he Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown

bagpipes from North East England, where they have been an important factor in the
local musical culture for more than 200 years.[1] The family of the Duke of
Northumberland have had an official piper for over 250 years, and in more recent
times the Mayor of Gateshead and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle have both re-
established the tradition by appointing official Northumbrian pipers.[2]

In a survey of the bagpipes in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University, the
organologist Anthony Baines wrote: "It is perhaps the most civilized of the
bagpipes, making no attempt to go farther than the traditional bagpipe music of
melody over drone, but refining this music to the last degree."[3]

The instrument consists of one chanter (generally with keys) and usually four
drones. The cylindrically-bored chanter has a number of metal keys, most commonly
seven, but chanters with a range of over two octaves can be made which require
seventeen or more keys, all played with either the right hand thumb or left little
finger. There is no overblowing employed to get this two octave range, so the keys
are therefore necessary, together with the length of the chanter, for obtaining the
two octaves.

The Northumbrian smallpipes' chanter having a completely closed end, combined with
the unusually tight fingering style (each note is played by lifting only one finger
or opening one key) means that traditional Northumbrian piping is staccato in
style. Because the bores are so narrow, (typically about 4.3 millimetres for the
chanter), the sound is far quieter than most other bagpipes.

A detailed account of the construction of Northumbrian smallpipes written by

William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan[4] was published in 1967 by the Northumbrian
Pipers' Society; it was very influential in promoting a revival of pipemaking from
that time. This is now out of print, however. Another description, by Mike Nelson,
is currently available. Nelson’s designs also include the “School Pipes”, G-sets
with plastic components, made to be used in schools in Northumberland. [5] These
two accounts differ rather in their objectives, as Cocks and Bryan was based on
descriptions of existing sets, notably by Robert Reid, Nelson being a description
of his own design.

Contents
1 Early development
2 Chanter
3 Drones
4 Repertoire
4.1 Modern orchestral pieces for the smallpipes
5 Playing style
6 Recordings
7 Northumbrian pipers
7.1 Past players
7.2 Current players
7.3 Current pipemakers
8 See also
9 External links
10 References
Early development
The earliest known description of such an instrument in Britain is in the Talbot
manuscript[6] from about 1695. The descriptions of bagpipes mentioned in this early
source are reproduced in[7] One of these instruments was a bellows-blown 'Bagpipe,
Scotch', with three drones, whose keyless chanter had a one-octave range from G to
g, with each note being sounded by uncovering a single hole, as in the modern
instrument. This seems to have been a closed-ended chanter, for the lowest note is
sounded by uncovering the lowest finger-hole – there was no bell-note, sounding
with all holes covered; further, Talbot did not give the bore of the chanter,
suggesting that it could not easily be measured.[8] The three drones were in unison
with the lowest note, G, of the chanter, the D a fourth below it, and G, an octave
below. It has been argued that such instruments were derived from mouth-blown
German three-drone bagpipes.[9] These instruments seem to have been well-
established in Northumberland by the early 18th century; many of the tunes in the
William Dixon manuscript are suitable for such simple sets, and a painting [10] of
Joseph Turnbull, Piper to the Duchess of Northumberland, in Alnwick Castle, shows
him with such a set.When Thomas Doubleday published an open letter in 1857, to the
Duke of Northumberland about the "ancient music of Northumberland", [11] he wrote
that "The Northumbrian pipe is played upon by means of the method called 'close
fingering', for which it is calculated. This method of stopping allows only of one
finger being lifted at a time. Thus this instrument is limited to a single octave;
and this (little as it is) admits of all the airs, to which it is really suited,
being executed by its means; with the additional improvement that it may be played
perfectly in tune, whilst the tones it produces being staccato and of a clear,
ringing, pearly and brilliant character, gives the instrument a power which its
appearance by no means promises,and which is really surprising when the diminutive
size of its chanter or melody-pipe is considered". This is still a valid
description of the unkeyed instrument, its repertoire, and proper playing style.

Chanter
Although keyless chanters seem to have been common for much of the 18th century,
the earliest evidence of the introduction of a keyed chanter is the illustration
and fingering chart in John Peacock's tunebook, A Favorite Collection of Tunes with
Variations Adapted for the Northumberland Small Pipes, Violin, or Flute,[12] first
published by William Wright, of Newcastle, in about 1800.

Peacock's keyed chanter

The first of these were probably made by John Dunn. The instrument depicted in
Peacock's tunebook had only four keys, for F sharp, E and D below the octave G-g
range of the unkeyed instrument, and another for the a above it. Two early pipe
tunes written for such an instrument are "Lamshaw's Fancy", and "Shields Fair".
Lamshaw died in 1806, but is known to have played the 'improved smallpipes';
although only one of these tunes bears his name, the other probably commemorates
the Tynemouth and North Shields Fair, inaugurated in 1804. Lamshaw played there in
his capacity as the Duke's piper.

In subsequent years, the design was developed and refined further by Robert Reid
and his son James; in particular, more keys were added.

In practice, beginning players find that the seven key chanter, with a range of D
to b, is sufficient for playing most of the traditional piping repertoire. Such a
chanter, made by Robert Reid, is shown below – the four views show respectively:

from the front, the fingerholes (for G, A, B, c, d, e, f sharp),

from the player's left, the keys (for low E and high a) operated by the left little
finger,
from the back, the thumbhole (for high g) and two keys operated by the right thumb
(for low F sharp and for d sharp),
from the right, the other keys operated by the right thumb (for low D, c sharp, and
high b).

A 7-keyed chanter by Robert Reid. This is a composite image showing all sides of a
classic seven-keyed chanter made by Robert Reid, probably about 1820.
Chanters with more keys permit the playing of tunes with a wider range or with more
chromatic notes, and allow access to much of the fiddle repertoire.
The chanter has a double reed, similar in construction to an oboe reed. This leads
to a distinctive sound, rich in higher harmonics. As the bore is cylindrical, the
odd harmonics are greatly predominant.

Traditionally, the chanter has been pitched somewhere between F and F sharp, older
instruments often being close to modern F sharp. Several modern makers prefer to
produce pipes pitched at what Northumbrian pipers refer to as F+, a pitch where the
nominal G sounds approximately twenty cents sharp of F natural. This nominal G,
however, is always notated as G. Nowadays, chanters are available anywhere from D
to G, F+ being the commonest for solo or ensemble piping, but G being the most
popular for playing ensemble with other instruments. Pipes with a tonic of F# are
used for solo performance by several pipers now, being brighter in tone than those
in F+, without being 'squeaky'.

Drones
There are usually four drones on a set of Northumbrian pipes, mounted in parallel
in a common stock. These are tunable, and three will usually be tuned to the tonic,
dominant and octave tonic, the other one being shut off. Like the chanter, these
have a narrow cylindrical bore. Unlike the chanter, though, the reeds have a single
blade; they are either cut from a single tube of cane, or else a strip of cane in a
metal body. Current pipe-makers have also experimented with plastic blades (Richard
Evans) and carbon fibre blades (Mike Nelson) on metal bodies.

As well as a tuning slide for precise adjustment of tuning, each drone will usually
possess one or two 'bead holes' allowing its pitch to be raised by a tone or two,
therefore allowing the piper to play in different musical keys, but still generally
using the tonic, dominant and octave tonic combination of drone harmony.

Sets with five or even six drones have been made since the 19th century (to allow
ease of retuning); however these are not common and generally specifically
commissioned.

Only three drones are usually sounded at once, tuned for instance to G, D and g if
the tonic of the tune is G. Sets sometimes have thumb-operated drone switches,
allowing players to change key without stopping playing. Occasionally, though
rarely, other tunings have been used, for example Tom Clough[13] recommended G, c,
g, suitable for tunes in C major, or D, A, d, a, for some tunes in D major.

Repertoire
The earliest bagpipe tunes from Northumberland, or indeed from anywhere in the
British Isles, are found in William Dixon's manuscript from the 1730s.[14] Some of
these can be played on Border pipes or an open-ended smallpipe like the modern
Scottish smallpipes, but about half the tunes have a single octave range and sound
well on the single-octave, simple, keyless Northumbrian pipe chanter. These tunes
are almost all extended variation sets on dance tunes in various rhythms – reels,
jigs, compound triple-time tunes (now known as slip jigs), and triple-time
hornpipes.

At the beginning of the 19th century the first collection specifically for
Northumbrian smallpipes was published, John Peacock's Favorite Collection. Peacock
was the last of the Newcastle Waits (musical watchmen), and probably the first
smallpiper to play a keyed chanter. The collection contains a mixture of simple
dance tunes, and extended variation sets. The variation sets, such as Cut and Dry
Dolly are all for the single octave keyless chanter, but the dance tunes are often
adaptations of fiddle tunes – many of these are Scottish, such as Money Musk. A
pupil of Peacock, Robert Bewick, the son of Thomas Bewick the engraver, left five
manuscript notebooks of pipetunes; these, dated between 1832 and 1843, are from the
earliest decades in which keyed chanters were common, and they give a good early
picture of the repertoire of a piper at this stage in the modern instrument's
development.[15] Roughly contemporary with this is Lionel Winship's manuscript,
dated 1833, which has been made available in facsimile on FARNE; it contains copies
of the Peacock tunes, together with Scottish, Irish, and ballroom dance tunes. Both
these sources include tunes in E minor, showing the d sharp key was available by
this date.

As keyed chanters became more common, adaptations of fiddle music to be playable on

smallpipes became more feasible, and common-time hornpipes such as those of the
fiddler James Hill became a more significant part of the repertoire. The High Level
is one. Many dance tunes in idioms similar to fiddle tunes have been composed by
pipers specifically for their own instrument – The Barrington Hornpipe, by Thomas
Todd, written in the late 19th century, is typical. Borrowing from other traditions
and instruments has continued – in the early-to-mid 20th century, Billy Pigg,[16]
and Jack Armstrong (The Duke of Northumberland's Piper) for instance, adapted many
tunes from the Scottish and Irish pipe and fiddle repertoires to smallpipes, as
well as composing tunes in various styles for the instrument.

Although many pipers now play predominantly dance tunes and some slow airs
nowadays, extended variation sets have continued to form an important part of the
repertoire. Tom Clough's manuscripts contain many of these, some being variants of
those in Peacock's collection. Other variation sets were composed by Clough, such
as those for Nae Guid Luck Aboot the Hoose which uses the extended range of a keyed
chanter.

Modern orchestral pieces for the smallpipes

Primarily known as a virtuoso player of the English concertina, Alistair Anderson
also plays Northumbrian smallpipes and has composed many tunes on and for the
instrument. His compositions for groups of instruments have explored a greater
range of harmonies than was traditionally associated with the smallpipes'
repertoire, and he has collaborated with musicians such as jazz trombonist Annie
Whitehead as well as writing the Shivering Stone suite which he performed with the
Lindsay String Quartet.

Kathryn Tickell (a protegée of Anderson's in her youth) has composed many virtuoso
pieces for the smallpipes and has explored an even wider range of collaborations;
besides The Chieftains and The Boys of the Lough, she has worked with the Penguin
Café Orchestra, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard and
Sting, as well as having had a modern classical piece, Kettletoft Inn, composed for
her by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.[17]

In 2008 she composed a suite for the BBC Promenade Concerts for the London
Sinfonietta, Muzsikas and Folkestra.[18] More recently, Tickell has collaborated
with pianist Joanna MacGregor and the Nash Ensemble, playing new compositions based
on traditional Northumbrian tunes by Howard Skempton, Peter Maxwell Davies and
Michael Finnissy.[19]

Playing style
The traditional style of playing on the instrument is to play each note slightly
staccato. Each note is only sounded by lifting one finger or operating one key. The
aim is to play each note as full length as possible, but still separate from the
next – 'The notes should come out like peas'. The chanter is closed, and thus
briefly silent, between any two notes, and there is an audible transient 'pop' at
the beginning and end of a note.

For decoration, it is common to play short grace notes preceding a melody note.
Some pipers allow themselves to play these open-fingered rather than staccato, and
Billy Pigg was able to get great expressive effects in this way – 'You should be
able to hear the bairns crying'. But 'choyting' (the complex open-fingered gracing
after the manner of Highland piping) is generally frowned on, and Tom Clough made a
point of avoiding open-fingered ornament altogether, considering open-fingering 'a
grievous error'. Several pipers play in highly close-fingered styles, Chris Ormston
and Adrian Schofield among them; even among those such as Kathryn Tickell who use
open fingering for expression, the close-fingered technique is the basis of their
playing.

Recordings
There are a substantial number of recordings of the smallpipes currently available,
covering the whole range of archive, commercial and non-commercially presented
music. Re-issues of historically significant recordings of the pipes from the 20th
century include:

Topic TSCD487 The Northumbrian Smallpipes – includes the 3 Tom Clough recordings.
LERCD4006 Billy Pigg, the Border Minstrel
Northumbrian pipers
Past players
James (Jamie) Allen
William Green (piper)
Thomas Hair (musician)
G.G. Armstrong
Jack Armstrong
George Atkinson
Robert Bewick
Tommy Breckons
Forster Charlton
Henry Clough
Tom Clough
Joe Hutton
Richard Mowat
John Peacock
Billy Pigg
Thomas Todd
Current players
Alistair Anderson
Pauline Cato
Ged Foley
Dick Hensold
Ian Lawther
Andy May
Chris Ormston
Anthony Robb
Alice Robinson
Colin Ross
Adrian Schofield
Kathryn Tickell
Becky Taylor
Andy Watchorn
Current pipemakers
This list is not exhaustive – there are a number of pipemakers producing pipes who
choose not to advertise or who make instruments on an ad-hoc basis.

Richard & Anita Evans

Andy May
Colin Ross
Dave Shaw
Ray Sloan (pipemaker)
See also
Music of Northumbria
Northumbrian Pipers Society
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northumbrian smallpipes.
Northumbrian Pipers' Society
John Liestman. The Northumbrian Smallpipes Tutor.
FARNE archive – contains manuscript and printed music, as well as recordings and
photographs of pipers.
Morpeth Bagpipe Museum
Northumbrian Smallpipes Simulator
References
http://www.nspipes.co.uk/nsp/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
https://www.magneticnortheast.com/northumbrian-pipes. Missing or empty |title=
(help)
Bagpipes, Anthony Baines, ISBN 0-902793-10-1, Pitt Rivers Museum, Univ. of Oxford,
3rd edition, 1995 147 pages with plates
William Alfred Cocks and Jim F. Bryan, The Northumbrian Bagpipes, Northumbrian
Pipers' Society, 1967.
http://www.machineconcepts.co.uk/smallpipes/pipe1.htm
The James Talbot manuscripts, Music MS 1187, Christ Church Library, Oxford.
James Talbot's Manuscript. (Christ Church Library Music MS 1187). III. Bagpipes
William A. Cocks; F. S. A. Scot, The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 5. (Mar. 1952),
pp. 44–47.
John Goodacre, A Closed-ended Smallpipe Chanter from the 17th Century,
Northumbrian Pipers' Society Magazine, v.19, 1998.
The Origins of the Northumbrian Smallpipes, Ernst E. Schmidt, Northumbrian Pipers'
Society Magazine, v.21–22, 2000–2001.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April
2016. FARNE Archive.
A Letter to His Grace the Duke of Northumberland on the Ancient Northumbrian
Music, its Collection and Preservation, Thomas Doubleday, London, Edinburgh and
Newcastle, 1857. https://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=xyNcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1&source=gbs_selected_pages&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Peacock's Tunes, 2nd ed., Northumbrian Pipers' Society (1999), ISBN 0-902510-19-3
The Clough Family of Newsham, edited by Chris Ormston and Julia Say, Northumbrian
Pipers' Society, ISBN 0-902510-20-7
The Master Piper – Nine Notes That Shook the World, William Dixon (1733), edited
by Matt Seattle 1995, Dragonfly Music, ISBN 1-872277-23-3.
Bewick's Pipe Tunes, ed. Matt Seattle, Dragonfly Press (1998), ISBN 1-872277-26-8
Billy Pigg, The Border Minstrel, Northumbrian Pipers' Society, 2nd edition, 2
vols., C. Ross and J. Say, ISBN 978-0-902510-30-2, ISBN 978-0-902510-31-9.
maxopus, Sir Peter Maxwell Dav

hat developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use
of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for
example, Dutch Heidevolk, Danish Sylvatica and Spanish Stone of Erech). It also
sometimes features soft instrumentation influenced by folk rock.

The earliest folk metal bands were Skyclad from England and Cruachan from Ireland.
Skyclad's debut album The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth was released in 1991 and
would be considered a thrash metal album with some folk influences, unlike
Cruachan’s early work which embraced the folk element as a defining part of their
sound. It was not until 1994 and 1995 that other early contributors in the genre
began to emerge from different regions of Europe and beyond. Among these early
groups, the German band Subway to Sally spearheaded a different regional variation
that over time became known as medieval metal. Despite their contributions, folk
metal remained little known with few representatives during the 1990s. It was not
until the early 2000s when the genre exploded into prominence, particularly in
Finland with the efforts of such groups as Finntroll, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani,
Turisas, and Moonsorrow.

The music of folk metal is characterised by its diversity with bands known to
perform different styles of both heavy metal music and folk music. A large variety
of folk instruments are used in the genre with many bands consequently featuring
six or more members in their regular line-ups. A few bands are also known to rely
on keyboards to simulate the sound of folk instruments. Lyrics in the genre
commonly deal with fantasy, mythology, paganism, history and nature.

Contents
1 History
1.1 Origins
1.2 Regional variations
1.2.1 Medieval metal
1.2.2 Celtic metal
1.2.3 Oriental metal
1.3 Development
1.4 Explosion
2 Characteristics
2.1 Music
2.2 Instruments
2.3 Vocals
2.4 Lyrics
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
History
Origins
It was always my heartfelt dream to see the energy of Metal music mixed with
elements from more traditional styles.
Martin Walkyier, former vocalist for Skyclad[1]

Skyclad's "The Widdershins Jig" (1991)

MENU0:00
This 21 second sample from Skyclad's debut album The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth
is an early instance of folk metal.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
The English band Skyclad was formed in 1990 after vocalist Martin Walkyier left his
previous band, Sabbat.[2] Skyclad began as a thrash metal band but added violins
from session musician Mike Evans on several tracks from their debut album, The
Wayward Sons of Mother Earth,[3] an effort described by Eduardo Rivadavia of
AllMusic as "ambitious" and "groundbreaking."[4] The song "The Widdershins Jig"
from the debut album has been acclaimed as "particularly significant" and "a
certain first in the realms of Metal".[5] With a full-time fiddler in their lineup,
the band's second album feature a "now legendary folky jig style" and "more
prominent inclusion of the fiddle playing lead lines and melodies normally
associated with the lead guitar parts of most other rock bands."[3]

Even with the departure of Martin Walkyier in 2001, Skyclad remains an active folk
metal group today after nearly two decades since their formation.[5] In contrast,
the Portuguese band Moonspell had a brief tenure in the genre. Their first release
was the 1994 Under the Moonspell EP with music that featured Lusitanian folk and
Medieval influences.[6] With the release of their debut album Wolfheart in the
following year, the band made a transition into gothic metal and within a matter of
years "quickly evolved into one of the major players of the European goth-metal
scene."[7]
Cruachan were formed in 1992 in Dublin, Ireland. From the outset their intention
was to mix the native Irish folk music of their home country with the more extreme
side of metal music. Their debut album Tuatha Na Gael was released in 1995 and was
a full folk metal album from start to finish. In the Italian book “FOLK METAL,
Dalle Origini Al Ragnarok”, a comprehensive history of the genre, Author Fabrizio
Giosue credits Cruachan as being the very first real Folk Metal band. He
acknowledges that Skyclad did have some folk parts in some songs before Cruachan
however he goes on to say Cruachan used folk music as much as they used heavy metal
music. Cruachan also used arrangements of known folk songs and melodies, Skyclad
wrote folk "sounding" parts.

Spanish band Mägo de Oz was among early Folk Metal artists that were influenced by
the Celtic folk music. The band introduced folk elements and instruments in their
power metal-based music from their 1994 debut album.[8] Another early contributor
to folk metal is the Finnish group Amorphis. They formed in 1990 with their debut
album, The Karelian Isthmus, following two years later.[9] Their sophomore effort
Tales from the Thousand Lakes was released in 1994 with "plenty of fascinating
melodies and song structures that drew heavily from the traditional folk music of
their native country."[10] The album received a favorable reception from fans with
"its content quickly being exalted across the Metal underground as perhaps the very
pinnacle of atmospheric Death Metal achievement."[11]

Regional variations
In the years 1994 and 1995, several distinct variations on folk metal emerged from
different regions.

Subway to Sally's "Krähenfrass" (1995)

MENU0:00
This 18 second sample is an early example of medieval rock from Subway to Sally's
second album MCMXCV.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
Medieval metal
Main article: Medieval metal
Four singers perform in the spotlights on stage. One is a female in shorts, a gauzy
beige skirt and a leather belt, and plays the fiddle, The males are wearing black
sleeveless shirts, black pants and have military-looking gear. A rock band is in
the background.
Subway to Sally, seen here performing live at the 2005 Sundstock Openair, has been
credited as setting off medieval metal.
The German band Subway to Sally was formed in 1992 as a folk rock band, singing in
English and incorporating Irish and Scottish influences in their music.[12] With
their second album MCMXCV released in 1995, the band adopted a "more traditional
approach" and started singing in German.[12] Taking Skyclad as an influence,[13]
Subway to Sally performs a blend of hard rock and heavy metal "enriched with
medieval melodies enmeshed in the songs via bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, lute, mandoline,
shalm [sic], fiddle and flute" and combined with "romantic-symbolic German-speaking
poetry" in their lyrics.[14] With chart success in their native Germany,[12] they
have since been credited as the band "that set off the wave of what is known as
medieval rock."[15]

This distinctly German phenomenon[15] has been continued and expanded further by
subsequent bands. Formed in 1996, the Berlin based In Extremo has also found chart
success with their "medieval style stage garb and unashamed usage of such bizarre,
sometimes hand made, instruments as the Scottish bagpipes."[16] Another band that
has experienced commercial success in Germany is the Bavarian outfit Schandmaul.
[17] Describing themselves as the "minstrels of today,"[15] the band employs a
musical arsenal that includes the bagpipes, barrel organ, shawm, violin and
mandolin.[17]
Celtic metal
Main article: Celtic metal
Head and upper body shot of a male singer, with a shaved head and blackened eyes,
performing on stage. He is wearing a double-breasted military overcoat with a large
collar.
A.A. Nemtheanga fronts the Irish Celtic black metal act Primordial.
The Irish band Cruachan was formed in 1992 by guitarist Keith Fay with their first
demo recording distributed in 1993.[18] Drawing inspiration from Skyclad's first
album, Fay set out to combine black metal with the folk music of Ireland.[19] Their
debut album Tuatha Na Gael was released in 1995 and the band has since been
acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to
expand" the genre of folk metal.[20] Cruachan combination of Celtic music and heavy
metal is known today as Celtic metal.[21]

Parallel to Cruachan, the black metal act Primordial also released a demo recording
in 1993 and "found themselves heralded as frontrunners in the burgeoning second-
wave black metal movement."[22] Irish music plays "a very big role" in Primordial
but in "a dark and subtle way" through the chords and timings.[23] The band has
since "established themselves as one of the most unique sounding bands in the folk-
meets-black metal field."[24] Other early representatives of Celtic metal include
the bands Geasa, Mägo de Oz and Waylander[21] with both groups releasing a demo
recording in 1995.[25][26]

Oriental metal

Orphaned Land is a leading performer of oriental metal.

Nine Treasures performing at WOMEX 15, Budapest

The progressive metal outfit Orphaned Land was formed in 1991 in Israel with their
first and only demo The Beloved's Cry released in 1993, "immediately creating a
media stir"[27] that "quickly drew attention to their unorthodox style."[28]
Members of the group were still teenagers when they released their debut album
Sahara in 1994. The music of Orphaned Land "borrow heavily from Middle Eastern
music styles"[28] with traditional elements coming from both Jewish and Arabic folk
music.[29] Acclaimed as "one of the world's most unique and trailblazing heavy
metal bands,"[28] Orphaned Land's style of music has since been dubbed oriental
metal.[27]

The year 1993 saw the formation of Melechesh in Jerusalem, "undoubtedly the first
overtly anti-Christian band to exist in one of the holiest cities in the
world."[30] Melechesh began as a straightforward black metal act with their first
foray into folk metal occurring on the title track of their 1996 EP The Siege of
Lachish.[31] Their subsequent albums saw the group straddling the boundaries
between black, death, and thrash metal, with "impressive, tastefully rendered epics
chock-full of superb riffs, Middle Eastern melodies, and vocal exchanges varying
from a throaty midrange screech to chanting."[32] Other oriental metal acts emerged
thereafter with the band Distorted notably forming in 1996 as the first female-
fronted metal act from Israel.[33]

The 2000s saw formation of several pioneering Oriental metal bands from the Arab
world, the best-known of which is Myrath from Tunisia. They have released four
albums (three internationally) and have toured in Europe with Orphaned Land. Their
sound combined progressive metal (in the vein of Dream Theater, et al.) with
specifically Arab & North African melodies and themes. The Kordz from Lebanon
straddle the line between hard rock and progressive metal, and again draw on local
folk melodies (produced mainly via keyboards) to broaden the sonic palette. Hard
rock band Lazywall from Morocco frequently makes use of oud and djembe in their
music, producing something analogous to Oriental metal (though generally no heavier
than Alice in Chains). North Africa has had a growing metal scene for some time,
and a few of those bands have ventured into folk-metal, notably Andaz Azzul from
Algeria, which blends Berber melodies & themes with violin and metal. And Egypt's
truly path-breaking female-fronted Oriental metal band Massive Scar Era has
recently broken through and has posted official videos on YouTube, though they
continue to face considerable discrimination at home, with frontwoman Sherine
reporting harassment on account of her participation. Their sound has broadened to
include the heavy use of violin (in effect making them a folk-metal band, rather
than simply another of the growing profusion of heavy metal bands in the Middle
East).

Oriental metal is considered a fusion genre with the Middle Eastern musical genre,
and in Israel with the Mizrahi musical genre.

Development
From the middle of the 1990s, other bands gradually emerged to combine heavy metal
with folk music. Storm was a short lived Norwegian supergroup with Fenriz, Satyr
and Kari Rueslåtten from the black metal groups Darkthrone, Satyricon and the doom
metal band The 3rd and the Mortal respectively.[34] Their only album Nordavind was
released in 1995 with the use of keyboards to imitate the sound of folk
instruments.[35] The Germans Empyrium also relied on synthesizers and guitars to
deliver their "dark folklore" black metal music with the release of their 1996
debut album A Wintersunset...[36]

The year 1996 also saw the debut album of the "one-man black metal project of
multi-instrumentalist Vratyas Vakyas" from Germany known as Falkenbach.[37] Even
though Falkenbach was formed as early as 1989, the band didn't get much attention
until the debut, that includes epic music that is "rife with keyboards, Viking
themes, and folk music tendencies," Falkenbach was effectively a merge of Viking
metal with folk metal.[37] They were joined in the next two years by other bands
combining the two genres including Windir,[38] Månegarm[39] and Thyrfing.[40]

Predating most folk metal groups, the Spanish band Mägo de Oz was formed as far
back as 1989 with a self-titled debut album, released in 1994.[41] With nine
members in their lineup, including a violinist and flutist, the band has evolved
over the years into a combination of power metal and Celtic flavored folk metal.
[41][42] They have experienced strong chart success in their native Spain as well
as in South America[43] and Mexico.

The Lord Weird Slough Feg from Pennsylvania, United States also had an early
formation dating back to 1990.[44] Their self-titled debut album was released in
1996 and the band has pursued a "unique style of combining traditional/power metal
with folk metal."[45]

The Czech band Silent Stream of Godless Elegy had formed in 1995 as a doom metal
band "laced with Pagan imagery and adventurous enough to include violins and cellos
alongside the expected modern day arsenal."[46] With the release of their second
album Behind the Shadows in 1998, the band began to use "folklore influences" in
their music.[47]

Explosion
During the nineties and even at the end of the nineties, there were very few bands.
We had Waylander from Ireland. And one or two in Europe, but it was very rare to
get a real folk metal band. Nowadays it is a bit of an explosion all over the
place. - Keith Fay of Cruachan in 2006[48]

Finntroll's "Slaget vid Blodsälv" (2001)

MENU0:00
The use of humppa rhythms and keyboards are evident in this 20 second sample from
Finntroll's second album Jaktens tid.
Korpiklaani's "Wooden Pints" (2003)
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This 21 second sample from Korpiklaani's first album Spirit of the Forest features
the prominent use of violins.
Balkandji's "Diavolska shterka" (2001)
MENU0:00
A longer example of folk metal from Balkandji's first album Probuzhdane.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
Four long haired musicians perform on a small stage in the spotlight, long hair
swinging. The singer, wearing a black leather floor-length skirt, and the bass
guitar player are bare chested with black leather wrist bands. The two other guitar
players are in sleeveless black shirts, one with knee-length jeans and the other
with black wrist band. Amplifiers crowd the stage.
Finntroll is a prominent folk metal band with a specific interest in trolls and
humppa.
The folk metal genre has dramatically expanded with the turn of the new millennium.
At the forefront of this explosion, with a "revolutionary clash of tradition and
amplification that set them apart", is a group from Finland known as Finntroll.[49]
The band was formed in 1997 with a demo recorded the following year and a debut
album Midnattens widunder released in 1999.[50] They have since developed a
reputation for being "obsessed with all things trollish."[51] Their lyrics are sung
exclusively in Swedish instead of the Finnish language "apparently because this
language was better to evoke the trollish spirit",[49] even though the real reason
for this lies in the band's original vocalist belonging to the Swedish-speaking
minority. The music of Finntroll features a "real innovation" in the marriage of
black metal music with a style of Finnish polka called humppa.[51] Specifically,
the band took from humppa "the alternate picking bass lines accompanied with the
drumbeat, and the use of accordion."[52] This unlikely mix of polka and extreme
metal has received a mixed reception from critics. Andy Hinds of AllMusic laments
the polka influence as undermining "the intended threat of a death metal band"[53]
while his colleague Alex Henderson praises the band for their "solid, consistently
likable effort," declaring that Finntroll has set themselves apart from their peers
"because of their emphasis on Finnish humppa" and "the humor and irony they bring
to the table."[54]

Finntroll's second album Jaktens tid was released in 2001 and became a chart
success in their native Finland.[55] Some of the songs on the album feature vocals
performed by Jonne Järvelä of Korpiklaani, another band from Finland.[56] While
other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani
started with folk music before turning metal.[57] The roots of Korpiklaani can be
traced back to a Sami folk music group under the name of Shamaani Duo,[58] an "in
house restaurant band" created in 1993.[59] An album of folk music was released
under this name before Jonne Järvelä relocated and formed a new band Shaman.[60]
The folk metal act Shaman was based on the folk music of Shamaani Duo.[61] Two
albums were released in 1999 and 2001 before Shaman changed their name to
Korpiklaani.[60] The change in name was accompanied by a change in the music. The
traditional yoik vocals and the use of the Sámi language were dropped while the
synthesizer was replaced with real folk instruments.[62] Jonne Järvelä credits his
work with Finntroll as the catalyst for the shift in emphasis from folk to metal.
[63]

Long-haired man in beige shirt with wide sleeves and a brown leather vest and
pants, plays the electric guitar on stage and sings. There is a large pair of felt
antlers pinned to the microphone.
Jonne Järvelä of Korpiklaani played acoustic folk music for five years before
turning his attention to folk metal.[64]
While Korpiklaani used an assortment of traditional instruments to deliver their
folk metal,[61] Finntroll relies on keyboards for Finnish folk melodies played in
the humppa style.[50] The keyboards in Finntroll are performed by Henri Sorvali who
also performs in Moonsorrow, another folk metal band from Finland that he formed
with his cousin Ville Sorvali in 1995.[65] They released two demos, the first in
1997 and another in 1999, before the 2001 debut album Suden Uni.[66] Moonsorrow
blends folk metal with Viking metal by incorporating "Finland's traditional folk
music forms into elaborate symphonic arrangements typical of Viking metal outfits
such as Bathory and Enslaved."[67] The adoption of folk elements was "becoming all
the rage" in Finland by this point[68] and other folk metal bands from Finland that
began to emerge in the early 2000s included Cadacross,[68] Ensiferum[69] and later
on Turisas[70] and Wintersun.[71] Ensiferum notably found themselves at the top of
the Finnish charts with their 2007 single "One More Magic Potion".[72] Finntroll,
Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow and Turisas have all experienced chart success in their
native Finland as well.[73]

There are also folk metal acts from the other Scandinavian countries. Icelandic
group Skalmold is a notable example. The Norwegian act Glittertind was A-listed and
played with the highest playing frequency on Norway's most popular radio channel
NRK P1 with the song "Kvilelaus" (eng. Restless)"[74] and performed the song on
Lindmo, the Norwegian answer to Oprah Winfrey show when they released their first
full-length as a full band.[75] Other Norwegian acts include the aforementioned
Storm and Windir as well as more recent groups such as Kampfar,[76] Lumsk,[77]
Ásmegin and Trollfest.[78] Bands from Sweden include the aforementioned Thyrfing
and Månegarm along with other acts such as Otyg[79] and Vintersorg.[80][81] Folk
metal bands from Denmark include Wuthering Heights,[82] Svartsot,[83] Huldre and
the Faroe Islanders Týr.[84]

Outside Scandinavia, other European nations have contributed to the growing genre.
Groups from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania includes Metsatöll,
[85] Raud-Ants,[86] and Skyforger[87] while representatives from Russia include
Alkonost,[88] Arkona[89] and Butterfly Temple.[90] More isolated examples across
Europe include Dimmi Argus[91] and Balkandji from Bulgaria,[92] Equilibrium[93] and
Finsterforst from Germany, Dalriada from Hungary, Ithilien from Belgium,[94]
Cruadalach from the Czech Republic, Litvintroll from Belarus, Nightcreepers from
France, Zaria from Slovenia, Mägo de Oz and Saurom from Spain, Elvenking from
Italy[95] and Eluveitie from Switzerland.[96]

Folkearth is an international folk metal project with members from several

different European countries. At its inception, the project consisted of 14
musicians from separate backgrounds in folk and metal music.[97] With their second
album By the Sword of My Father released in 2006, the project boasted the
participation of 31 musicians.[98]

Beyond the European continent, folk metal is relatively rare with only a few known
acts including the aforementioned The Lord Weird Slough Feg and their fellow
Americans Agalloch. The latter's music "made for a stark geographical anomaly,
since its eclectic, avant-garde folk-metal was the sort of thing one would expect
to emerge from Scandinavia -- not Portland, Oregon."[99] Tuatha de Danann is
another geographical anomaly with their Celtic metal from Brazil.[100] Moreover
there is also Skiltron who play Scottish Celtic metal who hail from Argentina,
Conrad a folk metal band from Barbados, Nine Treasures from China, Orphaned Land
from Israel, Myrath from Tunisia, Tengger Cavalry and The Hu from Mongolia.

Characteristics
Music

With influences that include Dream Theater, the Faroe Islanders Týr blend
progressive metal with folk music.[101]
The music of folk metal is a diverse collection with bands pursuing different
subgenres of heavy metal music. While bands like Primordial and Finntroll perform
black metal, other groups such as The Lord Weird Slough Feg ply their trade with a
more traditional or power metal base. The German-Norwegian group Midnattsol blends
the genre with gothic metal.[102] Progressive tendencies can be found among some
bands including Elvenking,[103] Lumsk[77] and Týr.[104] Some bands are known to
adopt more than one different styles of heavy metal. Orphaned Land combines folk
metal with progressive and doom/death metal. The band formed in 1991, also
combining Jewish, Arabic, and other West Asian influences[27] while Ensiferum mix
folk music on top of a power and death metal hybrid.[69] A few groups are also
known to incorporate the styles of other music genres outside of heavy metal.
Examples include the punk rock in the music of Glittertind[81] and the neofolk and
post-rock tendencies of Agalloch.[105]

Orphaned Land on Stage in Rock Hard Festival

Orphaned Land on Stage in Rock Hard Festival
The folk elements in the genre often reflect the ethnic background of the musicians
as is the case for the Finnic folk music in Finntroll,[51] Korpiklaani,[60] and
Metsatöll,[106] the Baltic folk music in Skyforger,[87] East Asian influences such
as Chthonic's use of Taiwanese folk music[107] or Tengger Cavalry's incorporation
of Mongolian throat singing,[108] or the Middle Eastern background of Orphaned
Land.[28] However, some bands defy the geographical and ethnical background, like
Ymyrgar, who hail from Tunisia but chose to focus on Norse mythology.[109]

Celtic music can be found among such Irish groups as Cruachan and Waylander[21] as
well as bands outside Ireland like Ithilien from Belgium, Eluveitie[110] (although
Switzerland can be considered a country with a Celtic history), and Tuatha de
Danann (from Brazil, a country that has no cultural ties with the Celts whatsoever,
despite the similarity of the country's name to an island in Irish myth).[100] Folk
music from multiple regions are employed by some groups like Elvenking,[111]
Ithilien[112] and Ensiferum.[113] Other brazilian acts, such as Sepultura and
Overdose (from Belo Horizonte), mixed thrash with tribal sounds, ethnic voices and
amazonian instruments. Max Cavalera of Sepultura formed Soulfly which later
incorporated this "tribal metal" and latin metal sounds in nu metal and groove
metal, inspiring acts like Ill Niño, Puya or Tren Loco.

The genre also offers a variety of atmosphere and moods. A fun and cheerful nature
is characteristic of groups like Finntroll[114] and Korpiklaani.[115] Both bands
are also noted for playing music that one can dance to.[116] In contrast, other
acts such as Thyrfing and Primordial are known for their contemplative atmosphere.
[115] Lumsk offers a more mellow style[117] while Agalloch are known for their
"depressive ambient" sound.[118]

An epic atmosphere is characteristic of some folk metal bands like Primordial,[119]

Moonsorrow,[120] Turisas[121] and the music project Folkearth.[97] Groups like
Ensiferum and Wintersun are known to have a melodious side[113][122] while bands
that favor a more blistering or brutal approach can be found in groups like
Finntroll[123] and Månegarm.[124]

Instruments

Eluveitie are seen here performing at the 2007 Cernunnos Fest in Paris, France,
with a mandola, tin whistle and violin.
Folk metal feature the same typical instruments found in heavy metal music:
guitars, bass, drums and vocalist. While a few folk metal groups like Tharaphita
discard "any notion of utilising folk instrumentation" and "rely solely on
traditional metal instruments,"[125] bands in the genre generally rely on folk
instruments that range from the common to the exotic.[126] Numerous folk metal acts
include a dedicated violinist in their line up. This includes Skyclad,[5] Subway to
Sally,[13] Schandmaul,[17] Mägo de Oz,[43] Ithilien,[127] Silent Stream of Godless
Elegy,[46] Korpiklaani,[56] Lumsk,[77] Elvenking,[95] Eluveitie[96] and Tuatha de
Danann.[128] The tin whistle and flute can be found in such Celtic metal bands as
Cruachan,[18] Waylander,[26] Ithilien[127] and Eluveitie.[96] The flute can also be
found in other bands such as Metsatöll,[85] Schandmaul[17] and Morgenstern.[129]
Medieval bagpipes are used in bands like Folkstone and In Extremo. Some bands are
also known to highlight more exotic instruments from their ethnic background or
country, including Skyforger's use of the Latvian kokles,[130] Metsatöll's use of
the Estonian torupill,[131] Korpiklaani's use of the Finnish kantele,[63] Eluveitie
and Ithilien's use of the hurdy-gurdy,[96][127] and Orphaned Land's use of the oud
and saz.[132]

In the absence of folk instruments, other bands in the genre resort to using
keyboards to replicate the sound of folk instruments. This includes the
aforementioned Storm, Empyrium and Finntroll as well as other acts like Midnattsol.
[102] Bands that supplement a folk instrument like the violin with keyboards
include Skyclad,[2] Mägo de Oz,[43] and Tuatha de Danann.[128]

Skyforger, seen here performing with bagpipes at the 2007 Cernunnos Fest in Paris,
France, initially mostly relied on a guest musician to perform folk instruments
before inviting him to be a fully fledged member of the band.[133]
The large number of instruments that some bands rely on in recording their studio
albums can be a hindrance for live performances. While Orphaned Land are able to
perform onstage with twenty musicians in their homeland of Israel, they have to
rely on a computer to replicate the roles of the guest musicians for concerts
elsewhere.[134] Some folk metal acts confine themselves to studio recordings and
are not known to perform any live concerts. This includes Folkearth,[98] and
Falkenbach.[135] Other folk metal bands expand their regular roster to include more
musicians and consequently, it is not uncommon to find bands in the genre featuring
six or more members in their line-up. Some of the sextets in the genre are
Schandmaul,[17] Cruachan,[18] Korpiklaani,[56] Turisas,[136] and Midnattsol,[102]
while septets include Ithilien,[127] Subway to Sally,[13] In Extremo,[16] and
Lumsk.[77] Both Silent Stream of Godless Elegy[46] and Eluveitie[96] boast eight
members each while the line up of Mägo de Oz totals nine performers.[43] Even when
a band includes members dedicated to folk instruments, they might still rely on
guest musicians to further enhance their sound. As an example, Lumsk added thirteen
guest musicians to the band's seven members on their debut album Åsmund
Frægdegjevar.[137] At times, guest musicians are known to become full-fledged
members of the band, as was the case in Skyforger[133] and Turisas.[70]

Vocals

Shaman's "Il Lea Voibmi" (2002)

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Regular heavy metal singing is followed by traditional yoik vocals in this 21
second sample from Shaman's second album Shamániac.
Orphaned Land's "The Kiss Of Babylon (The Sins)" (2004)
MENU0:00
Female and male vocalists alternate Middle Eastern folk singing in this 30 second
sample from Orphaned Land's third album Mabool.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
The diverse range of music styles and instruments is matched by a variety of vocal
styles in the genre. From the "spine-chilling death shrieks" in Finntroll[123] to
the black metal rasps of Skyforger[87] or Moonsorrow,[120] there is no shortage of
extreme vocals in folk metal. Other bands to feature extreme vocals include
Cadacross,[138] Ensiferum,[139] Ithilien[140] and Equilibrium.[141] In contrast,
bands like Mägo de Oz[42] and Metsatöll are known to feature "clean" singing in
line with their more traditional metal approach. Numerous other bands in the genre
are known to feature both extreme vocals and clean singing. This includes
Primordial,[24] Turisas,[142] Windir[143] and Wintersun.[122]

Traditional folk singing can also be found among some folk metal bands. The yoik
vocals of Jonne Järvelä have been featured in varying degrees in the music of
Shaman,[62] Finntroll[144] and Korpiklaani.[145] Folk singing or folk-inspired
singing can also be heard in the music of Equilibrium,[141] Metsatöll,[146]
Skyforger[147] and Orphaned Land.[148] The music of Orphaned Land also features the
use of chants and choirs, commonly encountered in the genre of folk metal. Bands
that are known to use a choir include Arkona,[89] Turisas,[121] Lumsk[149] and
Eluveitie,[150] while chants can be found in the music of Týr[151] and Windir.[152]
Some bands like Falconer and Thyrfing are also known to feature "yo-ho-ho folk
melodies" in their vocals to suit their Viking metal style.[153][154]

Orphaned Land mostly uses English lyrics, but they are known to feature other
languages as they "go well with the music and also sound more exotic and unique."
Týr has also been known to use multiple languages in their music.[155] Other bands
in the genre are known to sing exclusively or almost entirely in their native
language, including Mägo de Oz in Spanish,[42] Moonsorrow in Finnish,[67] Metsatöll
in Estonian[146] and Lumsk in Norwegian.[149] Bands in the medieval metal subgenre
also tend to sing largely or entirely in their German language, including Subway to
Sally,[156] Morgenstern[157] and Letzte Instanz.[158]

Lead female singers are not uncommon in the genre and can be found in Cruachan,[18]
Otyg,[79] Lumsk,[77] Arkona[89] and Midnattsol.[102] Other groups like Orphaned
Land and Elvenking have employed guest female vocalists in their music.[95][134]

Lyrics
Popular subjects in folk metal include paganism, nature, fantasy, mythology and
history.

Folk metal has been associated with paganism ever since its inception, when Martin
Walkyier left his former band Sabbat to form Skyclad, in part because the band
"wasn't going to go far enough down the pagan, British way that we wanted to do
it."[159] Consequently, the lyrics of Skyclad have been known to deal with pagan
matters.[5] The band Cruachan was also founded by a self-described pagan, Keith
Fay.[19] For Ville Sorvali of Moonsorrow, the label "pagan metal" is preferred
"because that describes the ideological points in the music, but doesn’t say
anything about the music itself."[160] Other bands that also prefer to use the term
"pagan metal" as a self-description include Cruachan,[161] Eluveitie,[162]
Obtest[163] and Skyforger. In contrast to bands with pagan themes, some folk metal
bands such as Orphaned Land have themes of Abrahamic religion.

Turisas, seen here performing in 2008, have tackled such issues as the
glorification of war through the use of fantasy themed lyrics.[164]
Nature is a strong influence to many folk metal bands.[126] Groups such as
Korpiklaani,[60] Elvenking,[165] Midnattsol[166] and Vintersorg[167] have all based
lyrics on the subject. For the band Agalloch, nature is an embraced theme "because
we are siding with what is essentially the victim in a relationship where humankind
is a disease."[168] All the members of Skyclad are supporters of "organisations
like Greenpeace and others, for those are the ones who stand up and take on the
battle" between "people who want to save the planet, and people who want to destroy
it."[169]

The pioneers of the genre Skyclad avoided fantasy lyrics because "there was already
enough fantasy in the world, told to us by our politicians every day."[169]
Nonetheless, other folk metal bands have been known to feature fantasy themes in
their lyrics including Ensiferum,[170] Midnattsol[166] and Cruachan.[161] For
Elvenking, fantasy themes are used "as a metaphor to cover deeper meanings."[171]
Similarly, the fantasy themes in Turisas belie the coverage of issues "that are
deeper and have greater significance."[164]

The Celtic metal subgenre is known to feature lyrics based on Celtic mythology.[21]
The history of the Celts is another popular source for the lyrics of Celtic metal
bands like Cruachan,[19] Eluveitie,[162] Primordial[172] and Mael Mórdha.[173]
Norse mythology can be found in the lyrics of such Scandinavian bands as
Falkenbach,[135] Týr,[101] Finntroll[174] and Mithotyn.[175] Skyforger is known for
featuring lyrics based on both the history and mythology of their Latvian culture.
[133] Other bands that have treated history to song include Falconer[175] and
Slechtvalk.[176]

Some bands, like Torbjørn Sandvik in Glittertind, have uttered socialist sentiments
in statements explaining album concepts. Picture from Borgund Stave Church in Sogn
og Fjordane (2009).
Many National Socialist black metal (NSBM) bands like Nokturnal Mortum,[177] or
Russia's Temnozor[178] and Kroda[179] have been known to cross over into folk
metal, a circumstance that Ciaran O'Hagan, the vocalist of Waylander, views as "an
insult to people like myself who don’t hold with fascist ideals at all."[180] He
further suggests that the NSBM bands are playing folk metal "for all the wrong
reasons." Due to the misappropriation of pagan symbols by Neo-Nazism, several folk
metal bands have also been mistaken for being part of the NSBM scene. Consequently,
such bands as Cruachan,[19] Skyforger,[147] Moonsorrow,[181] Månegarm and Týr[182]
have had to disassociate themselves with Nazism, fascism or racism. Skyforger went
as far as to add the words 'No Nazi Stuff Here!' on the back of their album covers.
[183] In April 2008, performers on the folk metal festival Paganfest were subject
to accusations of being Nazis, racists and fascists from the German Antifa. Ville
Sorvali of Moonsorrow and Heri Joensen of Týr issued a joint video statement to
refute these accusations, noting that "one of the biggest issues seems to be that
we use ancient Scandinavian symbols in our imagery like the S in the Moonsorrow
logo and the T in the Týr logo [even though] that is how the S and the T runes have
been written for thousands of years."[184] Moonsorrow has also issued a written
statement in response to the controversy[185] while Týr notes on their official
website that they "got the idea for the rune logo" from the Black Sabbath album of
the same name.[182] On the other side of the political landscape, some folk metal
bands have uttered explicit socialist sentiments. For example the aforementioned
Glittertind made a leftist statement against neoliberalism in their album booklet
when re-releasing the record Til Dovre Faller on Napalm Records in May 2009.[186]

The original folk metal band Skyclad was also known to deal with serious political
subjects[169] but through lyrics that were littered with puns[187] and humor.[188]
Other bands have continued to feature fun and humorous lyrics. This includes
Finntroll[189] with their obsession on trolls.[51] The lyrics of Korpiklaani also
"focused on having a good time, drinking [and] partying."[190] In a review of
Turisas' The Varangian Way album, James Christopher Monger of Allmusic commented
that some listeners might be put off by "the concept of grown men in pelts" singing
such lyrics as "come with us to the south, write your name on our roll."[121] Heri
Joensen of Týr contends that a listener needs to be confident in his masculinity to
listen to such traditional Faeroese lyrics as his own "young lads, happy lads, step
upon the floor, dance merrily."[191]

Unlike any other, the Belgian folk metal band Ithilien preferred to focus their
lyrics on very personal subjects such as loss, perseverance or grief. The album
Shaping the Soul is for example constructed based on Elisabeth Kubler-Ross model of
the mourning process.[192]

See also
Pagan metal
Viking metal
List of folk metal bands
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While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani
started with folk music before turning metal.[1] The roots of Korpiklaani can be
traced back to a Sami folk music group under the name of "Shamaani Duo",[2] an "in
house restaurant band" created by Jonne Järvelä in 1993.[3] An album of folk music
(Hunka Lunka) was released under this name before Järvelä relocated and "Shamaani
Duo" morphed into "Shaman".[4]

Shaman
Shaman was the second incarnation of Korpiklaani, formed in 1997 which is notable
for the heavy use of original native Sámic music elements and lyrics in Northern
Sámi. The band's music was based on the folk music of Shamaani Duo.[5] The most
widely used elements are the shamanic drum, yoik and humppa. Besides yoik, the
vocals vary from clean to rather aggressive growling.

The musical style of Shaman is quite distinctive, especially in the slow songs, due
to its entrancing atmosphere created by the monophonic, "narrow" synth sound making
the deep contrast to the spacious sound of the acoustic guitar, the shamanic drum
and yoik singing.

The first recording released under the name of Shaman was the demo single Ođđa
máilbmi (New World in Northern Sámi). The video clip shot for the song featured a
wolf breaking free from its cage and running into the forest. Besides the single CD
the song was included on the band's first full-length album Idja (Night in Northern
Sámi, 1999) as well.

The band released another album, Shamániac, in 2002.[4]

Korpiklaani
The band underwent another evolution in 2003, and "Shaman" became "Korpiklaani"
(with only Järvelä and drummer Samu Ruotsalainen remaining from the last "Shaman"
lineup), with the music style to a more conventional folk metal with folk/thrash
vocals instead of yoiking. Shamániac had already featured a strong resemblance to
the future Korpiklaani style. In fact, the song, "Vuola lávlla", has the same music
as the Korpiklaani song, "Beer Beer".

Korpiklaani at the Agglutination Metal Festival 2010

The change in name was accompanied by a change in the music. The traditional yoik
vocals and the use of the Northern Sámi language were dropped while the synthesizer
was replaced with real folk instruments.[6] Jonne Järvelä credits his work with
Finntroll as the catalyst for the shift in emphasis from folk to metal.[7] Their
song lyrics are often related to alcohol and partying. In their first three albums,
most of their songs were in English and only a few in Finnish. However, in the
following releases this changed, with most of the songs in their latest albums
being sung in Finnish.

According to Jonne Järvelä, Korpiklaani's music would be seen as "old people's

music with heavy metal guitars"[8] in Finland.

There has been some collaboration between Korpiklaani and Finntroll, as Samu
Ruotsalainen of Finntroll provided session drums for their debut album Spirit of
the Forest and Järvelä provided the yoiking for the title track of Finntroll's
album Jaktens Tid.

Juha Jyrkäs has written some Finnish lyrics to Korpiklaani and from 2011 lyrics are
written by poet Tuomas Keskimäki, who writes lyrics in the old Finnish
"kalevalametre".[9]

The name Korpiklaani means "Backwoods Clan" in the Finnish language.[5] In spoken
language "korpi" means dark old forest. In biology it refers to boreal forest
appearing on moist moraine soils, characterized by dense growth of spruce and a
deep layer of moss as undergrowth.

In September 2011 Korpiklaani announced that Jaakko "Hittavainen" Lemmetty would be

leaving the band due to personal health issues which made the constant touring and
recording impossible. First his replacement was violist Teemu Eerola and later,
nowadays permanent member, Tuomas Rounakari.[10] In 2013 accordion player Juho
Kauppinen left Korpiklaani and the new accordion player is Sami Perttula.[11]
Personnel
Members
Korpiklaani live at Rocklharz Open Air 2019

Singer Jonne Järvelä

Drummer Matti „Matson“ Johansson

Guitarist Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi

Bassist Jarkko Aaltonen

Violinist Tuomas Rounakari

Accordion player Sami Perttula

Current lineup
Jonne Järvelä – vocals, guitars (1993–present)
Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi – guitars (2003–present)
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass (2005–present)
Tuomas Rounakari – violin (2012–present)
Sami Perttula – accordion (2013–present)
Samuli Mikkonen – drums (2019–present)
Former members
Maaren Aikio – vocals, percussion (1993–1997)
Juke Eräkangas – drums, keyboards, backing vocals (1999)
Ilkka Kilpeläinen – bass, backing vocals (1999)
Tero Piirainen – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1999)
Samu Ruotsalainen – drums (2002–2003)
Janne G`thaur – bass (2002)
Hosse Latvala – drums, percussion (2002)
Veera Muhli – keyboards (2002)
Toni Näykki – guitars (2002)
Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali – keyboards (2002)
Matti "Matson" Johansson – drums (2003–2019)
Jaakko "Hittavainen" Lemmetty – violin, jouhikko, bagpipes, flute (2003–2011)
Toni "Honka" Honkanen – guitars (2003–2005)
Ali Määttä – percussion (2003–2005)
Arto Tissari – bass (2003–2005)
Juho Kauppinen – accordion (2004–2013)
Teemu Eerola – violin (2011)
Timeline

Discography
Main article: Korpiklaani discography
Studio albums
Spirit of the Forest (2003)
Voice of Wilderness (2005)
Tales Along This Road (2006)
Tervaskanto (2007)
Korven Kuningas (2008)
Karkelo (2009)
Ukon Wacka (2011)
Manala (2012)
Noita (2015)
Kulkija (2018)
References
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Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Van Horn Jr., Ray. "Interview with Jarkko Aaltonen of Korpiklaani". Maelstrom.nu.
Archived from the original on March 20, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Sharpe-Young, Garry. "MusicMight Shama". MusicMight.com. Archived from the
original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Ramos Jr, Octavio. "Voice Of The Forest". Soundchecks.co.uk. Archived from the
original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Morton, Kenneth. "Interview with Jarkko Aaltonen of Korpiklaani".
Highwiredaze.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved May
12, 2008.
Lehtinen, Arto. "Interview with Jonne Järvelä of Korpiklaani". Metal-rules.com.
Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Fjordi. "Interview with Jonne Järvelä of Korpiklaani". Tartareandesire.com.
Retrieved March 15, 2008.
Fruehauf, Stefan. "Interview with Jarkko Aaltonen and Jonne Järvelä of
Korpiklaani". Dark-Festivals.de. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
"Perisuomalaista black metalia kalevalamitassa – Hiidenhaudalta tuore
musiikkivideo!". Inferno.fi. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
"Tuomas Rounakari - Encyclopaedia Metallum". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2015-
05-01.
"Sami Perttula - Encyclopaedia Metallum". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2015-05-
01.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to korpiklaani.
Official website
Korpiklaani at Napalm Records
vte
Korpiklaani
Jonne JärveläMatti "Matson" Johansson Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi Jarkko Aaltonen Tuomas
Rounakari Sami Perttula
Maaren AikioJuke EräkangasIlkka KilpeläinenTero PiirainenSamu RuotsalainenJanne
G`thaurHosse LatvalaVeera MuhliToni NäykkiHenri "Trollhorn" SorvaliJaakko
"Hittavainen" LemmettyToni "Honka" HonkanenAli MäättäArto TissariJuho
KauppinenTeemu Eerola
Studio albums
Spirit of the ForestVoice of WildernessTales Along This RoadTervaskantoKorven
KuningasKarkeloUkon WackaManalaNoitaKulkija
Live albums
Live At Masters of Rock
Related articles
Discography
Authority control Edit this at Wikidata
GND: 10342616-4LCCN: no2008046489MusicBrainz: 50eec634-7c42-41ee-9b1f-
b41d9ca28b26NKC: xx0113865VIAF: 128634050WorldCat Identities: lccn-no2008046489
Categories: Finnish folk metal musical groupsMusical groups established in 1993Sami
musical groupsNuclear Blast artistsNapalm Records artists1993 establishments in
Finland
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This page was last edited on 28 April 2020, at 01:00 (UTC).