Valkyrja - Tyr

Valkyrja is the latest album from Tyr.  For those unfamiliar with Tyr, the band is named after the Norse god of war.  The members are all Norse Heathens from the Faroe Islands, and they are very proud of their heritage and religion.  Their beliefs come through very clearly in some cases ("Hold the Heathen Hammer High" and "By The Sword In My Hand" from By The Light of the Northern Star) and less subtly in many other cases, but it is always an underlying theme.  As a Heathen myself, I find this band particularly fascinating.  I can relate to the lyrics in a very meaningful way, but by and large I think they appeal most to Heathens because the content is solidly based in the few records we have left from the original Heathens.  Norse Heathenry (also called Asatru - literally translated "faith in the Aesir") is relatively uncommon where I live, but when I went to see Tyr live (one of the best shows I've ever seen), there were at least 150 other Heathens there.  Super cool!  Tyr is a metal band, but with the religious undertones, one could sort of compare it to Christian heavy metal.  Tyr is way cooler (and better) than any Christian metal band I've ever heard, but I guess that's beside the point.

Back story aside, this whole album is fantastic.  The music is melodic while being appropriately heavy at the right times.  The vocals are clear and I really like Heri's voice.  It has the perfect tone and range for the type of music that they play.  There is no filler on Valkyrja.  Every song carries the theme of the album while being varied enough that the listener never gets bored and is left wanting more.  This album is actually a story being told.  The album is about a warrior who is called to battle and torn from the ones he loves (check out the video for "The Lay of Our Love").  He dies in battle and is carried away by a Valkyrie to be selected by either Freya or Odin to serve in their halls until Ragnarok (the end of the world to Heathens).  I can't think of a better word than amazing to describe Valkyrja.  As a bonus, the deluxe version includes a couple covers.  One of them is a cover of "Cemetery Gates" by Pantera, and it is remarkable.  It is highly recommended that you listen to this album beginning to end. The story is engrossing and compelling, and the music is beatiful and heavy.  An amazing mix!  Highly recommended for fans of metal, Norse Heathenry, and fantastic music!