I
never have an easy time answering the question: "what's your
favorite..." I can never decide, especially when it comes to my
favorite something in metal. My favorite band of all time is
easy--that's Blind Guardian for a few reasons, mostly on account of
the entire year I spent listening to them in high school...but beyond
that, I don't know. Favorite folk metal band? Pfft, best I can do is
top three. Favorite song? How about top ten--but I digress. The issue
at hand is my recent decision that Eric the Red is my favorite Tyr
album.
This
epiphany occurred recently when "Sand in the Wind," off of
How
Far to Asgaard,
came on in my car. It had been a long time since I'd listened to this
masterpiece--and a master piece it is, in my opinion--and I rocked
out in a way that I haven't in a while. Since that fateful day, I
have listened to "Sand in the Wind" more than a few times.
The more I listened to this song, and others from How Far to Asgaard,
the more I came to realize the virtues of Tyr's first album. There is
a certain purity to it, a raw brilliance, an innocence almost. The
vocals are light and clear, sung beautifully by Pol, while the guitar
solos are strong and pure, masterfully performed by Heri. "Sand
in the Wind," as I mentioned before, is particularly masterful
to me. The symmetry in the notes that begin and end the song, the
brilliant, ambling solo in the middle is almost mesmerizing and Pol's
singing is emotional and thought provoking. It really does paint the
picture of wind, of time, of the pointlessness of it all, of fate;
everything is like sand in the wind. "How Far to Asgaard"
itself is epic and grand, while "Ormurin Langi" is slow and
moving, the perfect balance of metal excellence and sophisticated
folk music. As far as first albums go, How
Far to Asgaard
is
no doubt exemplary.
Some
of the purity, in the sense that I mean, has gone from Tyr since How
Far to Asgaard.
That is not to say that every release from the Faroese folk metal
artists is less a perfect mix of pure folk tradition and
groundbreaking metal, but that the band has refined its sound and
become heavier and more epic. The power of Tyr's more recent work,
the pure power of Heri's voice and the massive guitars riffs that
strike through the songs, have evolved from the purity and raw beauty
of How
Far to Asgaard.
Don't
get me wrong, I think that each of Tyr's releases is beautiful and
masterful in its own way. Ragnarok,
for instance, is one of, if not the best concept albums ever made;
not to take away from By
the Light of the Northern Star,
the
heroic telling of a dark and desperate time in Faroese history. Land
is
epic in every sense of the word: long songs, massive songs, booming
vocals, and powerful guitar work made it so. The
Lay of Thrym
is
a call for freedom and is as powerful, emotional, and heroic as such
a call always should be. It is certainly hard to find things to
complain about from Tyr. Yes, their most recent album could be seen
as a little too political, but not so much as to take away from the
album. And yes, some might not think of Tyr as "brutal" or
"metal" enough, in the sense of Slayer or Cannibal Corpse.
Tyr requires a more refined metal pallet to enjoy, and looking beyond
their few faults reveals masterpieces almost beyond count. Emotion
and meaning pump through Tyr's lyrics, telling stories centuries old,
bringing back to life a heroic past still alive in few people. The
intricate, powerful guitar work of Heri and Terji is overlooked by
most, I think, for its excellence in any genre.
What
about Eric the Red?
What was Tyr's second release like, after line-up changes and six
years without a release? Why is it TJ's favorite Tyr album? A simple
answer is that the first track is that track that really sucked me
into Tyr. But the real answer, the answer that inspired all of this,
is that it is as follows.
After
How
Far to Asgaard,
Pol left the band and Heri, already lead guitarist, took up the
responsibility of lead vocalist. The purity of How
Far to Asgaard,
the raw and pure sound that was refined in further albums, is still
there in Eric the Red. The biggest difference, the deciding factor
for me, is Heri. I will always love Pol and his beautiful voice, but
nothing beats the power and majesty of Heri's. Eric the Red is a
mixture of How
Far to Asgaard
and
the albums that followed. It brings together the epic power and
exemplary folk metal that Tyr has become known for and the purity and
innocence of their first album.
Already
with "The Edge," more power can instantly be heard in the
deeper, slightly darker almost opening riff. It then moves into a
powerful melody soon to be embraced by the lyrics. Then comes Heri's
voice, his powerful and epic voice, beginning a heartfelt story from
the past of his people. This is one of the most important things to
understand about Tyr. What they sing about is their people, the
people of the Faroe Islands, the descendants of Vikings who were
converted away from their traditions by the sword in 999 CE. A
tradition whose remnants are threatened even today by modernization
and a select few who view their customs as evil. "The Edge,"
getting back on topic, is a beautiful, meaningful song. It is the
story of a man sentenced to death for his staunch resistance to
Christianity. He tells his people not to cry for him. Not to cry at
his funeral. What he did was selfish, he did it for himself; for the
sake of his family he should have "lied and played their game."
Now I hope you can see why this meaningful and emotional, epic song
drew me in to become a huge fan of these masters of folk metal.
"The
Edge" is followed by one of the best examples of a folk song,
straight from a Faroese line dance, made into an epic metal song:
"Regin Smidur." It is is in Faroese, so I cannot
particularly say what it is about, just that is about a legendary
blacksmith and it is one my favorite songs of all time. The way it
opens with a growing, distant hum, with Heri's voice beginning the
first verse, followed closely by a key aspect of Tyr's music: the
chorus. Faroese folk tradition is told by voices, by words not notes,
by singers not instrumentalists. It is the power of this tradition
that lends power to Heri's voice, indeed to the voices of the band as
a whole. This song is one among many that exemplifies this tradition
and its life within Tyr (see the song "Ormurin Langi," off
of How
Far to Asgaard
for
a great example of this tradition). This song moves swiftly between
slow, repetitive chorus' and the quick, melodic verses brought forth
by Heri, punctuated as ever with powerful guitar work.
"Dreams"....what
could possibly be said about "Dreams" that “Dreams”
doesn't say about itself? Anyone with any sympathy for myth, legend,
folk tales, heroic stories, or even bedtime stories will love and
appreciate this song. Tales of faraway lands, tales of long ago are
evoked in this song about the power of myth, about the life that can
be brought forth with words alone. This is a beautiful, slow, and
meaningful song, that I think speaks for itself.
I
will not bore you with long-winded descriptions of every song on
this, my favorite Tyr album. There are fun songs about drinking and
the dangers that it can bring, about dancing in the woods with
mystical creatures, and meaningful legends of giants. Current events
are blended with tales from the past, as Eric the Red questions new
religions and the Rainbow Warrior questions old ones.
I
want to thank you for reading my pedantic and long-winded discussion
on one of my favorite bands and my recently determined favorite album
of theirs. I have a passion for culture and history, and of course
for metal. Tyr blends all of this and more together perfectly. If you
have not listened to much Tyr, do not be scared away by my over
analysis of their work. Just sit back and listen. Let the guitars
rock you and the words move you, and hopefully you might come to love
this band as I do.
I was suggested to add more critiques
to this review and I had to really look for them, which I think says
a lot about how great this album is. The only thing I can really say,
and something that spans the whole album, is that the guitars seem to
lack a certain prominence. That is not to say that they aren't skillfully
performed and ever present, but to say that many of the melodies are
made with other instruments and that there are less outstanding
riffs and solos that I would have hoped for. I would have liked to see more of the older
Ensiferum guitar work and that is the critique I have found.
