crunches, and immediately you know your in the hands of greatness. A mix of speed ripping your ears one way while the intentional methodical crush of the rhythm forces your head to bang the other. You end up with the atmosphere raining down painting everything he learned from black but laid up to portray an old world order. By the time it ends with the baritone rumbling horn of some ancient war call, those tribal like drums, and the sea rolling back out you realize you're not in Kansas anymore.

Did I say horns? Well, those crushing symphonic like keys sound like horns, but not metallic and high flying. Take "Valhalla" which makes them sound like maidens calling the final battle of doom, all the world sounding like a Wagnerian epic centuries after that Teutonic giant of classical music went to meet Odin. Slowly the percussion and guitars rumble there way in with a riff-dirge of classic story telling goodness. Quorthon's voice mixes his style, and dare I say Venom, for a true range of raging plight of yelling forbidden stories back into the teeth of a storm. Except Venom can come across loose on the wrong day (but hey, we still love them) while here they mix with the tight raging music in might fashion.

If you're wondering where the real skull kick is, "Fire and Ice" shows up and drops a heavy crushing rhythm on you from get go. The choral singing of the title buries is a bit, but damn those guitars are simple structure but fast and sinister. This is how riffs and a good sound can do more than any amount of math, and this song just rips with pure metal honesty front to back for it. Quorthon again screaming at foes with a stellar "Baptized!" before the chorus is sung again. The song flowing and fading with subtle speed shifts as it rolls and roils in a dense wall of thundering drums (love how they're produced), sheer guitar noise, the whole a backdrop to the crunch of the leads. Hells yea, take that groove. This song did more than an entire later day Pantera album.

Sorry but it s true.

Of course, if you want a groove heavy riff structure done right then you turn to "Father and Son", which does it so right its criminal the so called groove bands didn't take heed of this. Well, the change over between great riffs that are different but tied by structure, all flowing give this a thrash like structure that more directly points to Sabbath so there is your answer. As the riffs fade back into the wall of atmosphere to the ringing feel of epic story telling in the chorus you realize you can't paint a genre on this. It isn't thrash, death, black,.. it has to be something new.

It's Viking metal!

And if you need a reminder, "Song To Hall Up High" has an acoustic intro that picks its way through a medieval sounding melody that is isn't as dated as one would think, more atmosphere, more like a soundtrack to some epic fantasy flick.

Enough with the songs, here is a taste of the man's muse to wet your appetite. Enjoy!








Bathory is one of those bands filled with greatness. They are a band any serious fan of metal needs to check out and here is a great place to start. Subtle and melodic while maintaining the extreme harshness of the lands portrayed. I cannot recommend this enough.



Ensiferum - Iron

This is pure Viking metal firmly entrenched in the folk legends of Europe's more forsaken and cold zip codes. These guys aren't fooling around with the imagery either, coming out dressed in full period gear. Unlike the blackened death that the mighty Bathory evoked, Ensiferum hits you with a power drenched affair that is infused with death, an iron shod death with the edges worn off from the traditional melodies and instruments of those ancient lands. Where Manowar held swords high in the air, these guys make you believe they could have forged theirs.

Some modern folk infused metal gives the image of hobbits parading about (see Eluveitie), songs like the opening "Ferrum Aeternum" scream "please use me in a movie!" But Ensiferum still back up the folksy charm with steel and grit while blasting you with high speed double bass attacks like "Iron", a song that cuts large swaths through traditional music and cleaves the competition in twain.

But the fun doesn't stop there; "Slayer of Light" is a thrash monster that also captures the spirit of speed metal! This is a riff monster that literally kills lesser creatures with its full bore ferocity. Or the band kicks back into power metal on "Sword Chant" that shows off lead man Jari's vocal talents. It's almost out of place amongst the blitz and tradition, but it shows off the versatility of this great band and their singer. To bad creative differences would split the guys up, the band going one way with a new singer while Jari would move on to the dark and technical Wintersun.

Toss is a few traditional tunes like the spirit dance of "Lai Lai Hei" for full creative emersion into the countryside, or the somber ballad (fully performed with female guess vocals no less) album closer "Tears" and you get a wonderful album that ranges from Blind Guardian in chainmail to Dark Angel doing a tribute to the unholy trinity of German thrash with whimsy textures of Scandinavia in Summer time circa the Dark Ages.

Just check out "Iron" for a taste of what Ensiferum delivers:











Wintersun - Wintersun

Jari Mäenpää jumps from Ensiferum and into underground stardom, which is the kiss of death in the deep underground where he'll likely fall out of fashion. Anyway Jari left to form a one man project of his own vision and this is the one full album it has released to date. He plays all instruments but percussion on here, which sounds like a bad idea but you've got to give it up to the man, he knew what he was doing. This comes across so fast and dense at times people have accused this of being black, but truly it is melodic death metal painted with epic Viking ideology. Folk infuses this, at times letting the riffs run rampaging so fast Dave Mustaine would take a double check while other times rolling so melodically like old school In Flames. Overall fast pounding and dramatic this is a soaring combination of rhythm, speed, tradition, and instruments flying fast.

For fast, see the full firing attack of opener "Beyond The Dark Sun". One of the most memorable riffs actually and quite the attack. Guttural vocals mixing with clean, very evident on songs when Jari changes up vocals seven different ways from Sunday like he does on "Winter Madness" and "Star Child". Speaking of the last one that would likely qualify as the somber ballad on the album, a term I use loosely because the sad melody is crouched between rapid fire metal of steely death. Check it out to see what I mean:










Unlike the power and glory that is Ensiferum, Wintersun hits you with a more melodic and somber crush of sterling speed steel. It still packs an epic punch, and the musicianship is top notch (Jari on guitar is a surprisingly tight and wicked sounding affair), but it shows that folk music can be infused into metal in many different ways through a myriad of different genres. Sometimes the man pushes the limits of cramming quite the sonic attack but in the end this is quite the sordid attack that makes a masterpiece.



Falkenbach - Heralding – The Fireblade

Those would be the two alternate covers for this album. One is standard and the other is the digipak.

This is a virtual solo project by self named Vratyas Vakyas (Markus Tümmers in reality). The made up name is, for those keeping score at home, the first two steps in the philosophy of the Vatan. Outside of the fact it's associated with Ásatrú, that's all I know.

Anyway, this is a solo project but "Vratyas" brings in session musicians for this lush platter of soundscapes. Falkenbach just drips atmosphere and symphonic melodies tied up within its guitars and keys, along with mighty drums and even violins! It's a total collage of dense melody that sours and inspires as it regales the listener with tales of pagan lands in the north. It's a memorizing journey through riffs that roll and recede like hypnotic waves that surround and carry you off to the lands painted. I've often said that the right word can act like a thousand pictures, which is why I love music for delivering that, and this album is one of those rare accomplishments to do exactly that. It just evokes so much imagery through its sounds.

To give you an idea, the track "Heralder" is one of my top ten songs of this decade. Check it out:














Damn I absolutely love that song. So much atmosphere and intensity squeezed into it, it shows how to pack so much into a subtle sweep of grand story telling. And that is before you real get down to the lyrical content. Simply beautiful.

The album does this to greater and lesser extents, opener "Heathen Foray" being a churning trip through a hypnotic journey while "Roman Land" thumps with the war drums of fighting the civilized men of the empire. Songs like "Havamal" crash and ring off the forests with a rush that is less double bass and more percussion barrage resembling the trampling of hooves. Acoustics rub up against axes in perfect harmony while choirs promise to remember your deeds long after you're gone.

My only complaint is that I've been waiting four years for a follow up. Come on man!

This is a tremendous album and such a perfect example of true Viking metal. The sounds of heavy metal perfectly fused with folk traditions that flow with symphonic epic music. It manages to be bigger than life without being totally bombastic. It's a fine life, and Falkenbach pulled it off perfectly to create something that can be truly thought of as art.







That's a wrap this week. Go out and grab a great CD from the shelf and blast it on 10. Hell, Vikings never settled for anything less and so why should you!