Review Summary: A Viking/folk metal fusion that is guaranteed to convert you into a barbarian of air guitars, unforgettable chants and imaginary sword strokes.
It’s impossible to listen to Týr without feeling a sense of being on an epic journey, illustrated by the soaring vocals and lyrics promising courageous battles and endless adventures. It is truly an amazing experience and certainly justifies the phantom sword swishing and foe vanquishing that I may or may not have engaged in on tracks such as ‘By the Sword in my Hand’. I delighted in adding my own voice to the epic choruses that frequent this album and being able to, just for a moment, imagine what life as a Viking could be like. A further delightful and definitely interesting feature on this album is the few tracks sung in Faroese. It adds a certain character to the whole album, setting it even further from the other bands that they share the genre with.
What especially makes Týr stand out amongst it's counterparts are their unique and powerful sound, complemented by clean vocals and memorable choruses that are simple, yet influential enough to be recited after only a few listens. From the onset, you are immediately captivated by the thundering guitar rhythms that permeate the opening track ‘Hold the Heathen Hammer High’, accentuated by the ferocious drumming which gives the track a faithful tempo to rest upon. Týr waste no time in drawing you in.
While the instrumental portion is exceptional, the vocals are a real standout here. Heri has a distinct and uncannily appropriate voice for the sound that Týr have collectively crafted for themselves. Perhaps the most notable example of Heri’s unforgettable lyrics are displayed on the formerly mentioned track ‘Hold the Heathen Hammer High’ where he shouts the mantra; “Hold the heathen hammer high!” “With a battle cry!” "For the pagan past I live and one day will die". Furthermore, the chorus of "Tróndur * Gøtu” has an indisputable folk metal sound to it, which perfectly matches Heri’s vocals.
The instruments on this record make it an absolute joy to listen to. Each and every song sounds just as it should, with neither the instruments, the vocals or the lyrics contradicting one another. There are heavy solos and riffs that will split your eardrums with unbridled adrenaline, and then there are tracks like Turið Torkilsdóttir which have a great melody to them that smooths out the album into something truly beautiful. The entire album is like an audio representation of an 11th Century prophetic painting. If there is one thing this band excels at, it’s weaving an interesting and enrapturing story.
There is something innately ‘grand’ about this album. Everything about it feels heroic, it all feels like it’s a larger-than-life experience and it exhibits some extremely catchy tunes that stay true to what metal is all about, power.
I’ll leave you now with a list of tracks not to be missed:
*Hold the Heathen Hammer High
*Into the Storm
*By the Sword in My Hand
*By the Light of the Northern Star
Acquire this album for its tales of heroics and battles sung with a voice which is a perfect match and will undoubtedly leave you with a sense of awe, and for its impeccable instrumentals.
-ScuroFantasma
