Scott's Spotlight #13--Brothers of Metal
Originally Posted to Facebook on December 5, 2024
Link to post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7ybvEbjNoD2ARZSA/
Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #13. For more information about this series, please click here:
Today, I’ll be taking a deep dive into the Swedish Power Metal band Brothers of Metal. The band formed in 2012 when a group of metal fans spent a night drinking and decided to write a song inspired by the band Manowar about the Norse god Odin. They decided to become a band and make what they call “True Metal.” They called themselves Brothers of Metal, even though one of them is a sister of metal (Ylva Eriksson). Some of the members had been in a “melodic death metal” band called Temporary, which had recently broken up. When Temporary was offered a gig, they convinced the promoter to book Brothers of Metal instead. They quickly realized that they’d need more than one song for a gig, so they set out to write more. They stayed within the realm of Norse mythology for their inspiration, and eventually they had enough for their first album, “Prophecy of Ragnarok,” released in 2017. The band consists of 8 (!!) members, three singers, three guitarists, bass and drums. They are described on their website thusly:
Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson – "Battle Cries" (lead vocals)
Ylva Eriksson – "Voice of the Valkyries" (lead vocals)
Mats Nilsson – "Tongue of the Gods" (support vocals)
Emil Wärmedal – "Lute of heavy thunder" (bass guitar)
Mikael Fehrm – "Lute of lightning" (guitar / listed on the website even though not in the band anymore) (replaced by Christian Larsson for live gigs)
Pähr Nilsson – "Lute of lightning" (guitar)
Dawid Grahn – "Lute of lightning" (guitar)
Johan Johansson – "Anvil and War Drums" (drums)
Incidentally, neither the Eriksson’s nor the Nilsson’s are related. As one can tell by those descriptions, they don’t take themselves too seriously. I wish I could copy and paste the “Bio” they have on the website, but it won’t let me; I highly recommend reading it (https://www.brothersofmetal.net/) . They also list Odin as the band’s manager. They are known for their over the top lyrics, which are either loved or criticized. The band members wear pseudo Bronze age/cave dweller costumes onstage and in music videos.
As mentioned, the first album, “Prophecy of Ragnarok,” was initially released in 2017 but I didn’t mention that it was released on April Fool’s Day! It was re-released the following year on the German, metal-focused label AFM. Some of my favorite tracks from it include the first song they wrote, “Son of Odin,” the title track, “Yggdrasil,” “Tyr,” “Freya,” and “The Mead Song.” Some of the vocals are gruff, but Cookie Monster was kept out of the studio.
The follow up album was released in 2020 and is titled “Emblas Saga.” Standout tracks on it include “Powersnake,” “Hel,” “Chainbreaker,” and the wonderful “Theft of the Hammer,” in which Thor’s hammer is stolen by a Jotun (which happens often in the Mythology) and Thor proclaims “Give it back at once you thief, or I’ll go tell my dad!”
Of course, like the rest of the world, Brothers of Metal were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and had to refrain from performing live until 2022. They have since performed at live festivals including the Wacken Open Air Festival in 2022, in Germany. Over the years (pre-and post pandemic), the band have toured with bands such as Italian folk metal band Elvenking, Gloryhammer, and Beast in Black.
Between 2022 and 2024, they released various singles, including “Berserkir,” and “The Other Son of Odin,” that would be included on their third album, released on November 1, 2024, titled “Fimbulvinter.” I just discovered that this album was released while I was prepping to write this Spotlight article. As such, I have not really heard any of the other songs from it, although I am looking forward to hearing “Ratatosk” in particular! (If you know, you know.) A few months prior to the album’s release, the three singers of BOM collaborated with German medieval metal band Saltio Mortis on a single titled “Fire and Ore.”
For me, Brothers of Metal are a lot of fun, and are a great way to enjoy songs of Norse Mythology. The musicians are quite skilled and the vocals, especially those of Ylva Eriksson are very good. If you take your metal too seriously, they may not be for you. But if you like a touch of humor in their retellings of Norse Mythology, I highly recommend them.
Links for listening:
From “Prophecy of Ragnarok”
“Son of Odin”
“Yggdrasil” (Official Video)
“The Mead Song” (Official Video)
From “Emblas Saga”
“Powersnake”
“Hel” (Official Lyric Video)
“Theft of the Hammer”
Single with Saltio Mortis
“Fire and Ore” (Official Lyric Video)
From “Fimbulvinter”
“Ratatosk”
“The Other Son of Odin”
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