Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 1, 2017

Viking metal is a style of heavy metal music characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. It is a genre, or group of genres, often featuring slow-paced and heavy riffing, anthemic choruses, use of both sung and harsh vocals, inclusion of folk instrumentation, and frequent use of keyboards for atmospheric effect. It emerged during the late 1980s and early 1990s from black metal groups who were influenced by Nordic folk music. Artists such as Led Zeppelin, Yngwie Malmsteen, Heavy Load, and Manowar had used lyrics that invoked the Vikings, but Bathory from Sweden is generally credited with pioneering the style. Enslaved (pictured), from Norway, followed up Bathory's work with several Viking-themed albums released during the 1990s. Burzum, Emperor, Einherjer, and Helheim, among others, further developed the genre. As early as 1989 with Falkenbach from Germany, Viking metal began spreading outside the Nordic countries and across the globe. The death metal bands Unleashed and Amon Amarth also adopted Viking themes, broadening the style from its primarily black metal origin.