Waylander are a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

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 influential in the realms of

Celtic metal Celtic metal is a subgenre of folk metal that developed in the 1990s in Ireland. The genre is a fusion of heavy metal and Celtic rock. The early pioneers of the genre were the Irish bands Cruachan, Primordial and Waylander. The genre has since ...

. Formed in 1993, the band blends traditional Irish folk with 1990s heavy metal.

Biography

Formed in 1993, Waylander released their debut demo, '' Once Upon an Era'', in early 1995, mixing Irish folk music with

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tra ...

. Waylander were soon dubbed folk, Celtic and

pagan metal Pagan metal is a genre of heavy metal music which fuses extreme metal with " the pre-Christian traditions of a specific culture or region" through thematic concept, rustic melodies, unusual instruments or archaic languages, Wiederhorn 2009, p. ...

. In 1996, with the addition of a full-time

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 ...

player, Waylander released their second demo, '' Dawning of a New Age'', which soon gained the band a prominent position in the folk metal scene. This was cemented when Waylander signed to

Century Media Records Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million. Background Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...

, and in 1998 their debut album was released, entitled '' Reawakening Pride Once Lost''. A handful of gigs were undertaken to promote this album but label problems and internal strife blunted the potential somewhat. After overcoming some line-up changes, Waylander signed with Blackend Records and released their '' The Light, the Dark and the Endless Knot'' album in early 2001. Again internal strife reared up, culminating in numerous line-up changes for several years. Despite this Waylander managed to perform some notable gigs, including the Bloodstock and Day of Darkness festivals, as well as gigs with Ancient Rites,

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, Sabbat and

Skyforger Skyforger is a heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom metal band Grindmaster Dead. Musical style and lyrical themes Most of their songs are about Baltic mythology and warfare; they a ...

. In 2005, joining original members ArdChieftain O' Hagan, Michael Proctor, and Den Ferran were Saul McMichael and Gareth Murdock on guitars. Waylander have inked a deal with

Listenable Records Listenable Records is an independent metal label originally founded in 1990 in France. The label specializes in metal, with a focus on extreme metal music. The company has published albums from many acclaimed extreme metal bands, such as Immo ...

and Waylander's new third album, entitled '' Honour Amongst Chaos'', is "more powerful and beautiful than ever, using a vast array of Irish folk instruments and armed with their passion for metal in its truest form", according to a press release. "Blending epic atmospheres and relentless brutality, ''Honour Amongst Chaos'' reflects the heart and soul of pagan warriors worldwide." Waylander's debut album, ''Reawakening Pride Once Lost'', has been re-released by Midhir Records on CD and vinyl. In 2009, Gareth Murdock left the band to be the new bassist for Alestorm.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Reawakening Pride Once Lost'' (1998) * '' The Light, the Dark and the Endless Knot'' (2001) * '' Honour Amongst Chaos'' (2008) * '' Kindred Spirits'' (2012) * ''Ériú's Wheel'' (2019)

Demo albums

* '' Once Upon an Era'' (1994) * '' Dawning of a New Age'' (1996)

Members

Current members

*Ciaran O'Hagan –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

*Saul McMichael –

guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

*Dave Briggs –

Irish bouzouki The Irish bouzouki () is an adaptation of the Greek bouzouki (Greek: μπουζούκι). The newer Greek ''tetrachordo'' bouzouki (4 courses of strings) was introduced into Irish traditional music in the mid-1960s by Johnny Moynihan of t ...

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 ...

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or oth ...

*Tor Dennison – guitars *Lee McCartney –

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 ...

*Murzo McMurzo –

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 gu ...

Former Members

*Den Ferren – drums *Jason Barriskill – bass *Baylers – guitars *Peter Boylan – guitars *Dermot O'Hagan – guitars *Michael Proctor – bass *Máirtín Mac Cormaic – tin whistle, bodhrán *Bo Murphy – drums *Owen Bowden – guitars *Nick Shannon – drums *Kevin Canavan – guitars *Fearghal Duffy – guitars *Alan Connolly – guitars *Gareth Murdock – guitars *Ade Mulgrew – guitars *Hugh O'Neill – guitars *Steve Reynolds – bass Timeline

References

External links

*
Official MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waylander Heavy metal musical groups from Northern Ireland Celtic metal musical groups British black metal musical groups British folk metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1993 Listenable Records artists Century Media Records artists