It has been a very long while, but the journey to find a new bassist has finally come to an end. Please welcome Roy to the fold!
The earth will tremble, and the heavens crack with the deep sounds of his guitars. His intense playing style will make all the peasants in the audience swoon before him. We have been blown away by his abilities in the rehearsal room, and cannot wait to bring him with us to the stage!
We are looking forward to all the adventures we’ll have together. Give him a warm welcome, and raise a pint in his name!
The future is dark and grim, for Armando will no longer share the stage with us. Who will lead us into battle now?
Armando’s last words to the fans: “After many years of battles with Ilmarinen, it’s time to take a new path. I say goodbye to the army to embark on a quest in search of a greater destiny! I want to thank all the fans for their support over the years and may we see each other again in the future! So cheers everyone, and may the army of Ilmarinen forever be victorious!”
Having been in the band from the very start we are sorry to see him go, but other projects require his attention now. We would like to wish Armando the best of luck with his new ventures. You will be missed!
The song The Feast at Glasir tells us a story of someone dying and going to Valhalla.
The Fallen
In the first verse of the song, it is described how there is a great war and how our protagonist falls in battle. Then he is taken to Sigtyr’s Halls by “great wings”. Sigtyr is one of the many names of Odin, and the great wings is a reference to Valkyries, who deliver half of the slain to Odin. The other half of fallen warriors goes with Freyja to her afterlife field, Fólkvangr. While some say Valkyries may or may not have had angel-like wings, other sources say they had special cloaks that they could use to transform themselves into birds, like swans or eagles. The words “great wings” capture all of that and leaves it shrouded in a bit of a mystery.
Photo: Walkyrien (1905) by Emil Doepler
The Feast
The chorus then goes on to tell you to leave your worries behind for another day, and to enjoy your time feasting at Glasir. Glasir is only mentioned a handful of times in the Edda’s, but it is said to be the most beautiful tree among gods and men, or a grove, and it stands just outside the doors of Valhalla. It is usually said that feasting happens inside Valhalla, some other sources say they also happened right outside, at the golden tree.
Photo: Heiðrún in an illustration from an 18th-century Icelandic manusript.
Heidrun, or Heiðrún, is a magical goat who eats the leaves of the tree Lærâdr that stands at the top of Valhalla. This goat eternally produces mead in her udders, with which she fills an entire cauldron that is big enough to serve all the feasting warriors every day.
The second verse then goes on to tell us how all the protagonist’s friends who have also fallen in battle make their way into Valhalla as Einherjar, to be served mead by the Valkyries until the day Ragnarök comes.
The chair has been empty for a while, but the time has finally come: We are very pleased to announce that Rutger will be taking over as drummer. The unstoppable force of his blasts will make rolling thunder seem insignificant in comparison. For a while we’ve been playing together and were blown away by his skill. Not only is he a great drummer, but he has a good ear for music in general. A worthy addition! We cannot wait to see what adventures we will have together!
Upon joining the band Rutger had this to say: “I am really looking forward to make a shitload of noise with these guys! I hope we can do some live shows soon.”
Give him a warm welcome, and raise a pint in his name!
The song Tribute (to a King) tells the story of Wayland the Smith. Wayland was a legendary blacksmith who, according to legend, forged multiple legendary items. Among those items are the sword “Gramr” which is used by Sigurd to defeat the dragon Fafnir, and the sword and chainmail worn by Beowulf.
As with many legends, there are multiple versions of this story. In one version, Völundr (Wayland) and his brothers Egil and Slagfiðr came across the three valkyries Ölrún, Hervör alvitr and Hlaðguðr svanhvít in the forest. After seven long years, the valkyries leave the brothers. Egil and Slagfiðr chased after them, never to return.
In another version, Wayland comes across his future bride Hervör while she’s spinning flax at the waterside. They fall in love and she follows Wayland home. There, he manages to steal the lady’s coat and hide it, forcing her to stay in human form. Now she had no choice but to marry the smith. She stays with Wayland for seven years before she manages to get her coat back and leave him.
In both versions of the story, Hervör leaves the smith a golden ring as a parting gift. This ring is precious to Wayland, and so he holds on to it, hoping for her return one day. In the first version of the story he creates seven hundred duplicates of it.
Nevertheless, she never returns before something terrible befalls Wayland….
Niðhad, a cruel king, had heard of the smith Wayland and his legendary skills. He sent his men to capture the blacksmith so he could work for him and only him, and they caught him while he slept. Wayland was taken to the island Sævarstöð, far away from contact with anyone else, and put to work in a smithy built just for him.
To make sure the smith would not escape, the king ordered him to be hamstrung. The king gave Wayland’s precious ring to his daughter (the princess Böðvildr), and the king took the smith’s sword for himself.
The blacksmith plotted for revenge, and one day when the king’s sons came over to the smithy to have some weapons forged, he gave them promises of gold the following day, but they had to tell no one about their little secret. The princes returned the next day, and Wayland killed both of them. And that is when the smith started his work.
From their skulls, he fashioned two goblets, and he gifted them to the king. From their eyes, he fashioned gems, and he gifted them to the queen. From their teeth, he fashioned a brooch, and he gifted that to the princess.
When the princess asked Wayland if he could mend a ring for her, the smith’s own very special ring, he makes her drink a drugged beer from her brother’s skull and she passes out. While she is unconscious he rapes her and gets her pregnant. The ultimate form of humiliation to both the princess and the king.
The smith knew his plans must never be discovered before he could escape, and so he had forged a pair of wings in secret. As he took off, he flew to the king’s palace and told him about the death of his sons, and the abuse of his daughter. The king ordered his archers to shoot him down, but the smith had already flown away, never to be seen again.
Today is a day of celebration, for we finally launch our official website! Here you can find everything there is to know about us. Whether you want to know more about the band itself, the bandmembers, the music we have made, our merch, or links to all our social media… You can all find it here! If you find something missing, don’t worry. We’re always working on adding more details, and it might be planned as a future feature. But do let us know nonetheless, we love to hear what you think.
If you’re feeling brave, you can join our official discord channel by going to our contact page and become part of the Army of Ilmarinen. Some of the bandmembers dwell there too, so it’s a great chance to get into contact and get to know them a bit better. We hope to see you there!
Be looking forward for more interesting posts and news soon!
