Proving that you can come from anywhere and succeed in metal, Tyr hails from the Faroe Islands. Their fourth album Land was released earlier this year. The band’s vocalist/guitarist Heri Joensen fills us in on the what Tyr has been up to recently.

Chad Bowar: How has the band’s sound progressed from Ragnarok to Land?
Heri Joensen: Simpler, heavier and more epic.

What subject matter do you cover on this album?
Nordic Pagan lore and some background speculations about the westwards migration of the Vikings.

What’s the prevalent language of the songs?
Faeroese. There is some Icelandic, some Norwegian and some English.

Tyr has been described as folk metal and Viking metal. How would you label the band’s sound?
I wouldn't, but since you ask I would say Viking Pagan Folk Metal.

I understand in addition to the regular CD there’s a limited edition version. What’s on that one?
A re-recording of "Hail to the Hammer". There's even a limited limited edition, and that one has a DVD with our performance at Wacken '07.

What are your expectations for the CD, both in Europe and North America?
I think it will do well. It is our best album so far, but it's hard to compare the albums directly because there are some very different approaches.

Earlier this year you played on the Paganfest Tour all over the world. How was that experience?
Great. We played for a lot of people and we met some great guys in the other bands.

It was your first U.S. tour. What was the fan response like here?
Good, way better than expected.

What were your impressions of our country?
I had never been there before.

It is a huge country and it is as diverse as all of Europe. Personally I liked the west coast the best: Seattle, Long Beach, Los Angeles, I could live there. New York wasn't my cup of tea, sorry. Maybe that is because I grew up in a place in the middle of nowhere, with two houses; one for the people and one for the cows. The climate in Texas isn't made for Scandinavians, and Gunnar and I almost killed ourselves jogging in El Paso.

What was the first concert you attended as a fan?
Not very many tours come to the Faeroes, and I must have been way into my twenties when I first saw a concert with a band that I loved. I think it was when I saw Dio in Copenhagen. I must have been 23 or 24. One of the first big bands that I saw in the Faeroes was Toto. I was no fan of Toto, but I went just because you never used to see bands like that in the Faeroes. They put on a great show, and I remember being very impressed.

Any tour horror stories?
Our van has broken down 2 or 3 times, not seriously, but so that we had to get to a garage asap. Once we had a tour bus breakdown, but fortunately that was after the last gig of the tour on our way home, so that was no real disaster. No, we don't have any real horror stories that I can think of.

What band did you have the best time touring with?
Moonsorrow, Ensiferum, Wintersun, Turisas, Amon Amarth, all great, great guys, whith which we have had some fantastic times, and I could not say which is better than which.

For those who are geographically challenged, tell us where the Faroe Islands are located and a bit about your country.
The Faeroes are 18 small islands covering 1.400 square kilometers. situated in the North Atlantic ocean, just north of Scotland, between Norway and Iceland. The Faeroes were settled by Norwegian Vikings who had come via the British isles and we who live there today are mainly their descendants. We are like a smaller version of Iceland. The population counts 48.000 and the main industry is fishing. In spite of our relative isolation we are very modernized, and the standards of living are up to Scandinavian standards, only on a smaller scale. We don't feel very isolated, but I can see why other nations think we are way off the beaten path.

Do the band members still live there?
All save Gunnar. He lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.

How did you get started in music?
I bought a guitar when I was 14, and I watched Headbangers Ball on MTV and I just bought into it 100%.

Was there a song or album that inspired you to want to perform music?
Yes, there were some. The first metal albums that I heard were Theatre of Pain and Girls, Girls, Girls by Mötley Crüe; Dream Evil and Last in Line by Dio; and Piece of Mind by Iron Maiden. I learned all those albums by heart, rhythm guitars, solos and vocals, and I still think no one has outdone the works of Dio as a heavy metal singer.

Who are some current artists you admire?
Dream Theater, System of a Down, Wintersun and Amon Amarth are the ones that leap to mind.

What is your single all time favorite album?
Dehumanizer by Black Sabbath.