#11: Skyforger
This band is pure Latvian epic-ness.
Background Info (Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives)
Country of origin: Latvia
Location: Riga
Status: Active
Formed in: 1995
Genre: Pagan/Folk Black Metal
Lyrical themes: Historical battles, Latvian history, Mythology
Current label: Thunderforge Records
Years active:1991–1995 (as Grindmaster Dead), 1995-present
For me, Skyforger’s Kurbads (2010) is the apex of the band’s fusion of metal and folk music — the Latvian bagpipes and flutes were a staple element in this album. Being the first of their material I ever listened to, Kurbads quickly got me headbangin to its epic tracks, boosted mainly by the awesome bagpipes (dudas). The band also employs a kokle, a Latvian zither.
Although in adjacent albums, the band’s folk facet remains consistent especially in the modes and chant-style singing. Not to mention, there are a few tracks outside Kurbads that feature folk instruments, e.g. Kauja Pie Plakanem, Kauja Pie Veisiem and Migla, Migla, Rasa, Rasa. On top of that, they released a purely folk album, Zobena Dziesma (2003).
Favorite Albums:
- Kurbads (2010)
Favorite Songs:
- The Nine-headed (Kurbads)
- Son of the Mare (Kurbads)
- Black Rider (Kurbads)
- Uz Ziemelkrastu (Semigall’s Warchant, 2005)
