Arkona

Arkona, a Russian folk metal band, was founded on 11 February 2002 by Masha "Scream" Arkhipova and Alexander "Warlock" Korolyov in the Moscow region. Initially named Giperboreya, the group transitioned to Arkona and began recording their debut demo Rus later that year. The band's first studio album, Vosrozdenie, was released in April 2004 under Soundage Production. Following this release, Arkona gained traction with subsequent albums such as Lepta (December 2004) and Vo Slavu Velikim (September 2005), which went gold in Russia. The band signed with Napalm Records in March 2008, leading to extensive European tours and notable appearances at festivals like Ragnarök and Brutal Assault. In January 2018, Arkona released Khram, marking their continued evolution as a prominent folk metal act.