Lista de Bandas Folk Metal Týr (DK) Valkyrja

I'm still floored by the revelation that this is Tyr's seventh studio album! And, like will all their material, it is another step in their journey of musical dominance. How Far to Asgaard was very progressive and new, Eric the Red went for a more folksy sound, Ragnarok was epic and doomy, Land was even bigger and more folksy, By the Light of the Northern Star went with lyrical content not unfamiliar in many other folk or even black metal bands, and The Lay of Thrym was Tyr's attempt at Manowar-style power metal. What does Valkyrja offer?

Well, apart from being another concept album (I was not afraid, since they could accomplish those so well, Ragnarok being the example), it feels very much like a "traditional" heavy metal album, a la the 80s style of metal. From the first riff of "Blood of Heroes", there's a kind of feeling of Iron Maiden in those stock Amon Amarth octave riffs which feels a lot less folksy than their previous efforts. Perhaps that is a good thing, that the opener is so different, to grab your attention and shock you into realizing that this Tyr just might have something more in store than the usual.

Which brings us to the second track, "Mare of My Night". It's a brain-fuck if ever there were one, and rather shocking for Tyr. The song is about a mare (night-Demon in Norse lore) "riding" the hero, but the lyrical content views the hero watching in horror as his love turns into a mare and proceeds to ride him. It deserves recognition for being just so damn odd and mind-fucking. Give it a listen!

If I could write a track-by-track, I'd make mention of the next two tracks, one of which feels a lot more like classic Tyr with that danceable melody and the other being the ballad featuring Liv Kristine of Leaves Eyes providing guest vocals. Another two tracks for consideration are "Another Fallen Brother" and "Lady of the Slain". The one successfully merges the traditional heavy metal feel with some fun chants that wouldn't have been out of place on The Lay of Thrym. The other is very thrashy, with quick riffs and shredding solos. Like the previous albums, this one has covers on it. The first is an Iron Maiden song, done rather stock, but the other is, of all things, Pantera! While this is hardly expected, it becomes more understood when you see that it's "Cemetery Gates" and realized what Heri was trying to pound into your heads (literally) with By the Light of the Northern Star. It concludes with him reaching some unheard of, almost Halford-esque, high notes.

The only major difference is the presence of Nile's drummer George Kollias, with his rather unassuming name amidst such Nordic sounding names like Heri, Terji and Gunnar. But nevertheless, he does a stellar job and the album is another strong point in Tyr's legacy (despite "Into the Sky" not being as majestic as "Rage of the Skullgaffer", which I had expected from such a title). Yes, the "stock Amon Amarth-style octave riffs" can get annoying after a while, but Valkyrja, the next stage of Tyr's progression, is not weakened by them but powered. I'm hopeful that, whenever they decide to make new music, it could go anywhere from here.