Top 10 Best Týr Songs
The Faroese Pagan Folk Metal band Týr is, in my opinion, the greatest band ever. They may not be as heavy as Amon Amarth or as catchy as Ensiferum, but they have something unique. Is it their style? Their subtlety? A songwriter second to none? Or perhaps all of the above?
For many of us, Hold the Heathen Hammer High represents everything that is Týr. This isn't really accurate at all, but it's such a fun song that who am I to say? It's layered, complicated, and really, really catchy. The chorus is lightning fast, but not impossible to sing, making it a great addition to any Týr show.
It also makes for a great Pagan Metal catchphrase, "Praise Odin, and hold the Heathen Hammer high, my Metal brothers."
This is the first Týr song I've heard, and it has awesome vocals. Heri Joensen is a much better singer and is more good-looking than Pól Arni Holm. Although all of the Týr songs are repetitive (except for their covers), I hope that Týr will continue and Heri decides to leave Heljareyga eventually for a few more Týr albums.
Unlike the previous three, Northern Gate is a fairly typical metal song, just much better than most. What it lacks in moral depth and philosophy, it makes up for in furious metalness, with its wordless battle cry chorus and shredding guitar solo.
Although the guitars feel dominant here, listen to the drums. They'll blow you away (figuratively and literally).
It's so beautiful. The meaning, aside from the voice of the vocalist, is great.
When you listen to a sixteen-minute song and feel it should have been longer by the end, you know Týr is doing something right. Land contains virtually every element of Týr, and metal in general, that makes the music awesome. It has heavy, melodic, clean, harmonized vocals, multiple languages, and heartbreaking guitar solos.
Not to mention the lyrics, which tell of the doomed plight of the last Pagans, seeking to head west to escape the oncoming conversions. Between the power of the guitars and the emotion of the lyrics, this isn't Týr's best song. This is the best song ever.
If you look up Týr on YouTube, the top result will be the music video Sinklars Visa. As far as music videos go, this one is tastefully simple and artfully done. The song itself is pretty great too. Starting off with forty seconds of unaccompanied vocals (yes, forty whole seconds), it may well be some of Týr's best singing.
The metal part that follows isn't over-the-top fast, but it is melodic and complex. The solo is good, although I can't remember much of it, so it can't be amazing. This is a strong song that should be a requirement at any Týr show.
The Newcomers
For me, it is the best of the 2019 new album.
This is everything Viking metal should be (although the term's status as an actual genre is questionable). Mournful, doomy, rich, and heavy, The Edge tells the story of a man sentenced to death. The lyrics are vague and metaphorical, so that's about all I can get.
By now I should mention Heri Joensen, the mastermind behind nearly everything Týr. It is by his vast knowledge of history, music (metal and classical), old literature, and the four or five languages he fluently speaks, that this band is built. The Edge is essentially the best example of all of these together.
Since I can't really show anyone a sixteen-minute song, I usually go with this one when introducing people to Týr. Dreams is very melodic and complex and has what may well be the most epic chorus in any song ever. This is followed by some deeply philosophical lines on the existence and purpose (if any) of humanity, under the metaphor of ancient legends of heroes and honor.
The chorus itself references the greatest Norse hero of all, Sigurd the Dragonslayer, and his lover Brynhild the Valkyrie, made popular by Wagner's Ring Cycle.
Folk metal at the pinnacle of existence. Many bands take legitimate old poems and make songs out of them, but none do it like Týr, and Týr has none like Regin Smidur. The words tell of Regin the blacksmith, who raises Sigurd (from Dreams) and then tries to kill him. But that doesn't matter because the whole thing is in Faroese anyway.
Regin stands out as having some folksy tunes, not just heavy guitars, in the beginning, followed by the chanting voice of some beer-crazed Berserks.
The only representative from the album Ragnarok (a very good album, but not great by Týr's standards), Wings of Time again blends English and Faroese together. More progressive than most (as with the whole album), Wings of Time goes from heavy to clean to heavy several times, with vocals lamenting the turning of the ages and the inevitable loss of all permanence. Or something like that.
Not in English, not in Faroese... Could it be Danish? I think so. The lyrics, when translated, tell a ridiculous story of a super-hero Viking named Ramund (the Young) who beats up like seven giants at once and then goes and kills the emperor (presumably of Rome, or maybe Holy Rome, which are two different things for the record).
The music itself though is amazing, with clean melodies that warm your heart to guitar solos that burn your soul. Seriously, best guitar solos ever.
Týr's original singer, on their first album, could not have sounded more different from Heri unless he'd used death growls (which he thankfully didn't). I prefer his singing. It's more unique and professional.
Anyway, How Far To Asgaard wins this spot for its epic qualities and feeling of... epicness. It isn't particularly heavy (none of the album is), but the bluesy-folksy influences are stronger than ever. I also love the references to Leif Ericsson and his quest to reach Vinland, which is the metaphorical Asgaard.
However, living in the United States, I would like to warn Leif to go back to Norway and stay there, for his own sake.
Ragnarok isn't the best CD of the band. But, from my point of view, the song Ragnarok is the best from that CD. A great letter and powerful guitar and drums to raise the epicness!