Quickly gathering excellent reviews, SIG:AR:TYR was signed to Karmageddon Records (formerly Hammerheart) only two months after the release of The Stranger demo. SIG:AR:TYR's next project was to forge a concept work with more metal musical elements, while retaining the acoustic-ambient atmosphere. Unfortunately, before the album could be released Karmageddon went out of business and SIG:AR:TYR was back into the underground.
In 2005, SIG:AR:TYR released the debut full-length release, Sailing the Seas of Fate via Morbid Winter Records. The album, a mixture of metal and acoustic music, tells the story of a Viking quest to the far northern reaches of the world to retrieve an object to turn the tide of Christianity.
In 2008, SIG:AR:TYR released the second full-length album Beyond The North Winds that built upon the folk metal and acoustic atmosphere introduced in Sailing the Seas of Fate to create a powerful and diverse pagan metal album. Beyond The North Winds received many excellent reviews and inclusion on several top ten lists for 2008.
Riding the momentum of the great reception received by Beyond the North Winds, SIG:AR:TYR immediately plunged back into the writing and recording process in 2009 to create Godsaga, a darker, harsher album that explores the concepts of loss and sacrifice in the tales of both Egil's Saga and Odin's sacrifice on the world tree Yggdrasil. Godsaga is set to be released in early 2010.
Beyond the North Winds
SIG:AR:TYR Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard her song, the call of death
Far from home, and far from life
In fields of glory, my bloody tomb
She came to me... across the sea
From Valholl she rode, from halls of gold
To guide my path, whose fate it weaves
Through long-dead forests, and their graves of leaves
She came to me... across the sea
The song "Beyond the North Winds" by SIG:AR:TYR captures the essence of a Viking's journey towards death in battle. The lyrics describe the singer's introspective journey towards his impending doom with a keen awareness of the inevitability of death. The singer hears the call of death in the form of a woman's song, who rides to him from Valhall, the hall of the slain. The Viking's physical journey is juxtaposed with his spiritual and emotional journey towards acceptance of his fate.
Through the lyrics, the singer finds solace in the knowledge that he will be chosen to reside in Valhall with the other slain warriors. The song is evocative of the Viking culture's emphasis on eternal life through death, and the belief that those who die valiantly in battle would be chosen by Odin to reside in Valhall. The song also alludes to the Viking belief in a cyclical existence; the singer hopes that after his death, he would be reborn in the same place to continue his journey.
Overall, "Beyond the North Winds" is a powerful hymn that captures the stoicism, courage, and the fatalistic nature of Viking culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard her call, I felt her breath
I sensed the presence of the spirit, the breath of the divine, calling me from beyond
I heard her song, the call of death
The beautiful song of the spirit was also the summoning of death, the end of my mortal life
Far from home, and far from life
I was distant from my earthly home, and the life I knew was now far behind me
In fields of glory, my bloody tomb
My final resting place was in a field of honorable battle, where I shed my blood and met my end
She came to me... across the sea
The spirit journeyed to me from across the vast expanse of the sea, to gather my soul and lead me onwards
From Valholl she rode, from halls of gold
She rode forth from the gleaming halls of Valhalla, the great celestial home of warriors who have fallen in battle
To bear my soul, to His abode
Her purpose was to carry my soul to the realm of the divine, where I would be judged and sent to my ultimate fate
To guide my path, whose fate it weaves
The spirit was to lead me on the path set out for me by fate, the weaving of which was guided by higher powers
Through long-dead forests, and their graves of leaves
On my journey to the afterlife, I would traverse deep and ancient forests, where the fallen leaves were like grave markers for those who had passed before me
Contributed by Samantha D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Black Metal Hayabusa
Amazing album. Love the combination of Viking era Bathory with Yngwie Malmsteen styled riffs
Tree of No Return
Seeing the number of views/likes with no comments, this could one of the biggest sleeper masterpieces of metal music. I’ve only just found this and think it could be the most epic albums I’ve heard in awhile.
Karner 15
True its a hidden masterpiece
julian palma sobarzo
Una obra maestra, desconocido en este tiempo. Un tremendo trabajo de música y ambiente, la escala melódica menor y la arabica en su mayor esplendor, una hermosura de álbum, tristemente desconocido para la mayoría y para el mainstream, no obstante el tiempo le dará su lugar
MkII502
Under the mountain!