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Here we are, nords and nordettes, the first full-length Ensiferum album with an almost completely new lineup (everyone except sole existing founding member Markus Toivonen, guitar and backing vox, having joined in 2004 or later) comes along a good 3 years after the last one, providing of course you don’ count the Dragonheads EP. Now, I am a huge Jari Maenpaa fan (where’s the new Wintersun album, by the way?), and was very leary about anyone taking his place. It seemed tantamount to equally ridiculous ideas such as replacing master-shredder Alexi Laiho in Bodom, or the all-powerful Matt Barlow getting the shaft (Schaffer?) from Iced Earth (oh wait…). The point is, replacing frontmen is a risky business, and fans generally aren’t pleased (new Nightwish anyone?), but when done correctly, as few do, such a move can send a band skyrocketing. Just look at the tried and true Maiden/Dickinson philosophy.
Yeah, yeah, too much buildup, right? Easy in the saddle, Sword bearer (actually the definition of Ensiferum in their native Finnish tongue), this rainbow has got some gold to appease you all. Petri Lindroos from Norther takes over for Jari and the result is a rip-roaring success, far above and beyond any other Ensiferum material. Victory Songs is a triumph of folk-infused heavy metal, savagely barbaric, yet unspeakably elegant in delivery. Ensiferum have refined their style to arrow-point sharpness, letting fly to strike you down with familiarly themed verses of battle and glory.
Let it be known that I very much enjoy the other end of this spectrum, such as heavier Viking metallers Amon Amarth, but there’s something about the diversity of Ensiferum that puts them in another tier all their own. It’s that incommunicable passion you just can’t fake; I think it also may have something to do with my respect for heavy metal bands that can slow it down and still sound fantastic (check out Wanderer, disbelievers).
Victory Song, the last track on the album, is perhaps one of the most epic metal songs of all time, undoubtedly destined for unlimited visits on my playlist. You’d be smart to do the same. Check out Victory Songs, the best album by Ensiferum. Trust me; if Quorthon were alive to hear this, he just might bust a dozen nuts and pass out in his own drool.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Ad Victoriam |
| 2. Blood Is the Price of Glory |
| 3. Deathbringer from the Sky |
| 4. Ahti |
| 5. One More Magic Potion |
| 6. Wanderer |
| 7. Raised by the Sword |
| 8. The New Dawn |
| 9. Victory Song |
: 49.56
| Buy other Ensiferum albums |
