Location: Helinski
Country: Finland
Genre: Folk/melodic death metal
Full length: Winter Storm
Format: Digital, vinyl
Label: Metal Blade
Release date: October 18, 2024
I came across various references to Ensiferum's previous albums "Thalassic" and "Victory Songs" when reading reviews by other critics. Although I'm not familiar with them, I would listen to them after hearing "Winter Storm" for a frame of reference of the band's direction. Since it combines melodic death metal and folk with power metal, this album has been called "boring and cheesy" by some reviewers and "towering," "epic," "reinvigorated," and "boundary pushing" by others. "Winter Storm," which serves as my introduction to Ensiferum, is a romantic narrative with sweeping temperaments and a broad range of musical aptitude that often verges on classical and symphonic metal.
I had a better understanding of the plot of the album after watching the band's promotional video for "The Howl." The video, which reminded me a little of "Conan the Barbarian", “Excalibur” and "Highlander," seemed to depict a hero's inner quest to discover his own strength with the aid of the ancients in order to drive darkness from his land and bring the light back. Of discovering this strength by connecting with his innate, primordial nature and coming to fully appreciate it. The lyrics function as a kind of prophecy pushing forward a protracted and difficult journey.
I can see why some might find this album schlocky given that the lyrics heavily reference power metal themes, and whether or not you respond to "Winter Storm" favorably will rely on how much you like classic and contemporary power metal. However, the presentation of the songs, plot, and videos places you right in the thick of things, as though you were taken out of reality and thrown into the events surrounding you. Even though the time of the narrative has long since passed, you can't help remembering as it’s been passed down through so many millennia.
If you like everyone from Queensryche and Helloween to Hammerfall and Stratovarius you’ll find enough to keep you listening. In addition to sufficient presence and force to convey the tale, the vocals in particular show equal proficiency in delivering harsh and melodic vocals.Although the influences are applied strictly, there are in fact boundaries being expanded when it comes to composing arrangements and artistic presence. Some albums are more about the effort you put into arranging different genres into a song and your dedication at it than about the genres being combined. The next example is the transition from folk to choral symphonic metal to thrashy power metal from the opening song "Aurora" to "Winter Storm Vigilantes" which creates the feel of a movie soundtrack.
From that point on, the soundtrack is rendered consistently, with what sounds like horns and keyboards peppering some of the tracks, evocative monologue presentations, choral sections, mellow refrains that further define the narrative, and a furious intensity that verges on maniacal seal. These arrangements provide the time shifts in each track new twists, pushing the story to such a wide range that it may alter your understanding of melodic death metal and power metal to the point where you perceive more possibilities for development. If you listen to "Scars in My Heart" and feel the heartfelt emotion Madeleine Liljestam puts into her guest vocals, you'll likewise see the possibilities. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Petri Lindroos: harsh vocals, guitars
Markus Toivonen: Guitars, percussion, melodic vocals
Sami Hinkka; Bass, harsh vocals
Pekka Montin: Keyboards, melodic vocals
Janne Parviainen: Drums, percussion
Track list:
1. Aurora
2. Winter Storm Vigilantes
3. Long Cold Winter of Sorrow and Strife
4. Fatherland
5. Scars in My Heart (feat. Madeleine Liljestam)
6. Resistentia
7. The Howl
8. From Order to Chaos
9. Leniret Coram Tempestate
10. Victorious
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