Metalcatto
Mývalyĭr is what happens when you blend the epic, storytelling scope of Blind Guardian with the intense seriousness of a band like Eternal Storm or other deeply committed MeloDeath acts. Consequently, its new album, The Past Tales, sounded on paper like an oddball proposition for me, as it combines elements I deeply love with others I’m almost embarrassed to admit I enjoy. The central question was how the band would balance its grandiose, fantastical aspirations with the musical gravitas such themes demand. Honestly, my initial hopes were buried underground, but there’s always room for dreaming, right?
Well, I was clearly free to dream! The Past Tales turned out to be an unstoppable and profoundly melodic trip straight to the heart of a mythic medieval battle. While there’s nothing truly romantic about warfare, the music here is vividly cinematic, packed with tasty, harmonized riffs and a brand of MeloDeath that avoids the genre’s most tired clichés. There are subtle tweaks of Folk Metal woven throughout, yet everything remains anchored in serious, powerful territory. Remarkably, nothing on this album made me cringe as if I were watching overly earnest geeks play a game of D&D (did I offend you? Oh well!).
There’s something this critic must confess: after all these years, I’m still an absolute sucker for a phenomenal guitar solo, and The Past Tales delivers solos so electrifying that they could salvage even a poorly written song. Fortunately, the tracks themselves are excellent and don’t require saving. I really shouldn’t be this excited! But what can you do when your usual expectations for anything folk-inspired or historically themed have been thoroughly bastardized—much like English tikka masala (and here at MER, we show no mercy toward the peculiarities of British cuisine, of course).
Now, there is one minor point that might leave Mývalyĭr a bit annoyed with me, but that’s the reviewer’s thankless duty. The album features introductory and outro tracks that, in my opinion, feel somewhat superfluous. The core material is already so expansive and commanding that these brief, atmospheric bookends are utterly swallowed by the sheer magnitude of what lies between them. Furthermore, while the production is generally clear, I couldn’t help but feel it could use a more robust low-end presence; the mix sometimes feels a touch thin, even if one quickly adapts to its character.
Ultimately, Mývalyĭr caught us off guard at a vulnerable moment, much like finding oneself in a restroom without any toilet paper. Thankfully, the band arrived to make the whole situation significantly less awkward. If you have any interest in MeloDeath/ Prog structures, or Folk-infused epicness—or better yet, a combination of all three—it would be a missed opportunity not to give The Past Tales at least one full listen. This is, without a doubt, a band with a promising future, provided they can survive long enough in a musical landscape more volatile than Polymarket (remember, kids: don’t gamble! And if you do, borrow money for it. What could go wrong?).
Label: Independent
Release date: February 27, 2026
Website: https://www.facebook.com/myvalyir
Country: UK
Score: 3.8/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 