Come Cover Me: Lyriel's "The Star of the County Down"

Last week German folk metal band, a band I have long been a big fan of, released their fourth album.  I've had a listen and I think it's excellent and shows a really different side of the band and of Jessica's voice.  One of the bonus tracks is a cover of the Irish folk song "Star of the County Down."  I love that song!

My favourite version has been done my my favouritest musician ever, Loreena McKennitt, and it appears on her The Wind That Shakes the Barley CD.  Here it is:

Loreena can do no wrong in my world!

And here is Lyriel's metal version.  It's fantastic.  Take a listen:

I love how fast it is, I love how edgy is is, I love how you can headbang to it.  Great job, Lyriel!

New Lyriel Sample

I don't know if anyone else out there is excited about the new Lyriel CD, Leverage, slated for release Feb. 24, but I sure am.  Today, the band released a sample for one of their new songs, and it's called "White Lily."

You can listen here.

I like it!

New Wintersun song "The Way of the Fire" live at Metalcamp 2011

This is a bootleg video of a live performance featuring the new Wintersun song "The Way of the Fire" from their upcoming album Time. For a while, fans of Wintersun like myself have been waiting for the new album for quite some time, but this video, which was uploaded yesterday, is the first time I heard a full song off the new album anywhere. Though the sound quality isn't the greatest since it was recorded on a camcorder and not with pro audio equipment, you can still tell that this is a great song, particularly @ 3:16 with an awesome interlude and @ 6:58 with a great guitar solo by the one and only Jari Mäenpää. This video gives me hope that the new album should be released sooner than later. Let's all hope so!

CD Review: Týr's Lay of Thrym

Týr is:

Heri Joensen – vocals, guitar
Terji Skibenæs – guitar
Gunnar H. Thomsen – bass
Kári Streymoy – drums

Like Ensiferum, Týr is one of my favorite folk metal bands. Awaiting this new release has me on the edge of my seat because I have always been such a big fan of this band’s music since I first started listening to them! What separates them from other metal groups is their uniqueness in both style and flare. They do not even have a keyboarder and they still sound great without one too and of course in their genre, it is unique to not have a keyboardist. Also Heri Joensen’s vocals are great as well, so unique that no one can even come close to his abilities!

So the question remains; will this be another great release by Týr? As of late, Týr has been making their songs faster and more upbeat than what they did in their earlier releases. Of course as I always mention, every band evolves and never wants to stay the same so that bands can stay fresh sounding. Well let’s dive into this album with my traditional song by song review of The Lay of Thrym.

Here is my rating system revised for both songs and albums:
6/5 = Classic/Perfect
5/5 = Outstanding/ Near perfect
4.5/5 = Amazing/Excellent
4/5 = Great/ Worthy material
3.5/5 = Above average/ Good work
3/5 = Average/ Kind of bland
2.5/5 = Sub par/ Bland
2/5 = Poor/ Rushed
1.5/5 = Awful/ Garbage
1.0/5= Pathetic/ Worthless
0/5 = Abomination/AutoTuned crap

1. “Flames of the Free”: No question that this is a fun and catchy metal song. Fast paced and furious, this song is a great opener and is sure to impress many! This is very power metal sounding, only with that flare that Týr provides. Laying down some impressive vocals from Heri Joensen as well as catchy riffs, this is a great way to open the album! (4/5)

2. “Shadow of the Swastika”: Without a doubt, my favorite song on the album. This song, judging by what I heard and by the lyrics, is a retaliation to certain groups of people in which Heri says “kiss my Scandinavian ass”. That is amazing and this is indeed the most angry song this band has ever composed! The first verse is about the German organizations accusing Týr (and bands like them) that they are a band who promotes Nazism and racism through ancient symbols of Scandinavian mythology. The second verse is a total bashing of Nazism and racism in general! So wow, I had no idea that Týr was capable of writing something so angry! This is a great song and one of my favorites by this band! (5/5)

3. “Take Your Tyrant”: Another upbeat song with a very typical Týr riff to begin the song with some very bombastic vocals from Joensen yelling TAKE YOUR TYRANT! Indeed a fun song to get into done very well. (4/5)

4. “Evening Star”: A slower, more ballad feel than the first three songs. I really like the lyrics in this song as it adds so much emotion in this song. I really like the faster more upbeat part of the chorus as it is very catchy indeed. A very nice solo here too. Another worthy song! (4.5/5)

5. “Hall Of Freedom”: Right away we are back into another furious song again! Damn this song is catchy! Very cool hooks and lyrics once again, and is another song worth listening to. Though not the strongest song on the album, still a great song to get your fist pumping to! (4/5)

6. “Fields Of The Fallen”: Judging by the beginning of this track, I would of never guessed this was a Týr song. It starts out with some traditional power chord riffing and then it erupts into a furious intro solo. There are basically no folk elements in this song which is disappointing, but this song proves that they can expand their style. The main chorus is a little repetitive I will admit but damn the guitar solos really rock on this song. (3.5/5)

7. “Konning Hans”: Ah yes, we get a song sung in Danish! Very cool! Unlike the previous songs, this one is done more in their traditional style; slower with more progressive elements. Great vocal melodies with plenty of folk elements throughout make this a great track indeed! (4.5/5)

8. “Ellindur Bondi A Jadri”: Now that we got a song in Danish, this one is in Faroese! Very nice! That is what I like about Týr. They choose to do different things and aren’t afraid to take chances! Another fast paced song with power metal elements. The solo in this song is mind-blowing as well! Very good track again with great melodies! (4/5)

9. “Nine Worlds of Lore”: The intro reminds me of the “Flames of the Free” intro. While not one of the stronger tracks on the album, it still has that cool Týr sound we all come to like. A catchy song, but not one of the better songs. (3.5/5)

10. “The Lay of Thrym”: The title track as well as the most complex and longest song on the album! A very good intro followed by an ass-kicking lead into some serious folk metal fury! Once again the power metal elements are present and Joensen once again lays down some impressive vocal tracks. The guitar riffs and harmonies are very well put together as well! Definitely worth a listen! (4.5/5)

The next two tracks are bonus tracks, but they are also covers of two Dio sung songs (perhaps in memory of his life.. RIP Dio). So I am just going to compare both versions and give the one I liked better!

11. “I” (Black Sabbath cover): This is honestly a very good cover of this song as I know that Týr could do no doubt! Dio is a tough act to follow of course, but Joensen is a great vocalist too and he puts his heavy metal fury into this. Not as good as the original, but worth a listen for sure!

12. “Stargazers” (Rainbow cover): This is a hard song to sing and perform no doubt. When I first saw this, being that this is my favorite Rainbow song, I was skeptical if Týr could actually pull this off, but they sure as hell did. Granted, the vocals by Joensen are not as good as Dio because he is a tough act to follow as I mentioned earlier. Also, Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar work and style is hard to emulate and Cozy Powell’s drumming in the beginning of the song is tough to get down too. But damn this is as good of a cover as it could be with what Týr did to it. Standing ovation for Týr, not only for covering these two Dio songs, but for paying tribute to one of the greatest vocalists of all time! I am sure Dio would be proud to hear these versions!

So that is my song by song review of The Lay of Thrym. Here are my overall thoughts:

Pros:
-Very catchy and upbeat songs throughout! Not a single dull moment!
-Great guitar melodies/solos and awesome singing by Joensen once again!
-Very cool lyrics and themes.
-Great Dio covers!

Cons:
-The songs aren’t as complex as a normal Týr album, with shorter songs and more power metal elements.
-Less folksy sounding than their previous releases.
-A few filler songs.

If you are a big fan of the style from Eric The Red, then you would be a little disappointed with this release because it is much faster and more power metal oriented than what they usually do. In my opinion, I think that this is a worthy Týr album, and unlike their older material, I think this album is certainly easier to digest for sure. I think they definitely are masters of their style and they know how to keep material fresh to listen to. I am going to give this album a horns up no doubt! \m/ Everything this band has done is nothing short of amazing. These guys continue to rock, and I know they aren’t done making quality albums. I actually recommend their whole discography including this one because these guys are certainly on top of the folk metal genre! Very impressive and I hope to hear more from these guys in the future with more great albums!
Overall rating: 4/5

Crimfall's "The Writ of Sword"

All the credit goes to Eric for finding this band and introducing me to them! I have loved Crimfall from the first listen to the first song on their debut album As the Path Unfolds... and I waited very patiently for a a couple of years for them to release a follow-up. And, in March, they did so.

Crimfall exemplifies for me the best that the viking/folk metal genre has to offer. Their stuff is big, epic, heavy as hell, atmospheric, and utterly haunting. As the Path Unfolds...was a very mature-sounding album for a debut. The music, the orchestrations, the choir - everything - was just top notch. It was impressive.

The final song on that album was a in acoustic piece called "Novembré", and The Writ of Sword picks up where As the Path Unfolds...left off, with an instrumental prologue entitled "Dicembré." It features some ominous sound effects that immediately put the listener in the setting of the album: the cold, desolate, northern landscapes of the Vikings. There is a nice echo in here of the acoustic guitar melody in "Novembré" which I thought was a good touch.

From there, we go into the completely phenominal "Storm Before the Calm", a track with a bombastic, bassy beginning with tons of balls. It's definitely one of the highlights of the album. We also hear that male lead vocalist Mikko Häkkinen has changed his style slightly from the previous album. In As the Path Unfolds..., he had a higher-pitched growl. It wasn't unlike a black metal shriek, but not quite. In The Writ of Sword, he's growling more like you're used to hearing in death metal. I'm not the biggest fan of growling, as you might know, but it works for me with Crimfall. Maybe because it's well-balanced with the powerful, bright vocals of female lead Helena Haaparanta, who remains to this day, in my opinion, one of the most underrated female vocalists in metal.

Anyway, at almost 6 minutes in length and with a ton of stuff going on in it, "Storm Before the Calm" demonstrates once more how adept they are at creating complex, progressive tunes.

The third track, "Frost Upon Their Graves", was released for streaming before the CD on the band's MySpace page, and once again, Helena shows her vocal prowess with a folky vocal intro akin to what she did in "Wildfire Season" from As the Path Unfolds...

These two first vocal pieces set the stage for the power, complexity, and outstanding song-writing this album contains. It doesn't let up. Lyrically, these songs form quite the chilly, moody, and desolate narrative, and to add to the atmosphere there are lots of sound effects like the clashing of swords and battle cries, for instance, that add to the overall soundtrack-ish quality to the CD. Additionally, the folk elements, like the cello, violin, accordion, and harp all contribute towards making The Writ of Sword sweeping and theatrical. Of the 9 tracks, a full 3 are instrumental. "Geađgái" is amazing, pure and simple.

Can you tell that I love it?

I do have a couple of faily minor critiques, however. One is that there's not enough Helena! There can never be enough Helena! But in all seriousness, my perception even after many listens is that there is less of her on this CD than there was on the last one.

The other kind of negative but, admittedly, nitpicky thing I didn't like was the font the lyrics andcredits are printed in in the CD booklet. First of all, the font is tiny and hard to read, but this is compounded by the fact that the print is all in one of those cool-to-look-at but totally impractical Olde English-esque typesets that can be barely legible. I had a hell of a time with it.

One interesting note: you might recognize the voice of the priest in the title track, "The Writ of Sword." It's Tapio Wilska, who also guest starred in two tracks on Nightwish's Oceanborn's "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and "Pharaoh Sails to Orion," and in "10th man Down."

All in all, awesome release from Crimfall, and I hope with their new record deal with Spinefarm Records that they'll get a lot more exposure. Horns up! \m/

Tyr's new album release date revealed

Folk metal band Tyr just announced the release of their new album on May 27th, 2011. Here is the article confirming the date. All hail Tyr! \m/

Here is a clip of Tyr showing off some solos off the new album:

"Yarilo" by Arkona

If you're into pagan folk metal kind of stuff, which I am, you might like the Russian group Arkona (Аркона). I think I found them through Eric, if I'm not mistaken, and even though there is a language barrier, I really enjoyed their most recent album, Goi, Rode, Goi!!!. They have a new video out for their song "Yarilo" that I thought I'd share here. I don't really know much about these guys, but I was really surprised when the female lead singer, Masha, started in on the growling! I love it, even though I'm not a huge fan of growling. Here is sounds so happy, though!

Leaves' Eyes' New Video

It's "Take the Devil in Me."

I really like these videos that show the band behind the scenes and just acting natural, hanging out, and having a good time.

Leaves' Eyes is apparently opening for Kamelot on their upcoming North American tour. I might have to see if they're coming to Vancouver or Calgary, because I'd pay the money just to see Leaves' Eyes!

Enjoy.



Edit @ 6:28pm: Well, no Leaves' Eyes for me. I just checked out Kamelot's tour schedule & the only Canadian shows they're playing are in Toronto & Montreal. How typical!

Another Crimfall Update...

Here is part two of Crimfall's studio diary, released on August 13.



Many more clips of the upcoming tunes, and the more I hear, the more excited I get!

On another note, Within Temptation's new album will be out in early 2011, according to their web site. I will cross that off my list for 2010 and put it on a 2011 list, if I get around to making one!

Crimfall Update

A bit behind the ball here, as this was posted on Crimfall's site early last month, but I just found it.

In addition to Tarja's new album, one of the upcoming releases I'm most excited about is Crimfall's new CD. I fucking love this band, and judging from this video update, which features some clips of the new music, I don't think I'll be disappointed! Can't wait!

30 Day Music Challenge, Day 21: A Song I Listen to When I'm Happy

Lyriel is a German folk metal band and I totally love their Autumntales album. Although this song has some sad lyrics, I find it to be quite uplifting to listen to, especially the epic instrumental outro that starts at 2:55. That part of the song just gets me going every time I hear it!

30 Day Music Challenge, Day 09: A Song You Can Dance To

Dance? I do not dance.

Let's change this to "a song I can headbang to." And once more, there are so many to choose from it's hard to pick one to put here.

This one comes to mind, though: Crimfall's "Wildfire Season." I LOVE this band, and their debut album As the Path Unfolds... They are releasing a new CD this year, and I am so looking forward to it!



Here's another, this time from my official second-favourite band, Dawn of Destiny, "Days of Crying."



What about you guys?

30 Day Music Challenge, Day 04: A Song that Makes Me Sad

Well, this is a little easier than the previous post.

I discovered Nordic folk metalers Midnattsol over a year ago, after reading that the sister of Leaves' Eyes front woman, Liv Kristine, is the lead vocalist. Totally different vocal styles, totally different band. And Midnattsol also boasts a female bass player! \m/

Where Twilight Dwells is Midnattsol's first album, and it remains my favourite. This song, "Desolation", is heavy with aching emotion, and still brings a lump to my throat.

30 Day Music Challenge, Day 03

So, today a song that makes me happy. Seems simple enough, right? No! Lots of songs make me happy!

A good folk metal song usually does the trick, especially if it's a traditional drinking song! I'll go with Tyr's "The Wild Rover." According to Wikipedia, "The Wild Rover" is a traditional Scottish pub song with contested roots. Whatever the history, I always enjoy the bounciness of this song and its lightheartedness brings a smile to my face.



Enjoy!