The project began in January 1998. Heri Joensen met his old bandmate, Kári Streymoy, at a party in Copenhagen, Denmark. Joensen suggested to Streymoy that they should meet up and jam. Streymoy initially declined, but later took him up on his offer.
They were soon joined by another former bandmate, bassplayer Gunnar H. Thomsen, making the duo a trio.
Singer Pól Arni Holm and guitarist Jón Joensen (Heri Joensen's brother) were part of the band while they recorded How Far to Asgaard but left soon after its release.
Terji Skibenæs joined after Jón Joensen had left the band. Allan Streymoy (Kári Streymoy's brother) took over singing duties for a brief time during which they released the single "Ólavur Riddararós". After Allan left Heri Joensen took over the vocals. It was this line up which recorded Eric the Red.
Skibenæs left the band for a while after the release of Eric the Red. The band played as a trio for some time. In the summer of 2004 they were joined by Icelandic guitarist Ottó P. Arnarson for a very brief time. When the latter left, Skibenæs came back.
The Edge
Týr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darkness, I confess, my part was not any less than whose I was forced to impress
It was a year ago, I left my heart behind to return, with a longing did I burn, I meant to return
And now a year has gone and everything has changed for the worse and it's on me like a curse, things changed for the worse
Sentenced to the death by the Thing, four conspirators 'gainst our king
Led by Son of the Wolf they're just four blood brothers going over the edge
Eggin tykist mær bert ein gátt, sorgin skipar lagnutáttin
Sjálvur yrkti eg niðurlag, frítt er Eystfellið frá at fara
Brátt er vísan øll og tøgn, hoyrdist tá ið kalda lagnan
Leiddi teir í Runsival, meg bert niðan á hægsta valaknúk
I see no other way than on, what will they say when I am gone
I want my memory to be mild, I want it to glow
Upon my pages blood is stained, this way some honour will remain
But I did cause the death of a child both you and I know
And when they came to bleed me dry, I only wonder why did I
On that Easter morn' for the love of my life not vie
Let them kill me just the same, I should have lied and played their game
It is a lesser sin than what I have done since that day
It won't go away, nothing I can say save lay down and pray
What came from within, what came from without,
I can't be about, myself do I doubt ever since that day
Sentenced to the death by the Thing, four conspirators 'gainst our king
Led by Son of the Wolf they're just four blood brothers going over the edge
Eggin tykist mær bert ein gátt, sorgin skipar lagnutáttin
Sjálvur yrkti eg niðurlag, frítt er Eystfellið frá at fara
Brátt er vísan øll og tøgn, hoyrdist tá ið kalda lagnan
Leiddi teir í Runsival, meg bert niðan á hægsta valaknúk
New day, we all pay for our mistakes on our way; lead me up the hillside at
Daybreak, my mistake, don't shed a tear at my wake, just believe it's for my own sake
No turning back now
No tears at my wake, I'll pay for my vow
Just march up the hill till we reach the end
Transmigration calls, I long to ascend
It's for my own sake
The opening verse of Týr's song The Edge portrays a sense of loneliness and despair. The singer looks back on his actions and accepts his responsibility for the adverse consequences that arose from them. He reminisces about leaving behind his heart in his hometown and returning after a year; however, everything he hoped to find had changed for the worse. The song refers to the historical event of the Faroese "Thing," where the singer was sentenced to death alongside four conspirators against their king. Led by the Son of the Wolf, the four blood brothers are heading over the edge. The singer accepts his fate and wishes for his memory to be mild and to glow. He lays down to pray and concede his mistake before he heads towards his death.
The song talks about the weight of one's responsibility and how sins can never be forgotten, causing one to doubt oneself forever. The sense of isolation and despair is a central theme throughout the song. The singer's love for his life and his yearning to return to a peaceful hometown before any disturbances is shattered when he falsely impresses someone, leading to a child's death. The guilt and weight of the act are so strong that the singer thinks dying is better than living with the shame of what he has done. The song is a cautionary tale about how our actions have consequences that can lead to adverse outcomes and, ultimately, repentance.
Line by Line Meaning
Nightfall in my hall, all I can do is recall as I sit alone in the
Darkness, I confess, my part was not any less than whose I was forced to impress
As night falls and I sit alone in darkness, I can only recall my past. I must confess that I played a significant role in the events that took place, just like the others who forced me to impress them.
It was a year ago, I left my heart behind to return, with a longing did I burn, I meant to return
And now a year has gone and everything has changed for the worse and it's on me like a curse, things changed for the worse
A year ago, I left my heart behind with a desire to return. Now that I am back, everything has changed for the worse, and I feel responsible for it like a curse.
Sentenced to the death by the Thing, four conspirators 'gainst our king
Led by Son of the Wolf they're just four blood brothers going over the edge
I was sentenced to death by the Thing, with four conspirators against our king led by the Son of the Wolf. They're just four blood brothers who went too far.
I see no other way than on, what will they say when I am gone
I want my memory to be mild, I want it to glow
Upon my pages blood is stained, this way some honour will remain
But I did cause the death of a child both you and I know
I see no other way than to face the consequences. When I am gone, I want to be remembered in a good way. My writings bear the stains of blood, but it is a way of preserving some honor. I caused the death of a child, and we both know it.
And when they came to bleed me dry, I only wonder why did I
On that Easter morn' for the love of my life not vie
Let them kill me just the same, I should have lied and played their game
It is a lesser sin than what I have done since that day
When they came to execute me, I wondered why I did not fight for the love of my life on that Easter morning. I should have lied and played their game, as it would have been a lesser sin than what I did on that day.
It won't go away, nothing I can say save lay down and pray
What came from within, what came from without,
I can't be about, myself do I doubt ever since that day
The guilt won't go away, and there's nothing I can say or do except lay down and pray. I doubt myself and my actions ever since that day, and I can't shake it off.
New day, we all pay for our mistakes on our way; lead me up the hillside at
Daybreak, my mistake, don't shed a tear at my wake, just believe it's for my own sake
No turning back now
We all pay for our mistakes, and a new day begins. Lead me up the hillside at daybreak. Don't shed a tear at my wake and just believe that it's for my own sake. There's no turning back now.
No tears at my wake, I'll pay for my vow
Just march up the hill till we reach the end
Transmigration calls, I long to ascend
It's for my own sake
Don't cry at my wake, as I'll pay for my vow. Let's just march up the hill until we reach the end. Transmigration calls, and I long to ascend. It's for my own sake.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HERI JOENSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@YoungUnicorn
Here's a damn blogpost worth of praise from me if the band care to read it:
My Picks:
Ragnarok.
The beginning
The hammer of Thor
Brother's bane (singing it with my brother while our blood is half cider)
Wings of Time (the volume dynamics. the bass. the drum panning.)
Lord of Lies (rhythmically very interesting to me, similar to nine worlds of lore)
Valhalla
By the Light of the Northern Star.
By the sword in my hand (chorus is epic)
Ride (sounds like a metal-punk drinking song)
By the light of the northern star (I'm a sucker for guitar melodies that copy the vocal melody)
The Lay of Thrym.
Flames of the free just blasts right off the bat.
Evening Star (wish there was more metal with this kind of sound)
Fields of the Fallen (another "chorus is epic")
Ellindur Bóndi Á Jaðri (somehow inspires me without understanding a word of it)
Nine Worlds of Lore (Madness. Technically brilliant, beautiful, powerful)
The Lay of Thrym (chorus guitar parts are so out there but work perfectly)
Valkyrja.
Grindavísan (sounds like the music of a world just outside of our own somehow)
Into the Sky
Fánar Burtur Brandaljóð (yes, all three are back to back on the album. A straight 11 minutes of joy)
Lady of the Slain (did I say three straight? I meant four.)
Valkyrja (fucking sike, I meant five. Straight. Tracks. What a killer time I had on first listen way back then)
Hel. (Oh look, my most anticipated album ever. Somehow blew way past what I expected.)
All Heroes Fall (by the sword in my hand vibes but with that solo)
Garmr (great song but love it more as a buildup to the epic...)
Sunset Shore (Stripped down but nothing missing. Great song)
Empire of the North (I think Tyr have the best choruses in all metal. As always, this one kills)
King of Time & Fire and Flame (both are great, but King of Time starts the build to something...)
Against the Gods (perhaps my favourite* Tyr song, and I don't even care for the intro. Before this, the album was great. When I heard this, the album was guaranteed for looping for a month)
Songs of War (where's my sword?)
*All time favourites: Nine Worlds of Lore. Against the Gods. Lord of Lies. The Hammer of Thor. Valkyrja. The Edge.
@MotoHikes
The year is 2006. I'm sat in my tent at my first viking re-enactment, readying myself for my first combat, and I have this blasting in my ears. Life was good.
@Tyrband
Good memories attached to music. There's nothing like it 🤘🏻😎🖤🎵🎶
@fenrirsreign
This songs has accompanied me through the years, and it still rocks like the first time I heard it.
@Tyrband
May it lead you to your goals.
@jammanastic
Eric the Red and Ragnarok was on repeat for me during this time. When I found you guys I kind of just forgot there was other bands.
@Tyrband
That sound incredible :D
- Heri
@deadmanwithpitchforkarms8376
This is by far my favorite Tyr song
@Tyrband
Thank you, that's a deep cut by now 🤘🏻😎🖤🎵🎶
@justdoit2521
My God the part at 5:34 gives me goosebumps. Love from Jordan!
@Tyrband
Thank you. Greetings from the Faroes, and thank you for listening 🤟🏻😎