Kampfar

 

One of the great things about exploring any genre of metal is discovering new bands. The big names of black metal--Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, Emperor, Burzum--are known by everyone. But those mid-tier bands that slave away just beneath the surface?  It's exciting to watch when people discover them. KAMPFAR is a Norwegian band that the casual black metal fan knows little about. But the true black metal aficionados know them as a tried-and-true pagan black metal band.

Originating from the ashes of MOCK, who existed from 1991-1994, Kampfar was for years the brainchild of Thomas and Dolk. Dolk cut his teeth in the aforementioned Mock. Mock's sound was a classic Norwegian black metal that bears all the hallmarks of the early second wave. Check out their 1994 demo, Cold Winter, below:

After Mock dissolved in 1994, Dolk still had the yearning to create black metal.  The story goes that he had a bassline written for a black metal song, but it wasn't until he met Thomas that he had a music-writing partner who was able to write the perfect guitar part to go with it.  This became the song "Kampfar." Shortly thereafter, they wrote "Hymne". And this material became their first demo, and eventually,  the self-titled EP.

The Kampfar EP contains both the songs "Hymne" and "Kampfar"

In these early years of Kampfar's existence, Thomas and Dolk were the only two members of the band. Dolk brought a black metal sensibility to the table that was balanced out by Thomas's more classical and folk-oriented approach to music. This is what allowed Kampfar to create their now-classic pagan/folk black metal. The incorporation of clean, chanting vocals and folk/non-traditional instruments helped make Kampfar's music a crucial stage in the development of pagan and viking black metal. An album like 1997's Mellom skoggkledde aaser easily holds its own when put next to albums like Vikingligr Veldi or Hammerheart.

From their 1997 album, this is "Valgalderkvad"

In these early years of the band, they weren't the most prolific. Dolk attributes this to his and Thomas's writing process. They were more painstaking about their approach to writing their music. As a result, in this stage--when only Thomas and Dolk were the members of the band--they only churned out two full-length albums, the above-mentioned 1997 album and 1999's Fra underverdenen.

From their 1999 album, this is "Norse"

Things changed pretty radically in the early 2000s. Ask and Jon were recruited as new members, on drums and bass respectively. Their writing process shifted in a major way, and the band became more prolific. In the 2000s, Kampfar churned out a slew of fantastic pagan black metal albums that still stand the test of time: 2006's Kvass, 2008's Heimgang, and 2011's Mare.

From 2006's Kvass, this is "Ravenheart"

"Inferno" comes from their 2008 album

"Blitzwitch" is a great track from their 2011 album

In 2010, Thomas left the band, leaving Dolk as the only original member. Kampfar has soldiered on to this day, still releasing quality albums of folk-influenced and pagan black metal. They may not be a household name like Mayhem, but they're a band that has had an impact on black metal the world over.

Select Discography:

Mock:

Cold Winter (demo) (1994)

Vinterlandet EP (1995)

Kampfar:

Kampfar EP (1996)

Mellom skoggkledde aaser (full-length) (1997)

Norse EP (1998)

Fra underverdenen (full-length) (1999)

Kvass (full-length) (2006)

Heimgang (full-length) (2008)

Mare (full-length) (2011)

Next time: GRAVEWÜRM