Baldur (album)

Did You Know?

• Skálmöld was initially formed with the intention of being just a hobby.
• In January 2010, the band recorded a demo of two songs, "Árás" and "Kvaðning," which was never released.
• In May 2010, Skálmöld entered Studio Reflex in Reykjavík to record its first album.

Music

Baldur is a concept album whose lyrics, entirely in Icelandic, are inspired by the Icelandic sagas and Norse mythology. The story follows a fictional Viking named Baldur: a demon-like creature attacks his home, killing his wife and children, prompting a quest for revenge aided by two friends. After much hardship, they fight their enemy; Baldur's friends die in the final battle, and he succumbs to his wounds as well, joining his family in Valhalla. For the album's re-release, the band recorded a bonus track, "Baldur," which proved challenging because it had to supplement the completed storyline. The lyrics conform to dróttkvætt, the Old Norse alliterative verse, while the music combines folk melodies with elements from melodic death, doom, and thrash metal, creating an overall epic atmosphere. The album and protagonist were named after Baldur Ragnarsson, guitarist with the band and brother of main songwriter Snæbjörn, who likes to use names for characters that are familiar to him.