Pagan Metal Songwriting Advice

You want savage riffs and tender shrieks that smell like campfire smoke and old stories. You want songs that sound like a storm in a forest clearing. You want lyrics that feel like an old myth told by someone who still remembers the exact place the story happened. This guide gives you practical songwriting tools you can use today to create pagan metal songs that sound ancient and feel immediate.

Everything here is written for musicians who love loud guitars and deep roots. Expect riff recipes, vocal science, lyric work that does not embarrass your ancestors, production hacks, arrangement maps, and concrete songwriting drills. We explain terms so you never pretend you know what a mode is and then sound confused in rehearsal. We also give real life examples so you can picture yourself writing in a van or in the back of a rehearsal room with a half dead ribbon mic and a thermos of tea.

What is Pagan Metal

Pagan metal is a branch of metal that fuses heavy guitar driven music with folklore, nature worship, ancient myths, and traditional instruments. It is a broad umbrella that overlaps with folk metal, viking metal, and black metal in varying degrees. This genre is less about strict rules and more about attitude and storytelling. The goal is to make listeners feel like they are inside a legend.

Key terms

• Folk metal is metal that borrows melodies instruments or scales from regional folk music.
• Viking metal is a sub style that focuses on Norse myths and imagery.
• Black metal is an extreme metal style known for raw production, tremolo picked guitars, and shrieked vocals. It often intersects with pagan themes because of its atmospheric focus.
• Tremolo picking is a rapid repeated picking technique used to create a continuous wave of notes on the guitar.
• Mode is a type of scale that gives a particular emotional color. We explain modes below so they become tools not wizardry.

Core Themes and Storytelling

Pagan metal lives in themes. Your lyric world matters more than your pedal board. Common themes include nature ancestor worship ritual journeys battles seasonal cycles and personal myth. But themes are not a checklist. Authenticity comes from specificity.

Real life scenario

Instead of writing a generic line like I walk through the forest write a specific memory. For example you could write: I hitch my coat to the spruce because the wind remembers my name. That line contains an action an object and a small personification that sells mood without shouting the theme.

How to pick a theme

1. Pick one primary emotional idea. Example: reconciling with an ancestor or reclaiming a lost place.
2. Choose two sensory anchors. Example: birch bark smell and cold river stones.
3. Decide a narrative perspective. First person invites confession. Third person can feel like a saga.

Finding Your Sonic Palette

Pagan metal can be raw or orchestral. Decide early what your band will own. Will you be the axe heavy group with a flute guest or the lush project with choir and nyckelharpa at the core? Building a signature sound helps fans recognize you in playlists.

Instrumentation choices explained

• Electric guitar is the backbone for riffs and chords. Use a thick mid range for chord stabs and a scooped low end for blast friendly tremolo parts.
• Bass guitar adds weight and can double folk melodies an octave lower for a haunted feel.
• Drums range from steady tribal grooves to blast beat assaults. Choose patterns that support the lyrical mood.
• Folk instruments like flute violin accordion hurdy gurdy and nyckelharpa provide cultural texture. Decide if they carry melodies or decorate the mix.
• Choir and orchestral pads add epic scale. Use them sparingly so the rawness still cuts through.
• Synths and sound design can create wind rain crackle and field recordings for atmosphere.

Real life scenario

If you are a three piece with one touring keyboard player pick two signature elements you can reproduce live. A big studio string section is badass on record but will need a practical substitute on stage. A simple accordion patch and a filtered choir pad can keep the song faithful to the studio version without bankrupting the tour.

Modes and Scales You Actually Use

Modes are scale shapes that change the mood of a melody. You do not need a music theory degree to use them. Think of a mode as a color palette. Each palette evokes a feeling.

Practical modes for pagan metal

• Aeolian also called natural minor. It is the safe haunted minor sound. Use for melancholic sagas.
• Phrygian has a flat second and sounds exotic and dark. Use it for mysterious ritual sections.
• Dorian is minor but with a raised sixth. It can feel ancient and hopeful at the same time.
• Mixolydian is major but with a flat seventh. It has a folk like swagger good for anthemic choruses.
• Harmonic minor creates an eastern or medieval tension with its raised seventh. Use it to pronounce a dramatic melodic leap.

How to use modes in practice

1. Pick a key center. Example E minor.
2. Play the natural minor scale to get a feel. Now raise the sixth to test Dorian. If the melody suddenly sounds less haunted and slightly optimistic you found Dorian.
3. Borrow a single chord from a different mode in the chorus to create lift. That single borrowed chord acts like a gust of wind in the arrangement.

Real life riff prompt

Picture a procession into a stone circle at dusk. Play a steady bass drone on E then craft a tremolo guitar riff that sits in E Phrygian using the notes E F G A B C D. Let your melody hop between F and B to create that ancient tension. Add a simple flute counter melody that traces the top line an octave up.

Riff Writing Techniques

Riffs are the meat. Pagan metal riffs can be slow and heavy or fast and piercing. Your riff choices decide the energy of the song.

Riff recipes

• Drone plus melody. Hold one low note on the bass or guitar and write a tremolo picked melody on the top strings. The drone anchors the riff like a hearth.
• Palm muted march. Use palm muting on low strings for a stomping ritual feel. Move from muted verses to open chorus chords for release.
• Call and response. Give the guitar a motif and let a violin or flute answer. Throw in a shift to a different mode for the answer.
• Modal pedal board. If a riff sits in E Dorian add a pedal on E while harmonies change around it. This keeps the root presence strong.

Real life scenario

In rehearsal someone plays a three note motif that sounds ok. Instead of forcing a chorus write variations that transform the motif into a march a tremolo bit and a slow lead. Use those variations to structure the song so the riff evolves rather than repeats.

Rhythm and Drumming

Drums in pagan metal can be surprisingly narrative. The drummer can sound like a herd of horses or a single ancient heart. Choose patterns that support the scene.

Key drum ideas

• Blast beat is a rapid style often used in black metal that uses alternating snare and kick hits to create a wall of sound. It is effective for furious sections but use it for emotional purpose not as filler.
• Tribal grooves use tom patterns and syncopation to evoke ritual trance.
• Double bass supports gallop rhythms and gives weight to driving sections.
• Space and silence are crucial. A well timed rest before a chorus can be more powerful than constant hits.

Practical pattern

Try a verse with a slow tom based groove tempo around 80 beats per minute then accelerate into a pre chorus with a steady snare on two and four and a closing fill that launches into a chorus at 140 beats per minute. That tempo shift gives the listener the sensation of a mounting ritual.

Vocals and Delivery

Pagan metal vocals range from guttural growls to clear chanted lines. You can mix harsh and clean textures to dramatize narrative moments.

Vocal styles explained

• Harsh vocals include screams growls and rasps. They convey raw emotion and anger.
• Clean vocals can be solo or choral and are used for hymns refrains and melodic hooks.
• Chanting invites the crowd to participate. Short repetitive phrases work best when you want audience reaction.

Health and technique

Do not abuse your voice. Harsh vocal techniques require proper training and warm up. Learn breath support and fry or false cord techniques with a qualified coach. Drink water and rest your voice after long rehearsals. If you wake up hoarse take a day off and do gentle humming instead of raw practice.

Recording vocals

Choose a microphone that suits the style. Dynamic microphones are forgiving for very loud voices while condenser microphones capture details for clean vocals. For harsh vocals consider a dynamic mic or a condenser with a pop filter and light compression. Double or triple clean vocal tracks on choruses to create that hymn like mass feel. For harsh vocals a single raw pass can be powerful. Add subtle room ambience so the scream lives in a space not a closet.

Lyrics That Respect Roots

Authenticity matters. Pagan themes pull from real cultures and histories. Research is non negotiable. Misrepresenting traditions makes the music shallow and can hurt communities.

How to research

1. Read primary sources and translated texts when possible. Primary sources are documents or songs from the people you are referencing.
2. Talk to cultural practitioners or scholars. A respectful conversation beats an internet paraphrase every time.
3. Use public domain folk material and properly credit living sources. If you adapt a folk melody list the source in your liner notes or digital credits.

Lyric craft tips

• Show not tell. Use sensory details and small actions to imply mood rather than stating an emotion.
• Time and place crumbs. A specific season a named river or a tool in a hand gives credibility.
• Dialog and ritual fragments. A short quoted line a chant or a call can function as a chorus anchor.
• Language choices. Consider using a phrase from an authentic language if you have permission and context. Always translate in lyric sheets so listeners understand meaning.

Before and after lyric example

Before: The forest cried for my love.

After: My boot filled with birch sap and the path hummed like a throat closing around a named grief.

Song Structure Options

Pagan metal allows epic structures. You can write a short hymn or a twenty minute saga. The structure should serve the story not the ego.

Common forms

• Saga form is long and episodic. Use multiple motifs and return to a chorus or chant as a refrain.
• Verse chorus form works for direct anthems. Keep choruses memorable and chantable.
• Through composed means little repeats. Use when the narrative moves forward constantly.

Arrangement map example for a six minute epic

1. Intro 0 45 seconds atmosphere with field recordings and a motif
2. Verse one 45 seconds story and sparse instruments
3. Chorus 30 seconds chant or hook
4. Interlude 60 seconds instrumental with flute and tremolo guitar
5. Verse two 45 seconds elevated conflict
6. Bridge or ritual 60 seconds with choir and different mode
7. Final chorus and coda 75 seconds crescendo to a single open chord

Integrating Folk Instruments

Folk instruments have character. Treat them like voices not ornaments. They must carry motifs and have clear roles.

Practical integration tips

• Record the folk instrument in the same key as the band. If tuning is a problem retune the instrument or transpose parts.
• When the band is dense give the folk instrument space by carving frequencies. For example cut guitar mids to let a fiddle sing.
• Use folk instruments to provide counter melody or to double the vocal line an octave up for a haunting effect.

Real life scenario

You have a hurdy gurdy and a rhythm guitarist but the hurdy gurdy sounds lost in rehearsal. Try giving the hurdy gurdy a short repeating motif that appears only in the chorus and the bridge. Make it a character not a backdrop. The rest of the song will feel leaner and the instrument will stand out as intentional.

Production and Tone

Pagan metal production sits on a knife edge between raw and epic. You must decide how much polish serves the song.

Recording guitars

• Layer guitars. Record a tight low rhythm guitar and a slightly brighter second take panned opposite to create width.
• Use room mics for ambience. A dead dry guitar can feel cheap. A touch of room reverb makes the track sound like a ritual hall.
• Reamp DI tracks. Capture a clean direct signal and later run it through amps to find the right tone without being locked in during tracking.

Mixing tips

• Make space for vocals by carving a mid range pocket for the lead lines.
• Keep drums punchy. Parallel compression on the drum bus can add weight without making the kit sound squashed.
• Use saturation to glue folk instruments and guitars together. Analog style saturation can simulate vintage tape cohesion.

Mastering thoughts

Do not chase maximum loudness. Pagan metal benefits from dynamic range. Preserve transients so the soft chant moments hit harder when the walls fall in later in the track.

Live Considerations and Stagecraft

Playing pagan metal live is a ritual. Stage visuals matter but they must be honest.

Stage tips

• Design a simple prop that travels well. A carved staff or a flag with your band sigil creates identity without becoming a safety hazard.
• Lighting sets mood. Warm amber and cold blue gels can simulate firelight and moonlight in the same set.
• Rehearse sequences. If you have narrative beats where a vocalist switches to clean chant then to harsh shouts map them out so nobody trips over cables mid ritual.

Merch and cultural respect

If you use folk motifs from living cultures collaborate with artists from those communities. Commission artwork and share credit. This builds trust and expands your fan base beyond karaoke appropriators.

Songwriting Exercises and Prompts

Use these drills to generate material quickly. Time yourself and avoid editing until you have raw material to shape.

• Forest walk five minute free write. Close your eyes and imagine a smell and a sound from a forest. Write a chorus line that contains both. Ten minutes.
• One object ritual. Pick a tool or ornament like a bronze amulet. Write four lines that tell its story. Ten minutes.
• Mode swap riff. Write a riff in natural minor then play the same riff with a raised sixth and note the emotional change. Ten minutes.
• Chant loop. Create a two bar chant that can be shouted by a crowd. Repeat it and change one word each repeat to create a narrative. Ten minutes.
• Instrument pairing. Take a folk instrument and play a simple melody. Now write a guitar part that supports it for a verse and a chorus. Fifteen minutes.

Common Cliches and How to Avoid Them

Pagan metal has some tired clichés. You can use them but only if you twist them thoughtfully.

• Cliche Soldiers of Odin style imagery without nuance. Fix Focus on a human story within the myth not a generic battle scene.
• Cliche Overused single word titles like Blood Moon or Wolf. Fix Add a specific place or object to the title to ground it.
• Cliche Dense lyric fog with every line full of ancient nouns. Fix Use negative space. Let a single image carry a verse while other lines breathe.

Legal and Ethical Notes

Using folk songs and texts has legal and ethical layers. Public domain material like very old folk songs can be adapted but always check sources. If a melody is still in living tradition ask for permission and offer credit or compensation. Collaboration is often the best route.

Respect in practice

• Credit sources in your album notes and online listings.
• Pay guest musicians fairly and give them creative input.
• Avoid claiming ownership of cultural practices. Present stories as interpretations not as historical truth.

Case Studies and What Works

Look at successful acts for technique not imitation. Bands that blend raw guitar energy with a single memorable folk motif often outlast groups that pile on every instrument. Choose a signature sound and repeat variations of it across an album.

Example approach

Take a simple flute melody and use it as the chorus hook. In one track let it be pure clean over arpeggiated guitar. In another track let the flute be chopped and played as a rhythmic sample. The melody will become a through line that fans latch onto even if the surrounding songs differ dramatically.

Practical Song Finish Checklist

Use this checklist to wrap a track without repeating work forever.

1. Confirm the story sentence. Write one sentence that sums the song. If you cannot do it you still have too many ideas.
2. Lock the chorus onto a motif. The chorus should be repeatable and singable by a crowd in a pub or a festival field.
3. Check arrangements for live feasibility. Replace impossible studio parts with practical alternatives.
4. Run the lyric research pass. Ensure all cultural references are accurate and credited if needed.
5. Record a rough demo and play it to three people who do not know your songs. Ask which line they remember. If none then refine the hook.

Pagan Metal FAQ

What tuning should I use for pagan metal

There is no single correct tuning. Many bands use lower tunings like D tuning or C tuning to add weight. A common approach is to write in E minor then drop the low string to D so you can play power chords with open low roots. Lower tuning gives more growl. Choose what complements your vocalist and what works for live gear. If your guitarist hates heavy strings do not force drop C. Play in standard tuning and use tone and arrangement to get heaviness.

How do I make folk instruments sit in a heavy mix

Give folk instruments their own frequency space. If a fiddle sits in the same mid range as a thick guitar it will be masked. Try high passing the guitar to free the violin or EQ the violin to highlight harmonics above 3 kilohertz. Use saturation on folk instruments to help them cut through and double key melodic lines with a clean guitar an octave lower so the motif registers in dense moments.

Is it cultural appropriation to use myths from other cultures

It depends on intent and method. Using another culture story as a surface aesthetic without research or respect can be appropriation. To be ethical research the story credit the source and where possible collaborate with people from that tradition. Present adaptations as interpretations not as factual retellings. Transparency and respect go a long way.

How do I make long songs engaging

Use changing textures tempo shifts and recurring motifs. Break long songs into movements each with a distinct mood. Use instrumental passages to introduce new instruments or modes and return to a central chant so listeners always find the emotional anchor. Dynamic contrast keeps a long track from feeling one note long.

Can I blend black metal and folk metal

Yes. That blend is common and powerful when done with taste. Use black metal elements like tremolo picking and blast beats for atmosphere then add folk melodies for warmth and narrative clarity. Manage contrast carefully so the drums and guitars do not drown the folk instruments. Mixing choices and arrangement will determine if the blend feels coherent or like two bands playing at once.

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