Skyforger

Emerging in 1995 from the remnants of the doom metal group Grindmaster Dead, the Latvian folk metal collective Skyforger draws its name from Perkons, Latvia's pagan deity of the sky. Their intense fusion of local folk traditions with thrash and power metal echoes the approach of comparable ensembles such as Finntroll, Korpiklaani, Windir, Turisas, and Eluveitie, evident also in their combination of Marshall amplification and historical folk tools. Kauja Pie Saules marked their first full-length release in 1998, followed by Latviesu Strelnieki in 2000, Perkonkalve and Zobena Dziesma both in 2003, the 2005 reissue Semigall's Warchant which revived their 1997 demo, and finally Kurbads in 2010.