10 Best Viking Metal Bands Of All Time
2. Manowar
The self-appointed Kings of Metal are the only entrant on this list to hail from the United States. Inspired more by power metal than black metal, the group rock out with songs all about everything from swords and sorcery fantasy to the gods and monsters of Norse mythology with an epic, symphonic majesty.
Formed in 1980, the group entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1984 for delivering the loudest performance on record. Since then, they have surpassed their own record twice. They re-entered the book on 2008 when their performance at the 2008 Kavarna Rock Fest lasted over 5 hours.
Long-running cult icons, Manowar are known for their slogan "Death to false metal". The group take pride in their epic sound, from the relentless guitars to the wild use of choirs and orchestras. Of the 13 studio albums released so far, the aptly titled Louder Than Hell (1996) sums this group up the best. One really can't go wrong with any of their releases when looking for Viking-themed headbanging but their highly influential debut Battle Hymns (1982) takes the cake as a genre-breaking classic.