May 1st, 2026 - Prepare the Longships and Sing Your Battle Ballads!

 

Góðan dag and happy Friday my friends!  The Meista here today channeling my Viking heritage with a pairing of a bold and tasty Longship IPA from the fine folks at the Mad Swede Brewing Company and the wonderful "Battle Ballads" from the mighty Týr!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Týr 
• Title: "Battle Ballads" 
• Recorded: late 2023 at Hansen Studios, Studio Bloch, and Sono Studios
• Release date: April 12th, 2026 (9th studio album by Týr)
• Record company: Metal Blade Records 
• Production: Týr 
• Album cover art: Gyula Havancsák 
• Personnel: Hans Hammer (guitars and choir), Heri Joensen (guitars, and lead and choir vocals), Tadeusz Rieckmann (drums and choir vocals), and Gunnar Thomsen (bass, and backing and choir vocals)
• Guest musicians: Haraldur Sveinbjörnsson (orchestration on "Torkils Døtur") and Lars Vinther (orchestration)
• Musical style: Heavy metal, folk metal, Viking metal 
• Sound: With "Battle Ballads", the mighty Týr proves once again that they are not only thoughtful, outstanding musicians, but adaptable and relevant.  Musically, "Battle Ballads" is a powerhouse of metal integrity and artistry!  It combines wonderfully rich folk melodies and choruses with profoundly powerful and soaring Viking metal guitar, bass, and drum work!  It is both aggressive and melodic... and simply wonderful!  This is yet another gem in the vast Týr anthology!  
• Major themes: With songs about the principal lifestyle and culture of ancient Vikings, themes on the album include Viking lore, history, and paganism, tradition, culture, mythology, life, violence, death, valor, music, destiny, etc. 
• Tracks: 

1. "Hammered"
2. "Unwandered Ways"
3. "Dragons Never Die"
4. "Row"
5. "Torkils Døtur"
6. "Vælkomnir Føroyingar"
7. "Hangman"
8. "Axes"
9. "Battle Ballad"
10. "Causa Latronum Normannorum"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Mad Swede Brewing Company (Boise, Idaho)
• Website: https://madswedebrewing.com/
• Brew: Longship IPA 
• Style: Northwest India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.6%
• IBUs: 60
• Pour: The Longship IPA pours a fairly clear, deep bonze-amber with a billowy, 1+ finger, off-white head with great retention and lot of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, citrusy, spicy, and malty.  There are aromas of wet pine needles, cedar, grapefruit rind, tangerine, lemon zest, hints of onion, herbal tea, and light toffee.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Longship IPA is very hoppy and malty.  There are notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pine resin, black tea, black pepper, and soft caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium in body with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, slightly bitter, yet smooth with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The well-balanced Longship IPA from Mad Swede is a complex, hoppy, yet very drinkable brew... great for tossing back on whilst singing battle songs with your brethren and rocking out to the wonderful melodies of the amazing Týr and their most recent triumph, "Battle Ballads"!  'Nuff said!

Make sure to check out my interview with drummer Tadeusz Rieckmann from waaaay back in 2019 here: https://brewsandtunes.blogspot.com/2019/08/august-24th-2019-far-from-worries-of.html

Skål!  Rock on!!