For anyone who has ever heard a viking metal band and thought, 'Ooh, they can rape and pillage my village any day!' and then immediately thought, 'Oh, I need help' needn't worry - they are not alone. Anybody listening to Faroese metal giants TYR understands that this is not just a bunch of hairy men exposing their broadswords and noisily invading someone’s land. This is Viking metal that displays its rich heritage with pride.

Opener, ‘Gankvædi Tródar’, is more of a poem than a song. Vocalist Heri Joensen sounds like an impassioned patriot vowing to either protect his land or invade someone else’s. ‘Sinklars Vísa’, a song based on a true story about Scottish mercenaries killed when disturbing the peace in Norway, showcases time-honoured vocals enhanced beautifully by the tentative shyness of the instruments, like Vikings have just discovered a guitar, a bass and a drum kit in the ice. ‘Ocean’ is slow, sluggish and rhythmic, like hours spent at sea rowing a long boat. ‘Land’, an epic and heroic piece, flies the flag for catchy riffs. The mad speech in the middle is reminiscent of a warlord whipping his men in to a savage frenzy before a raid and the sound of the lapping waves is not a reminder of land so much as it presents the possibilities of what is beyond it.

There is a feeling that this idea of reaching out for something more, something beyond what is directly before your eyes, was driving the making of this album. It really does immerse the listener in to the world the music paints – the smell of crackling fires is palpable. It is a fine example of how traditional music can be used to great effect in heavy metal and give life to the past through a genre that seems to be the perfect vessel to bear it. Wield those broadswords proudly!

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