Arcturus is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band formed in 1991. Their name, which means "Bear Guardian", references the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal".
Hellbillies is a Norwegian rock band, formed in 1990 in a town called Ål, located in Hallingdal.
Týr is a Faroese folk metal band. They have been characterised as one of "the islands' two most successful metal bands". Their subject matter revolves almost entirely around Viking lore, mythology, and history, taking their name from Týr, the god of war in Norse religion.
Horde is the black metal solo project of Australian musician Jayson Sherlock, formerly of Mortification and Paramaecium. In 1994, the only studio album, Hellig Usvart, was released on Nuclear Blast Records. With a session line-up, Horde played live in 2006 in Norway and in 2010 in Finland and Germany. Hellig Usvart proved to be a seminal release for the unblack metal movement, and the album was highly controversial in the secular black metal scene at the time it was released.
Midnattsol are a gothic/folk metal band from Germany. The band was founded in 2002 by Norwegian vocalist Carmen Elise Espenæs and German guitarist Christian Hector. The band's name is a modified spelling of the Norwegian word midnattssol, which means 'midnight sun'.
Trail of Tears is a Norwegian gothic/symphonic black metal band originally formed in 1994 by Terje Heiseldal, Kjell Rune Hagen, Jonathan A Perez, Michael Krumins, and Ronny Thorsen, under the name of Natt. Through most of their career the band emphasised the use of contrasting soprano and death grunt vocals, except for the release of Free Fall into Fear in 2005, in which the band switched this contrast mostly to tenor and growls, with less frequent soprano passages. The band disbanded in 2013, being succeeded by Thorsen's project Viper Solfa. In 2020, they reformed with old and new members, including previous Sirenia vocalist Ailyn.
Equilibrium is a German folk metal band from Bavaria. The band's music combines elements of folk music, pagan metal, melodic black metal and symphonic metal, though they recently added in more modern influences including metalcore and industrial metal. Their riffs reflect traditional Germanic melodies. Their lyrical themes focus on Germanic tales and Germanic mythology. The songs of the band used to be mostly in German, although most recently they prioritized the English in their songs, especially starting with their sixth album Renegades (2019).
Mods was a Norwegian rock band formed in Stavanger in 1980. The band recorded their first album Revansj! in 1981. The original members were vocalist Morten Abel, guitarist Runar Bjålid, guitarist Kurt Øyvind Olsen, bassist Torkild Viig, keyboardist Helge Hummervoll and drummer Leif Arne Bergvin Nilsen. After the first album, Bjålid and Olsen left the band and were replaced by Tor Øyvind Syvertsen. The second album Amerika was released in 1982. They recorded their last album, Time Machine, in 1984. They played some reunion concerts in 1990 in the Stavanger area. Morten Abel has on several occasions dismissed the band and their songs. Nevertheless, they are considered legends, especially in their home county Rogaland. Drummer Leif Nilsen later formed Leif & Kompisane, they sometimes play Mods songs live.
Ragnarok is a Norwegian black metal band. The band was formed in Sarpsborg, Norway in 1994 by Jerv and Jontho, after they left Thoth, their previous band. Lyrical themes include Norse Mythology, Vikings, Satanism, War, and Anti-Christianity. The band's name comes from the Old Norse word Ragnarök, the prophesied last battle between the Norse gods and the giants. They are "one of the most extreme black metal bands in Norway", making heavy use of make-up and special effects.
Koldbrann ("Gangrene") is a Norwegian black metal band founded in 2001.
Arkona is a Russian folk metal band. Their lyrics are heavily influenced by Russian folklore and Slavic mythology, and their music incorporates several traditional Russian musical instruments. The name of the band "Arkona" refers to the last Pre-Christianized Slavic city-castle.
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.
Alkonost is a Russian epic folk metal band formed in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia in 1995.
Ym:Stammen was an ethnic-influenced post-punk band from Oslo, Norway that released six albums. The group was founded in 1983 by Trygve Mathiesen.
Wilkommen Folk Tell Drekka Fest! is the debut full-length album by Norwegian folk metal band, Trollfest. It was released on March 15, 2005 by Solistitium Records. The album name translates roughly to "Welcome Folk to the Drinking Feast" in English.
Finsterforst is a German folk metal band from Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, whose lyrical themes deal with nature, German myths, and fantasy worlds. Formed in 2004, the group has released five studio albums, one extended play and one compilation album.
Myrkur is a solo black metal project by Danish singer Amalie Bruun. Initially, the real-life identity of the person behind the project was kept unknown. Her identity has since been made public. Myrkur has released three full-length studio albums to significant critical acclaim, as well as a live album and two EP. Her most recent album, Folkesange, was released on 20 March 2020 through Relapse Records.
Kroda is a Ukrainian pagan metal band formed in 2003 in Dnipro. The band's primary lyrical themes are heathenism, history, nature, traditionalism and anti-Christianity. Their sixth full-length album was released on May 1, 2015. The band has been labeled as a National Socialist black metal band due to the Holocaust denial expressed in its lyrics and its connections to neo-Nazism.
Der Weg einer Freiheit is a German extreme metal band from Würzburg, formed in 2009 by Tobias Jaschinsky as vocalist and Nikita Kamprad as guitarist and principal songwriter. After the release of two studio albums – Der Weg einer Freiheit (2009) and Unstille (2012) – Jaschinsky left the band in 2012 and Kamprad took over vocals. He now performs alongside guitarist Nico Rausch, bassist Nico Ziska and drummer Tobias Schuler. They have released three more studio albums – Stellar (2015), Finisterre (2017) and Noktvrn (2021) – through Season of Mist.
