týr – by the light of the northern star (2009)

i was looking for an album that would give me the chance to be “mean”, without venturing too far from “my” genres? well, týr‘s by the light of the northern star gives me such an opportunity.
but let’s be honest from the start. this is by no means a bad album. moreover, many týr lovers out there will likely salute it with joy (and some genuine viking pride, of course). the thing is, it sounds exactly like the previous two. which again isn’t really bad news, especially if you already like these faroese guys’ style. but it’s also a fact that their own “proggish” way to viking metal is not easy to get immediately used to. there actually couldn’t be anything farther from the folky approach most viking bands adopt. and forget about the black background, too. the basis to týr‘s music is definitely rooted elsewhere.
this time they opted for nine average-long tracks, making up 43 minutes of good, yet not astounding, music. the album’s worth a listen, and all the choruses do possess that certain power to make you rock along that many of us don’t mind anyway. it would be fussy to note that “tróndur í gøtu” and “turi torkilsdóttir” are sung in faroese, which adds a little bit to the otherwise kind of lost folk mood of the whole thing. guitar and drums still blend quite perfectly, and as a result make the listening pretty much enjoyable.
but pointing out but a couple of very good songs? that comes out hard. in my personal opinion, “hold the heaten hammer high” (pretty allitteration, isn’t it? can’t but remind us of those awesome ancient melodic poems of the viking tradition…) has something that sets it apart from the rest – it’s simply catchier.
the fussier fans will find something more or less to this album than in the previous ones. so where’s the truth? have they evolved? not quite. did they need to? neither. i believe they’re still on the same trail as in ragnarok and land. which is good. just not something i would play on and on again, but definitely capable of keeping me some vikingish kind of company when i’m the right mood.
i can’t seem to talk either too good or too bad of this album, and that probably goes with having had no expectations about it, which always leads to feeling neither pleased nor displeased. or, to put it differently, by the light of the northern star is exactly what i expected from týr: hammering yet “clean” drumming, cadenced rhythms and “plain” riffs to go along with power choirs and an ever-present echo of their trademark sound. by the light of the northern star is by all means typically týr, which is why it’s good but, at the same time, nothing more than good.

thus spake the cennsor: 7/10

turisas – the varangian way (2007)

apparently, i find it easier to review albums i adore and enjoy listening to multiple times. understandable, you’ll say. yeah but, downside: negative reviews will appear only once in a while. so while i try to attain a balance that may just boost me up to the sacred elite of true reviewers (now that would be quite a feat, would it not?), let’s keep up my recent penchant for symphonic epic (metal) music.
another gem in the genre’s chest is without doubt turisas‘ the varangian way. these finns have put out two very fine full lenghts so far, plus a single and – as far as i know – a demo dating back to a couple of years ago. the varangian way is their second and latest FL. it’s very much in the same vein as their previous album, battle metal, and it’s actually hard for me to pick a favourite – not that i have to, of course.
to be precise, what turisas play can more righteously be labelled as viking metal. but if the definition is to evoke tachycardiac drumming of the black metal sorts to you, you’d better forget about it. rather try and imagine a mixture of folky viking-themed tunes and symphonic, epic-sounding arrangements. now, the guys don’t falter when it comes to give it all a spicy acceleration (“in the court of jarisleif” being a nice example of a speeded-up folk-based tune), but what pleases the ear is, above all, said mixture. they rarely miss a chance to combine folky melodies (which you can find, alone,  anywhere in the region of folk metal bands) with powerful, fitting keyboard chords to keep the mood epic-oriented and the attention high.
as to the lyrical themes, suffice it to say here they deal (surprise, surprise) with viking voyages, ramblings and explorations, all told in a solemn tone – very catchy in my opinion. choirs as the one to be found by the end of  “five hundred and one”, or the one by the start of “the dnieper rapids”, both so well sung and backed up by the ever-present keys and battering drums, can’t really be tagged as anything but catchy.
my personal highlights will have to be the utterly epic opener, “to holmgard and beyond”, whose majestic flavour is hinted back at by the closer, curiously called “miklagard overture“, and the short, rather aggressive “cursed be iron”. the first two are a good sum of the whole album’s characteristics, binding bombastic rhythms with epic melodies – leading to an awesome symphonic mix which steadily keeps the album together.
let me once again stress on the symphonic result of this mix; the blending will sound perfect to those who like metal with a plurality of voices, where neither melody is left behind in favour of the heavy side, nor the other way round.
what the varangian way represents is an intelligent (let me even say: non-cliché) interpretation of the viking epic tales told through music. a nice proof you don’t have to sound as black or doomy as possible to deal with it; another (symphonic) way is possible, and that’s right the one turisas tread.

thus spake the cennsor: 8/10