Vintersorg
Encyclopedia
Vintersorg (ˈvɪntɛr ˈsɔrj; "Winter Sorrow" in English
) is a Swedish
band from Skellefteå
, formed in 1994 under the name Vargatron (Wolfthrone in English). Musically, Vintersorg has covered a wide number of heavy metal
genres; while the band is mostly rooted in extreme metal
styles, particularly black metal
and Viking
/folk metal
, it has also expanded into progressive metal
and avant-garde metal. Lyrically, the band deals with topics on fantasy
, mythology
, nature
, the cosmos
, and metaphysics
. Vintersorg means "Winter Sorrow
," but the name was taken from the The Legend of the Ice People
series by Margit Sandemo
, where the character Vintersorg is the son of a great pagan
leader.
The project was originally formed in 1994 to "push the limits" of black metal music, where the vocals are mostly clean sung, and only a few parts per song that had the traditional screaming vocals. The sound of Vintersorg has vastly changed over the years, as their earlier sound had more of a folk
influence, and later on, more of an experimental sound. This transformation was most notably marked with the release of the Cosmic Genesis album, and the change in sound progressed from album to album, with the 2004 album The Focusing Blur
being an extremely avant-garde album. The band's vocal elements have changed from album to album as well, starting out with low-pitched, powerful baritone
singing, and gradually shifting towards softer, higher-pitched delivery with more use of harmony and layering with black metal vocals. Solens rötter
, marked a return to the earlier folk metal style, while retaining the more complex and non-traditional guitar arrangements and song structures of later albums. The latest effort of the band is Jordpuls
was released in March, 2011.
Along with this change in musical style, the lyrical topics began to shift as well. On earlier albums, the lyrics are all written and performed in Swedish
, and dealt with topics of nature and paganism
. With the advent of Cosmic Genesis, the lyrics were now written and sung mostly in English
, and now dealt with scientific ideas such as astronomy
and cosmology
, philosophies such as metaphysics
, and other ideas such as astrology
. In the Cosmic Genesis booklet, Vintersorg extends thanks to Dr. Carl Sagan
, author of the book Cosmos
. Since, then, the band has alternated between both English and Swedish lyrics, sometimes using both on the same album. In keeping with the band's return to its folk roots, the latter albums are also sung entirely in Swedish and deal with more traditional themes.
Vintersorg (aka Andreas Hedlund
) is constantly creating music. He is the front-man of several bands including Otyg
, Borknagar
, Havayoth
, Fission
, Cronian
and Waterclime
.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) is a Swedish
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....
band from Skellefteå
Skellefteå
-Industry:*Boliden AB, a big mining and smelting company*Alimak*Natural User Interface Technologies AB - NUITEQ, a promising emerging technology start-up company-Sports:*Skellefteå AIK, an ice hockey team in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien....
, formed in 1994 under the name Vargatron (Wolfthrone in English). Musically, Vintersorg has covered a wide number of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
genres; while the band is mostly rooted in extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
styles, particularly black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
and Viking
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...
/folk metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
, it has also expanded into progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
and avant-garde metal. Lyrically, the band deals with topics on fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
, the cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
, and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
. Vintersorg means "Winter Sorrow
Seasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder , also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn...
," but the name was taken from the The Legend of the Ice People
The Legend of the Ice People
The Legend of the Ice People is a 47-volume story of a family bloodline. The author of the series is Margit Sandemo. The novels are based in historical facts, mostly occurring in Scandinavia, but the fantastic is never far off. The series first began as a feuilleton in the Norwegian magazine Hjemmet...
series by Margit Sandemo
Margit Sandemo
Margit Sandemo is a Norwegian-Swedish historical fantasy author. She has been the best-selling author in the Nordic Countries since the 1980s, when her novel series of 47 books, The Legend of the Ice People, was published...
, where the character Vintersorg is the son of a great pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
leader.
The project was originally formed in 1994 to "push the limits" of black metal music, where the vocals are mostly clean sung, and only a few parts per song that had the traditional screaming vocals. The sound of Vintersorg has vastly changed over the years, as their earlier sound had more of a folk
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
influence, and later on, more of an experimental sound. This transformation was most notably marked with the release of the Cosmic Genesis album, and the change in sound progressed from album to album, with the 2004 album The Focusing Blur
The Focusing Blur
The Focusing Blur is the fifth full-length album by Swedish progressive/folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on February 16, 2004. This album was the most progressive album to date, with many experimental and avant-garde elements and the lyrics were now all written and sung in English.-Track...
being an extremely avant-garde album. The band's vocal elements have changed from album to album as well, starting out with low-pitched, powerful baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
singing, and gradually shifting towards softer, higher-pitched delivery with more use of harmony and layering with black metal vocals. Solens rötter
Solens Rötter
Solens rötter is the sixth full-length album by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. The album re-introduced Andreas Hedlund's use of all Swedish lyrics, something Vintersorg has not had since their 1999 full-length, Ödemarkens son...
, marked a return to the earlier folk metal style, while retaining the more complex and non-traditional guitar arrangements and song structures of later albums. The latest effort of the band is Jordpuls
Jordpuls
Jordpuls is the seventh full-length album by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. As with the previous album Solens Rötter, the lyrics are all in Swedish.-Track listing:...
was released in March, 2011.
Along with this change in musical style, the lyrical topics began to shift as well. On earlier albums, the lyrics are all written and performed in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, and dealt with topics of nature and paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
. With the advent of Cosmic Genesis, the lyrics were now written and sung mostly in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and now dealt with scientific ideas such as astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, philosophies such as metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, and other ideas such as astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
. In the Cosmic Genesis booklet, Vintersorg extends thanks to Dr. Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
, author of the book Cosmos
Cosmos (book)
Cosmos is a popular science book by astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan. Its 13 illustrated chapters, corresponding to the 13 episodes of the Cosmos TV series on which the book was based, explore the mutual development of science and civilization...
. Since, then, the band has alternated between both English and Swedish lyrics, sometimes using both on the same album. In keeping with the band's return to its folk roots, the latter albums are also sung entirely in Swedish and deal with more traditional themes.
Vintersorg (aka Andreas Hedlund
Andreas Hedlund
Andreas Hedlund , also known as Vintersorg and Mr. V, is a Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has played in several heavy metal bands.-Biography:...
) is constantly creating music. He is the front-man of several bands including Otyg
Otyg
Otyg was a folk metal band from Sweden, featuring Andreas Hedlund, the frontman for Vintersorg.During their existence, Otyg released two albums with songs written in traditional Scandinavian folk style, featuring traditional Scandinavian instruments not frequently heard in heavy metal, such as the...
, Borknagar
Borknagar
Borknagar is a progressive black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines folk metal and black metal with progressive and melodic elements...
, Havayoth
Havayoth
Havayoth is a gothic metal band formed in 2000, in Sweden. Their sound can be described as gothic metal, inspiring a relaxing but at the same time dark, majestic and grave atmosphere....
, Fission
Fission (band)
Fission is a Swedish melodic death metal band formed in 2002. The band began as Benny Hägglund's personal project, with the hopes of fusing melody and aggression into his music. After writing some material, he decided to seek aid from Andreas Hedlund of Vintersorg, the band in which Hägglund plays...
, Cronian
Cronian
Cronian is a progressive/avant-garde metal band from Norway and Sweden founded in 2004 by Øystein Brun and Andreas Hedlund, also known as Vintersorg...
and Waterclime
Waterclime
Waterclime is a project of Andreas Hedlund aka Vintersorg, of the band of the eponymous name, as well as Borknagar, Otyg, Cronian, Fission, and Havayoth. Unlike Vintersorg's other bands, Waterclime is in no way metal, but rather a unique blend of progressive rock and jazz with melody and atmosphere...
.
Band members
- Andreas "Vintersorg" HedlundAndreas HedlundAndreas Hedlund , also known as Vintersorg and Mr. V, is a Swedish vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has played in several heavy metal bands.-Biography:...
– composer, vocals, guitar, keyboard - Mattias MarklundMattias MarklundMattias Marklund is a guitarist who plays in Vintersorg, Casket Casey and TME. He also did guest guitar work for Vintersorg band mate, Andreas Hedlund's progressive rock band, Waterclime.-With Otyg:...
– guitar
Session musicians
- Vargher – keyboards on Hedniskhjärtad, Till fjälls, and Ödemarkens son
- Cia Hedmark – female vocals on Hedniskhjärtad, Till fjälls, and Ödemarkens son and violin on Ödemarkens son
- Andreas Frank – guest lead guitar on "För kung och fosterland" & "Asatider" on Till fjälls
- Nisse Johansson – additional keys on Till fjälls and analog synth, loop editing on Visions from the Spiral Generator and Hammond on "Universums dunkla alfabet"
- Jan Erik "Tyr" Torgersen – live bass
- Steve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgioSteve DiGiorgio is an American bassist and musician.DiGiorgio has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands such as Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Charred Walls of the Damned, Obituary, and is a founding member of Sadus. He is widely renowned for...
– bass guitar on Visions from the Spiral Generator and The Focusing Blur - Asgeir MickelsonAsgeir MickelsonAsgeir Mickelson is a Norwegian musician, artist, photographer and music reviewer. Although primarily a drummer, Mickelson has stated that he considers himself a musician above a drummer, and is also a guitarist and bassist....
– drums on Visions from the Spiral Generator and The Focusing Blur - Lars "Lazare" NedlandLars NedlandLars Are Nedland , known also as Lazare, from Kristiansand, Norway, is the vocalist, drummer and keyboardist for acclaimed avant-garde black metal band Solefald. He is also keyboardist for the progressive black metal act Borknagar...
– Hammond organ on Visions from the Spiral Generator and Hammond organ, vocals, and lyricist on The Focusing Blur - Benny Hägglund – live drums
- Johan Lindgren – live bass, bass on Solens rötter
- Andreas Stenlund – live guitar until 2002
Discography
- HedniskhjärtadHedniskhjärtadHedniskhjärtad is the first released recording by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on 6 July 1998.-Background on the album:The story as to the creation of the album is as follows, taken from the back of the album's booklet:...
(1998) ("Paganhearted") - Till fjällsTill FjällsTill Fjälls is the first full-length album by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. Stylistically this continued in the same musical vein as the previous album, Hedniskhjärtad, with black metal-style riffs, harsh vocals and blast beats interspersed with folk-ish melodies, acoustics, and...
(1998) ("To the Mountains") - Ödemarkens sonÖdemarkens SonÖdemarkens son is the second full-length album by Swedish progressive/folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on 16 November 1999. It builds on the folk metal of the previous album.-Track listing:-Credits:*Mr...
(1999) ("Son of the Wilderness") - Cosmic GenesisCosmic GenesisCosmic Genesis is the third full-length album by Swedish progressive/folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on November 3, 2000. The album signaled a move away from the folk metal of the previous two albums to progressive, as well as lyrical themes, now mostly written in English, moving...
(2000) - Visions from the Spiral GeneratorVisions from the Spiral GeneratorVisions from the Spiral Generator is the fourth full-length album by Swedish progressive/folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on June 24, 2002. This album saw a drastic shift in style in the band that was foreshadowed on the band's prior album, Cosmic Genesis...
(2002) - The Focusing BlurThe Focusing BlurThe Focusing Blur is the fifth full-length album by Swedish progressive/folk metal band Vintersorg. It was released on February 16, 2004. This album was the most progressive album to date, with many experimental and avant-garde elements and the lyrics were now all written and sung in English.-Track...
(2004) - Solens rötterSolens RötterSolens rötter is the sixth full-length album by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. The album re-introduced Andreas Hedlund's use of all Swedish lyrics, something Vintersorg has not had since their 1999 full-length, Ödemarkens son...
(2007) ("Roots of the Sun") - JordpulsJordpulsJordpuls is the seventh full-length album by Swedish folk metal band Vintersorg. As with the previous album Solens Rötter, the lyrics are all in Swedish.-Track listing:...
(2011) ("Pulse of the earth")
External links
- Vintersorg at Napalm RecordsNapalm RecordsNapalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock.Originally, Napalm Records focused mainly on black metal acts such as Abigor and Summoning and folk metal bands such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg....
- Interview on www.avantgarde-metal.com
- Lyric translations on archive.org