What Are Some Good Viking-themed Folk Rock Bands

What are some good Swedish bands singing in Swedish?

Kent is my favorite band of all time. With the exception of two English albums* they did while trying to make it in the US (which was a remake of one of their Swedish albums), all of their music is in Swedish, and very very good if you like anything from light rock or alt rock or techno a little (I don't know genres too well).Check them out. Vals för satanEnsamheten SockerKlåparen Kärleken VäntarThese 5 songs should give you an idea of the range of styles they have.*corrected from one thanks to commenter

Who is your favorite Indie rock band/bands and why?

This is basically going to come down to your definition of "Indie rock" -- if you mean it purely as a genre -- what is getting played on "indie rock radio" -- the question is somewhat uninteresting because those bands are typically no more "independent" than any other pop/rock band.   (Not to pick on Amy Li but her inclusion of Depeche Mode -- who were big label signees from day one, and one of the more commercially astute and successful bands of their era -- shows just how meaningless the term "indie" has become).   If you want to talk about bands that have truly maintained "indie" status, I'd offer The Damnwells.   Musically these New-York based guys are more alt.country than the jangly-droney-shouty axis that a lot of indie-radio sounds pivot on.  But as far as "indie nature", almost nobody has these guys beat.  After an abortive early relationship with Epic records, they released their third album for free on line, and financed their next projects directly from fans (via the PledgeMusic platform).  They have made great use of social media and other direct-communication paths to maintain and build a world-wide fanbase.  There is a good documentary on Netflix about the band called Golden Days, but I'd highly recommend just finding their music.

What are some great songs inspired by Nordic themes?

Perhaps one of my all time favorite groups is Odroerir from Germany, who write metal (some ballady type songs, some more heavy) inspired from Norse mythology. Their albums usually revolve around German retellings of the events that happen in Snorri's Edda. Some of the members are also in a group called Menhir, which revolves more around the Germanic tribes, but still worth a listen if you enjoy what you hear from Odroerir: When talking about metal music with Nordic influences (especially those from the Viking age) you can't forget about Bathory, who pretty much helped forge the genre. From Norway there are a number of groups in the same vein as the above. One of my favorites being Myrkgrav, a solo project that describes itself as "peasant metal" due to the lyrics usually referring to old stories of simple people that you might expect to hear being told to you growing up on a farm in Norway: If you are not opposed to even more rough, heavier black metal, then Árstíðir lífsins is another worthy recommendation, again taking lots of influence from the Viking age (with some lyrics in Old Norse) in both their lyrics and visualsSticking with the Black Metal with nordic inspiration, Enslaved is another great example: For a less extreme but still rocking experience, I recommend Fejd from Sweden. With use of some traditional instruments they write some great Nordic inspired music: Along the same lines but perhaps a touch heavier is Otyg: For a more electronic and relaxing twist, Faun from Germany has a number of Nordic inspired tunes. Much more relaxing and probably best fit for a more wide audience compared to those recommendations above: One of my favorite singers of all time can be witnessed in the music of Garmarna from Sweden, bringing traditional Swedish folk tunes to a more modern electronic format. The same singer has another project, Triakel, which is more traditional folk tunes with no electronic influence. There are really thousands of great recommendations of Nordic inspired music. Most of what I know is Viking age related, because that is the area of Nordic history that I have been obsessed with my whole life, and most of those groups tend to have a heavier element. I tried to add in a few lighter tones as well, as I know metal is not most people's cup of tea, so hopefully there is some redeeming music in here for you!