The Bloodstock team have just announced that Tyr have been added to their increasingly impressive 2008 line-up. Tyr are joining Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Eluveitie and Moonsorrow in the UK for Paganfest. So that means there are two chances to see some of these terrific folky metal bands! Yay!

The one-armed God of War—the bravest of all—became the eponym of the nordic quartet. Yet Joensen is no war monger in disguise and points out that Týr (also known as the God of Justice) is also revered for first seeking the avenues of diplomacy — an attribute that does not take away from this God Of War’s drive.

The band’s musical direction followed an unrelenting campaign of tempestuous perseverance. After six years of innumerable gigs (Iceland, Denmark, Russia, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Finland, Russia, Germany, and of course, the Faroe Islands) and several domestic television appearances, Eric the Red became the island’s best-selling album, coming to the attention of Napalm Records, the Austrian label that finally made the album available worldwide.

Eric the Red followed the style dictated by the old religion. Almost every song is based on Faroese or Nordic lore, and is revetted in the garb of the Folk Metal genre. Its approach unmistakeably creates a very true Viking Metal. Tracks with such sonorous and powerful titles as “Regin Smiður” (Regin, the Blacksmith), “Stýrisvølurin” (The Tiller), or “Ólavur Riddararós” (Olaf, Knight of the Rose), all reminiscent of other disparate, yet genre specific, bands like Otyg, Glittertind, Ensiferum, Moonsorrow, old Vintersorg, and last but not least Solstice’s doom/folk cult album New Dark Age, are catchy reminders of the good ol’ days of the Viking era.

In 2006, TYR once again entered the Studio with engineer Jacob Hansen to record their new album. Ragnarok was also mixed by Jacob Hansen, produced by TYR, mastered by Lehnert Kjeldsen at Mastertouch in Copenhagen, and features the band stronger than ever before. Hymns of nordic Folk and pounding Metal summon the ghosts of TYR’s ancestors. Scandinavian mythology, Viking warriors, and heroic battles become the lyrical backdrop that accompany powerful Viking choruses, traditional melodies, and timeless Heavy Metal. TYR have refined their trademark sound in their latest work, Ragnarok. Technically brilliant and 100 percent authentic, Ragnarok emerges as a masterpiece within the true Viking Metal genre!

Click Here to view the TYR Bloodstock Festival Band Profile page .