While there are moresubgenres of heavy metalthan you may shake a corpse-painted stick at, one of the most interesting, if a bit nebulously defined from an actual musicological perspective, isViking metal. It’s a bit of a misnomer, as Vikings were a specific group of Scandinavian warrior people in the 8th through 11th centuries, while the musical genre tends to have a broader application than just bands that directly reference the mighty seafarers.
Rather than being based on a particular sound, but often overlapping with melodic death, black, and power metal, Viking metal is more about the subject matter. Themajority of Viking metal bands are Scandinavian or some other flavor of Northern European, and they all draw musical, lyrical, and thematic inspiration from classic Norse mythology – with far more loyalty to the source material than other common portrayals of Norse gods (likeMarvel’s versions of Thor and Loki).
10Amon Amarth
The Swedish Giants Of Melodic Death Metal
While “Viking metal” isn’t Amon Amarth’s preferred appellation – the band prefers to think of themselves as melodic death metal – there’s no question that for over 30 years, thisgroup of Swedes has been putting out some of the most bombastic, face-melting metalderived from Viking myths that’s out there. Their 2008 albumTwilight of the Thunder Godput them on the international map, but everything since has also been fantastic, including their most recent release, 2022’sThe Great Heathen Army.
Amon Amarth’s name is the Sindar Elvish name forMount Doom fromThe Lord of the Rings.
There’smore than just a vaguely Viking gimmick to Amon Amarth; their songs that utilize mythological themes are deeply researched, and their sound absolutely incorporates some of the best elements of melodic death metal. Amon Amarth also tend to include some fantastic covers as bonus tracks on their albums, such as 2011’sSurtur Rising, which featured a cover of System of a Down’s “Aerials” as the iTunes bonus track, and a cover of Kiss' “War Machine” on the initial Japanese release.
9Einherjer
Norway’s Champions Of Symphonic Black Metal
Like their namesakes,the dead champions of Valhalla who feast eternally at Odin’s right hand, Norwegian metalheads Einherjer also found the grave to be no bar to their success. First founded in 1993, the band released a few albums but split up in 2004, immediately reforming as a thrash metal band by the name of Battered; in 2008, they returned to touring and playing festivals, signed to the label Indie Recordings in 2010, and have since released five studio albums.
8Eluveitie
Switzerland’s Fusion Of Ancient Gaulish And Modern Melodic Death Metal
Eluveitie are a Swiss-based folk metal bandthat fuse melodic death and traditional Celtic instrumentation, such as bagpipes or the hurdy-gurdy. Their songwriting is equally Celtic-influenced, with lyrics referencing mythological concepts such as the nature and fertility deity Cernunnos.
Their songwriting is equally Celtic-influenced, with lyrics referencing mythological concepts such as the nature and fertility deity Cernunnos.
Theband also explore Celtic history through their use of Gaulish, the ancient language spoken by the tribes of Celts who lived in the region of Gaul, which is now northwestern France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Interestingly, while the band’s name comes from an ancient language, it isn’t Gaulish: it’s Etruscan.
7Finntroll
The Black Metal Incarnation Of Pre-Christian Finnish Monsters
Although Finntroll are Finnish, as their name might imply, most of their songs are sung in Swedish; their original vocalist, Jan “Katla” Jämsen, is a member of Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority and decided to sing in his mother tongue – and also thatSwedish, compared to Finnish, sounded much more troll-like. Although the band is now on their third vocalist, Mathias Lillmåns, they continue the trend of writing songs in Swedish.
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The band’s name is a reference to an ancient legend about a group of Swedish priests who entered Finland and had most of their group killed by a wild Finnish man;the survivors returned home with horrible tales of their encounter with the dreaded Finn-Troll. The band’s music has a similar focus, telling multiple stories about a troll-king and his legions fighting off the waves of Christians attempting to colonize their lands.
6Heilung
Amplified History From Medieval Northern Europe
Based out of Denmark,neo-folk pagan group Heilunguse traditional instrumentation such as deerskin drums and human bones, and write their songs based on historical texts, particularly poems in Old Norse, Old High German, and Old English. Their name, which is the German word for “healing,” was chosen to reflect their musical ethos; as described byMaximum Volume Music, Heilung’s music leaves listeners “at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent.”
Heilung formed in 2014 in Coppenhagen, Denmark, releasing their debut albumOfnirin 2015. To date, the band has produced three studio albums and two live albums.
5Korpiklaani
Viking Metal Party Boys From Finland’s Backwoods
Unlike most folk-metal bands, which tend to start as metal and get more folksy over time,Korpiklaani began as a folk group and has slowly become more metal. First named Shamaani Duo and then just Shaman, the band’s original incarnation lasted from 1993 to 2003, and transitioned from traditional Sámi folk music to more conventional folk metal. Their initial albums as Korpiklaani used English for most of their vocals, but as of 2007’sTervaskanto, they have switched to singing mostly in Finnish.
The Sámi are the indigenous people of the northernmost portion of the Fennoscandian peninsula, first settling the region at the end of the Bronze Age or beginning of the Iron Age. This happened independently of the arrival of the Germanic tribes who would become the Scandinavian peoples, and the two societies had very little contact for most of history. Unfortunately, the Sámi have suffered from persecution by the Scandinavian majority for some time.
While most other metal bands from Scandinavia lean heavily on myth and legend for their lyrics,Korpiklaani are Finland’s rowdy party boys, with many of their songs being about drinking heavily and having a good time. They’ve also collaborated several times with Finntroll over the years, including contributing traditional Sámi-style vocals – called “yoiking” – to Finntroll’s music.
4Turisas
Finnish Gods Of War, Power Metal, And Violin Solos
Named for anancient Finnish war god, Turisas formed in the late ’90s, but it wasn’t until they signed with Century Records in 2003 that their career began taking off. Their first album, 2004’sBattle Metal, dives deep into not only myth and legend, but also a wide variety of Scandinavian historical accounts. The album also highlights the band’s musical style, which eschews traditional guitar solos for a distorted fiddle or accordion.
The band’s second release,The Varangian Way, was a fantastic concept album that told the story of a group of Scandinavians traveling by river down from northern Russia to the Eastern Roman Empire. Yet the single that got them the most attention wasn’t one of the album’s main tracks, but a bonus track from the deluxe release –specifically a cover of ’70s disco group Boney M.’s smash hit “Rasputin.”
3Týr
Progressive Power Metal From The Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic; a territory of Denmark, it was first settled by Old Norse-speaking settlers in the early ninth century and developed its own language and culture.Týr as a band celebrate their Faroese identity, even incorporating the traditional Faorese ballad form called “kvæði” into their music.
While Týr drew some negative attention due to the use of runes and other imagery that have become associated with Nazis and other far-right neopagan groups in recent decades, the band has since doubled down on making theirmessage of pan-Nordic unity a core part of their identity and sound. As frontman Heri Joensen said in a 2004 interview withThe Metal Observer, “walls and labels do nothing but fill people with prejudice.“On their 2011 albumLay of Thyrmthey included the song “Shadow of the Swastika,” which openly decried Nazi ideology.
2Vintersorg
Avant-Garde Metal From Sweden’s Far North
Originally founded with the name Vargatron (“Wolfthrone”), thisSwedish band Vintersorg began with the goal of pushing the boundaries of extreme metal genres, originally starting from a mostly black metal sound with folk influences, but over the years shifting into a more avant-garde and even prog-metal sound. They’ve also shifted the focus of their lyrical content over the years. Initially, their music was sung almost entirely in Swedish and focused mostly on mythology, nature, and paganism, but they’ve since started incorporating more English lyrics and drawn influence from modern concepts like the work of noted astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan.
1Wardruna
The Darkest Modern Incarnation Of Traditional Norse Music
While most Viking metal is just that – black metal (or other subgenre) that draws some combination of lyrical, musical, and aesthetic influences from ancient Viking culture –Wardruna are something from a different age entirely. Founded by two members of Gorgoroth and one former electronic music star, the group takes a deeply profound approach to composing music inspired by the very depths of prehistory. Wardruna have released six albums. The first three, 2009’sRunaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga, 2013’sRunaljod – Yggdrasil,and 2016’sRunaljod – Ragnarok, are all based on Norse runes.
