Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal, and folk metal. They frequently use the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland, as a source for their lyrics.
Traditional Latvian music is often set to traditional poetry called dainas, featuring pre-Christian themes and legends, drone vocal styles and Baltic psaltery.
Pagan metal is a genre of heavy metal music which fuses extreme metal with "the pre-Christian traditions of a specific culture or region" through thematic concept, rustic melodies, unusual instruments or archaic languages, usually referring to folk metal or black metal. The Norwegian band In the Woods... was one of the first bands commonly viewed as pagan metal. Metal Hammer author Marc Halupczok wrote that Primordial's song "To Enter Pagan" from the band's demo "Dark Romanticism" contributed to defining the genre.
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist, bassist and songwriter. Internationally, he is best known as the former bassist, male vocalist and secondary composer to Tuomas Holopainen, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He was also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer and lyricist for the heavy metal band Tarot.
Prāta Vētra, known internationally as Brainstorm, is a Latvian pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000 when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Star".
Fomins & Kleins was a Latvian rock group formed in 2002.
Cruachan are an Irish folk metal band from Dublin that have been active since the 1990s. They have been acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to expand" the genre of folk metal. They are recognised as one of the founders of the folk metal genre. With a specific focus on Celtic music and the use of Celtic mythology in their lyrics, Cruachan's style of folk metal is called Celtic metal. The band named themselves after the archaeological site of Rathcroghan in Ireland also known as Cruachan.
Kokle or historically kokles (kūkles) is a Latvian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery along with Lithuanian kanklės, Estonian kannel, Finnish kantele, and Russian krylovidnye gusli. The first possible kokles related archaeological findings in the territory of modern Latvia are from the 13th century, while the first reliable written information about kokles playing comes from the beginning of the 17th century. The first known kokles tune was notated in 1891, but the first kokles recordings into gramophone records and movies were made in 1930s. Both kokles and kokles playing are included in the Latvian Culture Canon.
Līvi was a Latvian hard rock and heavy metal band that was influential in the formation of Latvian rock culture. They were known for their poetic lyrics and guitar solos.
Slania is the second studio album by Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie. It is the first one to include Anna Murphy as part of the band. It was released on 15 February 2008 through Nuclear Blast.
Pērkoņkalve (Thunderforge) is Skyforger's third full-length album. It was recorded and mixed from late 2002 to early 2003 at the Phoenix Studios and released on 1 June 2003 by Folter Records. The official presentation of the album took place on 21 September 2003 at the festival Baltijas Saule in Riga.
Heidevolk is a folk metal band from the Netherlands. The lyrical themes of their music are inspired by nature, the history of Gelderland, and Germanic mythology. Most of their lyrics are in Dutch; however, since their album Velua, they also have one original English song, "Vinland", and several English covers.
Goi, Rode, Goi! is the fifth full-length album by the Russian pagan metal band Arkona. It was released on 28 October 2009 through Napalm Records. "Goy, Rode, Goy!" means "Hail, Rod, Hail!". Rod is the Slavic Great God, Father of the Universe.
Kurbads is the fifth studio album by the Latvian folk metal band Skyforger. The album was released on 26 April 2010 in Europe and on 11 May 2010 in the United States through Metal Blade Records.
Musiqq is a Latvian pop music duo from Liepāja formed by Marats Ogļezņevs and Emīls Balceris. The duo first gained exposure in June 2009 with the release of their first single “Klimata kontrole”("Climate control"), but on October 1 their second single "Abrakadabra" came out, which was a radio hit in Latvia and "SEB Musical Bank 2009" winner. Their debut album "Šī ir tikai mūzika"("This is just music") was released in March 2010, which included radio hits such as "Abrakadabra", "Dzimšanas diena" ("Birthday") and "Klimata kontrole". Both singers were awarded as "Gada Liepājnieks"("Liepajnieks of the year" is a prize awarded for those, who have invested their time, effort and talent into making the city a better place) in nomination "'Music" and received three Copyright infinity prizes, because their songs are the most played on the radio, television and concerts. Musiqq represented Latvia in 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Düsseldorf with the song "Angel in Disguise".
Valdis Muktupāvels is a Latvian ethnomusicologist, composer, musician, teacher and doctor of art criticism.
Rīgas Modes is a pop band formed in 2008 in Ogre, Latvia. Originally named "Komjaunatne" (Komsomol), the band first consisted of singer-songwriter Kalvis Bormanis, guitarist Reinis Papulis, back-vocalist and keyboardist Anete Stuce, bass player Matīss Aprups and drummer Mārcis Bormanis. Throughout the years, the band's lineup has changed and now consists of Kalvis Bormanis, Reinis Papulis, Anete Stuce, bass player Andris Apīnis and drummer Mareks Ameriks.
Auļi is a Latvian folk/world music band formed in 2003. The band consists of 6 bagpipers, 3 drummers and 1 electric cello player.
Tautumeitas is a Latvian folk/world music band formed in 2015. The band consists of six women vocalists and instrumentalists.
