Do you consider Viking Metal a genre?

JBnaglfar

I am a little wary of posting this as talk of metal genres on the interweb is often like opening Pandora's box. However, I often wondered about Viking Metal. Viking bands generally seem to be a mix of black, death, and folk metal bands IMO. While new genres emerge from combining old ones, I don't see this in Viking metal as bands generally remain within a particular genre in terms of music so we have Viking death metal, or Viking folk metal etc. The only distinctive feature seems to be the Viking theme, in lyrics, artwork, stage show etc. I would consider Viking metal to be a movement across different genres, but not a new genre.

I am open to suggestions to disprove my opinion. Any thoughts/opinions? Do you consider Viking metal to be a distinctive genre?

Malice

I would say it's a sub-genre but since sub-genres are genres themselves then Viking Metal is a genre.

sofa kingcool

Not really, can't think of any bands that sound particularly 'viking' lol

Twilightning

Just another sub-genre within a sub-genre and shouldn't be taken too seriously or as a primary form of identifying a metal band's style of play. The main contenders like power, thrash, death, black, doom, traditional, folk, etc, can all be used to identify any self-proclaimed or otherwise 'viking metal' band.

Angron

I don't really differentiate between Viking and Pagan metal, and is kinda like Folk Metal I guess.. So yeah, I guess I would consider it a genre, just not one I listen to much of.

LukeQuietus

Tomorrow I'm going to piss on a guitar and record what it sounds like and call it piss metal. That's what I think of all these sub-genres. It's getting ridiculous. There might 4 that are actual genres. Death Metal is the main one and then from that the credible ones are grindcore (was more of a punk metal sub-genre but it sound death to me), doom metal (it's a recognizable sound), black metal (although some bands claim to be black metal when they aren't the main one's like emperor did have a unique sound) and prog/melodic death metal (Opeth...nuff said). Other than that it's bull****. Especially deathcore. Ooh...Don't get me started on deathcore. :mad:

errr....what was you're question?

LukeQuietus

Oh ya! Viking Metal. Ya. I think Amon Amarth have a definite sound. And as far as I can tell it's not a genre that everyone's jumping on the bandwagon of like deathcore. Ooh...don't get me started on deathcore......errrrr.....what ere we talking about?

cypharius

90s Bathory can't be described as Black Metal, and it can't be described as Folk Metal. Closest to Trash Metal, but it's not that either, so they were called Viking Metal.

Most bands described as "Viking Metal" today are just Folk Metal bands. But yes it is a genre IMO.

Useful.Idiot

it appears to have a solid definition on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_metal (not that that means much)

Some bands do give off a bit of a viking vibe (Amon Amarth, Bathory, Enslaved) but I don't think that would be enough to justify a whole genre.

Genre nitpicking in metal is the most annoying thing ever. The big ones as far as im concerned are death, black, thrash, folk, power, sludge/stoner, doom, grind, classic heavy metal, metalcore and deathcore (ugh).

cypharius

Useful.Idiot wrote: »

it appears to have a solid definition on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_metal (not that that means much)

Some bands do give off a bit of a viking vibe (Amon Amarth, Bathory, Enslaved) but I don't think that would be enough to justify a whole genre.

Genre nitpicking in metal is the most annoying thing ever. The big ones as far as im concerned are death, black, thrash, folk, power, sludge/stoner, doom, grind, classic heavy metal, metalcore and deathcore (ugh).

What about Gothic Metal, Industrial Metal and Speed Metal? Surely they're different enough to warrant their own genres?

PeterIanStaker

I think Hammerheart by Bathory was/is a defining moment in even using a term like Viking Metal, because of its theme and lyrical content, he would have been considered Black Metal before that, I would think.

darrenw5094

Does anyone know any sub genres of Viking metal??:)

brendansmith

darrenw5094 wrote: »

Does anyone know any sub genres of Viking metal??:)

Emmmmmm brit-pop?

BlaasForRafa

darrenw5094 wrote: »

Does anyone know any sub genres of Viking metal??:)

I suppose Forefather would have a viking metal type sound although their lyrical content is Anglo-Saxon based so therefore they are Anglo-Saxon metal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2daMFuvx5U

GrizzlyMan

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

I think Hammerheart by Bathory was/is a defining moment in even using a term like Viking Metal, because of its theme and lyrical content, he would have been considered Black Metal before that, I would think.

well put!!, IMO bathory wannabies the lot of them! Twilight another quality album:)

RayCon

No

Nephilim Wolf

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

I think Hammerheart by Bathory was/is a defining moment in even using a term like Viking Metal, because of its theme and lyrical content, he would have been considered Black Metal before that, I would think.

Hammerheart is an excellent Viking metal album. I think that both 'Frost' and 'Eld' by Enslaved are also truly excellent viking metal albums as well.