This interview was conducted by Philip A. Wickstrand with vocalist/guitarist Heri Joensen via telephone on June 25, 2011.

Hailing from the far-flung Faeroe Islands, Týr has become one of the big names in the burgeoning Viking Metal scene. Markedly different from their contemporaries in music and vocal stylings, they have maintained a unique sound throughout their time as a unit. With the release of their sixth album, The Lay of Thrym, they have set a new standard in their already stellar discography.

Phil: First off, tell us a bit about the new album, The Lay of Thrym.

Heri: The Lay of Thrym is our sixth studio album and it was released, I think in the U.S., at the end of last month. It's a concept album. The overlying concept is the Norse myth about Thrym the giant who steals the hammer from Thor and Thor gets it back by coming and killing Thrym, but the real concept of the album is more political and contemporary. I actually wanted to write about the uprising in North Africa and the Middle East and I used the myth to represent that, where Thrym, of course, represents the tyrants and the dictators and the hammer represents the power that he has stolen and the weapon, and Thor of course is the rebel, so I think you can see that, although if you read the lyrics, which the first song is “Flames of the Free” and is [unintelligible] the guy who sets himself on fire and started the whole. And that is for the concept. Music-wise, we tried the same thing as with the last album. We wanted to do something a little bit less progressive an focus more on just straight forward good song writing and get very good songs. I think it worked out better this time than last time, even though we tried to do pretty much the same, maybe because we had better raw material for this one, I think. So that's as much as I can say about the album I think.

Phil: What was the song writing process like for the album?

Heri: We started a year and a half ago, right after I released my solo project album… I started working on the next Týr album. I recorded it in my tiny home studio and put it on notes as well, and sent the notes to the guys and everyone practices their parts and has their comments and the other guys also sent me some of their ideas, although most of the song writing is done by me. So the guys are just practicing at home with the notes and then we met in the studio to record it and we actually never had the opportunity to rehearse before we went in the studio, so when we played in the studio, it was actually the first time we'd played it… which is not the best way to do it, but the only way available to us because we live in different countries. That's how it goes. I'd just been at home fiddling with the whole thing alone and arranging everything on my stationary.

Phil: Did you use any different processes in the studio this time around?

Heri: No, it was very straight forward and business as usual. (It was) the fourth time we were in Jacob Hansen's studio and we know him very well by now and he knows us too, so there's no surprises anymore and we can do it as usual and there was nor real experimenting with new and different stuff; the same old, same old. Just get the stuff done and mixed properly.

Phil: What are your favorite songs off of the album?

Heri: I would say “Flames of the Free” and “Evening Star.” Maybe I think “Evening Star” is my favorite, the ballad.

Phil: What do you think the overall strongest points of the album would be?

Heri: I think, at the risk of sounding arrogant, that we got very good at working on the melodies and getting the best out of each melody.

Phil: You did a couple of bonus tracks, BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW covers as a Dio tribute; tell us why you chose those particular songs.

Heri: A long time ago, some years ago at least, we decided to cover the favorite Metal song ever by each individual band member and two of them just happened to be those two, “I” by BLACK SABBATH and “Stargazer” by RAINBOW. After that, we found out that Dio had fallen ill with cancer and then he passed away. Then we decided to take precisely those two songs for this album and cover the other two for the next album, so it's done partly because they’re the favorite songs of two of the band members and partly to honor the memory of Dio.

Phil: I think it's pretty cool that you guys covered “I” because it seems to me that Dehumanizer is one of the more neglected BLACK SABBATH albums.

Heri: Absolutely. It did not get the recognition and respect it should have gotten.

Phil: What are your North American touring plans on this album?

Heri: It's all in the works now. I think… we're going to South America at the end of July, I think they're going to try and get us a few dates right after that. If that doesn't work out then probably not before early next year because we have a busy schedule for the rest of the year here. So we have no confirmation of any shows yet but it'll definitely come.

Phil: Are you trying for headlining or as a support act?

Heri: Oh, I don't really know. It depends on what shows up and what's convenient. It could be good, also at this point, to support a very big band to get more exposure. Then again, if nothing shows up, all we can do is go on a headliner tour and just count on the fans or other people that already know the band and the fanbase.

Phil: Have you given any thought to playing albums in their entirety live?

Heri: I have had in mind that it could be interesting to make, for example, a Ragnarok tour. Ragnarok is probably our most tight-knit concept album and for some reason we haven't played many of those songs live, so it could be interesting to make a Ragnarok tour where we can play the whole album from one end to the other. But that's still only in my head - let's see if it ever happens.

Phil: Are you guys going to be doing a full-length DVD anytime soon?

Heri: I wanted to do that for every album since Ragnarok, I think, but we've never found the opportunity or the possibility to do that, so I hope we can make a DVD from some of the upcoming tours.

Phil: Last year you played ProgPower in North America; do you think that helped North American Metal fans see you as more than just "one of those Viking bands"?

Heri: Yeah, I think it did. I think we've proven that we have an appeal outside this Viking/Pagan/Folk Metal thing and that people who are into progressive music or just Power Metal or plain Heavy Metal can also enjoy our music because we don't sound like bands that usually get labeled Viking or Folk or Pagan and we sort of hope to be a band that can override those boundaries or sort of ignore them or even wipe them out. I think that ProgPower helped for that, definitely.

Phil: Is there anything that you've been wanting to try in music in Týr or outside of Týr that you have not gotten a chance to do yet?

Heri: Yeah, there's plenty of stuff I want to do. I'm getting into movie music now and I've also wanted to do that also for a long time. I have been involved in a movie project. I've always wanted to make some Classical music and maybe also perform with a much bigger setup than just a Metal band. But it's costly and not always… able to set up stuff like that. So I hope for some work that I might be able to realize some of those ambitions.

Phil: Recommend a book for our readers and then explain why you recommend that particular work.

Heri: A book? Ahhh… I would recommend God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens because it's a very clear, sited, relevant and provocative book that if read more, I think would do the whole world a lot of good.

Phil: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Heri: Please, please buy our album everybody and please come to our shows when we get to the U.S. We'd love to see you all there.

Týr's Heri Joensen

Interviewer: Philip A. Wickstrand

June 25, 2011

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

TO THE TOP

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 1998
Torshaven, Faroe Islands,
Kingdom Of Denmark
Label: Napalm Records
Genre:  Progressive/Folk Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Heri Joensen:  Vocals & Guitars
Terji Skibenæs:  Guitars
Gunnar Thomsen:  Bass
Kári Streymoy:  Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

How Far to Asgaard (2002)
Eric the Red (2003)
Ragnarok (2006)
Land (2008)
By the Light of the Northern Star
                                                    (2009)
The Lay of Thrym (2011)

Check out Peter's review of The Lay of Thrym here