Falkenbach

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Vratyas Vakyas
Background information
Origin	Iceland
Genre(s)	Viking metal Folk metal Pagan Metal Black Metal
Years active	1989 - present
Label(s)	Napalm Records
Website	http://www.falkenbach.de
Members
Vratyas Vakyas

Falkenbach is an Icelandic Folk Metal band. Vratyas Vakyas (the searching wanderer), the sole member of Falkenbach, resides now in Düsseldorf, Germany. Falkenbach is currently signed to Napalm Records, an Austrian-based heavy metal label.

The band formed in 1989. In 1995, no more than three demos were released - Skinn Av Sverði Söl Valtiva, Laeknishendr, and Asynja. A total of seven demos have been recorded since the band's inception; however, only five of these demos are known about. With the exception of the Havamal demo (which is allegedly clean folk music), the band started out with a raw sound, with considerable black metal influence. Since then, Falkenbach has progressed into more of a matured, epic band.

Most of Falkenbach's lyrics were written in English, but some were written in Old Norse, Latin, and Old German. Most, if not all of the lyrics written in Old Norse are actually taken from heathen literature (for example, the chorus lines in the song "Donar's Oak" are actually verses 4 and 5 in Grímnismál, part of the Edda (Grimnir's Song).)

In 1995, recording of the debut album Fireblade began, but due to equipment troubles, the recording process was ceased shortly before mixing began. Fireblade was not released, and in December of the same year, recording for ...En Their Medh Riki Fara... started. The recording for the actual debut album was completed in March 1996. After Magni Blandinn Ok Megentiri was released, Vratyas Vrakyas ceased recording music so he could focus more upon his record label Skaldic Art Productions. In 2003, Vratyas Vrakyas returned to the studio with three other musicians and close friends of Vratyas to record Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty. The next and most recent Falkenbach album was recorded in August-September 2005, using the same session musicians he had used for Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty.

In 2006, a tribute album entitled Tribute - A Homage to Falkenbach was released. The tribute was released as two parts, with each part of the tribute limited to 500 copies. The full tribute features 16 covers by various bands, such as Eluveitie, Vinterriket, Hildr Valkyrie, and others.