Unique metal with hidden riches
Matthew Schwarz | Bridgewater, nj United States | 12/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first heard of these guys a few months ago when I saw them at Paganfest. They stood out from the other 3 bands by being the only ones not black-metal influenced (although Turisas was a mix of black and power metal).. That's kind of one of the things I like about them - it seems a lot of the more interesting newer metal has black/death growls instead of real singing, even when it doesn't really suit the music, and sometimes that gets old! But they're not power metal either, and while they could be described as progressive metal, they don't have that kind of flashy musicianship like Dream Theater.
Tyr have a sound that reminds me of Sabbath and early Rush a bit (with a fuller, heavier, modern sound) - it's more heavy and slow than fast and noisy, and there's more riffs than chords (when I saw them live I was struck by how much their music was based on guitar melodies rather than chords). There's a lot of interesting harmony stuff going on between the guitars and bass, reminiscent of classical chamber music. On top of this, much of their music is based upon Faroese traditional folk music and poetry. The vocals are "manly" metal - kind of like James Hetfield's voice (at his best singing - but without Hetfield's weird inflections), rather than the more common death or power metal singing styles.
All said, a unique and rich listening experience. It's metal, it's prog, it's art; it's just great music. I just got this a week ago, and at first it didn't "grab" me as much as some other bands, but with every listen I appreciate it more and more. I'll be getting their other CDs soon!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1