Skyforger

Skyforger is a heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom metal band Grindmaster Dead. Most of their songs are about pagan gods and warfare; they also play traditional Latvian folk songs and metal covers. Although Skyforger is known for their folk metal, their style on their demo Semigall's Warchant is essentially black metal. The band also has performed and recorded a number of folk songs, including the entirety of their fourth album Zobena Dziesma (Swordsong), released in 2003. Folk elements can be found on all of their albums. Skyforger is also one of the best-known folk/pagan metal bands in Europe. In December 2005, during the presentation of their latest album, Semigalls' Warchant (2005), the band announced their next album would be an experimentation with thrash metal, which was somewhat of a disappointment for their pagan black metal fans. However, they pointed out that Latvian history still has enough untold stories, meaning their lyrics will probably retain their distinct folk/pagan fashion.

Skyforger was also involved in a minor scandal with one of their former producers, who believed they were affiliated with Neo-Nazism. (See Skyforger's official website.) The reason for this was the cover of their album Thunderforge (depicts a pagan god striking an anvil, bearing a pendant resembling depictions of Nazi "ancient Aryans"), as well as the swastika, or sunwheel, incorporated in Skyforger's logo. Some websites have therefore listed Skyforger as a Neo-Nazi band. The band denies any such claims and doesn't display any Nazistic tendencies in their lyrics, meaning the scandal was most likely a result of the producer's poor knowledge of ancient Indo-European symbols.

Discography

Semigall's Warchant (1997) (demo)
Kauja pie Saules (Battle of the Saule) (1998)
Latviešu Strēlnieki (Latvian Riflemen) (1999)
Pērkonkalve (Thunderforge) (2003) (the album that involved Skyforger in a scandal with their producer, who considered the CD cover to bear Nazi symbols)
Zobena Dziesma (Sword Song) (2003) (the album contains mostly unaltered Latvian folk songs)
Semigalls' Warchant (2005) (re-release of the 1997 demo with four additional new songs)