issue 11 // volume 43 arts // no. 7 A note on history: The music of the gods > The history of Viking metal Caroline Ho Arts Editor he story of Viking metal begins 1,200 hundred years ago, when Scandinavians set out aboard their longships with their battleaxes and bass guitars. Okay, not quite. Viking metal is mostly seen as an offshoot of black metal, which in turn grew out of thrash and death metal in the ’8os, pioneered by bands like Venom in England, Mayhem in Norway, and Hellhammer in Switzerland. Venom’s 1982 album Black Metal and its titular first track are responsible for coining the name. The genre is usually distinguished by its Satanic themes: A lot of the lyrics express ideas of anti-Christianity, war, death, and general destruction. Black metal is also notable for the explicit imagery and characteristics adopted by musicians, many of whom go by stage names (like King Diamond, or Kim Bendix Peterson, of Mercyful Fate) and wear corpse paint for a demonic look. Where black metal revels in Satanism, Viking metal instead turns to the symbolism of Nordic mythology. The first band to take this step was the highly influential Bathory, hailing from Sweden and fronted by Quorthon (Tomas Forsberg). Founded in 1983, Bathory stuck to the more typical anti- Christian themes that characterized black metal, at first. With their fourth album Blood Fire Death (1988), they shifted away from this and instead invoked Viking imagery, most notably in the album’s introductory instrumental track “Odens Ride Over Nordland” and in the lyrics of songs “A Fine Day to Die” and “Blood Fire Death,” with the former featuring lines like “Two times a hundred men in battles/Tried by the steel in the arrow axe and the sword.” Bathory’s next album Hammerheart (1990) is usually seen as the first true Viking metal album and a defining album for the genre. It was a huge departure from Bathory’s previous work, both musically and thematically. Instead of the frenetically aggressive pace and harsh, high-pitched sing- shrieking that Quorthon used in previous albums, the vocals of Hammerheart are lyrical and haunting, backed by chorus-like chanting against slower tracks with a sweepingly majestic atmosphere. The music video for “One Rode to Asa Bay” shows armoured, helmeted Viking warriors in longships setting sail, and the song features a distinctive folk-like melody. The lyrics of the entire album recount the glorified history of the Viking Age, with songs about epic battles, the might of the gods, and the valour of death to gain entry into Valhalla. Other bands took up this pagan warrior spirit throughout the ’gos. The Norwegian band Enslaved, who have cited Bathory as a major influence, released their first EP Hordanes Land in 1993, followed by the full-length album Vikingligr Veldi the following year. Einherjer, also from Norway, entered the scene with Dragons of the North in 1996, with many of their lyrics reciting specific Scandinavian myths. Other bands of this style include Moonsorrow from Finland, Unleashed and Thyrfing from Sweden, Falkenbach from Germany, Tyr from the Faroe Islands, and many more. Some groups that picked up on the Viking aesthetic also melded it with the musical style of death metal (which tends to be more technically sophisticated and less “raw” in quality than black metal). Whether death or black, Viking metal is usually identified as a fusion of metal with Nordic folk music and lyrics about Nordic mythology. Some bands sing partly or entirely in Icelandic or Old Norse, and sometimes take verses from Viking- age poetry. Almost all of these bands claim direct heritage from the Vikings. Viking imagery and Scandinavian heritage aren’t the only sources of historical inspiration in metal music. Largely spurred by the success of Viking metal, pagan metal and folk metal also embrace the ancestral roots of musicians. In Ireland, bands like Cruachan and Primordial kicked off the genre of Celtic metal in the early ’gos. Estonian band Metsatoll, active since 1999, incorporates traditional instruments like flutes and goat horns in their songs about their homeland. Heidevolk, founded in 2002 in the Netherlands, sings mainly about the many Germanic gods, heroes, and fantastic creatures in Northern European folklore. Viking metal was an explicit reaction against the Satanic themes of black metal, an alternate outlet for expressing discontentment with the dominant religious spirit. In the liner notes of Bathory’s 1996 album Blood and Ice, Quorthon explained the movement as a desire to look back to a simpler time in history— “And what could be more simple and natural than to pick up on the Viking era?” Incorporating folk motifs and mythology, Viking metal is a rediscovery of pure, heroic Scandinavian spirit. The sounds of political discontent > Songs protesting the democratic system Caroline Ho Arts Editor fthere’s one good (or at least slightly- less-terrible) thing about times of political turmoil and mass dissatisfaction, it’s that we at least get a lot of good music out of it. Political crises have inspired a lot of subversive songs by artists voicing their anger at the system. These songs can be interpreted as calls to take to the streets in protest, or as outlets for a listener's own sense of outrage. B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down (2005) The title is short for “Bring Your Own Bombs,” and even though it was written to specifically address the US’s role in the Iraq War, it’s pretty applicable as a song about the majority being misled by the government. The dark, party-like attitude of the music video and the upbeat tempo of the song are interrupted by vocalist Serj Tankian’s frantically-paced demand of “Why don’t presidents fight the war?/ Why do they always send the poor?” System of a Down has also just announced that they have about 15 songs lined up for their new album that will be released in 2017, their first album since 2005, and it’s probably a safe bet that Trump references will make their way in. Kingdom of Zod - Billy Talent (2014) At Rock am Ring in Germany this June, Billy Talent introduced “Kingdom of Zod” by dedicating it to the “most terrifying person on the planet”—and that was before he had nuclear power. The Mississauga-based band have said in interviews that this song was written about Rob Ford, but lyrics like “slamming the doors of democracy on those who are not the same” are also uncomfortably fitting for Trump. “Kingdom of Zod” is about a corrupt politician embroiled in numerous scandals, yet to the incomprehension of a few skeptical onlookers, the public still lets itself be manipulated by Mayor Zod’s lies. It’s also a poignant message about the role of the media: Every new scandal that’s uncovered only thrusts Zod further into the spotlight. A Gentlemen’s Coup - Rise Against (2011) Rise Against is known for the straight edge lifestyle and prominent activism of its members, and the band’s entire Endgame album is about the consequences of political inaction, specifically the irreversible damages of climate change. “A Gentlemen’s Coup” is the perfect theme song for those Trump supporters who were fed up Image via musicfeeds.com.au with the system and saw a radical shift in leadership as the only way to cause actual change in the government. The lyrics describe a movement that seized power to raise a leader from entirely outside the political establishment— but society is now subjected to the new leader’s authoritarian interests. Those who voted for Trump largely because they were angry at big business and corrupt politicians might be pleased that they managed to “seize the throne,” but if they really wanted transformation, perhaps they “should have burned it to the ground.” Sleep Now in the Fire - Rage Against The Machine (1999) No list of angry-at-the-establishment anthems would be complete without at least one Rage Against the Machine song. It’s hard to pick just one, but “Sleep Now in the Fire” is pretty apt for describing capitalistic greed and the empty promises of freedom-touting America. As Zack de ]a Rocha sings “The party blessed me with its future/ And I protect it with fire,” it’s only too easy to imagine Trump in this role. But the most chillingly relatable part of “Sleep Now in the Fire” occurs about a minute into the music video, where there is a quick frame of a man holding a sign that says “Donald J Trump for President 2000.” Over 17 years ago it was an absurd idea, a satirical suggestion of the most extreme limits of democracy. Who would have guessed that rap rock could predict the future so accurately?