By the Light of the Northern Star

Liste der Bands Folk Metal Týr (DK) By the Light of the Northern Star
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Band Name Týr (DK)
Album Name By the Light of the Northern Star
Type Album
Erscheinungsdatum 27 Mai 2009
Musik GenreFolk Metal
Mitglieder die dieses Album besitzen148

Tracklist

1.
 Hold the Heathen Hammer High
 04:50
2.
 Tróndur í Gøtu
 04:01
3.
 Into the Storm
 05:04
4.
 Northern Gate
 04:42
5.
 Turið Torkilsdóttir
 04:18
6.
 By the Sword in My Hand
 04:48
7.
 Ride
 04:59
8.
 Hear the Heathen Call
 04:40
9.
 By the Light of the Northern Star
 05:55

Total playing time: 43:17

Dieses Alben kaufen

 $8.04  €8,27  €7,75  £7.98  $ 36.83  €9,42  €7,71
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Týr (DK)



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Review @ SethMichael

24 Juni 2011

"takes hold thoroughly of the anger of ages and channels it through..."

Once again were struck by another great album by these Faroese Norsemen, despite "viking metal" not being my first choice I must give a tip of the hat to this band which has held strong and true to their sound and their heritage. If one hasn't heard a Týr record before, I would not make this my first unless you can hit it with an open mind (and a little knowledge to the history of their ancestors).

By the album art and lyrical content of such driving, and powerful songs such as "Hold The Heathen Hammer High" and the title track "By the Light of the Northern Star" one may clearly see a.. problem with Christianity, and an obvious clash against eastern takeover. As I said above, an open mind must be utilized. Sparsely touched on Norse history tells tales of the genocide that was issued against them by the crusading Christian kings, creating a still very real disdain for the religion. This album takes hold thoroughly of the anger of ages and channels it through heavy riffs and the skillful and at times sky-piercing solos of band mates Heri and Terji.

Much like previous works by the band, this record contains a fair mixture of variety, ranging from the folk lyrical melodies of "Tróndur í Gøtu" and "Turið Torkilsdóttir", standing out as great representations of their people's past and the stories that were seldom put to paper but passed down by word of mouth and sometimes in song by bards. Then the listener is besieged by the powerful tracks of battle and conquest "Into The Storm", "Northern Gate", and "Ride", songs paying homage to their rich and ever resilient bloodline, honoring a people who met war with a smile and could be said that they lived for battle almost as closely as Spartans of legend did.

If one only listens to the sound of the music, (which there is nothing wrong with that of course) some of the songs pass by with their meaning and heart rather unnoticed. "By the Sword in My Hand" tells the aforementioned true tale of the slaughter laid upon the Norsemen by their conquerors, no matter what country you hail from you can almost fear the pain and anger in Heri's vocals, giving a true sense of meaning and realization to the anger that pulses through the veins of By The Light. It's hard for ones heart to not go out to the thousands slaughtered, but more so to the ones who lived, who's culture and way of life was nearly washed over. We can only thank bands such as Týr for keeping the old ways alive to a certain extent, or in the very least for keeping us entertained with tales of the past and rich lyrical content that takes us to an ancient world of warriors.

If one was lucky enough to nab the limited edition of this album you'll be delighted to hear two instrumentals "Northern Lights" and "Anthem", the latter being the Faroese National Anthem and the first being an acoustic version of the chorus melody of The title track. Not as many bonus tracks as may be desired but all in all the album is a killer example of the bands talent and how much they have grown in the years. For any fan of Viking inspired metal or Folk metal, or even Heavy Metal this album is definitely a must have.

Two thumbs up for the best (and only) awesome Faroese band I know.

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Review @ Vinrock666

19 Januar 2010
As strong of an album Tyr’s 2009 LP release “By the Light of the Northern Star” is, the greatest characteristic isn’t from their music but rather from the broadened scope of their subject matter. Typically, a folk metal band will focus solely on their homeLand for material and inspiration. For Tyr, the covered area isn’t restricted to just Denmark and the Faroe IsLands, but also Norway, IreLand, and Sweden. These broad strokes of color mirror the songwriting approach, too, for although the arranged melodies remain authentic, they are not always the center of each song. The end result then becomes more general than specific, and those simple and straightforward blasts of heavy rhythms and basic melodies augment the aforementioned traditional material very well.

Musically, their sound is deep and robust on the low end while in the higher registers it is more crisp, clean, and polished. Because many of the songs are rhythm oriented, the solo work scattered throughout stands out prominently (“Into the Storm”, “Hear The Heathen Call”, and “Turid Torkilsdottir” to name a few). The best song on the album could be “Ride”. The Irish folk influence gives the tune a jaunty feel and the sub chorus ascends and doubles times smoothly into the very catchy refrain.

There are variances between songs, too. Some songs are original works (the two “Heathen” songs). A couple tracks are sung in the native tongue (“Turid…” and “Trondur I Gotu”). “The Northern Lights” features acoustic guitar and the appropriately named “Anthem” is an instrumental cover.

Unlike other practitioners of folk metal, what Tyr accomplishes with “By the Light of the Northern Star” is the adding of folk flavor in their music rather than strictly adhering to the original designs of folk at the expense of its metallic definition. Knowing the details of the music’s heritage isn’t required to appreciate and enjoy what is in the end very likeable material. As creative as the concept is, the metal remains true. Tyr’s “By the Light of the Northern Star” is thusly a successful work of folk metal art.

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