Biography

A Finnish black metal group co-founded by former Azaghal multi-instrumentalist Narqath (Tomi Kalliola), Wyrd emerged in the late 1990s with an icy, thrash-heavy style that would eventually morph into more atmospheric pagan folk- and doom-influenced black metal territory on albums like Kammen (2007) and Death of the Sun (2016). Originally operating under the moniker Hellkult alongside fellow ex-Azaghal member Kalma, the group released a trio of thrashy demos between 1997-1998, but after the last of these, Of Pure Heathen Blood, Kalma decided to call it day, and Narqath re-imagined the project, dubbing it Wyrd, which translates to "fate" in Old English. Bringing gloomier and more atmospheric sounds into the mix, and focusing on Nordic mythology and folklore, Narqath released a series of demos before securing a deal with the Millennium Metal label, which would go on to issue Wyrd's official debut album, Heathen, in 2001. Huldrafolk followed in 2002, with the narrative-driven, two-part Vargtimmen double LP -- The Inmost Night and Ominous Insomnia -- arriving in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Drummer JL Nokturnal joined the project in 2005 and made his studio debut on that year's Rota. 2006's The Ghost Album would be Wyrd's sixth full-length effort, and in 2007 they issued Kammen, which marked the duo's debut for Avantgarde Music. Kalivägi arrived two years later, followed in 2016 by Death of the Sun, which saw the band move over to Moribund Records. The group returned in 2019 with their second outing for Moribund, Vargtimmen, Pt. 1. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi