Tyr - By the Light of the Northern Star (2009) Limited Edition

Tyr - By the Light of the Northern Star

While on their innumerable raiding and pillaging voyages, the Vikings must have picked up two vital skills: the ability to come up with an eternity’s worth of tasteless war lyrics, and the skill to continually write delectable metal until no one really cares about the lyrics anymore. Like a clean-vocals incarnation of Amon Amarth, Faroese band Tyr have cranked out another Viking power metal record, and for the life of me I can’t stop listening.

Even past the laughable lyrics about swords, war, and heathenism, Tyr still embody stereotypical Viking metal. These Faroese go shirtless, braid each other’s beards, and wear leather armor. But from the hooky power metal of “Ride” to the beer-chanting of “Tróndur �* Gøtu,” By the Light of the Northern Star is just ridiculously entertaining. The vocals (especially the omnipresent gang vocals) can verge on pretentious, but it’s all for the sake of good fun…and beer. On “Hold the Heathen Hammer High” the riffage topped by the slurring gang vocals is more fun than an ale-soaked beard, and Korpiklaani would be proud of the battle cry “By the Sword In My Hand” and the epic “Into the Storm”. Both the guitar-backed religious chorale of “Turið Torkilsdóttir” and the title track are epically beautiful. Even the solos are excellent.

The music may be simple, there’s no over-technical guitar wankery or keyboards, but that also means that the album is gimmick-free and completely true to form. Tyr veer from the heavy (“By the Sword In My Hand”) to the melodic (“Turið Torkilsdóttir”), but every song is full of mead-driven spirit and incredibly catchy hooks. No grand awards will be given to By the Light of the Northern Star, but fortune prick me if it isn’t a longboat-load of awesome.

“By the sword in my hand, I will conquer the land. I will decimate and decapitate those who question the sword in my hand!”

copas from http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/32104/Tyr-By-the-Light-of-the-Northern-Star/

Tracklist:
01. Hold the Heathen Hammer High
02. Tróndur í Gøtu
03. Into the Storm
04. Northern Gate
05. Turið Torkilsdóttir
06. By the Sword in My Hand
07. Ride
08. Hear the Heathen Call
09. By the Light of the Northern Star
10. The Northern Lights (Bonus Track)
11. Anthem (Bonus Track)

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