ALBUM REVIEW: Tungl – Eivør
As Halloween approaches, this is the perfect album to get us all into the mood if you wish to tap into your witchy mindset. Following up her 2024 masterpiece, our favourite Faorese skald, EIVØR is back with her follow up, TUNGL. An album seeped in atmosphere as it combines the ancient with modern. It’s a perfect bit of escapism for those looking to be taken to far and distant lands through music as it sets you on a beautiful journey of discovery.
Opening track Og mánin græt / And The Moon Cried kicks off the album in style. It is slow, atmospheric and cinematic. The slow build up is where the strengths lie in this track. A pulsating beat works as the songs heartbeat, as Tungl is brought to life. The echoey and melancholic vocals are powerful too, EIVØR‘s talent to effortlessly weave between vocal ranges remains unmatched and is what makes listening to her exciting as we bask in the array of sonic treats that are provided. It’s a great way to start the album as we start our journey with Tungl.
Drekafljóð / Dragon Maiden picks up the pace as a sumptuous synthesiser gives us a great rhythm as the track creates a dense atmosphere that helps you to easily conjure misty mountains and grandiose landscapes from epic tales of ancient folk. The drum beats also create a mystical element as they echo their way through the track, combining with an ethereal drone of a great distorted guitar sound. All the while these elements combine, they all come to fruition once the vocals start and help you feel like you’re floating through time with the modern sounding instruments, yet make you feel like you’re a part of the tales of old whilst also bringing a lump to your throat with their celestial feel.
Verjugarðar / Walls follows on and puts the synths on the back burner for a short while, putting guitars at centre stage which pack a punch when they kick in and help to elevate the song as it gives the song a swelling feel to it that gets bigger and bigger throughout whilst feeling a bit foreboding, it keeps the album just different enough to not fall into a trap of each song sounding the same. Spøkilsir / Revenants brings in a more haunting sound that makes you feel a little bit on edge. Throughout this track, the vocals from EIVØR feel like a spell. You begin to feel under a trance as you feel every moment of this track. It is otherworldly and creates a hauntingly beautiful moment from start to finish as its magic takes hold of you, releasing you right at the end.
Whilst there are many highlights on this album, it is Hinumegin / The Other Side that stands head and shoulders above the rest. You’d be forgiven for thinking HANS ZIMMER had produced this one. The sweeping orchestral movements of the music are utterly stunning as it creates a truly beautiful track that will have you starting the song again as soon as it’s over. The song itself builds and builds before reaching an enormous crescendo come its finale. EIVØR‘s vocals go hand in hand perfectly as they echo in and out in a godlike manner.
As we make it past the midway point, we get to Healer, another hugely cinematic track. It kicks off in a rich cauldron of atmosphere that builds up to quite a heavy sound which is a nice surprise. It’s the first track sung in English on this album too which takes you by surprise after being so immersed in the Faroese language since the beginning. There is quite an uneasy feel throughout this track that is capitalised on with its heavy guitar riffs. The relaxing nature of Tungl takes a backseat for now as Healer feels like the villain of the piece or that some form of hardship has taken place in its tale. It keeps building up to a boiling point which you imagine will be an explosion of noise, but instead it twists our expectations by softly playing out. Eon follows on, it is perhaps the most accessible song on the album as it does sound like something that would be sung at Eurovision, but one of those good ones that doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It’s moody, a bit foreboding and adds to the rich tapestry that is Tungl.
The final stretch of the album sees EIVØR beginning to wind down Tungl in excellent fashion. Tann tú saknar / The One You Long For sets us on the remainder of our journey with another pulsating beat that echoes the heart beat of the first track. It remains a steady focal point of the song from its start to its end, going hand in hand with the ghostly vocals of EIVØR once more. Not a second feels wasted on this one as it continues to hold this album’s spell over you as you traverse its mythical landscapes. Our penultimate tack, Fangað (feat. Elinborg) / Trapped continues this element of the album, this time recruiting the vocals of Elinborg, EIVØR‘s sister, to further this album’s rich concoction of music. Amongst the ethereal vocalisations, a fun drum beat that is almost hip-hop style meshes perfectly with EIVØR‘s signature throat singing which brings in a visceral feel and harkens back to the ancient days of the Norse folk who would sing like this. Everyone But Me finishes the album with cinematic style as we get an English speaking song for the second time on the record. A solemn piano combines with a cavalcade of electronic synths to bring the otherworldly element in one last time. EIVØR offers her vocal prowess in a rising manner that has a vulnerable feel to it as it goes hand in hand brilliantly with the core to help guide this song to its end. Its angelic and dreamlike, as for one final time, you feel like you’re floating.
After twelve albums, you can imagine it is hard for artists and bands to find those moments that feel fresh. EIVØR however has no struggles here. Each moment on this album is beautifully crafted and doesn’t feel wasted. EIVØR pushes boundaries constantly which keeps the listener on their toes as none of the tracks feel predictable in the slightest. By the album’s end, you’ll be yearning to take part in an epic journey like the Vikings of old as you discover new lands, gods and monsters. Immerse yourself in the world of Tungl as loud as you can, you’ll feel the music flow throw you and feel connected to the spirits of old. It is superb stuff.
Rating: 9/10
Tungl is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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