Dark Folk

Vishnu Sahasranama, is a Sanskrit hymn which contains a list of 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism and the supreme God in Vaishnavism. It is one of the most sacred and popular stotras in Hinduism. The Vishnu Sahasranama as found in the Anushasana Parva of the epic Mahabharata. It is the most popular version of the 1,000 names of Vishnu. Other versions exist in the Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Garuda Purana. There is also a Sikh Version of the Vishnu Sahasranama, as found in the work Sundar Gutka.

Osi and the Jupiter are a neo-folk band from Kent, Ohio, USA, consisting of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sean Kratz and celloist Kakaphonix. The band is named after Kratz's two German Shepherd dogs, Osiris and Jupiter. They formed in 2015 and have put out five releases including 2016's Halls of the Wolf, 2020's Appalachia and 2021's Stave. They have released multiple records through German underground folk and metal label Eisenwald, including a collaboration album, Songs of Origin and Spirit, with other bands on the label.

Luc Arbogast is a French musician and singer, songwriter. He was a contestant in season 2 of the French television talent competition The Voice: la plus belle voix. After the show, he was signed to Mercury Records, a Universal Music Division.

Kayno Yesno Slonce is a Bulgarian Ethnoambient band formed in 2003. Though tending to reach beyond mainstream culture and at some points acting as a counter to it and to commercial success, Kayno Yesno Slonce's music was praised at several occasions by some of the most popular Bulgarian newspapers.

Ordo Funebris foi uma banda espanhola, formada em 2002, que ambientava uma melancólica mistura de música folclórica medieval com metal.

Ordo Funebris em latim quer dizer "ordem fúnebre".

No início de abril do ano de 2002, cruzam-se os caminhos três almas com um mesmo sonho, o sonho de realizar a música que lhes saísse das entranhas, uma música cheia de fantasia e mistério. Em seu primeiro ensaio já perceberam que eram unidos por sentimentos semelhantes e que sua linguagem musical se complementava. Deram vida então ao que chamaram de Ordo Funebris; composta por Lady Nott, Sathorys Elenorth e Lady Morte.

Depois de uns poucos ensaios, quiseram ter em suas mãos algo sólido que se pudesse escutar e fazer-se conhecer; assim puseram-se a gravar seu primeiro demo "Cantar a la Morte" entre 11 e 17 de maio de 2002, nos estúdios de gravação Maxim Sound de Barcelona. "Cantar a la Morte" inspira-se na noite, a obscura progenitora, o doce abraço da morte, o eterno sussurro do vento, a tristeza de seu silêncio, os mágicos bosques que embelezam as almas, o mar e seu profundo lamento e a Torre Salvana que permanece ancestral no mais profundo de seu ser…

Irfan is an ethereal world music band from Bulgaria formed in 2001. Their sound is an original electro-acoustic world fusion influenced by the sacred and folk music traditions of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Persia, the Middle East, North Africa and India, as well as by the musical and spiritual heritage of Byzantium and Medieval Europe.

Irfan extensively uses ethereal and mystic female vocals in addition to strong male vocals and choirs in combination with an assortment of traditional Bulgarian, Balkan, Oriental, Persian and Indian string, wind, key and percussive instruments woven into a delicate ambient electronic sound. The band’s name is borrowed from the Sufi’s terminology and means “gnosis”, “secret knowledge” or “revelation”.

Corde Oblique are one of the main ethereal progressive neofolk bands from Italy. They are the solo project of Riccardo Prencipe with vocal contributions from numerous female singers and actresses. After seven albums the project began to change its skin and proposed "FolkGaze" sounds, a cross between folk and shoegazer.

Moon Far Away (в переводе с англ. Луна далеко) — российская нео-фолк группа из Архангельска.

Музыканты предпочитают выступать под псевдонимами, а во время концертов и фотосессий скрывают свои лица под масками.

В разное время музыканты MFA называли в качестве собственных источников вдохновения творчество таких коллективов и композиторов, как Sol Invictus, The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud, Elijahs Mantle, Dead Can Dance, Stoa, Allerseelen, Vidna Obmana, Garmarna, Сергей Прокофьев, Генри Пёрселл, Сергей Старостин, Антон Батагов, Владимир Мартынов, а также русский лирический и обрядовый фольклор.

Группа была создана осенью 1994 года в Архангельске. У истоков создания проекта, долгое время являвшегося студийным, стояли его бессменный лидер Алексей Шептунов, предпочитающий в рамках своей активности в MFA называть себя Count Ash, а также фотограф Heleg и вокалистка Anea. Своим стилем музыканты избрали gothic\neo-folk, став первопроходцем «готического» жанра в России, и скоро коллектив приобрел статус культового на российской сцене. По причине схожести первых работ группы с творениями известного австрало-ирландского дуэта, в прессе за MFA закрепилась репутация «российский Dead Can Dance».

Magog war eine deutsche Pagan-Metal-Band aus Pirna, Sachsen. Der Name rührt vom Heimatland des biblischen Fürsten Gog her. Dieser wird von der Band „als Symbol für die Feindschaft zum christlichen Gott Jahwe“ interpretiert. Die Bandmitglieder sind politisch rechtsextremistischen Kreisen zuzuordnen.

Magog wurde von Andhrimnir, Matthias „Krieger“ Wego und Sebastian „Arr“ Oehme gegründet. Wego und Oehme spielten zuvor in der Rechtsrock-Band 14 Nothelfer. Erst zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt stieß Schlagzeuger Jörg „Zorrn“ Hermann hinzu, der bis dato bei Psykra, Wolfswinter und Kraftschlag spielte. Textlich besang Magog primär anti-christliches und pro-heidnisches Gedankengut. Auf ihrem Debüt beschrieb die Band ihren Stil als „Unholy German Black Metal for Aryan People“ (engl. für ‚Unheiliger deutscher Black Metal für arische Leute‘). Derlei Liedtexte gepaart mit der regen Beteiligung der Mitglieder an verschiedenen Rechtsrock-Bands führten dazu, dass Magog stellenweise zum Spektrum des sogenannten National Socialist Black Metal gezählt wurden.

Tenhi is a Finnish neofolk band formed in 1996.

Daemonia Nymphe is a Greek music band established in 1994 by Spyros Giasafakis and Evi Stergiou. The band's music is modeled after Ancient Greek music and is often categorized as neoclassical or neofolk.

Andrea Haugen, also known under her artist names of Aghast, Hagalaz' Runedance, Andréa Nebel, Nebel and Nebelhexë, was a German musician and author.

The Moon and the Nightspirit is a Hungarian folk music duo founded in 2003 by Ágnes Tóth and Mihály Szabó. Their songs deal mostly with pagan fairy tales and shamanism.

The lyrics of their debut album Of Dreams Forgotten and Fables Untold were mostly held in English while it also featured two titles in Hungarian language. The softly melancholic album has been compared to the music of Ataraxia and Chandeen. Live performances with songs from the album included an appearance on Hungarian National Television.

The second album Regő Rejtem (lit.: I conjure Magic) was released in 2007 and is completely sung in Hungarian. During the supporting tour through much of Europe The Moon and the Nightspirit played on festivals such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen (Germany) and Castle Party (Poland).

Arcana is Swedish neoclassical dark wave band created in 1994 by Peter Bjärgö.

Of the Wand & the Moon (stylized as :Of the Wand & the Moon:) is the neofolk/experimental project of Danish musician Kim Larsen and various guest contributors.

Larsen was originally a member of the gothic/doom metal band Saturnus, but left due to personal disputes. Following this, he began the neofolk project :Of the Wand & the Moon:, as he was a longtime fan of the genre.

Larsen lists among his musical influences the neofolk artists Death in June, Blood Axis, Current 93, Sol Invictus, Fire and Ice, Der Blutharsch, and Nature and Organisation. He credits Thunder Perfect Mind by Current 93 with making him want to be a neofolk artist, and calls Death in June's Rose Clouds of Holocaust the albums that "means the most" to him. Thematically, he is influenced by runes, Aleister Crowley, Norse mythology, esoterica, and Paganism. He once described his music as "loner folk".

Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy Fay Hella. They are dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions, and make significant use of Nordic historical and traditional instruments including deer-hide frame drums, flutes, kraviklyra, tagelharpe, mouth harp, goat horn, and lur. Non-traditional instruments and other sources of sound like trees, rocks, water, and torches are also used.