TYR

By the Light of the Northern Star

Napalm
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Hold the Heathen Hammer High
02. Trondur I Gotu
03. Into the Storm
04. Northern Gate
05. Turia Torkilsdottir
06. By the Sword in My Hand
07. Ride
08. Hear the Heathen Call
09. By the Light of the Northern Star


"By the Light of the Northern Star" is such a grand declaration of the melodic and, dare I say, uplifting end of Viking/Pagan metal. I just can't seem to get enough of it lately. TYR is a band that has taken its often proggy and lengthy approach to composition and condensed it into a more immediately accessible folk-based, power metal-driven, and infinitely catchy style that retains that uniquely Faeroese touch.

I might have skipped right past this album if it weren't for my good fortune to catch the band's headlining spot on the Pagan Knights tour, a performance that blew me away. Prior to that time I'd only given TYR's discography a cursory listen, paying far more attention to the live renditions from those albums during that evening's raucous set. Even from listening to the unveiling of new track "Hold the Heathen Hammer High" compared to the older material it became obvious that the band had developed a songwriting approach that is, in some ways, more firmly rooted in the heavy metal tradition and incredibly tuneful. On "By the Light of the Northern Star" you've got an album's worth of melodious compositions that are stoutly built, full of mid-paced driving rhythms, fantastic lead guitar playing, and stunning vocal performances, whether sung in English or Faeroese.

Pagan/folk melodies aside, this is an album of shining heavy metal anthems, beginning with "Hold the Heathen Hammer High", a hands-down classic with a quick, precision chorus that is so dangerously addictive that an intervention organized by your closest friends may be necessary. "By the Sword in my Hand" has that same kind of triumphant chorus; TYR can pull off this kind of fist-pumping, drunken bar patron thing without it seeming cheesy or insincere. Interestingly enough, the music of said song is credited in the booklet as being penned by guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen, followed by a notation of "Swedish/Finnish traditional melody." You'll find similar notation in the writing credits for songs like "Ride" (Faeroese and Irish) and "Into the Storm" (Faeroese and Norwegian).

The two tracks with lyrics in Faeroese, "Trondur I Gotu" and "Turid Torkilsdottir", feature soaring choruses that transcend the language barrier. The former is more of an upbeat number with a Faeroese traditional melody and lyrics "loosely based on the Faeroese ballad 'Geyti Aslaksson'," while the more subdued "Turid Torkilsdottir" comes with sections of acapella singing that are breathtakingly beautiful.

There isn't a bad apple in the bushel, although the last three cuts — "Ride", "Hear the Heathen Call", and the title track — don't quite reach the same heights as the first six, yet are good nonetheless. Subjective quality categorization notwithstanding, each of the nine songs on "By the Light of the Northern Star" has a story to tell and a kind of heavy metal spirituality that is both refreshing and energizing. Where I had once been merely convinced, I am now wholly converted. Let's hear it for pagan pride!

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).