It probably won’t happen this year or next, but when the time comes to ultimately separate the wheat from the chaff for the now very swollen pagan/folk metal scene, one has to think Týr will be one of the few to remain standing. Really, who in the aforementioned realm does what Týr does? It’s pretty freakin’ easy to plop down some quick, hokey numbers with the rudimentary folk metal instruments, but Týr are the real deal
– they don’t need no stinkin’ gimmicks.
And so here comes Land, the follow-up to 2006’s killer Ragnarok. For Heri Joensen and co., there is little deviating from the course, as Land sees Týr plotting relatively the same classic metal course (especially in the vocal department), backed by their renown usage of folklore from their native Faroese Islands.
The bulk of Land is sung in the band’s native tongue, adding the genuin flavor of the album. The swift, head-nodding “Gatu Rima” ranks among the band’s most catchy cuts, especially when the plodding main riff kicks in. Land does feature more sing-a-long numbers, namely in the form of “Brennivin” and “Fipan Fagra,” two numbers that practically beg for a mass of townsfolk (or whoever happens to be in town) to join in and sing along.
If there was a downside to Land, it would be the absence of a truly colossal epic number like “Brothers Bane” or “Odin’s Ride To Hel,” two bookends ofRagnarok. The only song that comes close is “Valkyrjan,” a slowly building number that eventually capsizes in Týr’s ever-efficient use of melody.
Týr may not be the one’s to kickstart this movement, but there is no band as versatile and memorable. Land falls slightly short of Ragnarok, but that’s ok – said album is the pillar of modern pagan folk metal, so Land can be its support system.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)