Who are the Old Gods of Asgard in Alan Wake 2?

Old Gods of Asgard songs are everywhere in Alan Wake 2. They are a fictional heavy metal band from 1971 originally formed by four members based on the real-life Finnish band Poets of the Fall that appeared back in the first Alan Wake game.

There are seven Old Gods of Asgard songs in Alan Wake 2 with the Herald of Darkness receiving a unique and long musical scene in the Initiation 4 chapter in Alan Wake 2, and Saga even gets to meet the Anderson brothers.

Poets of the Fall

The real band behind Old Gods of Asgard is Poets of the Fall, a Finnish rock band. You can three members of the band during Alan Wake 2, when the younger versions of Tor, Odin, and “Fat” Bob Balder appear.

Poets of the Fall is formed by Marko Saaresto, Olli Tukiainen, Markus “Captain” Kaarlonen, Jani Snellman, Jaska Mäkinen, and Jari Salminen. Here are the members of Poets of the Fall who appear in Alan Wake 2 as Old Gods of Asgard:

• Marko Saaresto: Lead vocals and young Odin Anderson in Alan Wake 2.
• Markus “Captain” Kaarlonen: Keyboards, production, and young Tor Anderson in Alan Wake 2.
• Olli Tukiainen: Lead guitar and young “Fat” Bob Blader in Alan Wake.

Alan Wake wasn’t the first Poets of the Fall collaboration in the game industry. The band also wrote songs for Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne in 2003 when the band first formed. They have been releasing albums ever since, including one in 2023 called Ghostlight.

Old Gods of Asgard

Old Gods of Asgard is a fictional heavy metal band from the Alan Wake universe founded in 1971 by the Anderson Brothers. The band was formed by Odin and Tor Anderson, “Fat” Bob Balder, and Loki Darkens. You can still visit their fictional website.

They struggled to become famous in the beginning until they took full advantage of their Scandinavian heritage and adopted the Norse Gods as their personas. The Anderson Brothers went so far as to legally change their names to Odin and Tor.

They released six albums in fiction, but you can listen to two albums and a single—one album for each Alan Wake game and a single for Control—on your preferred music streaming platform.

Odin Anderson

Odin was not only the lead singer and writer of most songs, but he was the band leader. He preferred technical execution over theatrics, and preferred to do the behind-the-scenes work. We can see that the fictional website was written by him as he writes a commentary in his description in the first person.

After “Fat” Bob Balder passed away, Odin and his brother Tor moved to their family farm in Bright Falls and were being treated in the Cauldron Lake Lodge. In Alan Wake 2, we see the brothers moved to Valhalla Nursing Home. It’s also revealed Odin is the great uncle of Saga Anderson.

Tor Anderson

Tor Anderson played the drums and was the member with the most energy while playing. He was the most unhinged member, always getting into arguments, and partying hard. Most fans immediately associated his image with the band since he was the one with the most stage presence.

After “Fat” Bob Balder passed away, Tor and his brother Odin moved to their family farm in Bright Falls and were being treated in the Cauldron Lake Lodge. In Alan Wake 2, we see the brothers moved to Valhalla Nursing Home but Tor had a daughter named Freya Anderson at some point and later became Saga Anderson’s grandfather.

“Fat” Bob Balder

Although his nickname was “Fat”, Bob Balder was a skinny man. He played the bass and was considered to be the member who held the band together. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed and died of cancer in 1977, which led the band to never finish their seventh album.

Loki Darkens

Loki was the guitar player but he always caused trouble during shows and argued with the band. The members were tired of his behavior, but fans enjoyed his contribution to the songs. He went missing after the release of the band’s second album, however, and the band never filled his empty band position.