Pagan metal is a type of heavy metal music that combines extreme metal with beliefs from before Christianity in a specific culture or region. This music often uses themes about ancient traditions, country-style melodies, unusual musical instruments, or old languages. It is usually connected to other types of metal, such as folk metal or black metal. The Norwegian band In the Woods… was one of the first bands seen as pagan metal. Metal Hammer writer Marc Halupczok said that Primordial's song "To Enter Pagan" from their demo "Dark Romanticism" helped shape the genre.
Characteristics
Pagan metal is "more of an idea than a genre," which means that bands in this category can be "very different" from one another. Jarkko Aaltonen, a bassist in the band Korpiklaani, explains that bands singing about "Vikings or other ancient tribes" are often labeled as pagan, even if they do not use folk instruments. Heri Joensen describes pagan metal as music that focuses on "pre-Christian, European traditions, whether they are historical or based on myths." He also says that the music styles are "very different" because the focus is more on the lyrics than the sound. Some bands create music that is "happy and lively," while others make music that is "sad and dark." Singing styles vary from "melodic chanting" to "unusual growling," and some bands sing in their native language, while others use English.
Pagan metal is often connected to Viking metal and folk metal. Bands like Moonsorrow and Kampfar are considered part of all three categories.
History
Led Zeppelin and Manowar explored themes related to ancient religions in the 1970s and 1980s. However, pagan metal bands today share few similarities with these earlier groups. Instead, they often credit the influence of bands such as Bathory, Enslaved, Amorphis, and Skyclad. Bathory and Enslaved are also known as Viking metal bands, while Amorphis and Skyclad are also known as folk metal bands.
Jarkko Aaltonen notes that Black Sabbath also used themes related to ancient religions, but he says Skyclad was the first band to mix traditional folk-rock music with lyrics focused on mythology. Chrigel Glanzmann of Eluveitie agrees, stating Skyclad was the first pagan metal band to combine heavy metal with Celtic folk music in a way that inspired others. Ian Christe also identifies Skyclad as the pioneers of pagan metal. In contrast, Heri Joensen credits Bathory as the first pagan metal band, explaining that Bathory moved away from satanic themes and instead used stories from Nordic mythology. Alan A. Nemtheanga of Primordial says the style of pagan metal began to form in Bathory's 1988 album Blood Fire Death. He also says Bathory borrowed ideas from Manowar, though many people avoid discussing this. Mathias Nygård of Turisas says Amorphis was the first pagan metal band because it helped shape the direction of the genre.
In April 2008, some performers at the Paganfest festival faced accusations of being neo-Nazis or fascists from the Berliner Institut für Faschismusforschung. Ville Sorvali of Moonsorrow and Heri Joensen of Týr released a video to deny these claims, explaining that ancient Scandinavian symbols, like the S in Moonsorrow's logo and the T in Týr's logo, were used because they match how these runes have been written for thousands of years. Moonsorrow also issued a written statement about the controversy, and Týr explained on their website that their rune logo was inspired by the Black Sabbath album of the same name. Other bands, such as Skyforger, also denied any connection to Nazism, fascism, or racism. Skyforger even added the words "No Nazi Stuff Here!" on the back of their album covers.
By 2009, pagan metal had become a popular trend. Mikael Karlbom of Finntroll said the genre was growing in popularity. Jarkko Aaltonen of Korpiklaani shared a similar view but expressed concern about many people joining the trend without deep understanding. Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth said his band does not see itself as part of the pagan folklore music movement.