Search - Tyr :: Ragnarok

Epic Viking Metal in a very traditional sense

Realist | North Dakota | 05/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ragnarok is the 3rd full length release by this great band. Tyr hails from Faroe Islands, a country whose current decendents are of nearly 100% Viking blood. The Faroese speak a dialect of ancient Old Norse to this very day. Those deep traditional ties are very evident in the music of Tyr. One thing that really sets Tyr apart from most other Viking/Pagan Metal bands is the fact that they do not do the screaming/growling Death Metal vocals at all. ALL vocals are clean, although many songs are sung in Faroese.



Their sophomore album, "Eric The Red", was a bonafide masterpiece within this genre of metal, but many of the songs off that album were actually traditional songs that have been celebrated by the Faroese for centuries, not material completely developed by the band. While this album may fall a tad bit short compared to that masterpiece, I think it is a more impressive offering because most of the material here is original. This album is also somewhat of a concept album in that it basically covers the traditional Norse tale of the Ragnarok, the battle to end all time.



Besides the fact that this is a concept album, it also offers a lot of other "prog-like" elements like odd time signatures and songs that are very long, with many changes throughout. Tyr has previously been accused by some of being one of those bands where every song sounds the same... On Ragnorok, that definitely doesn't apply. The songs this time out are much more diverse in nature, and they really push into different territory here.



I think the best songs on the album are: Hammer of Thor, Brother's Bane, The Ride To Hel, Torsteins Kvædi, Wings of Time, and Ragnarok. Brother's Bane would be my favorite track on the album, and possibly the best song Heri Joensen has ever written.



This band is currently touring North America on PaganFest and they are playing a criminally short setlist of only 5 songs. If you have gone to one of these shows and came away as disappointed as this long time fan was, please consider that they have a much larger bulk of quality material than only 5 songs. So, definitely pick up an album for a better feel for this band. I would recommend this album, definitely... Of course, if you only want one Tyr album, then "Eric The Red" is that album. Also keep an eye out for the new album, "Land", which will be released the 2nd week in June, 2008."

Nordic lore the right way

W. Aitchison | New York | 01/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Album is truly inspiring. From the onset the songs take you through the lore surrounding Ragnarok, the old Norse myth of the end of the world, recounting the ancient stories from the slaying of Baldr (Brother's Bain)to the binding of Loki(Lord of Lies) and the beginning of the final battle (Ragnarok).



With a number of instrumental tracks Ragnarok plays almost like a soundtrack honoring the Old Nordic oral tradition of story telling. Ragnarok with all 16 songs it a masterpiece and with the addition of two bonus tracks (Valkyries Flight and Valhalla) this album is truly hard to beat."

No one knows from what deep roots this band rises

M. E. Smith | 05/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I learned about this band when Pandora played "Rage of the Skullgaffer" for me six months ago. After listening to the album for about four or five months, I have to say that this is one of the most "complete" bands I have heard--ever. The musicianship is amazing from all four members, and it is a joy to listen to on a superficial level. In other words, there is plenty of ear-candy.



I have always loved Norse, Old English and Irish folklore and myth, so the subject matter of Ragnarok is right down my ally. It is a "concept" album that tells of the final battle that shares it name with the album. Even if you are not necessarily into Scandinavian myth, the themes of lies, deceit, and apocalypse have resonance. There is an overall melancholy to the album I do not get from other "viking" metal. In fact, I think it a bit unfair to call this straight "viking" metal, because it transcends genre in a way. There is something almost spiritual about it--something mystical.



The decision to sing in English as well as Faroese is brilliant and courageous as well. When other bands are singing solely in English, this band chooses to sing in their native language with traditional folk songs. Language is such a big part of culture that I do not believe it can be fully separated. These artists are sharing their culture with a world that has forgotten it. Kudos!



That being said, musically, the traditional moorings lend complex melodies that seem too old for "heavy metal," but not too old for music. This makes the achievement of Ragnarok all the greater. It all fits together nicely. It's as if a medieval poet plugged up and started using electrical instruments to tell the stories that have been told for centuries. I had a professor who would recite (from memory) large pieces of The Wanderer and Beowulf in OE, and I was always in awe at the rhythms in that language's poetry. They were haunting and hard to grab in a way. It was as if I were listening to the bones of the language I had spoken all of my life, and the only thing I could recognize was the rhythm--as if it were already a part of me in some way. Faroese is rhythmically very similar, at least to my ear, and this album (with Eric the Red a close second) is the closest thing that I have ever heard in "pop" culture to those rhythms.



In fact, they treat the alliterative nature of Old Norse poetry using the traditional half-line feet in many songs. One half-line that comes to mind is in the song "Ragnarok": "With heavy hearts we head, on towards the end." This is a great example of translating the poetic language in a very old tradition into present-day English. The "h" and "w" alliteration in the first half-line and the vowel and "t" alliteration in the second half really stands out as tightly woven poetry. This is not an easy thing to accomplish (I've tried). It's made more impressive, I think, by adding the music that accompanies it.



If you like Norse mythology, great music, or great rhythmic poetry, you need to check this album out. I have nothing bad to say about it. I would give it more stars if I could."