Skálmöld

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

So, answer this question: which head of state needs a dose of metal to get him ready for Parliament every morning – and which band’s music does he play to give him the necessary adrenaline surge?

It’s Iceland’s President Guðni Jóhannesson, of course, whose love of his country’s biggest metal band Skálmöld led him to say in 2018: “I admire them because they’re much more than just a metal band. For me, the most admirable aspects of Skálmöld’s songs are their lyrical themes. Here in Iceland, we want to maintain our literary and cultural heritage, and to do that we need to make it accessible to new generations. Skálmöld are a link between our old heritage and today’s culture!”

Skálmöld – which translates as ‘Age Of Swords’ – formed in the summer of 2009 and comprise Björgvin Sigurðsson (vocals, guitar), Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson (guitar), Baldur Ragnarsson (guitar), Snæbjörn Ragnarsson (bass), Gunnar Ben (keyboards) and Jón Geir Jóhannsson (drums). Their debut album Baldur was released the following year and made an instant impact, even on a metal scene saturated with Viking-themed albums.

The reasons for this are obvious; Snæbjörn Ragnarsson’s lyrics stick closely to the poetic rules of the ancient Icelandic sagas, where every syllable is considered and internal rhyme is paramount. The Icelandic public were reeling at the time from two major crises – remember the collapse of their entire banking system, and the volcanic eruption that stopped air traffic across half of Europe? In this climate, a band such as Skálmöld, who celebrated the very essence of their domestic culture, were destined for instant glory – and so it proved to be. 

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