Year: 2024
Total Time: 41:37
Label: Metal Blade
From their debut album “How Far To Asgaard” in 2002, to their latest release “Battle Ballads” twelve years later, TÝR have consistently delivered nothing but great records. Hailing from the Faroe Islands, the band managed to stand out from the crowd of Folk Metal bands from the very beginning, creating their own sound by blending Folk, epic Heavy Metal, and even Progressive elements, where often this combination creates an almost cinematic result. As for “Battle Ballads” both in terms of title and content, frontman Heri Joensen clarified: “There are two versions of the ballad. Many people think of Hair Metal when they hear the word ballads. However, we refer to the ballad in the sense of Medieval heroic poetry. Apart from some soft moments on the album, its essence is Heavy Metal with influences from folk and classical music.”
TÝR ‘s collaboration with the symphony orchestra of the Faroe Islands in 2022 on their live album “A Night At The Nordic Hous’» seems to have positively influenced the band, as evidenced by the opening of their new album with “Hammered”. Epic guitar parts complemented by the symphony orchestra give the necessary dramatic character demanded by the song’s theme. “Unwandered Ways” showcases the band’s lively Folk elements, with a fantastic guitar arrangement and a catchy chorus that screams it’s perfect for live performances!
The album continues with “Dragons Never Die” a classic TÝR track, incredibly folkloric – stealing a treasure guarded by a dragon – catchy, and entertaining at the same time with orchestra, towards the end of the song, manages to convey the protagonist’s agony. “Row” the first highlight of the album for me, with Mr. Joensen’s exceptional vocals – as throughout the album, of course – and the excellent composition of the song, brings the story presented here by TÝR to life in our imagination. With “Torkils Døtur” the epic melancholy hits red, while in “Vælkomnir Føroyingar” we return to the same compositional line as the rest of the album.
A second personal highlight is “Hangman” pompous, heroic, heavy bass line and inspired guitar solos once again make our imagination run wild with what we have read, seen, and heard about Northern European history and mythology. “Axes” comes to my ears as a natural continuation of “Hangman” with its intensity and neoclassical composition. Continuing with «Battle Ballad» in the same footsteps, and closing with the excellent ‘Causa Latronum Normannorum” with Joensen’s composition and performance putting us within an advancing army towards victory.
The progressive elements that have always existed in TÝR’s discography are completely absent from “Battle Ballads”, whose place has been successfully taken by the symphonic elements. The songs have become more direct, while maintaining a sense of grandeur, cinematic, even entertaining. With nine albums under their belt now, they still seem to have an appetite to create, to sound fresh and traditional at the same time. Victory has come for TÝR on yet another album!
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Antonis Braikidis
Related Link: TÝR – Official Page
