A Night At The Nordic House was recorded live in February of 2020 with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Faroe Islands, the band’s homeland, and it captures the ultimate, magnificent fulfillment of these songs. There’s nothing more epic and appropriate than a symphonic folk- metal band sharing the stage with a full orchestra and playing their best songs, like Gates Of Hel, Blood Of Heroes, Mare Of My Night, and By The Sword In My Hand, among many others. Horns unfurl the banners as waves of strings weave the songs into an immersive cultural experience.The sound is simply tremendous.
A confession: I am a first generation Jewish Cuban American with Eastern European roots, and after listening to this album, even I felt like a Viking. Folk myths and romantically heroic visions of bloody battles are given extravagant treatment here. And it works. A visual person, I can’t help but imagine a large swath of shallow-draught longships packed with Viking warriors readying an invasion of the English coast with these songs on their lips as they prepare to battle for the glory of their people and their gods. Stereotypes? Yes, and the very kinds the band lives to represent. While longtime fans will no doubt enjoy the hell out of this recording, those new to Tyr would be advised to check out Hel or Valkyrja before giving the time needed to listen to a full blown hour and a half of live, symphonic Tyr. 8/10
Greyborn - Leeches EP (F2M Planet) [Rich P]
Greyborn brings the stoner/desert/grunge goodness on their debut EP, Leeches. The French trio introduce themselves to the heavy rock community with a concise five song EP which is a nice jumping off point to what promises to be some strong output in the future. For now, let’s talk about what Greyborn is offering with Leeches.
The five tracks from Leeches do not stray too far off the combo platter of the heavier Alice In Chains stuff with a side of the more darker Queens Of The Stone Age material to bring you some compelling fuzzy and heavy rock. The title track is a great opener to the EP, laying the groundwork for what to come, with the bass and drums right up front and some great vocals from Theo Jude, who is also the drummer, and I love lead signer drummers, especially when they play the way Jude does. Bits & Pieces comes next and is probably the best track on the EP.
Heavy and catchy, I find myself singing the chorus and hearing some influence from the great Therapy?Jharia brings some middle eastern vibes to the dance and offers up more of the tuned down heavy that can be found all over Leeches while continuing the heavy/catchy vibe with some layered vocals to make the trip even more memorable. After Darkcould be a 90s rock radio hit while harkening back to that QOTSA reference. Corrosive Faith closes out the EP slowing down the pace while highlighting the extremely strong rhythm section and leaves the listener looking for a side two.
There is some serious potential here from Greyborn. You get the riffs, you get the upfront rhythm section, the great vocals, five excellent songs, and production that is right up my alley. This EP is the ultimate teaser. Now we wait to see of Greyborn can live up to the five outstanding tracks on Leeches. For now, enjoy this short slab of excellent heavy rock. 8/10
On Fenix, Gothenburg, Sweden’s Ǻskvӓder combines retro garage and alternative pop rock via the twists of Husker Du, the Replacements, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Soul Asylum. While their promotional material mentions the legendary and fuzzier bands The Hellacopters and Turbonegro as influences, with a crisp mix and spoonfuls of sugar Ǻskvӓder embrace the more pop side of the garage genre. At some points they even sound like late-stage Green Day with a somewhat grittier Davy Jones at the helm. But for the surprisingly captivating ballad Head Home, much of the point here is to wreck a room with a smile and rock and roll rapture. Most of the songs are short, sweet, and anthemic in nature. The album is mixed clean, soaked in melody, and chock-full of memorable choruses and harmonies, which makes for a lot of upbeat fun.
The opening song, Blurry Lines, sounds too much like The Rembrandts to ignore. And while I at first found that disconcerting, Ǻskvӓdersells it with a joyful panache. When We Fall, with its harmonies, handclaps, and shakers, revels in pop rock tropes that, again, work really well. Let You Down brings in some cowbells and a chorus you’ll find yourself singing along with by the second time it comes around. Fenix as a whole is a good time full of quick, memorable, fun songs that are catchy on first listen. After spending some time with the album, at one point I found myself humming the melody of Claptrap when not listening to it. There’s just so much infectiously enthusiastic and positive energy here. This remains true even in the previously mentioned Head Home, the longest song here at 4 minutes, a lighters-in-the-air, bluesy ballad with charming harmonies.
When I played Head Home in my house, my wife–raised on doo wops, Motown, and the like–claimed that the song, especially the chorus, reminded her of a 1965 pop ballad by Gerry & the Pacemakers, Ferry Cross The Mersey. I looked into it, and, yes, that checks out. The point here is that pop sensibilities rule on Fenix. This is even true of my favorite song on the album. With a Priest/Maiden double axe attack, clean solos, harmonies in the chorus, tambourines, stupendous melodies, Zealot is a standout tune that nevertheless stays within the contours of the established energy of the album. Ǻskvӓder has so much to say, so much to give their fans, new or otherwise, evidenced by how many songs they pack into an album–twelve here. Unfortunately, including so many short songs, some start to sound like others, which takes away from the shining moments. 7/10
Dirty Sound Magnet - DSM-III (Hummus Records) [Rich P]