This is always a bold statement to make, but with Týr I feel confident in its veracity: No one sounds like these guys. I defy any metalhead to show me a band who could ever be confused for these Faroese folk metallers…music-wise. In terms of imagery and concepts, they cover the Norse mythology and viking history well-versed by thousands of acts, metal or otherwise. But something about their musicality – difficult as it is to express verbally – is utterly unique. Those low parallel 3rd harmonies, Heri Joensen’s smooth vocals, the mysticism of the Faroese culture… Whatever it is, their music is timeless, shrouded in mystery, fiercely intellligent and never ever settles for ‘good enough’. Truth be told, there’s no such thing as a bad Týr album, so I’m gonna have a go at ranking their catalogue from least amazing to most phenomenal. As always, I’m going to try to be as objective as possible – difficult for one of my top 10 favourite bands of all time – but you are more than welcome to yell at how wrong I am in the comment section below!
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#8: How Far To Asgaard (2002)
Best categorized as ‘progressive folk-doom’, Týr’s enigmatic debut How Far To Asgaard really is an anomaly. It stands out for being by far the slowest paced album, and for bearing the voice of original vocalist Pól Arni Holm. Fear not, this isn’t a ‘Neil Turbin in Anthrax’ situation. Pól’s pipes are pretty darn strong and, whatever the reason for his exit, I do hope there’s no animosity between him and Heri. The production quality here is very ‘debut album in the early 2000s’, but strong even by those standards despite the thin guitar tone. It still manages to display the band’s trademark contrapuntal songwriting, albiet in a much more sluggish fashion. You’d be forgiven for your attention drifting throughout the longer numbers, but a little focus will heed great rewards. However separate it may feel from the rest of their albums, two fan favourites can be found in the form of “Ormurin Langi” – the first of the obligatory balladic folk numbers – and “Hail To The Hammer” – an obvious hit; anthemic and catchy despite its sludgy pace. In the deep cuts can be found sounds that one can’t hear anywhere else. The way “Ten Wild Dogs” seems to swell up and down in an arc, including some weird-ass chromatic guitar harmonies and a ‘scream your lungs dry’ kinda chorus, makes it my personal highlight. The doom-as-fuck, almost Candlemass-esque riffs of “God Of War”; the relatively upbeat “Sand In The Wind” and its wonderful lyrics; the riff-tastic ending to the title-track…then that bonus tavern scene if you let the disc spin dry. All of these and more make How Far To Asgaard a worthwhile experience if you give it patience. One thing’s for sure: it’s completely unique. Oh, and don’t worry – they re-released it in 2008 with far better artwork.
Favourite track: “Ten Wild Dogs”
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#7: Valkyrja (2013)
Somewhere between 2008 and 2009, Heri & co. discovered power metal. The influence on Týr’s output was palpable, and 2013’s Valkyrja shows the band in the deepest crevice of this ‘power/folk’ phase of their career. Structures are greatly simplified, choruses are infinitely catchier, and song lengths are reduced (hell, “Into The Sky” manages to somehow be less than 3 minutes!). I understand why this might have turned some fans sour, but always remember: a ‘simple’ song by Týr standards is still full of interest. Spearhead single “Blood Of Heroes” is the most summative song to respresent Týr circa 2013 – and it really is catchy. As the fucking plague. Same goes for the intense “Another Fallen Brother” and the speedy “Lady Of The Slain”; all an absolute joy to belt out in the car on your way to work at the blacksmith. Where the weighty heaviness might be lacking, session drummer George Kollias (of iconic death metallers Nile) certainly picks up the slack with an excellent performance behind the kit. Heri also starts to let his pseudo-growls sneak in here and there, hinting at where things might be heading. Low down on the list though it might be, Valkyrja is home to one or two personal favourites like the cathartic “Mare Of My Night” and the gorgeously romantic “The Lay Of Our Love”. Do yourself a favour and pick up the CD for the bonus tracks. No one has nailed a Pantera cover the way Týr nail “Cemetary Gates”.
Favourite track: “Lady Of The Slain”
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#6: Land (2008)
This one hurts me, but I gotta be as objective as possible. Land is very probably my favourite Týr album, but that might be an opinion clouded by nostalgia. In truth, I can understand the minor dissent towards this album. Sure, it might be the most ‘sincere’ of the lot, with a strong cultural vibe and the majority of songs being sung in Faroese (more than any other Týr record). But damn it’s long. Or, rather, it feels long – like a voyage over grey and unforgiving seas – and maybe that’s the point. With most songs being around 5 minutes, and including two tracks over 10 minutes, it does take a decent attention span to sit through. Speaking of those tracks, both “Ocean” and the 16-minute title-track have their haters, but I’m here to defend the shit out of them. They both feel like mammoth journeys and I could write essays about how fucking cleverly they’re written. Do the musical side of your brain a favour and really listen to “Land” – the interplay of melodies that are slowly developed throughout the piece is astoundingly intelligent; from the vocals right down to Kári Streymoy’s innovative drumming. There are a few gems sprinkled elsewhere, like the live staple “Sinklars Vísa” which shows the band’s acapella at its best and makes good use of that deeply heavy guitar tone. I’m a huge fan of the pounding “Lokka Táttur” with its gritty low-end riffage and popular folk melody which seems to crop up a few times in Týr’s discography. The likes of “Gátu Ríma” and “Fípan Fagra” might be considered dull by comparison, but at least Land has the atmospheric intro and objectively beautiful “Valkyrjan” (for sure the best use of that famous Scandinavian melody which most people think belongs to Grieg).
Favourite track: “Land”
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#5: The Lay Of Thrym (2011)
At this point it gets really difficult to actually criticize the records in any tangible way. They’re all brilliant and it’ll come down to personal opinion whether you like it or not. The Lay Of Thrym took the power metal tendencies founded on 2009’s By The Light Of The Northern Star, diluted the complexities (only minorly!) and became somewhat of a victory lap. I seem to see fewer discussions about this record than the rest, despite it containing some memorable anthems and an incredibly strong statement in “Shadow Of The Swastika” – one of the best, and most blunt, anti-Nazi songs in metal, and yet still manages to be fun as hell. Where else can you hear the phrase: ‘Kiss my Scandinavian ass’? Elsewhere, the singalong factor is at an all-time high thanks to the infinitely catchy “Take Your Tyrant” and the stirring opener “Flames Of The Free” the lyrical theme of which is extremely moving. Once again, the star of the show is the title-track. “The Lay Of Thrym” might not be as expansive as other title-tracks (I often find myself craving another chorus) but the drum gallop is invigorating, the lyrics are powerful and the main melody finds its way through intro, verse, chorus and outro at different tempos. Some of the later tracks could arguably drag the energy a tiny bit, but with the likes of the soaring “Hall Of Freedom” and the aggressive “Fields Of The Fallen” – with one of the heaviest riffs in the band’s catalogue – there isn’t anything on The Lay Of Thrym that’s really worth complaining about. It serves as a splendid bridge between By The Light… and Valkyrja.
Favourite track: “The Lay Of Thrym”
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#4: By The Light Of The Northern Star (2009)
The difference in style between this and Land is night and day in Týr terms. Land was so progressive and expansive, which might have turned a few would-be fans away, but the Faroese hit back strong barely a year later with a newfound energy which got a lot of people on board the longship. Single “Hold The Heathen Hammer High” got a lot of airtime and spearheaded this album’s popularity – and rightly so! This has become, I would say, Týr’s best-loved song among fans. It kicks off at speed and rarely lets up, letting Heri’s quickfire vocals shine. As anthemic as “HTHHH” is, it’s easily matched by the brutish fan favourite “By The Sword In My Hand” (man, that chorus is a blast to belt out!) and the soaring, majestic “Into The Storm” with its melancholic tunes and beautiful play on a 3/4 time signature. Of the token Faroese language tracks, the gorgeous “Turið Torkilsdóttir” is the clear winner, being part acapella hymn and part shredfest. The amazing artwork is the perfect accompaniment to Týr’s revived attitude, and there are barely any moments on this record where the energy dips. Not even the ‘whoa’s that make up 90% of “Northern Gate” get tiring thanks to the quartet’s impressive songwriting. From the jaunty jig of “Ride” to the non-stop gallop of the finale, By The Light Of The Northern Star saw a rejuvenated version of the band ready to conquer the stages of the world.
Favourite track: “Into The Storm”
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#3: Eric The Red (2003)
Another album that was, thankfully, given far better artwork upon its re-release, 2003’s Eric The Red enjoys the highest percentage of reviews for Týr on The Metal Archives (95% over 10 reviews!). It’s not hard to see why because this album is a goddamn masterpiece. One could make a case for any of these top 3 to have the number 1 spot, so this is really nitpicking now. However, just over a year after the debut, the band seemed to have refined almost every aspect of their songwriting and saw fit to subject audiences to one hell of a journey. The production quality stands out here for its cavernous feel thanks to a huge drum sound and a muddy (for want of a better word) guitar tone which gives ETR a unique sound among Týr’s already original timbre. Kicking off with easily the best track on the album, “The Edge” tells an enthralling story through the framework of intelligent songwriting with a fantastic solo and climactic outro. This is one of the best songs in the band’s entire discography, and everyone knows it. Nothing else quite measures up to “The Edge”, but there is the stunning “Dreams” which ebbs and flows like a river of magnificence, and the evocative “Alive” which truly gives me goosebumps with its dreamy atmosphere. On a more traditional front, this is surely the best version of “The Wild Rover” on disc, screw whatever Dropkick Murphys might say! The other trad. folk stuff is captivating and transporting, particularly the martial “Regin Smiður” (another live favourite). The irregular sludgy stomp of “Rainbow Warrior” contrasts with the simpler, ancient-sounding “Ramund Hin Unge” making for an explorative listen that begs to be experienced in the right order. Eric The Red showed the world the majesty of what these Faroese lads were capable of, and showed the metal community that there really is nothing quite like this.
Favourite track: “The Edge”
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#2: Hel (2019)
Ooft! That artwork is quite something, isn’t it? Notice the snake in the background? 13 tracks, 70 minutes, no filler. Týr meant business two years ago when they released the epic Hel after 6 years of relative silence. This utterly blew my mind when I first heard it a few weeks before the release date and I was so excited for the rest of the fans to get their jaws around the sheer meaty beef of this record. This LP is big. It requires a large attention span and multiple listens to really appreciate everything that’s going on. It’s also loud. When the first vocals you hear are that of Heri performing some fantastic harsh growls, you know this is going to be a full-on assault of an album, at least by Týr standards. And there isn’t much respite within its murky depths. However, there is the gorgeous “Sunset Shore” to contrast the darkness of “Gates Of Hel”. There’s also the hammering riff to “Empire Of The North”, the preposterously insane guitar solo in “All Heroes Fall”, the catchy folkiness of “Far From The Worries Of The World” and so much more. I could ramble for pages about each and every one of these songs, but my absolute highlight is the oddly-titled “Downhill Drunk” which is far more melodious and sincere than its clumsy title lets on. Once the haunting clean guitars of the opening track captivate your mind, the dread atmosphere and dark power of Hel simply won’t let go, and the whole experience is exhausting in the best way possible. It might divide fans, but we are all united in the opinion that Heri should do way more harsh vocals, because they rule.
Favourite track: “Downhill Drunk”
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#1: Ragnarok (2006)
Sometime after Eric The Red, it was time for shit to get serious. So Týr signed to the indomitable Napalm Records and took time and care crafting the release of their third full-length studio album, 2006’s Ragnarok. This stands as a monument of folk/viking metal not simply because it’s a phenomenal collection of songs, but because it’s such a finely-constructed hour-long package which demands to be experienced front-to-back. It’s almost a sin to shuffle this masterpiece. 5-minute intro “The Beginning” is an amazing summation of the mammoth voyage to come, cleverly taking the listener through the themes of every song in reverse order. Bookending the record with “The End” was another ingenious move to close a perfect circle. One glance at the tracklist would fill a fairweather fan with fear. But fear not, all those interludes are carefully written and selected to do nothing but enhance the overall immersive experience. I especially love the tension of “Gjallarhornið” leading into the melancholic triumph of the title-track; and the virtuosic shredfest that is “The Rage Of The Skullgaffer” – the main theme of which is reprised in the heavy-hitting “The Hunt”. The main tracks themselves are so clever, finding Heri at the peak of his songwriting powers and the production quality at the perfect balance of delicacy to heaviness. The composition never settles for ‘good enough’ and it’s very difficult to guess exactly where melodies and rhythms are going to go, but that only makes me want to listen more. “The Hammer Of Thor” is what I would show a newcomer to the band if they wanted a good overall example of Týr’s genius, but there’s also the hymnal “Brothers Bane”, the jig-like “Lord Of Lies”, and the deliciously dramatic “Wings Of Time” to fill your soul with. Ragnarok is, quite simply, a masterclass in songwriting, flawless musicianship and spotless album-crafting. But that’s just me, trying to be as objective as possible!
Favourite track: “Wings Of Time”/”The Hammer Of Thor”
