Týr – A Night At The Nordic House
Metal Blade
Release Date: 18/03/22
Running Time: 01:26:29
Review by Simon Black
9/10
Not a band I have ever come across before, but Týr get two firsts from me today by also being the first band from the Faroe Islands that I’ve come across. Whilst lyrically and thematically being all about Norse mythology, Týr have much more of a heart-thumping Folk Metal feel to them than the more outwardly Metal stalwarts of all things Viking like Amon Amarth do. Apart from subject matter, there’s everything to compare between them, so don’t assume that if you are familiar with one, that you know the other.
This is a good enough place to start with the band though, although what makes this slightly harder to wrap your head around as an introductory record is the fact that this is a live performance with The Symphony Orchestra of the Faroe Islands, so there’s a massive Symphonic Metal style overlay here that might distract you. It actually works really well because unlike many of these sort of collaboration projects the orchestra is not overly dominant in the mix, with the focus remaining with the core four members of the band whilst simultaneously giving you a shortcut to their greatest hits from the eight studio albums that precede this. It’s also been hanging around for a while, having been recorded in early 2020 before the music industry went turned tits up, but with Covid presumably having put plans on ice this seems like a sensible choice for a release.
Let’s be clear, this is not a slot-filler for the sake of it. These sorts of collaborations have become de rigeur since Metallica did their first “S&M”, but there’s clearly a lot of thought gone into getting the balance right and still making it sound like the band are sticking to their guns. And then let’s not underestimate the deeply Folk feel here, and its effect. There’s a massive cultural disconnect between the concept of orchestral and classical music, with its implied elitism and the middle ages “street” of Folk, which is about as blue collar as you can get without storming the bastille. That’s why I raised my eyebrows when I read about this, but they absolutely pull off the dichotomy – but it’s clear why the orchestration is played lower in the mix than the band are.
This is a band unafraid to use simple unaccompanied vocal harmonies in their native Faroese language from time to time too, which when you throw a choir into the mix as well add a hugely rich and cinematic feel to the proceedings. Check out the insanely epic ‘Ragnars Kvæði’ if you don’t believe me for sheer effect. In fact “epic” is a good word for this whole endeavour, as at eighteen tracks you get plenty of bang for your buck, but with so much variety in tone, pace and style that you don’t get chance to get bored.
Style wise for every Faroese language Folk piece, you’ve got more Folk Metal-esque fist-pumping English language fare like the anthemic ‘Blood of Heroes’, which is one of those tracks with a singalong chorus for which no previous familiarity is required that mercifully doesn’t get ulled into Power Metal territory. It’s worth noting that the anthemic choruses work just as well even if you don’t speak a word of Faroese, because these guys know how to craft engaging and punchy songs. The band wisely alternate between style and language to keep the pace fresh and to keep the novelty of the special nature of the project, and with a vocalist in Heri Joensen who can alternate between a gruff Metal delivery, high end classically clean and nasally folk as and when it stays crisp and dynamically fresh throughout.
The audience are clearly deeply enjoying themselves and it would be interesting to watch the live DVD that goes with this, as the strength of performance alone here has my curiosity piqued enough to want to know a little more about this act. However this 96 minutes is a cracking introduction to a band who clearly can cut the mustard live, and with some solid enough tunes in their repertoire to warrant further analysis.
‘By The Sword In My Hand’ Live Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Hel’s Prelude
02. Gates of Hel
03. Grindavísan
04. Sunset Shore
05. Ragnars Kvæði
06. Gavotte from Suite in G Minor
07. Blood of Heroes
08. Ramund Hin Unge
09. Hold the Heathen Hammer High
10. The Lay of Thrym
11. Tróndur í Gøtu
12. Mare of My Night
13. Turið Torkilsdóttir
14. Fire and Flame
15. Torkils Døtur
16. Ormurin Langi
17. By the Sword in My Hand
18. Álvur Kongur
LINE-UP:
Heri Joensen – Vocals / Guitar
Hans Hammer – Guitar
Gunnar Thomsen – Bass / Vocals
Tadeusz Rieckmann – Drums
LINKS:
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