Renowned Faroese folk metallers Tyr return in 2019 with a new album entitled ‘Hel’. Due for release on the 8th of March, the bands eighth full length release, is promised to be a collection of ruthlessly melodic an tantalizing collection of progressive folk metal that is said drop heavy nods towards their 2005 release ‘Ragnarok’.
In addition to being the first release since 2013’s balladic ‘Valkyrja’, ‘Hel’ will also mark the recording debut of drummer Tadeusz Rieckmann who has manned the throne since the departure of Amon Djurhuus under amicable terms in 2016. Noting the addition of Rieckmann to the Tyr party, front man Henri Joensen told of the bands struggle to find the perfect replacement for drumming duty commenting that,
‘We had some problems finding the right guy some years back, but Tadeusz is the man for the job … He's a very technically able drummer, but at the same time, he has a very natural old-school heaviness to his style, and he plays with deep emotion, which is just what we need.’
Careful to not ruin the listeners experience of the album’s content, Joensen hasn’t revealed many details about the specifics of ‘Hel’s’ lyrical direction yet has explained that the album is informed by a combination of mythology, personal experience and objective observations of current events to make for a multifaceted experience with the potential to be understood and processed on multiple levels. Of the albums title, Joensen explained that going into this album with an atmosphere rather than fully fleshed out concept he gravitated towards the idea of Hel. And for those who may be a bit rusty on their Norse, the band provide a brief explanation in that ‘Hel is the realm of death in Norse mythology, the underworld where those who die a natural death, not in battle, go. A bit confusingly, it is also the name of the goddess who rules over the same realm. She's the daughter of Loki and a terrifying creature to look upon’.
In anticipation of the long-awaited full length, Tyr have unveiled a new single entitled ‘Sunset Shore’. Shot by Mihaszna Film in the picturesque landscapes of the Julian alps in Slovenia and the caves of Szent-István, the band comment that ‘in early January, immediately after spending our holidays in the Faroes, Gunnar and I traveled to Hungary to our bandmates, Tadeusz and Attila, in Budapest. Finally it was time to shoot another video, our first since 2014, and we're very happy to present this one to you!’
Be sure to catch the video below and support your Faroese folk heroes on the 8th of March.