Band:	Týr
Album:	Ragnarok
Style:	Folk metal
Release date:	September 22, 2006
Guest review by:	Talvi

01. The Beginning
02. The Hammer Of Thor
03. Envy
04. Brother's Bane
05. The Burning
06. The Ride To Hel
07. Torsteins Kvæði
08. Grímur Á Miðalnesi
09. Wings Of Time
10. The Rage Of The Skullgaffer
11. The Hunt
12. Victory
13. Lord Of Lies
14. Gjallarhornið
15. Ragnarok
16. The End
17. Valkyries Flight [digipack bonus]
18. Valhalla [digipack bonus]

Týr is a viking metal band. Oops, a mistake. Even though the riffs, and the folk elements are there, the sound is more like epic heavy/doom metal. Even so, I consider them to be Progressive Viking because their style is really unique, and it gives me a viking feeling when I hear them. Notice there is no harshness on the album, nor folk instruments. This isn't your typical Viking metal album. That it's what makes it so special.

This is their third album. Their debut isn't very well known. Eric the Red has been recognized by some metal elitist as one of the best viking metal albums of all time. After finding this band, and that last album, a few weeks later this album was released. Of course I got it, since Eric the Red is a very amazing album. It still has some things that need to be polished and their style still could be mastered. So they have succeeded?

Not only that. They have gained a new level of awesomeness. Some of their songs were a bit bland, and, since I prefer albums than a group of songs, this being a concept album is really a gift from the gods.

Even though you see 16 tracks, only 8 are real songs. There is an intro, an outro, and 6 instrumental interludes. All those interludes are intros to the next song, and many of them, if not all, play riffs or ideas of the song that's played next. Like "Victory" which is the sound of horses arriving a tavern, then hearing some folk music, being this the main riff of the next song. This makes the album much more coherent and beautiful.

As I've said before, this album almost matches perfection. Each instrument is better on this album. Better guitar solos, if not check "The Hunt" or "Lord Of Lies" (this last also has a riff that looks so much like "For Whom the Bell Tolls"...), better bass, and of course, vocals and choruses. "The Hammer Of Thor" and "Brothers Bane" have the best choruses of the band. Also notice that being those the two first songs make the album much more accessible, as the average listener looks first the best choruses.

This is one of those albums I don't know if it deserves the perfect score because I feel that the band can make something better, or just fails at something very small. I could listen to this album any day, anywhere, as which any album I rate as perfect. But "The Edge" from their previous album is, maybe, better that any of these songs. This feeling makes me think that if a song so great was on this album, it could be perfect. Strange seeing how strong this album is. But remember: I'm rating an album, not a group of songs. And as an album, this is just perfect, beautiful, and astonishing. Recommended for ALL fans of viking metal, as well as fans of epic heavy metal and maybe, some doom metal fans may like this. Heck, buy this album and start changing your religion to the religion of Týr, the viking God. Hail!