Windir
| Windir | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sogndal, Norway |
| Genres |
Melodic black metal Viking metal Folk metal |
| Years active | 1994–2004 |
| Labels |
Tabu Head Not Found |
| Associated acts |
Vreid Cor Scorpii Ulcus Mistur |
| Website | www.windir.no |
| Members |
Valfar Strom Sture Hvàll Steingrim Righ |
Windir (Primal Warrior in English) was a black metal band from Sogndal, Norway. The band combined black metal with folk music and mythology. The band was formed in 1994 and released its debut album in 1997. Windir was a project of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Terje "Valfar" Bakken.
Windir produced four albums in their almost ten years of existence. The band broke up when Valfar died of hypothermia. Many of Windir's lyrics are written in Sognamål.
Valfar's death
On January 14, 2004, Terje "Valfar" Bakken went to his family's cabin at Fagereggi, Norway, by foot. On January 17, his body was found at Reppastølen in the Sogndal valley. He died from hypothermia after being surprised by sudden inclement weather en route.[1] He was buried on January 27 at Stedje Church in Norway. In March 2004, Windir officially disbanded.
A compilation album containing Windir outtakes and B-sides, Valfar, ein Windir, was released in 2004 as a tribute to Valfar. On September 3, 2004, in Oslo, Windir's remaining members performed their last concert to go back to their roots and keep base with what they thought was real.[1] Enslaved, Finntroll, Notodden All Stars, Weh, E-Head and Mindgrinder were the guest bands. Three bands would be formed by some of the remaining members of Windir: Vreid, Mistur and Cor Scorpii.
Members
Final line-up
- Terje "Valfar" Bakken – guitars, bass, keyboards (1994-1999), vocals, accordion (1994-2004)
- Jarle "Hvàll" Kvåle – bass guitar (2001-2004)
- Jørn "Steingrim" Holen – drums (session) (1994-2001), drums (2001-2004)
- Sture Dingsøyr – rhythm guitar (2001-2004), vocals (2004)
- Stian "Strom" Bakketeig – lead guitar (2001-2004)
- Gaute "Righ" Refsnes – keyboards (2001-2004)
Past members
- Sorg – guitars (1994 - 1996) and choir (on Det gamle riket)
- Lars Stian "Invictus" Havraas - bass (session)
Session members
Det gamle riket
- Gerhard "Ulvar" Storesund - choir
- Annette - choir
Arntor
- Steinarson - clean vocals
- I. R. Aroy - lead guitar (tracks 2, 4 and 6)
- Harjar - lead guitar (tracks 3 and 5)
- B. T. Aroy - keys (track 7)
other session members
- Cosmocrator - clean vocals (on 1184, Likferd and on Sognametal)
- Vegard Bakken - vocals (on Sognametal)
Discography
Demo albums
The demos feature Valfar on vocals, Sorg on guitars, and Steingrim on drums.
- Sogneriket (1994)
- Det gamle riket (1995)
Albums
- Sóknardalr (1997)
- Arntor (1999)
- 1184 (2001)
- Likferd (2003)
Compilations
- Valfar, ein Windir (2004, a tribute to deceased founding member Valfar)
Videos
- Sognametal (DVD, 2005)
Sognametal
With the coining of the term, the genre "Sognametal" as established by Windir has inspired many bands from the small region of Sogn og Fjordane, most of whom are ex-members of Windir or friends of them. These bands include: Vreid, Cor Scorpii, Mistur, Sigtyr and Feigd.
References
- 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "AllMusic ((( Windir > Biography )))". AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2013.