Skiltron is a

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band formed in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

in 2004 by Emilio Souto. Since 2018, the band has moved to Europe (Finland, Spain and France). Skiltron are considered one of the few Southern American metal bands to fuse heavy metal and Celtic music, a style usually more common in many parts of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. They are also well known for incorporating bagpipes into their music. The name "Skiltron" derives from a variation of the word

schiltron A schiltron (also spelled sheltron, sceld-trome, schiltrom, or shiltron) is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx. The term is most often associated with Scottish pike formations during the Wars of Scottish Indep ...

, a formation used by the Scottish during the

Wars of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against for ...

. Starting with a 3 song demo in 2004 called ''Gathering the Clans'', the band released their full length debut album The Clans Have United in 2006 through the European Record label Underground Symphony. This was followed by their second album Beheading the Liars in 2008, and their third album in 2010, ''The Highland Way'', with each album continually building on the band's unique style and sound. Their most recent album is ''Legacy of Blood'', released in 2016, released by Trollzorn Records. Most of their early live concerts took place in Argentina, sharing the stage with bands such as

Grave Digger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...

In Extremo In Extremo (Latin for ''At the Edge''; abbreviated InEx or IE) is a German Medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with Medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal inst ...

and

Korpiklaani Korpiklaani ( Finnish: ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti who was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk music ...

, with whom the band shared a South American tour in 2010. They made their debut playing in Europe in the UK in 2012, where they were joined by

Sabbat The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...

and Skyclad singer Martin Walkyier as a guest. After the release of fourth album ''Into the Battleground'' in 2013 the band started to tour Europe regularly, playing festivals such as Wacken, Bloodstock and more. They were thus able to share the stage with bands such as Judas Priest, Slayer, In Flames,

King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto ...

Avantasia Avantasia is a German supergroup metal opera project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist of the band Edguy. It has been characterized as a rock opera, as it features the contributions of various vocalists and musicians and it consists of concep ...

, and more. The release of their latest album in 2016 was followed by a European tour, where they played 50 shows in two months in twenty countries. They toured the UK alongside

pirate metal Pirate metal is a style of heavy metal music characterized by its incorporation of Piracy, pirate mythology within the music and sometimes in stage performances. Lyrics often use piratical jargon and various musical genres, such as thrash metal, ...

band Iron Seawolf. In early 2017 they played for the first time in Japan, sharing three shows with German bands Equilibrium and Suidakra.

Members

Current members

* Emilio Souto −

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

, mandolin,

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

(2004-present) * Ignacio López - bass (2011-present) * Pereg Ar Bagol - bagpipes (2014-present) * Joona Nislin - drums (2018-present) * Paolo Ribaldini - vocals (2021-present)

Former members

* Martin McManus - vocals (2015-2021) * Matias Pena − drums (2004-2018) * Juan José Fornés − electric guitar (2006-2011) * Fernando Marty − bass (2004-2011) * Diego Valdez − vocals (2006-2011) * Pablo Allen − bagpipes (2006-2011),

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

(2008-2011) * Diego Spinelli - tin whistle,

irish flute The Irish flute is a conical-bore, simple-system wooden flute of the type favoured by classical flautists of the early 19th century, or to a flute of modern manufacture derived from this design (often with modifications to optimize its use in Ir ...

, piccolo (2006-2008) * Esteban D'antona -

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

(2006-2007)

Discography

Demos

Albums

References

External links

Official Website

Official Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skiltron Argentine folk metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Celtic metal musical groups