ALBUM REVIEW: Battle Ballads – Týr
There is something to be said for giving people the chance to miss you. TÝR once released records at breakneck speed, dropping their first seven albums in the space of just 11 years. They built their reputation as a reliable and virtuoso act quickly, but Battle Ballads comes five years after Hel, itself coming six years on from Valkyrja. Having held their horses, it is appropriate that new music from the Faroe Islands’ finest export now feels like a proper event, as this time around they have focused on making their already cinematic sound even more epic. No mean feat for a band who have long sung about legends, monsters, and wars.
Frontman and band leader Heri Joensen doesn’t want any confusion over the album title. He said: “There are definitely two versions of a ballad. A lot of people think of hair metal, when they think of ballads. We are looking at ballads here in the Medieval sense. Apart from a couple of softer parts on the album, this is very much straight heavy metal with some folk and classical influences.”
Working with the Symphony Orchestra of the Faroe Islands on live album A Night At The Nordic House has rubbed off on them, inspiring the band to reach for something musically that is as grand as their viking and folklore inspired lyricism. Right out the gate, Hammered swoops and swells like the flashes of a battle, an ode to old time weaponry that is suitably rousing with string sections adding some drama to the always frenetic guitar work. As it segues into Unwandered Ways, the lead guitar takes centre stage like a solo dance, an instantly recognisable element of the band’s work that sets them apart from the pack. It is what TÝR’s re-emergence ought to sound like, a reaffirmation that they do this blend of folk metal better than everyone else, and they haven’t missed a step. When Dragons Never Die, a song about trying to steal treasure from beneath a lindworm, slides into its full-chested chorus, it could not sound more like TÝR at their very best: catchy, communal, and so much fun.
Part of that comes from the band’s decision to jettison some of their more progressive impulses. Talking about their songwriting process, Joensen said there was a conscious effort to compose songs that were more direct, taking a couple of musical ideas and giving them a sense of scale through the symphonic accompaniment. Hangman, for example, is densely packed in its execution, with rip roaring bass drums competing with piercing solos which ride alongside judgement day-like brass. It is the soundtrack to a vivid imagination, bringing to life far away lands and otherworldly lore that benefits from pomp on this scale.
Joensen has always been one of the band’s strongest assets through his innate understanding of instantaneous melodies. Every one is an earworm, and all sound inspired by long forgotten songs, such as on Row which is like a warrior’s hopeless journey into endless stormy waters. As proudly inspired by pop hooks as these songs are, they have tinges of ageless melancholy, the excitement of violence, and they soar like eagles over mountains. Some folk metal fans will always prefer their vocals with a little less melody, but TÝR’s USP is in how everything sounds like a story worth listening to, and that is down to their tunefulness. Even imposing closer Causa Latronum Normannorum, a song that stomps along in preparation for a clash, gives way to the sounds of triumph sung loud and clear. Despite always working within defined limitations lyrically and sonically, TÝR deserve their flowers for striving to make what they do sound fresh and worthy, no mean feat for any artist on album number nine. In war terms, Battle Ballads is a massive win.
Rating: 8/10
Battle Ballads is set for release on April 12th via Metal Blade Records.
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