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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
Snæbjörn Ragnarsson and Björgvin Sigurðsson, who have been friends since childhood and have played together in various collectives, including death metal and punk music, 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 Record label, labels—to no avail—the band was signed by the Faroe Islands, Faroese label Tutl in November 2010, which released the band's debut album Baldur (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), Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík. A live album and accompanying video, ''Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands'', was released on 18 December 2013.
The next studio album was ''Með vættum'', 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'', an album themed around the different worlds of Norse cosmology. It was followed by ''Sorgir'' 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.
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.
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{{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
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 clans.
History
Snæbjörn Ragnarsson and Björgvin Sigurðsson, who have been friends since childhood and have played together in various collectives, including death metal and punk music, 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 Record label, labels—to no avail—the band was signed by the Faroe Islands, Faroese label Tutl in November 2010, which released the band's debut album Baldur (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), Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík. A live album and accompanying video, ''Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands'', was released on 18 December 2013.
The next studio album was ''Með vættum'', 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'', an album themed around the different worlds of Norse cosmology. It was followed by ''Sorgir'' 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 Icelandic folk music, 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, Iron Maiden, Anthrax (American band), Anthrax, Slayer, Amon Amarth and Ensiferum, as well as Jón Leifs, the classical music, classical Icelandic composer. Skálmöld's lyrics, written by Snæbjörn entirely in Icelandic language, Icelandic, are inspired by the Norse mythology and Icelandic sagas. Furthermore, the lyrics conform to some of the Alliterative verse#Old Norse poetic forms, Old Norse poetic forms, including fornyrðislag and sléttubönd. All the band members are members of the Heathenry (new religious movement), heathen 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 (album), Baldur'' *2012: ''Börn Loka'' *2014: ''Með vættum'' *2016: ''Vögguvísur Yggdrasils'' *2018: ''Sorgir''Live albums
*2013: ''Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands'' *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, vocalsGallery
References
External links
Official web-site
{{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