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Falkenbach

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This article is about the German metal band. For the river in Bavaria, Germany, seeFalkenbach (Omersbach).
Falkenbach
OriginDüsseldorf,Germany
GenresBlack metal,Folk metal,Viking metal
Years active1989–present
LabelsNapalm,Prophecy
MembersVratyas Vakyas
Websitefalkenbach.de

Falkenbach(German:[ˈfalkənbax]) is aviking metalgroup from Germany that is signed toProphecy Productions.The name means "Falconbrook" in German.

They are one of the first viking metal bands, starting in 1989, with their first release that same year. The one permanent member is Vratyas Vakyas (real name Markus Tümmers) who was born in Germany, but lived in Iceland in the late 1980s.

History

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Falkenbach was one of Germany's first examples of what would be labeledpagan metal.[1]The band was formed in Iceland in 1989, when it recorded theHávamáldemo, and has recorded a total of seven demos; however, only five are known. Three more were released by 1995:Skínn af sverði sól valtíva(Old Norse,"The Sun Shines on the Swords of Slaughter-Gods"),Læknishendr(Old Norse,"Healing Hands"), andÁsynja(Old Norse,"Goddess"). Of all of these exceptLæknishendr,only nine copies were released.

In 1995, recording of the debut albumFirebladebegan, but due to equipment troubles, production was stopped shortly before mixing began.Firebladewas not released, and in December of the same year, recording began for...En their medh ríki fara...(Old Norse,"...And in Glory Will They Go..."). The recording for this actual debut album was completed in March 1996. The album cover features a part of an illustration of theWild Hunt,made byFriedrich Wilhelm Heinefor Wilhelm Wägner'sNordisch-germanische Götter und Helden(1882). With this Falkenbach placed itself within a tradition that connects metal music to the Wild Hunt motif, present sinceBathory's albumBlood Fire Death(1988).[1]

After...Magni blandinn ok megintiri...(Old Norse,"Mixed with Strength and Pride Glory") was released, Vratyas stopped recording music so he could focus more on hisrecord labelSkaldic Art Productions.

In 2003, Vratyas returned to the studio with three other musicians and close friends to recordOk nefna tysvar Ty(Old Norse,"And Name Twice Týr"). The nextFalkenbach album,Heralding – The Fireblade,was recorded in August–September 2005, using the same session musicians he had used forOk Nefna Tysvar Ty.It includes material originally intended for the never releasedFirebladealbum and re-working of demo tracks.

In 2006Skaldic Arts Productionsreleased a tribute album calledAn Homage to Falkenbach.It consists of two parts, each limited to 500 units. The work contains 16 covers by various bands such asEluveitie,Folkearth,andBewitched.

Vratyas Vakyas (whose name roughly translates to "the searching wanderer" ), the sole member ofFalkenbach,lives inDüsseldorf,Germany.

Style and lyrical themes

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TheHávamáldemo is allegedly cleanfolk music,but since then the sound has become more raw and influenced byblack metalinfluence and matured into an epic metal sound.

Most ofFalkenbachlyrics are inEnglish.They also write lyrics in Old Norse,Latin,andOld German.Most, if not all of the lyrics in Old Norse are actually taken fromheathenliterature: for example, the chorus lines in the song"Donar's Oak"are actually verses four and five ofGrímnismál,a poem of theElder Edda.(Hávamál,after which the first demo is named, is another such poem.)

According to Vratyas, one thing that sets Falkenbach apart from a band suchBathoryis that his music is underpinned by apaganreligiosity. Vratyas defines his approach to paganism asanimistic,through which it rejects the existence of a frontier between a person and the outer world.[2]

Discography

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Studio albums
Demos
  • Hávamál(1989)
  • Tanfana(1990)
  • Towards Solens Golden Light(1991)
  • Promo '95(1995)
  • Laeknishendr(1995)
  • ...Skínn af sverði sól valtíva...(1996)

Line-up

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Current members

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  • Vratyas Vakyas - guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, drums, vocals

Session members

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  • Hagalaz - guitars onOk nefna tysvar Ty,Heralding - The FirebladeandTiurida.
  • Tyrann - vocals onOk nefna tysvar Ty,Heralding - The FirebladeandTiurida.
  • Boltthorn - drums onOk nefna tysvar Ty,Heralding - The FirebladeandTiurida.
  • Albion - bass onTiurida.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abFlorian Heesch, Reinhard Kopanski. 2017. "Klang - Text - Bild: Intermediale Aspekte der Black Metal-Forschung". ed. Sarah Chaker, Jakob Schermann, Nikolaus Urbanek.Analyzing Black Metal - Transdisziplinäre Annäherungen an ein düsteres Phänomen der Musikkultur.Transcript Verlag. pp. 31-32.ISBN978-3-8376-3687-1
  2. ^Fabio Petrella. 4 May 2011.Interviste - Falkenbach (Vratyas Vakyas)Archived2019-05-13 at theWayback Machine.SpazioRock.
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