Medieval Metal and the Genre’s Ties to Montreal

In late February, I visited the Bashing. The Bashing consists of individuals from Montreal who are passionate about all things medieval. Every Tuesday, they meet under a church and practice sword duelling. While doing so, they wear medieval-inspired armour, and wield foam weapons. I went there for a video assignment on the activity but did not expect to discover a new genre of music. 

One of the event participators, who goes by Purazar Médiéval, showed me around the weekly event. Additionally, he taught me the basics of medieval sword duelling. Once we were done with the shoot, he told me that I should consider looking into Ulfhednar. “Their music would be a great addition to your video montage,” he said. 

Once I got the editing started, I googled Ulfhednar on Bandcamp and immediately fell into the rabbit hole of medieval metal. For starters, Ulfhednar are a band from Montreal, hence their connection to the local scene. 

I began by listening to their song “Allfather’s War”. It was fast-paced and almost reminiscent of speed metal but with much heavier sounding vocals. I decided to extend my research on the song and watched the music video on YouTube (Ulfhednar - Allfather's War (Official Video)). Released only 4 months ago, you’d think they went back in time and shot the whole thing in a remote European medieval village. To say the costumes and decor were spot on would be an understatement. Ultimately, the song was great, and the music video encapsulated the medieval aesthetic.  

Sidenote here, for those who are fans of Led Zeppelin, Ulfhednar even did their own cover of “Immigrant Song” (Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin Metal Cover) - Ulfhednar). It’s a must-watch, think Robert Plant meets George Fisher of Cannibal Corpse and did a cover. Nonetheless, it was amazing and goes to show the band’s versatility. 

Speaking of versatility, they even did a ballad called “Valhalla Calling” (Valhalla Calling (Miracle Of Sound Acoustic Cover) - Ulfhednar). Although another cover song, it shows the band’s talent. If it’s a heavy speed track or a simple ballad, Ulfhednar will be able to play it and evidently pull it off in a unique way. 

This being said, after delving deep into their catalogue of music, my favourite song of theirs has to be “Sang Sur La Neige” (Sang Sur La Neige from Tales Ov Aeons Past by Ulfhednar). The song has an electric riff as well as apocalyptic-sounding vocals. It’s a must-listen for any metalhead.

What started off as a simple video assignment turned into the discovery of a new genre of metal. Medieval metal, although a niche genre, deserves far more attention than it gets. From the costume designs, music video sets, riffs and vocals, it is truly astonishing. As I talked about in this think piece, Ulfhednar is a band that anyone looking to get into the genre should listen to. What makes it all the greater is that they’re from Montreal, so while in the process of listening to something new, you are supporting a local band too.