Heri Joensen:
Born on February 21, 1973, Tórshavn, The Faeroes.
Inspirations: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Randy Rhoads.
Favourite bands: Dream Theater, Dio, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Savatage, Pink Floyd, the Dubliners and Enekk.
Favourite composers: Edvard Grieg, Antonio Vivaldi, W. A. Mozart, J. S. Bach and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Compositional inspirations: Faroese and Nordic folkmusic, classic, progressive metal and jazz.
Hobbies: Ancient and medieval history and etymology.
At the age of fourteen, Heri Joensen saw a guitar in a shop window in Tórshavn. A few weeks later he bought it, and with it an amplifier. Both were of very low quality, and his only former experience with musical instruments was the obligatory flute classes at school. To this day he does not understand how his parents and brothers could stand the noise.
Heri Joensen's first band was called Cruiser, in which Gunnar H. Thomsen (bass), also played. Cruiser played two gigs, had some change of line-up, and continued, with some success, as Wolfgang. Here Heri Joensen and Gunnar Thomsen got to meet Kári Streymoy (drums). Wolfgang went on as a rock entertainment band and could be seen touring the Faroes as late as the summer of 2000.
In the fall of 1997 Heri Joensen moved to Denmark to study music. One evening in January 1998 Heri Joensen met his old bandmate Kári Streymoy at a ball in central Copenhagen, and the rest is history. Heri Joensen finished his musical studies at D.A.R.K. Copenhagen in January, 2003, majoring in Guitar and Music Theory.
Terji Skibenæs:
Born on December 27, 1982, Tórshavn, The Faeroes.
Inspirations: Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, John Petrucci, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Randy Rhoads and Chuck Schuldiner. .
Favourite bands: Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, Dream Theater, Judas Priest, Slipknot, Metallica and Death.
Hobbies: Occultism, metaphysichs and cooking.
Terji Skibenæs began playing guitar at the age of thirteen. He recieved some lessons from his older brother, but is mainly self taught. In April 2001, Terji Skibenæs' first band, Flux, played in the same contest as Týr. That's where Terji Skibenæs and Heri Joensen found out they liked the same kind of music. Terji Skibenæs was contacted in December 2001 by Heri Joensen and asked to join Týr.
Gunnar H. Thomsen:
Born on July 5, 1975, Klaksvík, The Faeroes.
Inspirations: Petur Mohr Reinert, Les Claypool, Steve Harris, Geezer Butler and Roger Glover.
Favourite bands: Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Ian Gillan Band, Iron Maiden, Accept and Metallica.
Hobbies: Diving (CMAS**), marine biology, deep sea creatures and marine fossils especially.
Gunnar H. Thomsen became interested in Heavy Metal at the age of eleven, inspired by the sight of the Iron Maiden video, the Number of the Beast. At the age of fourteen Gunnar Thomsen was one of the founding members of Cruiser, and went on to Wolfgang. In the fall of 1997 he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, to study.
In the spring 1998 he joined Heri Joensen and Kári Streymoy at their small jams.
Kári Streymoy:
Born on September 27, 1971, Tórshavn, The Faeroes
Inspirations: Lars Ulrich, Vinnie Appice, Mike Portnoy, Dave Weckl, Rógvi á Rógvu and Tróndur Streymoy
Favourite bands: Dream Theater, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, Pink Floyd, Saga and Pretty Maids, Iron Maiden, Enekk, Terji og Føstufressar, Uriah Heep and Deep Purple
Favourite composers: Tschaikowsky, Vivaldi, Kári Sverrisson, Heri Joensen and Mozart.
Hobbies: Cooking.
Kári Streymoy began playing drums at the age of fourteen. He played in Relax, a locally popular band, for two years.
When he was 21, he was asked to join Wolfgang, an, at that time, upcoming rock band, and there got to know Heri Joensen (guitar) and Gunnar H. Thomsen (bass).
(taken directly from Tyr's official website)
"Profession of the Christian Faith or Decapitation." This was the choice given by Sigmundur to his Faroese Viking compatriot Tróndur í Gøtu. And so it was that in 999 A.D., the Christianization of the small, scenic, yet striking “Føroyaland” began, slowly but surely, casting a veil of oblivion over the ancient Scandinavian gods and only leaving the relics of forgotten hedinistic dogma buried deep within the Christian ritual. Or so it was believed...
Exactly 999 years later, a small group fondly remembering the archaic gods and rites came together to form the only Faroese Folk Metal band, TÝR.
"A thousand years ago, our people believed in gods such as Tórur, Óðin, and Loki," explains band mastermind Heri Joensen. "Another was named Týr."
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 apperances, 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 unmistakenly 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!
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damn., you guys have some serious skills. i first heard your song "the edge" and that blew my fucking mind! if you can send me the tab will you? i really want to be able to play this kind of music, its just unbelievable!
HAIL TO THE HAMMER from the U.S. You were one of my highlights at this year's Pagan Fest. Just wanted to let you know we finally got our copy of Land. And of course I think it's fantastic. I'm writing the review for it now. It's also blasting on my stereo now. You were a memorable band to see. Hopefully again someday.
