ERIC THE RED

The second album from Tyr takes up the thread from the debut album and expands it in all directions. The artwork tells me this is Viking Metal. That is partly wrong. This album has everything and that it's major flaw.

The first two tracks are good medium hard viking metal. It is nowhere as hard as Enslaved, the kings of this genre. In fact; Tyr cannot be compared to Enslaved at all. Tyr is nowhere as hard as Enslaved. Tyr is based on folk rock and heavy metal. And as I also found out on this album; indie rock.

The first two tracks The Edge and Regin Smiður are good folk rock based metal anthems. Then the album branches out in all directions. German heavy metal and indie rock. Parts of this album sounds like Paradise Lost in their indie rock days. The quality drops to the ocean floor and so does my interest in this album. This album is so varied that I more than once has actually had to investigate if I have got a faulty CD from Amazon. But reviews on other websites has confirmed my worst fears that there is indeed nothing wrong with the CD. The indie rock that fills my ears is actually from this album.

The quality is not good. This album is also too diverse and difficult to follow through to the end. The first two songs are great. The rest is a major let down. Tyr is a better band than this ?

2 stars

Viking Metal with a Twist

Týr is definitely an interesting band, and their second outing, Eric the Red is definitely an interesting album. While at its heart and soul this is a Viking metal album, Týr isn't comfortable with being just that. They incorporate power metal, prog, and traditional folk music influences into a traditional Viking metal sound. The result is something fresh and new, albeit somewhat lacking in consistency and coherence. Still, Viking metal is one of those genres that can either be really great or really cheesy. While Týr isn't up there with the greats, they are one of the few bands in the middle.

Eric the Red is a pretty good album if you like Viking metal mixed with power metal, folk music, and some minor prog influences. I can't say that I'm a particularly big fan of all these genres, but Týr combines these styles in an often seamless and accessible way, something that I applaud the band for doing. Not many bands can create a truly unique sound without being extremely incoherent and all over the place, and although Týr could use some improvement, they are generally consistent. Compositionally, Eric the Red is lacking a bit, and that's why my excitement with this album is somewhat stifled. Although their sound is developed and professional, many of the songs are surprisingly weak. They can simply become too trivial and boring, especially by the end of the album.

Eric The Red consists of 10 tracks and has a 60:16 playing time, which is much too long for this type of music. If you have the 2006 Napalm Records re-release (like I do), you get 2 bonus tracks (which are completely unnecessary) and the album has a ridiculous 70:31 playing time. The bonus tracks aren't very good, so I don't recommend wasting your time searching for the re-release. The album is extremely frontloaded, and all of the memorable tracks are at the front. The first two songs (The Edge and Regin Smiður) are superb, 4 star material, but from there the album progressively takes a downhill dive. By the end of the album all the songs sound the same and become extremely trivial. Not all of the songs are bad, but the album is just too long for its own good. If this were 35-40 minutes, and contained songs on par with the first two songs I would be much more enthusiastic.

Týr is a tight playing, talented unit. These guys are simply a joy to listen to, and I have no complaints in terms of musicianship.

The production is fantastic. Everything sounds clear and audible, without being so polished that there is no emotion or power. The production has a "punch", is clean, and is powerful, so there's nothing more I could ask from a metal album.

Conclusion:

Eric the Red is a good album, and comes recommended to people who like folk/viking metal with progressive and power metal influences. This is a flawed album compositionally, but I rarely give an album with great production, tight musicians, and an original sound less than 3 stars, and I won't make an exception here.

Eric the Red was the founder of the first settlement of Greenland. Týr's second album of the same name is their first of very decent quality and a good introduction to Týr's music.

Týr now incorporates more folk within their music. Instead of choosing to let exotic instrumentation add flavor to their music, Týr focuses on playing traditional Faroese song structures within a heavy metal framework. The result is a very melodic progressive metal album.

The production of Eric The Red has taken a huge step forward. As for songwriting, this album is uneven. It is one of those records were you want to skip a song in order to hear the next track. Some songs are great, like The Edge, Regin Smiður, Ólavur Riddararós and my favorite Týr song "Ramund Hin Unge". Sometimes the rest of the album seems a bit unfocused, but it is never a real issue as there is no bad song to be found. As musicians, Týr has grown a lot. Henri Joensen has taken over vocal duties and his voice sounds a lot stronger than his predecessor. Joensen en Skibenæs really stick out as guitar players, playing solos with great ease.

With Eric the Red, Týr has taken a huge step forward. Even though Eric The Red is uneven and some songs lack a progressive approach, there are some true gems to be found on this record. If you like the concept of vikings but are tired of the genre's lack of creativity or if you don't like growling, you will not be disappointed.