In Pagan Days...The Humble Beginnings Of Folk Metal!

Where did Folk Metal come from? Who were the originators? This is, for me at least, an easy question to answer. Of course, the first band to openly call themselves Folk Metal (and to receive much derision and ridicule from the music press at the time) was Skyclad. Their debut, "The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth" was released back in 1991 and wasn't far removed from the Thrash Metal of Sabbat, but with the revolutionary addition of the distinctive sound of the fiddle/violin. Founding member and lyrical pun master, Martin Walkyier was previously the vocalist and song-writer for the band, Sabbat, who were one of the stand-out bands in the strong, but under appreciated British Thrash scene. Sabbat stood out from the crowd due to their clever wordplay and the unique "machine-gun" vocal delivery of Mr. Walkyier. After leaving Sabbat, influenced by the music stylings of Folk Rock band, The Levellers, Martin was inspired to form Skyclad and the rest is (Folk) Metal history. 

Much like Sabbat, Skyclad would fail to make much of an impact on the music scene...although this is often the case when the "industry" and the media can't find a way to pigeon-hole a band, or if the music being created doesn't fit in with the zeitgeist of the time (Grunge and the later end of pure Thrash in this case). Time of course, has proved that what they did could and has become a relatively successful sub-genre of Metal and has attracted a decent fanbase. Although Skyclad themselves have remained relatively obscure, the influence they have had and continue to have on Folk Metal bands is obvious. Quite a legacy.

"Mid-era" Skyclad lineup.

Skyclad - "Sky Beneath My Feet" (1991)

There are, however, those who would point out that Bathory pre-dated Skyclad and that founder Qourthon, should receive the credit for kick-starting the genre!? Well, yes! This is a good argument...in a way. Yes, Quorthon was one of the first to write about pagan themes and he was certainly the artist who had the most success with it and was clearly passionate about his Scandinavian roots and its Viking history. The band also had an "interesting", distinctive, Manowar style image. But I don't think it can be denied that for the most part, Bathory were a Thrash/Black Metal band with Prog tendencies. That is why I don't consider them the first true Folk/Pagan Metal band. In later years Bathory would embark on a less aggressive, more folk-influenced direction, but in this case they were followers, not leaders. 

Early Bathory promo shot

Bathory - "Twilight Of The Gods" (1991)

On reflection though, I think it is definitely Bathory who had the biggest impact on the genre (much as it pains me to type that) as there are countless bands today who use the mythology and history of the Vikings as a base for their lyrical themes (Amon Amarth, Einherjer, Månegarm...the list goes on almost endlessly), and the  scene is much bigger and stronger in Scandinavia. I think that Bathory certainly were and are an important band in the story of Folk Metal but, I think that they had more of an influence on the Black Metal scene, especially bands such as Enslaved and their ilk, rather than on the Folk Metal (musically, at least).

In  the next part I will look at the other early bands to embrace the Pagan/Folk sound and discuss the different musical and cultural directions they took.