TÝR — The Lay of Thrym (review)

Album · 2011 · Power Metal

3.5/5 · 2011-07-03
cennsor

[review originally published on http://thecennsor.wordpress.com/]

So here they are again, our beloved islanders from the cold cold North (ok, I’m probably exaggerating, it’s no Svalbard after all). The Faroese Týr are back, and it’s a pleasant return.

Just a couple (literaly) years after By the Light of the Northern Star, the talented quartet is out with a new release, still under the auspices of the trusted Napalm Records. Once again, almost nothing has changed, and once again, that’s just very good news for their listeners and lovers.

The album, aptly titled The Lay of Thrym, is the same old bunch of viking-inspired songs, a collection of solid heavy metal songs with a lot of folky undertones, plus a very nice ballad and two superb bonus tracks (more on that later). Does that make for a boring listening? Again, not at all. Týr have already shown their ability not to get too repetitive although dwelving in the same genre and stylemes for what feels like a long time now (and it actually is, as they’ve been around since 1998). The Lay of Thrym is just another good example of that.

The album kicks off with the powerful, typically Týr-ian Flames of the Free, setting the tone for all that’s to come. Shadow of the Swastika, though bearing a somewhat ambiguous title, is a funny number whose lyrics might have you reflect – or, you might just fall for the general catchiness and the nice solo; either would be good.

On the same vein is Take Your Tyrant, something of a “libertarian” anthem, if that makes any sense. Same goes for Hall of Freedom, but to avoid repetitiveness, Týr placed the balladesque Evening Star right in the middle of the two like-themed songs. Evening Star is a little pretty gem, and personally I think it outscores any slower-tempo “soft” stuff these guys have ever done. To kind of vary the general lyrical output, this number is Lord of the Rings-themed (something we can’t seem to get any rest from, especially when we think of “epic” power metal bands, from Blind Guardian down down to their legion of clones; but midway through a viking metal album, that makes for a nce variation).

Fields of the Fallen could be described as a synthesis between Týr‘s characteristic folky background and sort of a “return to the metal origins”; and a very good one at that. I don’t honestly remember so many and such good guitar solos from Týr in the past, which sure accounts for a bit of variation more within the songs and to the general feel of the album.

But it’s time for the folkiest of the lot: unlike on their previous works, this time Týr have confined the Faroese-sung songs in the second half of the album. Konning Hans, an actual Danish/Faroese traditional chant, opens this second half, with a well-known beginning to listeners of Týr and connoisseurs of the genre. Ellindur Bóndi á Jaðri and Nine Worlds of Lore also stem from Faroese traditionals, but had their lyrics re-written by guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen, respectively in Faroese and English. The Lay of Thrym serves as a closer, with its epic echoes making it a nice metal counterpart to the eddic poem that inspired it.

And just when you thought that was it, here come the bonus tracks. Let me just say they blew me away! Bringing credit to those who would describe the album as a fusion of folky and heavy metal roots, here’s two astonishing renditions of Black Sabbath‘s I and Rainbow‘s Stargazer. The late Ronnie James Dio couldn’t have asked for a better viking metal tribute. Personally, I find the latter especially well rendered, nicely balanced between being a faithful cover and instilled with a typical Týr flavour. If you somehow found the rest boring (unlikely, if you’re a Týr fan), these two covers will more than make up for it.

THUS SPAKE THE CENNSOR: Týr are still out there doing what they do best: being Týr. That should suffice to convince any die-hard and even not-so-die-hard fans that The Lay of Thrym is worth adding to your viking metal collection. Especially if you’re into the “softer” (but I would just say “more listenable”) side, the powerish-epic one, of it. Personal note: I found this album much better than the two altogether that they put out between 2006 and 2008. But actually, no comparison is needed to just enjoy The Lay of Thrym quite a lot. 7,5/10

more than 2 years ago
Permalink
Report #246204

Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer

Please login to post a shout

cennsor wrote:

more than 2 years ago

thanks for the feedback, always much appreciated!

and you're right, i guess it's just a visual thing but more than 3 stars looked just too much. i'll see if i can fix it though.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Good review, I really ought to check this band out properly at some point.

I note though that your star rating and the score you gave the album at the end of the text don't match up. 3 Stars = 6/10, so 7.5/10 should be a 4 star rating after you apply the rounding.