Hel (band)
Encyclopedia
Hel is a Swedish
vikingarock
band, based in Eskilstuna
, Södermanland
. The band's name is derived from the Norse goddess
Hel
.
, Carolus Rex IV. As a result of the compilation's commercial success, Hel was initially signed to vikingarock group Ultima Thule
's label, Ultima Thule Records, but later formed their own label, Peanut Music AB.
The band toured internationally between 2001 and 2004, finally breaking up following the departure of violinist Cia Hedmark in 2004 to reform Völund Smed.
In 2008, Malin Pettersson, Ulrica Pettersson, and Adde Norlin debuted a new band called Tales of Origin. Whereas Hel sang in Swedish, Tales of Origin sings in English. Their first album was titled "Through Virgin Eyes."
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....
vikingarock
Vikingarock
Viking rock is a rock music genre that takes much of its themes from 19th century Viking romanticism, mixing it with rockabilly, oi!/streetpunk and folk elements. Frequent themes occurring in Viking rock include Vikings and Norse mythology, as well as Sweden's King Karl XII and the...
band, based in Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
. The band's name is derived from the Norse goddess
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...
Hel
Hel (being)
In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
.
History
Hel formed in 1999 following the disintegration of Völund Smed, three of the Hel's five members having previously played in that band. A major change from Völund Smed's lineup was that Hel would feature two female vocalists, Malin Pettersson and Ulrica Pettersson. The first release of Hel's material was on the vikingarock compilation albumCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Carolus Rex IV. As a result of the compilation's commercial success, Hel was initially signed to vikingarock group Ultima Thule
Ultima Thule (Swedish band)
Ultima Thule is a Swedish rock band. Their style is based on what they call Vikingarock , a way of bringing old Norse folk rhythms into rock, mixed with Oi!, street punk and Teddy Boy influences. Some of their lyrics are versions of poems and traditional songs by Evert Taube, such as "Änglamark"...
's label, Ultima Thule Records, but later formed their own label, Peanut Music AB.
The band toured internationally between 2001 and 2004, finally breaking up following the departure of violinist Cia Hedmark in 2004 to reform Völund Smed.
In 2008, Malin Pettersson, Ulrica Pettersson, and Adde Norlin debuted a new band called Tales of Origin. Whereas Hel sang in Swedish, Tales of Origin sings in English. Their first album was titled "Through Virgin Eyes."
Band members
- Ulrica Pettersson: vocals
- Malin Pettersson: vocals
- Esa Rosenström: guitar
- Piere Karlsson: drums
- Stefan Johansson: bass
- Adde Norlin: guitar and keyboard
- Cia Hedmark: violin
Studio albums
- Valkyriors dom (1999)
- Blodspår (2001)
- Bortglömda tid (2002)
- Det som varit ÄRDet som varit ÄRDet som varit ÄR is a Viking rock album, released by Hel in 2003, from the label Hel Records.-Track listing:# Doften av ångest# Spikar i mitt hjärta# För evigt farväl# Vildjursjakt# Moders barm# Skrivet i mitt blod# Två världar# Den frälste...
(2003)
Appearances on compilation albums
- Carolus Rex IV (1999)
- Genom eld och aska (split CD with Ultima Thule) (2000)
- Carolus Rex V (2001)
- Carolus Rex VI (2002)
- Carolus Rex VII (2004)
- Carolus Rex VIII (2006)