Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 03:54

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 03:11

So I finally got around to picking up 'Iron', and I gotta say its probably one of the most solid albums of all time, I havnt heard 'Victory Songs' yet but its gonna be hard to rival with 'Iron'

you should get their first album - 'Ensiferum' if you havent already got it..
I think that is better

Ill probably get around to it. I can really see myself getting big into these guys, you can really see where Turisas got alot of there inspiration.

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:04

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 03:54

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 03:11

So I finally got around to picking up 'Iron', and I gotta say its probably one of the most solid albums of all time, I havnt heard 'Victory Songs' yet but its gonna be hard to rival with 'Iron'

you should get their first album - 'Ensiferum' if you havent already got it..
I think that is better

Ill probably get around to it. I can really see myself getting big into these guys, you can really see where Turisas got alot of there inspiration.

yes indeed - I am not so big on Turisas as I am other folk bands, but I still like them..
if you are just getting into folk metal these are a few bands that are all quite similar that I would recommend:
Equilibrium, XIV Dark Centuries, Finntroll, Thrudvangar, Korpiklaani and Folkearth maybe..

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 04:09

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:04

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 03:54

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 03:11

So I finally got around to picking up 'Iron', and I gotta say its probably one of the most solid albums of all time, I havnt heard 'Victory Songs' yet but its gonna be hard to rival with 'Iron'

you should get their first album - 'Ensiferum' if you havent already got it..
I think that is better

Ill probably get around to it. I can really see myself getting big into these guys, you can really see where Turisas got alot of there inspiration.

yes indeed - I am not so big on Turisas as I am other folk bands, but I still like them..
if you are just getting into folk metal these are a few bands that are all quite similar that I would recommend:
Equilibrium, XIV Dark Centuries, Finntroll, Thrudvangar, Korpiklaani and Folkearth maybe..

Yeah ive checked out most of those, except for XIV Dark Centuries, and Thrudvangar. And its either hit or miss for folk metal with me. I was just a huge Turisas fan and someone told me Ensiferum is like Turisas meets black metal. so naturally I had to check it out and im very pleased. Its just I find alot of folk metal a bit weak.

and thats my life story.

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:13

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 04:09

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:04

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 03:54

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 03:11

So I finally got around to picking up 'Iron', and I gotta say its probably one of the most solid albums of all time, I havnt heard 'Victory Songs' yet but its gonna be hard to rival with 'Iron'

you should get their first album - 'Ensiferum' if you havent already got it..
I think that is better

Ill probably get around to it. I can really see myself getting big into these guys, you can really see where Turisas got alot of there inspiration.

yes indeed - I am not so big on Turisas as I am other folk bands, but I still like them..
if you are just getting into folk metal these are a few bands that are all quite similar that I would recommend:
Equilibrium, XIV Dark Centuries, Finntroll, Thrudvangar, Korpiklaani and Folkearth maybe..

Yeah ive checked out most of those, except for XIV Dark Centuries, and Thrudvangar. And its either hit or miss for folk metal with me. I was just a huge Turisas fan and someone told me Ensiferum is like Turisas meets black metal. so naturally I had to check it out and im very pleased. Its just I find alot of folk metal a bit weak.

and thats my life story.

oh right.. well I dont really hear much black in Ensiferum myself..
if it was black metal with a bit of folk then you should be after Menhir, Thrudvangar and maybe Forefather..
but I think XIV Dark Centuries are a lot like Ensiferum.. so you might want to look into them a bit.. you might like them

@Baz Anderson:
Yeah I'll definitly go check those out.

I wouldn't really call XIV Dark Centuries similar to Ensiferum... Nordic and German approaches to viking metal are quite different.
As far as bands similar to Ensiferum go, I'd say
1. Thyrfing
2. Einherjer
3. Moonsorrow
4. Manegarm
5. Nomans Land
6. Wintersun

well lyrics and where the band come from may be different etc. but if you listen to a good up-beat track like 'Louvia - Die Ewigen Wälder' - I think that is very similar to Ensiferum..

I am a huge fan of Ensiferum but I am not a big fan of Thyrfing, Einherjer or Moonsorrow at all really.. I am not too big on Wintersun either..
I guess folk metal is just one of those weird genrés

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 14:43

I guess folk metal is just one of those weird genrés

You're only just figuring that out now?

Well, I've given Victory Songs a couple of spins (well, not really spins, since I Torrented it :p), and I quite like it. Similarly to Tristania's latest effort, I wasn't expecting a reworking of their older albums, and was quite pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's not really the same without Jari, but the instrumental work and the folk breakdowns are still there, and it's all enjoyable, axe-swinging, mead-drinking, well above-average folk metal.

I still have to hear the latest work, i havent heard anything yet with Petri.

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 04:34

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:13

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 04:09

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 04:04

Written by Baz Anderson on 25.02.2007 at 03:54

Written by Doc G. on 25.02.2007 at 03:11

So I finally got around to picking up 'Iron', and I gotta say its probably one of the most solid albums of all time, I havnt heard 'Victory Songs' yet but its gonna be hard to rival with 'Iron'

you should get their first album - 'Ensiferum' if you havent already got it..
I think that is better

Ill probably get around to it. I can really see myself getting big into these guys, you can really see where Turisas got alot of there inspiration.

yes indeed - I am not so big on Turisas as I am other folk bands, but I still like them..
if you are just getting into folk metal these are a few bands that are all quite similar that I would recommend:
Equilibrium, XIV Dark Centuries, Finntroll, Thrudvangar, Korpiklaani and Folkearth maybe..

Yeah ive checked out most of those, except for XIV Dark Centuries, and Thrudvangar. And its either hit or miss for folk metal with me. I was just a huge Turisas fan and someone told me Ensiferum is like Turisas meets black metal. so naturally I had to check it out and im very pleased. Its just I find alot of folk metal a bit weak.

and thats my life story.

oh right.. well I dont really hear much black in Ensiferum myself..
if it was black metal with a bit of folk then you should be after Menhir, Thrudvangar and maybe Forefather..
but I think XIV Dark Centuries are a lot like Ensiferum.. so you might want to look into them a bit.. you might like them

yeah I guess when he was talking about black metal he was probably reffering to the vocals in 'Into Battle' and such.

Written by Doc G. on 28.02.2007 at 01:16

yeah I guess when he was talking about black metal he was probably reffering to the vocals in 'Into Battle' and such.

Actually, 'Abandoned' and 'Windrider' have the most BM elements, with trem picking and blastbeats (the intro of Abandoned and the pre-chorus of Windrider). Which you wouldn't know about, since you don't have their debut. The moral of the story? BUY THEIR SELF-TITLED!

Written by Doc G. on 28.02.2007 at 01:16

yeah I guess when he was talking about black metal he was probably reffering to the vocals in 'Into Battle' and such.

Actually, 'Abandoned' and 'Windrider' have the most BM elements, with trem picking and blastbeats (the intro of Abandoned and the pre-chorus of Windrider). Which you wouldn't know about, since you don't have their debut. The moral of the story? BUY THEIR SELF-TITLED!

Written by RavenLord on 28.02.2007 at 22:55

Written by Doc G. on 28.02.2007 at 01:16

yeah I guess when he was talking about black metal he was probably reffering to the vocals in 'Into Battle' and such.

Actually, 'Abandoned' and 'Windrider' have the most BM elements, with trem picking and blastbeats (the intro of Abandoned and the pre-chorus of Windrider). Which you wouldn't know about, since you don't have their debut. The moral of the story? BUY THEIR SELF-TITLED!

i plan on it, but im feeling particularly broke at the moment.

I heard Ensiferum today for the first time. I'm having such a metal-orgasm listening to them

I just recently discovered the world of Viking metal last fall (mostly listening to great 2006 releases like XIV Dark Centuries, Runic, Tyr, Thrudvangar, etc.) and thought it was about time I start on some of the other, bigger bands of the genre. I got the S/T album and can't even put into words how wonderful and brilliant and epic it is!! Of course you all know this already, but DAMN I just had to say so

I've read the discussion about the new singer and new album and am exciting to hear how the band is evolving; I have a feeling they're destined to become one of my new favourites

Written by Susan on 05.03.2007 at 09:28

I heard Ensiferum today for the first time. I'm having such a metal-orgasm listening to them

I just recently discovered the world of Viking metal last fall (mostly listening to great 2006 releases like XIV Dark Centuries, Runic, Tyr, Thrudvangar, etc.) and thought it was about time I start on some of the other, bigger bands of the genre. I got the S/T album and can't even put into words how wonderful and brilliant and epic it is!! Of course you all know this already, but DAMN I just had to say so

I've read the discussion about the new singer and new album and am exciting to hear how the band is evolving; I have a feeling they're destined to become one of my new favourites

lol I went through the same feelings when i heard them the first time and I promise you, you will have multiple orgasms if you get your hands on "Iron" - Its an absolutely amazing album.....especially "Tales of Revenge", "Slayer of Light", "Iron" and "Lost in Despair".....it epitomises everything that is awesome and why i love metal so much....

The self titled was far better than Iron imo, but nonetheless it was still a great release too, but Ensiferum is an album right up in the top for sure.

Ive heard the One More Magic Potion single. Well Petri is... hmm, alright, but not as distinct and powerful as Jari was. Are these two songs good compared with the album Victory Songs, or the EP Dragonheads?

I heard the new album yesterday, imo, it's better than Iron, which I consider their best work.

Written by Dark Cornatus on 07.03.2007 at 13:53

The self titled was far better than Iron imo, but nonetheless it was still a great release too, but Ensiferum is an album right up in the top for sure.

Ive heard the One More Magic Potion single. Well Petri is... hmm, alright, but not as distinct and powerful as Jari was. Are these two songs good compared with the album Victory Songs, or the EP Dragonheads?

After listening to One More Magic Potion you should have a decent idea of what the entire album sounds like. If you found that one lacking, it'll apply for the Victory Songs as well. If you loved the song, you'll love the album. If it bored you at least a little bit, chances are the album will be a complete waste of time. Wanderer kicks ass in my opinion though.
And I think Dragonheads was better than the latest release. At least on EP Petri growled with some emotion.

ok wel, my expectations wont be a great deal then, i found the single quite boring, it doesnt have that sing-along quality the old Ensiferum had. Ill prob still get it, might be some good songs.

I dont like the new album at all....they just turned into regular folky metal and lost their edge completely. On the selftitled album and Iron you actually had a hard time finding any fillers at all - on Victory Songs its the other way around, its hard for me to name 2 songs that I actually want to listen to.

Written by [user id=1909] on 11.03.2007 at 17:28

I dont like the new album at all....they just turned into regular folky metal and lost their edge completely. On the selftitled album and Iron you actually had a hard time finding any fillers at all - on Victory Songs its the other way around, its hard for me to name 2 songs that I actually want to listen to.

Personally, I love Victory Songs. Perhaps you saw Jari as what made the band special, but I don't think the songwriting has taken a dip at all. The use of Meiju Enho's keyboards works wonders (rather than just using backing synths), and the speed is still there. I know some prefer Jari's vocals to the Toivonen+Hinka/Lindroos trade-off, but they have some damn catchy melodies in there. There is some filler towards the end, but the album starts and finishes amazingly, with the triple-whammy of 'Blood is the Price...', 'Deathbringer...' and 'Ahti' and then the epic 'Victory Song'. Yes, it's not as good as the first two, but I wasn't expecting it to be incredible, and, as with Tristania's latest, I was very pleasantly surprised.

I love the new album. I think that it is a work of art. Definitely not to the same degree as their first two. It is a different sound than their last being that they lost Jari. But still good.

Ensiferum's new album Victort songs, are pretty good, but not at the same level as the other albums like dragonheads and Iron.
Ofc i like some of the songs on Victory songs, Wanderer for example are great.

I really like Victory Songs, it had been my soundtrack these last weeks on most long bus-rides to univeristy. Wanderer is an average song, all the rest are killers, and "Deathbringer From The Sky" is probably my favourite Ensiferum song ever.

I'm very very VERY disappointed as well.

It does have a couple catchy songs, but all in all it's average at best.

No where near masterpiece status like iron & ensiferum.

Ensiferum is a great band ...The melodies and most of all the lyrics of some songs, like "Battle Song", makes me think how were the battles in the old times. I like all of their albuns, but "Ensiferum" is my favourite

At first I thought that Victory songs is nowhere near as good as Iron or Ensiferum are. But now that I've listened to it for a couple of times, it starts to unfold. In my opinion the weakest link on the album is "Ahti", the lyrics just don't belong to the music. Ahti is the old finnish god of the sea, and I think he would have deserved a more "oceanic" style music.

After the initial disappointment, it turned out to be a great album.

I've noticed something in the last few weeks...Ensiferum was much better with Jari Mäenpää. Nothing against Petri Lindroos, I just think Jari was better...but it's ok...cause I love Wintersun and Norther...and Ensiferum's first album

As Mäenpää really wasn't the music writer, wrote only the lyrics and part of the music I don't see him as a huge loss. We can tank him for Wintersun and ensiferum is still one of the greatest bands. I really like Victory Songs, I really like "one more magic potion" , the name is just too cool...

I love Ensiferum. I like all three albums bu definetly my favourite is the first one. All the songs are great especially Hero In A Dream and Little Dreamer. The last album is nothing special, but still.... I think they very a lot better while Jari Mäenpää was with them.