Thyrfing
Encyclopedia
- This page refers to the metal band Thyrfing. For the mythological sword see TyrfingTyrfingTyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga...
Thyrfing is a viking metal
Viking metal
Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its galloping pace, keyboard-rich anthemic sound, bleakness and dramatic emphasis on lyrical themes of Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age...
band from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The band is named after the royal sword Tyrfing
Tyrfing
Tyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga...
from Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
.
History
Thyrfing was formed in 1995 by Patrik Lindgren (guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Jocke Kristensson (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), Peter Löf (keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) and Kimmy Sjölund (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). From the beginning, the band was meant to be a side project, as Patrik and Jocke put their main focus into their other band, Pantheon (not to be confused with the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Socialist black metal
National Socialist black metal
National Socialist black metal is black metal that promotes National Socialist beliefs through their lyrics and imagery. These beliefs often include: white supremacy, racial separatism, antisemitism, heterosexism, and Nazi interpretations of paganism or Satanism...
band of the same name). Northern mythology and the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
age was an interest of all the members, so the lyrics and the concept was focused upon this subject. The music was rather primitive and built upon slow pounding drums, heavy guitars and medieval synth-melodies. After two demo tapes that gained a lot of positive response in the underground scene, Thyrfing signed to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Hammerheart Records in 1997. In Stockholm's Sunlight Studio in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, their debut album was recorded, showing a much more varied songwriting. The album was then released in March 1998. For their second album, this time recorded in the Abyss Studios, their music took on a more symphonic approach, still keeping with the roots from the older material. For future live performances, Henke Svegsjö from Winds
WINDS
WINDS , is a Japanese communication satellite. Launch was originally scheduled for 2007. The launch date was eventually set for 15 February 2008, however a problem detected in a second stage manoeuvring thruster delayed it to 23 February...
was recruited on guitar. He was regarded as a good choice, and nowadays he is considered a full-member of the band. Once again with Tommy Tägtgren, Urkraft was recorded and released in August 2000. During that same year, the band also held two mini-tours with Primordial and Shadowbreed throughout The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
In the autumn of 2001, the band entered Dug-Out Studio with well-known producer Daniel Bergstrand to record the most diverse and mature Thyrfing-album to date, Vansinnesvisor (Songs of Madness). The album was released in July the following year, masterly-packaged by Niklas Sundin, and was considered a big step forward for the band. With more experimental vocals, distinct and focused songs, odd instruments such as keyed fiddle and home-made percussion, and with a majority of Swedish lyrics, the band won new fans and rooted their position within the genre.
To support the album, Thyrfing played two support gigs during the winter (for Freedom Call
Freedom Call
Freedom Call is a German power metal band formed in 1998.-Biography:Freedom Call was formed in 1998 by old friends Chris Bay and Daniel Zimmermann during an off-period for the latter's main band, Gamma Ray...
and Dismember
Dismember (band)
Dismember was a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1988. They are well known in the death metal underground. They split up in October 2011.-History:...
) in Stockholm, and did a small headliner tour in Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
with Cruachan
Cruachan (band)
Cruachan [kroo-a-khawn] is a Celtic metal band from Dublin, Ireland that has been active since the 1990s. They have been acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to expand" the genre of folk metal. They are recognised as one of the founders of the genre of folk metal...
and Shadowbreed.
2003 followed with further live-promotion, such as the Generation Armageddon Festivals (including Ancient Rites
Ancient Rites
Ancient Rites is a Flemish black metal band formed in 1988. Initially, the line- up consisted of guitar players Johan and Phillip, drummer Stefan, and Gunther Theys on bass and vocals. In 1990 the Dark Ritual demo was released in the underground scene, getting worldwide attention just as black...
, Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh
Septic Flesh is a death metal band from Athens, Greece, which was founded in 1990.- History :Septic Flesh was formed in March 1990 by Sotiris Vayenas , Spiros Antoniou , and Christos Antoniou , and quickly released a debut EP, Temple of the Lost Race in December 1991...
, Primordial
Primordial (band)
Primordial is an extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland. It was formed in 1987 by Pól MacAmlaigh and Ciarán MacUiliam . Their sound melds black metal with Irish folk music.-Biography:...
, Blood Red Throne
Blood Red Throne
Blood Red Throne is a death metal band from Kristiansand, Norway. They released their fourth full-length album, Come Death, on 27 August 2007...
and Skyfire
Skyfire (band)
Skyfire is a melodic death metal band from Höör, Sweden.-Biography:Skyfire was formed in the town of Höör, Sweden in 1995 by Andreas Edlund , Martin Hanner , Jonas Sjögren and Tobias Björk . The four were friends since high school and had similar tastes in music. The band recorded two demos:...
), a 12-day European tour throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and performances on the main festival stages of 2000 Decibel in Sweden and Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Thyrfing entered EMI studios on April 18, 2005 to record their new album, Farsotstider ("Times of Plague"), which was released on November 21, 2005.
The band played their first US show in January 2006 alongside Moonsorrow
Moonsorrow
Moonsorrow is a pagan metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland, in 1995. Musically, the band incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal in their sound...
and Primordial
Primordial (band)
Primordial is an extreme metal band from Skerries, County Dublin, Ireland. It was formed in 1987 by Pól MacAmlaigh and Ciarán MacUiliam . Their sound melds black metal with Irish folk music.-Biography:...
at the Heathen Crusade metalfest in Columbia Heights, Minnesota
Columbia Heights, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,520 people, 8,033 households, and 4,731 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,368.7 people per square mile . There were 8,151 housing units at an average density of 2,362.9 per square mile...
.
On March 13, 2007, the band posted a message on the official Thyrfing-site declaring that Thomas Väänänen (vocals) and Henrik Svegsjö (guitars) had decided to leave the band due to lack of motivation. Instead of Thomas, founder and ex-vocalist of Naglfar
Naglfar (band)
Naglfar is a Swedish melodic black metal band formed in 1992. The group was formed by Jens Rydén and Kristoffer Olivius, originally under the name Uninterred.-Biography:...
, Jens Rydén, is currently handling the vocals. The band also decided to continue with one guitarist.
Current members
- Jens Rydén - vocals (2007–present)
- Patrik Lindgren - guitars (1995–present)
- Fredrik Hernborg - guitars (2008–present)
- Kimmy Sjölund - bass (1995–present)
- Peter Löf - synthesizers (1995–present)
- Joakim Kristensson - drums (1995–present)
Former band members
- Thomas Väänänen - vocals (1996–2006)
- Vintras - guitars (1997–1998)
- Henrik Svegsjö - guitars (1998–2006)
Albums
- ThyrfingThyrfing (album)Thyrfing is the name of the first album by the Swedish viking metal band Thyrfing. It was released in 1998 on Hammerheart Records, and was re-released by various record labels since then: Karmaggedon Media in 2004 and 2005, Hammerheart in 2005, and Candlelight in 2004.-Track listing:# Raven Eyes -...
(1998) - Valdr GalgaValdr Galga (album)Valdr Galga is the second album by the Swedish viking metal band Thyrfing, released in 1999.-Track listing:# Prelude: Heading for The Golden Hall / Storms of Asgard - 7:25# From Wilderness Came Death - 4:56# Askans Rike - 4:29...
(1999) - UrkraftUrkraftUrkraft is the third album by Swedish viking metal band Thyrfing. It was released in 2000.On some editions of the album, there is a bonus cover of "Over the Hills and Far Away" by rock artist Gary Moore.-Track listing:...
(2000) - VansinnesvisorVansinnesvisorVansinnesvisor is the name of the fourth album by the Viking metal band Thyrfing. It was released in 2002. The lyrics to track number six, "The Giant's Laughter", are a translation of the poem "Jätten" written by the Swedish poet Esaias Tegnér....
(2002) - FarsotstiderFarsotstiderFarsotstider is the fifth album by the Viking metal band Thyrfing. The lyrics to track number seven, "Baldersbålet", are partly taken from a poem with the same name written by the Swedish poet Viktor Rydberg.-Track listing:# "Far åt Helvete" – 5:06...
(2005) - Hels ViteHels ViteHels Vite is the sixth studio album by the viking metal band Thyrfing. This is the first album with new singer Jens Rydén, founding member of Naglfar.-Track listing:# "En Sista Litania" – 7:10# "Från Stormens Öga" – 8:07# "Isolation" – 5:54...
(2008)