Faroe Islands-based Viking metal icons Týr unleash their latest single and accompanying video for “Hammered.” The track comes by way of the group’s ninth full-length studio album, “Battle Ballads”, set for release on April 12th via Metal Blade Records!
When Týr teamed up with the Symphony Orchestra of the Faroe Islands on February 8th, 2020, to record the double-disc/DVD release A Night At The Nordic House, founding frontman Heri Joensen was thrilled to bring together two of the music forms he loves most – folk and classical – into his band’s unorthodox form of music. But at the time, he couldn’t have imagined what a profound impact the collaboration would have on his musical vision, and how much it would influence and inform the album he would write a few years later.
“There’s a reason classical music is called classical,” Joensen says. “It’s the classical way of doing it. And it creates these epic sounds that fit in perfectly with the kind of metal we do in Týr. So, there’s full orchestration on all of the new songs.”
With “Battle Ballads”, Týr has crafted an album that resounds with their trademark Viking metal sound – a crushing, soaring, batch of classical embellished songs that conjure images of galloping steeds, clashing swords, and hard-fought victories. At the same time, the band has experimented with new writing styles and musical techniques and created songs that are structurally simpler, yet musically more variegated. For Joensen, it’s a clear illustration of how he plans to continue exploring different approaches in the future while staying true to the spirit of thunderous Viking metal.
“We consciously decided to make this a more direct album with songs that are easier for listeners to get right away than some of the stuff on our last album, or maybe even on our 2006 album Ragnarok, which was very progressive,” says Joensen. “With Battle Ballads, there are progressive elements here and there, but we tried to keep the songs based on one or two musical ideas each, and work on everything from there. So, in a way, it’s more concise than our last album, but it’s more epic because of the symphonic elements.”
There’s no escaping the masterful blend of melody and savagery on “Battle Ballads” straight from album opener and latest single, “Hammered,” which funnels infectious riffs and searing licks through a variety of rhythm and tempo changes.
Joensen comments:
“The song begins with the hammering of metal against metal, forging, then melodic riffing over a simple but classical chord progression that evolves throughout the song. Driving drums, heavy metal over a symphonic soundscape. An adventurous backdrop to the forging of weapons of war, blades of battle. This used to be in the past but now it’s here with a fast-paced singalong chorus. Thoughts on the apparent inevitability of war and our reaction to it. Balancing our enthusiasm against our defeatism.”
As much as Týr would have liked to write, rehearse, and record with a symphony, schedule conflicts made it impossible to have the band and classical musicians to be in the same place at the same time. So the band did the next best thing. With Joensen at the helm, they wrote ten thunderous songs for “Battle Ballads”, then the bandleader sent the compositions to a Danish colleague Lars Winther living in England, who added the orchestral samples, paying close attention to the tone and tempo of the songs so the violins, violas, cellos, woodwinds, and horns fit complimented the traditional rock instruments. When the samples were all in place the album sounded impressive, but the tones weren’t perfectly blended. So, Týr sent the album to veteran producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amaranthe) in Denmark to put together the final mix.
In celebration of the release of “Battle Ballads”, Týr will return to North American stages this Spring for The Battle Ballads headlining tour. The tour will commence on March 28th in Baltimore, Maryland and make its way through over two dozen cities, coming to a close on April 26th in Greensboro, North Carolina. Support will be provided by Trollfest, Æther Realm, and The Dread Crew Of Oddwood. The tour marks Týr’s first North American run since 2019. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
Photo by Gaui H
