 Catherine Hoad in " ' Hold the Heathen Hammer High ' : Viking Metal from the Local to the Global " points out that the Viking image in popular understanding is that of hyper @-@ masculinity , and thus Viking metal is inherently patriarchal . Hoad does acknowledge that some bands include female members , such as <unk> <unk> , Storm , and <unk> , and that female fans comprise a substantial part of Viking metal 's audience . However , she stresses that women " do remain largely subordinate within the Viking metal scene , " and are rarely present in the production of Viking metal music . She considers Viking metal a form of " nation @-@ building , " and while women may participate in the nation building process , it is still controlled by men . Irina @-@ Manea likewise notes that within Viking metal , " themes in the spectrum of war and masculinity are almost a rule . " 
