Quote:
Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle
Well you can find dozens bands on the metal archives listed as viking metal, and those elitists are more knowledgeable than you after all 
What, is goregrind not a genre? I see a heavy difference in a band like Jig-Ai or Rompeprop compared to PLF or something |
Well, those bands A.) are playing a specific sub-genre of metal (grindcore) along with their lyrical themes, and B.) they're also basically ripping off one specific band (i.e. Carcass). Those bands are consciously conforming their sound to fit into a sub-genre, while so-called "Viking metal" bands are just as likely to play any number of unrelated genres.
I wouldn't compare Turisas with Bathory, or Amon Amarth with Enslaved, or Ensiferum with Unleashed. True, many bands have folk and black metal influences, but similar sounding bands, with similar musical influences and motivations, are just as likely to reference themes that have little to do with Scandinavian culture. I'd compare Bathory musically to Primordial before most, if not all Viking metal bands, even though Primordial have nothing to do with referencing Viking culture or Scandinavian history.