Skálmöld () is a Viking / folk metal band from Reykjavík, Iceland, formed in August 2009. The band's name is literally translated as ''Age of Swords'' and also means "lawlessness", referring to the Age of the Sturlungs of

Icelandic history The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from the east, particularly Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest ...

, when a civil war broke out between the country's family

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

History

Snæbjörn Ragnarsson and Björgvin Sigurðsson, who have been friends since childhood and have played together in various collectives, including

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

and punk bands, decided to start a new metal band, Skálmöld, formed in August 2009 in Reykjavík. The other band members had also been active in the Icelandic music scene. Initially, the band was intended to be merely a hobby, but the members soon decided to record an album before they were "too old and tired". After contacting most of the Icelandic labels—to no avail—the band was signed by the Faroese label Tutl in November 2010, which released the band's debut album ''Baldur'' in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In April 2011, the band signed a record deal with Napalm Records; ''Baldur'' was re-released worldwide the following August. The deal with Napalm gave Skálmöld a significant popularity boost. The band was invited to participate in the Wacken Open Air festival and the Heidenfest 2011 tour. On April 13, 2012, Skálmöld began recording its second album, '' Börn Loka'', which was released in October the same year. In November, 2013, Skálmöld played a series of concerts with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík. A live album and accompanying video, ''

Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands ''Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands'' is a live album and concert video by the Icelandic heavy metal band Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, released on 18 December 2013. The song material is from Skálmöld's first two al ...

'', was released on 18 December 2013. The next studio album was ''

Með vættum ''Með vættum'' (''"Among Vættir"'' in Icelandic) is the third full-length album by the Icelandic viking/ folk metal band Skálmöld, released on 11 November 2014 via Napalm Records. Music ''Með vættum'' tells of a woman, Þórunn, born ...

'', released in 2014, which tells the story of a woman who encounters enemies in the north, east, south and west of Iceland, and is assisted by mythological beings. In 2016 Skálmöld released ''

Vögguvísur Yggdrasils ''Vögguvísur Yggdrasils'' (''" Yggdrasil's lullabies"'' in Icelandic) is the fourth full-length studio album by the Icelandic viking/ folk metal band Skálmöld, released on September 30, 2016 via Napalm Records. Track listing Refer ...

'', an album themed around the different worlds of Norse cosmology. It was followed by ''

Sorgir ''Sorgir'' (''"Sorrows"'' or ''"Griefs"'' in Icelandic) is the fifth full-length album by the Icelandic viking/ folk metal band Skálmöld, released on 12 October 2018 via Napalm Records. Concept and recording The album is divided into two p ...

'' in 2018, which tells four tragic stories, each from two different perspectives. The band's official book, ''The Saga Of Skálmöld'', was published in 2021. It was written by British author Joel McIver and featured a foreword by President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson.

Musical style

From the beginning, Skálmöld's intention has been to combine the sounds of the traditional Icelandic music and metal. Initially, the band planned to use a lot of folk instruments, but soon decided to scale back and have three guitar players instead. The band's influences include such metal bands as

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, Iron Maiden,

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

Amon Amarth Amon Amarth () is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and hi ...

and

Ensiferum Ensiferum (Latin: , n adj., meaning "sword bearing") is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal." History Formation, demos and ''Ensiferum'' (1995−2002) ''Ensiferum'' was founde ...

, as well as Jón Leifs, the classical Icelandic composer. Skálmöld's lyrics, written by Snæbjörn entirely in Icelandic, are inspired by the

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

and Icelandic sagas. Furthermore, the lyrics conform to some of the Old Norse poetic forms, including fornyrðislag and sléttubönd. All the band members are members of the

heathen __NOTOC__ Heathen or Heathens may refer to: Religion *Heathen, another name for a pagan *Heathen, an adherent of Heathenry Music *Band of Heathens, a North American rock and roll band *Heathen (band), a North American thrash metal band *The Hea ...

organisation Ásatrúarfélagið. Jón Geir Jóhannsson explained the way they believe in the Norse gods: "You shouldn't personify them. It's not people, it's stories that represent human nature. So yes, the ethics are there, but we don't believe in them as 'persons'."

Discography

Studio albums

*2010: '' Baldur'' *2012: '' Börn Loka'' *2014: ''

'' *2016: ''

'' *2018: ''

Live albums

*2013: ''

'' *2020: ''10 Year Anniversary - Live in Reykjavík''

Singles

*2013: "Innrás"

Members

* Björgvin Sigurðsson – vocals, guitar * Baldur Ragnarsson – guitar, vocals * Snæbjörn Ragnarsson – bass, vocals * Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson – guitar, vocals * Gunnar Ben – oboe, keyboard, vocals * Jón Geir Jóhannsson – drums, vocals

Gallery

File:Skálmöld, Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson.jpg, Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson File:Skálmöld, Snæbjörn Ragnarsson.jpg, Snæbjörn Ragnarsson File:Skálmöld, Jón Geir Jóhannsson.jpg, Jón Geir Jóhannsson File:Skálmöld, Gunnar Ben.jpg, Gunnar Ben File:Skálmöld, Baldur Ragnarsson.jpg, Baldur Ragnarsson File:Skálmöld live in Bilston, Wolverhampton (04.10.2013).jpg, Skálmöld live at the Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton in October 2013.

References

External links

Official web-siteOfficial MySpaceOfficial Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skalmold Icelandic heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2009 Viking metal musical groups Napalm Records artists 2009 establishments in Iceland Folk metal musical groups Modern pagan musical groups Modern paganism in Iceland Musical groups from Reykjavík