Faroe Islands-based Viking metallers TÝR unveil their latest single, “Dragons Never Die.” The track comes by way of the band’s stunning ninth full-length studio album, Battle Ballads, set for release on April 12th via Metal Blade Records!
Once crowned, “powerful, heroic and memorable,” by New Noise and lauded by Exclaim for, “expertly balancing power and death metal” and perfecting, “the Viking metal formula,” with Battle Ballads, TÝR has crafted an album that resounds with their trademark Viking metal sound — a crushing, soaring, batch of classical embellished songs that conjure images of galloping steeds, clashing swords, and hard-fought victories. At the same time, the band has experimented with new writing styles and musical techniques and created songs that are structurally simpler, yet musically more variegated. For founding frontman Heri Joensen, it’s a clear illustration of how he plans to continue exploring different approaches in the future while staying true to the spirit of thunderous Viking metal.
“We consciously decided to make this a more direct album with songs that are easier for listeners to get right away than some of the stuff on our last album, or maybe even on our 2006 album Ragnarok, which was very progressive,” says Joensen. “With Battle Ballads, there are progressive elements here and there, but we tried to keep the songs based on one or two musical ideas each, and work on everything from there. So, in a way, it’s more concise than our last album, but it’s more epic because of the symphonic elements.”
There’s no escaping the masterfully meticulous blend of melody and savagery on Battle Ballads. Notes Joensen of the band’s “Dragons Never Die” single, “The song starts with a long harmonic crescendo on drums and guitar reminiscent of classical Deep Purple, then shifts an eastern inspired melodic journey back in time with wordless singalong parts, going into a rhythmically simple and stomping verse about a gold-grabbing dragon and a protagonist set on defeating it. It’s a fast and riveting chorus. The metal story progresses and culminates into a face melting solo. With the last chorus, the protagonist finds that becoming rich beyond measure just makes him the next dragon.”
As much as TÝR would have liked to write, rehearse, and record with a symphony, scheduling conflicts made it impossible. So they did the next best thing. Joensen sent the band’s ten thunderous compositions to a Danish colleague, Lars Winther, in England, who added the orchestral samples, paying close attention to the tone and tempo of the songs so the violins, violas, cellos, woodwinds, and horns complimented the traditional rock instruments. When the samples were all in place, the album sounded impressive, but the tones weren’t perfectly blended. So, TÝR sent the album to veteran producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, The Black Dahlia Murder, Amaranthe) in Denmark to put together the final mix.
In celebration of the release of Battle Ballads, TÝR will return to North American stages for The Battle Ballads headlining tour. The tour will commence tonight, March 28th, in Baltimore, Maryland and will make its way through over two dozen cities, coming to a close on April 26th in Greensboro, North Carolina. Support will be provided by Trollfest, Æther Realm, and The Dread Crew Of Oddwood. The tour marks TÝR‘s first North American run since 2019. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below. See all confirmed dates below.
TÝR w/ Trollfest, Æther Realm, The Dread Crew Of Oddwood:
3/28/2024 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
3/29/2024 Gramercy Theater – New York, NY
3/30/2024 Middle East Downstairs – Boston, MA
3/31/2024 La Source De La Martinière – Quebec City, QC
4/01/2024 Studio TD – Montreal, QC
4/02/2024 Brass Monkey – Ottawa, ON
4/03/2024 Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON
4/04/2024 The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
4/05/2024 Reggies – Chicago, IL
4/06/2024 Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN
4/07/2024 Park Theater – Winnipeg. MB
4/08/2024 The Exchange – Regina, SK
4/09/2024 Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB
4/10/2024 Dickens – Calgary, AB
4/12/2024 The Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC
4/13/2024 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
4/14/2024 Bossanova Ballroom – Portland, OR
4/15/2024 Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA
4/16/2024 1720 – Los Angeles, CA
4/17/2024 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
4/18/2024 Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ
4/19/2024 Rockhouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX
4/20/2024 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
4/21/2024 The Granada – Dallas, TX
4/22/2024 White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
4/24/2024 Conduit – Orlando, FL
4/25/2024 The Masquerade (Hell) – Atlanta, GA
4/26/2024 Hangar 1819 – Greensboro, NC
TÝR:
Heri Joensen – vocal, guitar
Hans Hammer – guitar
Gunnar Helmer “Gunz” Thomsen – bass
Tadeusz “Tad” Rieckmann – drums
More Info:
https://tyr.fo
https://www.facebook.com/tyrband
https://www.instagram.com/tyr_official
https://twitter.com/tyrband
