The Official Windir Thread
 

Anyone heard of them? They are a Folk Black Metal band, and I think they are good.

Yeah Ensiferum's my favorite but havent had the pleasure of hearing windir, always looking for new viking metal though.

Their folkier songs are where they really shine. When they're busy being a black metal band they can get boring fast, though I typically find black metal boring.

Same hear although I enjoy even some of their black metal stuff.

I'm fair impressed here, because I've literally just found this forum for the first time ever, and straight away saw a discussion about one of my all time favourite bands! Windir are quite new to me, found them about 2 years ago. 'Arntor' and '1184' are 2 of my choice albums. They're so catchy, but really intense and atmospheric with it. Love this band!

Surprisingly one of the few fiking (folk/viking) metal bands I'm not a fan off. A great influence for the rest of the genre however.

Windir
 

Windir is an awesome black metal band originally started by Valfar as a one man project, however after a quite straightforward black metal album Sóknardalr in 1997 (after two demos) this man really unleashed his potential.

Two years after his debut Valfar released Arntor, quite possibly one of the most awesome explorations into black folk, with often upbeat synth arrangements and brutal vocals overlayed with historical lyrics in an old Norwegian language. While it's not Windir's most popular work it is very often hailed as the best of his work, and it was Windir's final as a one man band.

After the stunning Arntor Valfar combined with Ulcus to create a new Windir and released their most popular work 1184, going back to more black/thrash metal oriented music this would keep up with their final album Likferd.

Unfortunately for black metal and music in general Valfar died in a snowstorm while walking to his family cabin in the mountains, a truly grim and frostbitten death.

RIP Valfar.

Have anyone here heard of Windir, if so, discuss your favourites and such.

Ah yes. Windir is actually my favourite metal band ever and that's saying something. Few black metal fans would disagree on their greatness, and I think that's saying something as well.

I like all their albums, but Arntor is my favourite and Saknet is my fav song. Arntor is a truly beautiful album.

I would absolutely have to agree with you on Saknet, 10 minutes long and 60 minutes too short. It feels like an incredibly short shot but it's a masterpiece in itself. The first few listens of Arntor I never actually noticed the song because it just flowed so incredibly well, and then when I listened intensely it was over in a flash.

I typically hate black metal to no end (as in one of the few genres of music I think I can't typically relate to in one way or another) but I think I like Windir enough to call myself a fan.

Thirding Arntor as my favorite Windir album with my favorite track being Kong Hydnes Haug.

Windir deserve an epic bump, there's just something so listenable about Valfars type of black metal, and that remains once the rest of the band joined too.

Definitely. Nowadays I barely listen to metal anymore, but Windir still gets a regular spin.

The first time I heard Arntor, I couldn't believe how magical it was.

I remember the first time I heard Arntor so well, I can't remember where or what I was doing but when the intro kicked it nothing else mattered. It was just brilliant, the melodies, the guitars, the vocals everything just fit together. Thing is, as a singular entity there's nothing spectacular about any one element on Arntor, it's simply the composition.

It flows so well and everything is right as it should be, it's musical perfection.

Windir is great.

Eh, Sóknardalr was my favorite album. I felt like Windir progressively got worse (if at all) after it.

Also, I have everything Windir has ever released, demos and the tape. Good stuff.

Yeah same here, of the Demos I think Det Gamle Riket is the strongest. Another thing I love, is that on last.fm Windir has a ridiculous amount of scrobbles per listener compared to other bands with similar popularity.

K, I'm gonna keep bumping this thread until someone gives Arntor a listen and is converted by its beauty.

"Destroy" off of 1184 = epic.
been listenin to songs off of that album nonstop at the moment.

You failed your duty brother!

I'm gonna bump it for the same reason, also to say that 1184 is a hell of a lot better than I remember it. I completely forgot the entire melodic aspect of this album for some reason. It's still overhyped by the fans on last.fm though.

Hehe I was going to wait a bit longer before bumping it, but I'm happy someone else did.

Yeah, 1184 is great, especially Journey to the End. I think it's probably overhyped because it's more accessible than the rest IMO - I mean Dance of Mortal Lust is pretty damn catchy.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but again the album that stuck immediately was Arntor of course. Another thing that is special about the band is how many scrobbles per listener they have (68 or something). It means that basically everyone that's listened on average have listened to their entire discography and then some.

My theory is that they're spread has been pretty much entirely through word of mouth, becuase if they were hyped by anything influential they would have gotten more listeners but less plays. Also that they don't have any streamable tracks.

Bumpity bump people.


Yeah that is so true and I just found this on a random blog.


Windir tops this list with 1,727,750 plays / 25,328 listeners = 68 plays per listener... and Windir don't exactly have the shortest songs either, unlike many of the bands on the list.

So is anyone going to check out Arntor?


http://www.davidharrell.org/images/playsperlistener.GIF

Windir - Saknet

Tell me that the passage from 7:30 onwards isn't one of the most beautiful in music. Most of you are missing out on the best band in metal.

Come on people, ask us for ups! Get hooked and then come back for the Demos and ****. But if you do decide to check em out make sure you listen to at least 60 songs! :D

I'm going to have to give these a go I think. If both Seltzer and Comus rate them highly then I should give them a listen. I must admit that their ambient/folk angle appeals to me more as i'm not the biggest Black Metal fan in the world.

I love Windir man especial the valfar, ein windir discs beautiful live performances. what i really love about windir is that valfar is really pop-esque in his arrangements of the music. i remember him saying he was a fan of abba in one of his interviews. it works beautifully to achieve the epic feel windir embodies.

windir is like a meeting of the pop traditions from Norway. particularly the dance scene and black metal as well as folk. tell me that is not a hard combination to pull off.

A further bump becuase of just general epicness, and their inclusion in the 1001 albums list, and my compilation from said list in the thread and the compilation thread has a Windir song on it, so go over there and get some!

Windir is just flat out amazing. my band covered Journey to the End. I hate electronic music but even that sounds good when Windir utilizes it.

yeah listening to Saknet, I'm hooked. Anyone have links for me?