Metal Blade - 2013
Folk/power metallers Tyr have released their seventh album, Valkyrja, to their broadest audience yet. Their first release for Metal Blade Records, it seems the band has finally the audience they deserve at precisely the right moment. Valkyrja is easily their best work to date.
Valkyrja sees the band going further in the direction of the previous few albums, with an uplifting mix of folk influences and guitar-driven power metal with Heri Joensen's charismatic vocals. If anything, the band has continued to hone their craft, making the riffs more memorable and the choruses even more sing-along friendly. Valkyrja is also a concept album that tells the tale of a Viking warrior who leaves his home in order to impress the Valkyrie on the battlefield so he may be brought to Valhalla.
Honestly, it's hard to think of an album that is as catchy as this in 2013. The first three tracks ("Blood of Heroes", "Mare of My Night", and "Hel Hath No Fury") set the tone for the catchy choruses and uptempo riffs that are almost as catchy as the lyrics. "The Lay of Our Love" slows things down and features a duet with Leaves Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine with thankfully avoids the cheesiness that could have been and works surprisingly well. "Grindavisan" has an almost religious/church-like quality to the chorus that stands out as one of the more unique moments of the album. Of course, the two covers of Iron Maiden's "Where Eagles Dare" and Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" deserve a mention in their ability to stay true to the source material while giving enough of a Tyr vibe that they don't feel out of place. Probably my favorite of the bunch is "Lady of the Slain", with it's crunchy opening guitar melody and epic chorus. I feel it should become a live staple for the band.
There's really not much to find fault with here. Tyr continues to improve with age and if you for some reason have yet to check them out, this is the perfect opportunity! Any fan of folk metal or power metal won't find much better this year.
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