Skyforger 

is a heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom
metal band Grindmaster Dead.

Musical style and lyrical themes[edit]

Most of their songs are about Baltic mythology and warfare; they also play Latvian folk songs and
their metal arrangements. Although Skyforger is known for their folk metal, the style on their
demo Semigalls' Warchant [lv] is essentially black metal.[1] The band also has performed and
recorded a number of folk songs, including the entirety of their acoustic fourth album Zobena
Dziesma [lv], released in 2003.[2] Folk elements can be found on all of their albums. In December
2005, during the presentation of their album, Semigalls' Warchant, the band announced their next
album would be experimentation with thrash metal. They later pointed out that Latvian history still
has enough untold stories, meaning their lyrics will retain their folk/pagan fashion.

History[edit]
In 2010, Skyforger signed with American label Metal Blade Records and released their 5th studio
album Kurbads about the deeds of mythical Latvian warrior Kurbads [lv], son of mare.[3][4][5][6] The
album received 2010 Annual Latvian Music Recording Award as the best rock album, as well as the
2010 Latvian Metal Music Award as the best metal album with Skyforger also winning the "Best
Metal Band" category.[7] Skyforger was featured on BBC's series "Close-Up" episode on Latvian folk
music.[8]
In 2015, the band released their 6th studio album titled Senprūsija [lv] dedicated to the now
extinct Baltic people Old Prussians. Two of the album's songs are sung in Old Prussian (Ei skīja,
skīja and Rāmava), while the rest are in Latvian. For the writing of the album, Skyforger recruited
historian Agris Dzenis as a historical consultant. After releasing the album, the band embarked on a
European tour on April 8.[9][10] In 2016, Senprūsija received the Annual Latvian Music Recording
Award as the best hard rock/heavy metal album of 2015. In 2016, Skyforger also re-issued their
2003 album Zobena dziesma with 2 additional songs.[11]