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Skálmöld (pronounced [ˈskau̯lmœlt])[1] is a Viking / folk metal band from Reykjavík, Iceland, formed in August 2009.[2] The band's name is literally translated as Age of Swords and also means "lawlessness", referring to the Age of the Sturlungs of Icelandic history, when a civil war broke out between the country's family clans.[3]

Skálmöld
Skálmöld at Rockharz Open Air 2018
Background information
Origin	Reykjavík, Iceland
Genres	Viking metal, folk metal
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Tutl Napalm Records
Website	http://www.skalmold.is/
Members	Baldur Ragnarsson Björgvin Sigurðsson Gunnar Ben Jón Geir Jóhannsson Snæbjörn Ragnarsson Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson

History

Snæbjörn Ragnarsson and Björgvin Sigurðsson, who have been friends since childhood and have played together in various collectives, including death metal and punk bands, decided to start a new metal band, Skálmöld, formed in August 2009 in Reykjavík.[4] The other band members had also been active in the Icelandic music scene. Initially, the band was intended to be merely a hobby, but the members soon decided to record an album before they were "too old and tired".[5] After contacting most of the Icelandic labels—to no avail—the band was signed by the Faroese label Tutl in November 2010, which released the band's debut album Baldur in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In April 2011, the band signed a record deal with Napalm Records; Baldur was re-released worldwide the following August.[6]

The deal with Napalm gave Skálmöld a significant popularity boost. The band was invited to participate in the Wacken Open Air festival and the Heidenfest 2011 tour.[5]

On April 13, 2012, Skálmöld began recording its second album, Börn Loka, which was released in October the same year.[7]

In November, 2013, Skálmöld played a series of concerts with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra at the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík. A live album and accompanying video, Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands, was released on 18 December 2013.[8]

The next studio album was Með vættum, released in 2014, which tells the story of a woman who encounters enemies in the north, east, south and west of Iceland, and is assisted by mythological beings. In 2016 Skálmöld released Vögguvísur Yggdrasils, an album themed around the different worlds of Norse cosmology. It was followed by Sorgir in 2018, which tells four tragic stories, each from two different perspectives.[9]

The band's official book, The Saga Of Skálmöld, was published in 2021. It was written by British author Joel McIver and featured a foreword by President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson.[10]

Musical style

From the beginning, Skálmöld's intention has been to combine the sounds of the traditional Icelandic music and metal.[4] Initially, the band planned to use a lot of folk instruments, but soon decided to scale back and have three guitar players instead. The band's influences include such metal bands as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Slayer, Amon Amarth and Ensiferum, as well as Jón Leifs, the classical Icelandic composer.[4][11] Skálmöld's lyrics, written by Snæbjörn entirely in Icelandic, are inspired by the Norse mythology and Icelandic sagas.[2] Furthermore, the lyrics conform to some of the Old Norse poetic forms, including fornyrðislag and sléttubönd.[12][13]

All the band members are members of the heathen organisation Ásatrúarfélagið. Jón Geir Jóhannsson explained the way they believe in the Norse gods: "You shouldn't personify them. It's not people, it's stories that represent human nature. So yes, the ethics are there, but we don't believe in them as 'persons'."[14]

Discography

Studio albums

• 2010: Baldur
• 2012: Börn Loka
• 2014: Með vættum
• 2016: Vögguvísur Yggdrasils
• 2018: Sorgir [15]

Live albums

• 2013: Skálmöld & Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands
• 2020: 10 Year Anniversary - Live in Reykjavík

Singles

• 2013: "Innrás"

Members

• Björgvin Sigurðsson – vocals, guitar
• Baldur Ragnarsson – guitar, vocals
• Snæbjörn Ragnarsson – bass, vocals
• Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson – guitar, vocals
• Gunnar Ben – oboe, keyboard, vocals
• Jón Geir Jóhannsson – drums, vocals

Gallery

• 
  Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson
• 
  Snæbjörn Ragnarsson
• 
  Jón Geir Jóhannsson
• 
  Gunnar Ben
• 
  Baldur Ragnarsson
• 
  Skálmöld live at the Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton in October 2013.

References

External links

• Official web-site
• Official MySpace
• Official Facebook

На других языках

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[de] Skálmöld

Skálmöld (isl. ‚Gesetzlosigkeit‘)[1] ist eine 2009 gegründete, isländische Viking-Metal-Band aus Reykjavík. Der Name der Band bezeichnet die bürgerkriegsähnliche Situation der Sturlungen-Zeit in Island im 13. Jahrhundert, bei der maßgeblich um die Vorherrschaft Islands gekämpft wurde. Die namentliche Verwandtschaft zur Walküre Skálmöld ist rein zufällig und steht in keinem Bezug zum Bandnamen, so Sänger und Gitarrist Björgvin Sigurðsson.[2]

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- [en] Skálmöld

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[ru] Skálmöld

Skálmöld — викинг-метал и фолк-метал группа из Рейкьявика, Исландия, которая была образована в августе 2009 года[1]. Название группы можно перевести с исландского как «век мечей», что может означать также «беззаконие». Данное название относится к периоду, известному как Эпоха Стюрлунгов, который считается одним из самых кровавых и жестоких в истории Исландии[2].

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