Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles. It also sometimes features soft instrumentation influenced by folk rock.
Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1992. The band released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records to date and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works. Beginning with The Cainian Chronicle, they moved towards a more Nordic/atmospheric black metal sound, akin to Emperor and a cleaner production. After a period of turmoil concerning their line-up, they went on to add gothic-style instruments such as violins, a female vocalist, and synthesizers to their music.
Motorpsycho is a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. Their music can generally be defined as progressive or psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from alternative, jazz, post-rock, pop, country and many other musical styles. The stable members of the band are Bent Sæther and Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan. From 1992 to March 2005, Håkon Gebhardt was the band's drummer. From December 2007 to May 2016 Kenneth Kapstad was the drummer of the band, being replaced by Tomas Järmyr, who joined in early 2017. Järmyr left the band in January 2023.
The Grudge is an album released by Mortiis. It was recorded at Silvertone Studios in Fredrikstad, Norway in 2003 and 2004 and released in 2004. The artwork was done by Jean Sebastian Rossbach of the Living Rope Design. The album is more metal-leaning and aggressive, whereas the previous release was more melodic.
Solefald is a Norwegian avant-garde metal/black metal band that was formed by members Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland and Cornelius Jakhelln in August 1995, with Nedland singing and playing keyboard/synthesizer/piano and drums, and Jakhelln singing and playing guitar and bass. The duo experiment with a wide array of musical styles, frequently work on other projects, and rarely perform live under the Solefald name, leading them to describe themselves as "two stubborn goats pretending to be a band." According to the duo, their name is an Old Norse word for "sunset," taken from one of Theodor Kittelsen's paintings illustrating a poem of the same name by Theodor Caspari, published in the 1901 book Vintereventyr.
Deadlands is the third studio album by Norwegian metal band Madder Mortem, released on Century Media Europe on 21 October 2002. Released in the US on The End Records, 11 February 2003. It was the final CD to be released by them on Century Media Records. The band have since signed to Peaceville records.
Lobotomizer is the first album by the Norwegian band Motorpsycho, released in 1991. It has a raw sound and style, mostly heavy metal and grunge. It has been called the band's weakest record. The album includes the live-performance crowd-favourite "Hogwash". The title track and the song "Eternity" show a less aggressive side of the band's sound.
Phanerothyme is the ninth full-length studio album by the Norwegian band Motorpsycho. It was released through Stickman Records (Europe) and Sony (Norway). It was also released in Japan through P-Vine.
It's a Love Cult is the tenth full-length studio album by the Norwegian band Motorpsycho. The album was preceded by the EP release of "Serpentine", for which also a video was made.
Chameleon is the debut album by Norwegian singer Margaret Berger. It was released by BMG Norway on 4 October 2004, five months after she placed second on Norwegian Idol. The album did not receive an official single release, but the music video for the song "Lifetime Guarantee" was awarded a Spellemannprisen.
All Flesh Is Grass is the second studio album by Norwegian metal band Madder Mortem, released on 5 March 2001 through Century Media Records. It was recorded in Studio Underground, Västerås, Sweden, in October 2000.
Det Vilde Kor is the third full-length album by the Norwegian folk metal band Lumsk. It was released on February 26, 2007 by Tabu Recordings. The lyrics are taken from Knut Hamsun's similarly titled poetry collection of 1904.
Drottnar is an extreme metal band from Fredrikstad, Norway. Formed in 1996, the band has released four albums, Spiritual Battle (2000), Welterwerk (2006), Stratum (2012) and Monolith (2019) and an EP titled Anamorphosis (2003). The first album was released on UK label Plankton Records. They are currently signed to Swedish label Endtime Productions.
Åsmund or Aasmund is a Norse male given name, derived from as ('god') and mundr ('protector'). People with the given name Åsmund or Aasmund include:
Myrkgrav is a Norwegian blackened folk metal band with a single member, Lars Jensen. Jensen founded the band in 2003 and released a demo in 2004 entitled Fra fjellheimen kaller.... His first album, Trollskau, skrømt og kølabrenning, was released on 27 October 2006. The lyrics are about local history, legends, and folklore from Ringerike, Lommedalen, and Hole, from around the 17th century to the end of the 19th century. The songs are sung in a local Norwegian dialect.
Kvelertak is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Stavanger, formed in 2007. The group comprises vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, guitarists Vidar Landa, Bjarte Lund Rolland and Maciek Ofstad, bassist Marvin Nygaard and drummer Håvard Takle Ohr. Founding member and lead singer Erlend Hjelvik left the group in 2018, being replaced by Ivar Nikolaisen. Most of Kvelertak's songs have Norwegian lyrics, and their main influences are rock and roll, black metal and punk rock.
Stian André Hinderson, also known under the stage names Nagash and Lex Icon, is a Norwegian metal musician. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and does vocals. He is primarily known for his work with the black metal bands Dimmu Borgir and The Kovenant.
Trollfest is a Norwegian folk metal band.
Susanne Sundfør is the debut studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør, released on 19 March 2007 through Your Favourite Music. The album reached number three on the Norwegian album chart and was supported by its lead single, "Walls", which also reached number three on the Norwegian singles chart. Sundfør described the record as "folk-inspired."
The Wild Choir is a poetry collection by Nobel laureate in literature Knut Hamsun. It was published in 1904 and is his only poetry collection. The collection contains existentialist, erotic and political poems. One of the best known poems from the collection is "Letter to Byron in the Great Beyond", addressed to the late English poet Lord Byron, one of Hamsun's role models. It also includes the poem "In a hundred years, all is forgotten". The collection has been set to music by different composers and musicians, including the album Bjørnstad/Paus/Hamsun (1982) by Ole Paus and Ketil Bjørnstad, the album Det Vilde Kor (2007) by Lumsk, and the operatic song cycle Det vilde Kor (2009) by Marcus Paus.
