Genetics of Viking Metal, Part IV: Finntroll

As I wrote last week, I hear Viking metal as a collection of overlapping hybrid genres. The basic idea is that metal bands are adding some kind of “Viking” element to heavy metal music. Different artists have taken different approaches. Bands add one or more of the following elements: traditional melodies or rhythms, acoustic instruments [...]

Genetics of Viking Metal, part 3: Musical Precedents

It’s time to talk music. This is going to be a little messy. Hopefully not Courtney Love messy, but we will have to wait and see.
I will skip the general rock & roll overview. All we need to know is that rock’s ancient roots are in Africa and Europe. In pop culture, things get old [...]

Genetics of Viking Metal, Part 1

…or Mommy, where did Finntroll come from?
Everybody knows Vikings are cool—cooler than pirates, maybe—but I doubt that many people outside the underground metal scene know much about Viking metal. I’ll get into that soon, but first we need to talk about Vikings. We are going to use genetics to trace humankind’s prehistoric route from Africa [...]