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Garmarna have a unique sound: firmly based in Swedish traditional music but influenced by the rock tradition they've all grown up with. They ignore the unwritten laws of how traditional music should be performed; they know no boundaries. The music is half new -- and newly-written -- and half traditional with ancient instrumentation next to sampled drum-loops, suggestive mouth-harps, tender violins and distorted guitars. Garmarna started in January 1990, just a week after a performance of Hamlet which contained very strong, old Swedish music. Stefan, Gotte and Rickard were inspired by the show, and they began searching for old tunes and instruments. After a year of playing together, just before their appearance at Sweden's biggest rock festival, Jens Hoglin joined the band on drums. Autumn 1992 saw the band in the studio recording an EP. They realized that female vocals would provide a light contrast to the naturally dark moods of the music. Emma Hardelin (a longtime friend of the band) guested on that record, then joined the band in early 1993, completing the lineup. The following year, the band decided to add samples and sequencers to the mix, giving the old tunes a modern musical foundation. Still, the heart of the music remains the harsh Swedish harmonies created by acoustic instruments, topped by Emma's intense vocals. The album Vittrad (crumbling away) was immediately hailed by the press. Omnium released it in the US, and the band made the cover of Billboard magazine. 1996 started with a long German tour closely followed by the album Guds Speleman (Fiddlers of God)--named after a poem by Swedish poet Nils Ferlin. The Swedish press went wild over it, and again the band appeared on the cover of Billboard magazine with rave reviews in Wired and Playboy. In 1998, in-between recording sessions for the Vedergallningen (Vengeance) album, Garmarna toured with a 900-year-old nun!! Well not really, but they did a series of concerts in churches in the North of Sweden presenting their interpretation of the medieval works of Hildegard Von Bingen, together with actress Felicia Konrad. This concert series led to their latest release: not exactly a Hildegard von Bingen concert; more Garmarna's interpretation of her work placed in a 21st century environment. The band have begun work on their next recording which is estimated to be ready for a fall 2006 release.
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