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 examp ...

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 city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

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 Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considera ...

, 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 enti ...

. They are also well known for incorporating

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

into their music. The name "Skiltron" derives from a variation of the word schiltron, a formation used by the Scottish during the

Wars of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which resi ...

. 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,

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 instr ...

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 and Skyclad singer

Martin Walkyier Martin Walkyier (born 20 September 1967) is an English singer, known for his participation in the heavy metal bands Sabbat and Skyclad.Detlef Dengler: ''Martin Walkyier''. In: ''Metal Hammer'', February 2009, p. 129. The late ''Metal Hammer'' j ...

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 Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

, Slayer,

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

, King Diamond, Avantasia, 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 Suidakra (stylized SuidAkrA) is a German melodic death metal band from Düsseldorf, Germany. During their twenty-year career, they have performed over 200 live shows for several European and Russian tours, as well as a North American tour. The ...

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 A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

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 Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(2011-present) * Pereg Ar Bagol -

(2014-present) * Joona Nislin - drums (2018-present) * Paolo Ribaldini - vocals (2021-present)

Former members

* Martin McManus - vocals (2015-2021) * Matias Pena −

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

(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 criteri ...

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

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

(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