Einherjer

Einherjer are a Norwegian black metal and viking metal group from Haugesund, formed in January 1993 by Frode Glesnes on guitar and Gerhard Storesund on drums. The band remains active and is associated with a line-up that includes Audun Wold, Rune Bjelland, Frode Glesnes, Gerhard Storesund, Stein Sund, Ragnar Vikse, Erik Elden, Aksel Herløe, Ole Sønstabø and Tom Enge.

Style and themes

The band’s music draws on viking metal, black metal and folk metal, and its albums range from folk-influenced material to a more traditional symphonic black metal sound. Their lyrics retell Norse legends, and each album has its own theme.

Name and background

The group is named after the einherjar of Norse mythology, the warriors who die in battle and are taken to Valhalla by valkyries. In those stories, they feast on the nightly-renewed beast Sæhrímnir, drink mead brought by valkyries from the goat Heiðrún, and prepare for Ragnarök and the battle at Vígríðr.