And to bring Rocktober to a fitting close, please welcome…
Ragnarok – Týr (2006)
Týr - Ragnarok
Yep, we’re ending with more Folk Metal – specifically Viking Metal. Out of all my recent discoveries in this genre and those around it, these guys from the Faroe Islands are still my favourites. Equal parts riffing, shredding, and tale-telling all with what are known in death metal circles as “clean” vocals (i.e. no cookie monster growling), these guys can easily prog it up alongside Dream Theater but without the annoying existential navel-gazing that DT seem to go in for these days. These guys are awesome musicians, and Terji Skibenæs (or Terry Skibbens, as some call him) in particular can fucking wail, which always helps. As with many of the bands I’m discovering, Týr like to sing in their native language but they don’t do so exclusivley – and even when they do sing in Farese, Danish or Icelandic, it feels like you’re sitting round a fire being told tales of derring-do upon which great nations were built. In fact a lot of the time you are, since Týr draw from Norse mythology a lot, hence the term Viking Metal. I love all Týr’s albums, and I deliberated for a while over which one to include here. I finally settled on Ragnarok (one of only two they have released NOT to feature the splendid song “Hail To The Hammer”) firstly because it’s 16 tracks long (18 if you get the digipak version, but I hate digipaks), secondly because it features more lyrics in English than 2008′s Land, and lastly because it feels to me like a more cohesive journey of an album than 2009′s By The Light Of The Northern Star. It’s excellent throughout – pour a flagon of ale and crank it up loud.
Standout tracks: Brother’s Bane, The Ride To Hel, The Hammer Of Thor
You’ll like this if you like: Turisas, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater