Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes review
| Band: | Ensiferum |
| Album: | Unsung Heroes |
| Style: | Extreme folk metal |
| Release date: | August 2012 |
Disc I
01. Symbols
02. In My Sword I Trust
03. Unsung Heroes
04. Burning Leaves
05. Celestial Bond
06. Retribution Shall Be Mine
07. Star Queen (Celestial Bond Part II)
08. Pohjola
09. Last Breath
10. Passion, Proof, Power
11. Bamboleo [Gipsy Kings cover] [deluxe edition bonus]
Disc II [DVD] [deluxe edition bonus]
+ From Symbols To Passion: The Making Of Unsung Heroes
+ Studio Diary: Week 1-7
It looks like Ensiferum, it sounds like Ensiferum, but is this actually Ensiferum? Unsung Heroes is an extremely puzzling album in that the aspects of what made Ensiferum one of the top folk metal bands are sparse or blatantly missing here. The album largely lacks pace, excitement, the epic chorus' we grew to love - more than anything, it lacks spirit.
Most people will have seen the results of drugs on the ability of spiders to make webs. While still capable of crafting their webs, the resulting webs vary in their levels of integrity. Some will look more web-like than others, some will still function as webs, but others are a messy mish-mash of uncoordinated silk incapable of fulfilling its purpose.
Unsung Heroes looks and sounds like an Ensiferum album, but like a web spun on caffeine there is something majorly wrong. The band's cogs remain unchanged since the last album, they are all still competent and capable in their musical positions, but the process within which the songs and album have been spun together has not been a successful one. Unsung Heroes comes with no obvious explanation, the band are still capable of producing their silk, but it has come together all wrong on this album resulting in a mish-mash of absolute mediocrity.
Over an hour long, the album feels like hard work to push through. Opening song "In My Sword I Trust" is one of the more traditional Ensiferum-type songs, albeit with an uncomfortable and uncharacteristic slower pace. The majority of the album continues at the same pace, but while still recognisably Ensiferum, it is missing the enthusiasm, the energy, sparkle and vibrancy of every other Ensiferum release.
"Pohjola" is one of the album's few highlights with its long chorus, and surprisingly the seventeen-minute "Passion Proof Power" is the other main highlight showcasing some superb progressive touches within a song that naturally feels at home with a slower pace. These two songs certainly end the album on a better note, perhaps the effect of the caffeine wearing off by this point.
Above everything else, Unsung Heroes is underwhelming. It lacks the band's imagination and spirit, and fails to capture the listener in any positive way. An hour after it started, you'll be left with little or no desire to waste another of your hours on this. Like the failed webs, Unsung Heroes is a botched job and will inevitably be left to gather some at the back of the shelf itself.
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Folk metal
Spinefarm Records
Finland
Length: 1:01:31
Rating:
8.5
8.5
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Rating: 8.5 |
I, like most Ensiferum fans, was rather disappointed upon initially hearing the band's 2012 effort Unsung Heroes. The album's pacing was much slower than the much-heralded From Afar, the atmosphere rather mellow in comparison to their other works and the sense of composition more subdued and subtle. As most metal listeners know, the first few listens of an album can be deceiving; I mean, after all, how many of us truly wrapped our heads around Opeth's Blackwater Park the first time we listened to it? I don't mind spending some time with the albums I have at my disposal and giving Unsung Heroes a number of listens has proven to be one of the greatest rewards this habit has given me as of late. Unsung Heroes is, for all intents and purposes, quite unsung (no pun intended, of course). Read more ›› |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 65
Visited by: 1084 users
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
Hahaha going for the dissapointed fanboy excuse... So classy. How many sips are for that one? Two?
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada  |
Written by Carl Berg on 27.08.2012 at 23:15 I don't understand...Judging by Baz's reviews of the past two albums (both rated a 9+), and he's rated all of their material up until this point a 9 or 10, doesn't it make him less of a fanboy for being able to rationally admit when a band he loves makes a misstep? Seeing as you've rated all their albums thus far with a bare minimum of 7+ (including this one), it's easier to deduce that you are the fanboy. I haven't heard the new album in its entirety, but judging from what I've heard so far, this album sounds like some amateur folk metal band trying to play like Ensiferum. I think Baz explained a similar sentiment in his review. As for myself, I'll probably still pick it up. I loved Victory Songs and Iron, while From Afar was one that took a long, long time to grow on me, maybe it will be the same case with Unsung Heroes.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia  |
Why is it that so many seem to have a fetish for those insignificant numbers? I don't care what you rate an album. If you like, or don't like, an album explain to me why and that's good enough for me. Such is the purpose of this review, for example, that little 5 next to the review seems to draw some people's attention away from the opinion expressed in words. If I see someone has given a rating of a 10, what I gather is that that person really enjoyed the album, to the extent that they consider it perfect or near perfect. I can't get anything more of their opinion, if there really is anything more they can say than "WOAH...SO GOOD!", until they express it in words. A number isn't an opinion, it is merely a reflection of an opinion. As for MS "casuals", I would like to think that everyone can provide an explanation for why a particular album is enjoyable. Though it would be naive of me to deny the existence of fan-boyish tendencies or adulation for a particular band which may overcome any attempt at providing a reasonable explanation. They would have no really beneficial opinion to which I can relate as it is something subject entirely to their own enjoyment. Does this make their rating wrong? Of course not, it's a number they give to a piece of music they deem to fulfill, or fail to, their entertainment needs. This is totally useless to me of course, so I look for where I assume an opinion from which I can draw some information as to content of the music, such as this review for example. All the ratings do is signal to me the potential likelihood that that person may have more of an opinion to offer, but that isn't to say I would consider the opinion of those who give an album a 10 as opposed to a 7 necessarily of less value, just the odds that they will have something more to say about it. It's not a guarantee of course, some who give this album, for example, a 9 may have more to say about it than someone who gives it a 7. There really isn't a sure fire way of spotting a substantial opinion behind a rating. That's why words are infinitely more important, they can tell me what I need to know, not some offhand application of an album to a rating scale. And that's what reviews are for, they aren't the sole domain of "critics", they are meaningful expressions of opinion which can give me an inclination or disinclination to look further into a piece of music.
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| truenoacero Posts: 63 From: Spain  |
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| AXA Posts: 199  |
When i read like this shit .. i know some one don't understand the conception of the album when i listen to this album i want to listen to it more and more
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| Thrashette Posts: 624 From: Canada  |
In My Sword I Trust was a great song, but I couldn't even finish this album because I got so bored of it... I don't think it was horrible; I probably just had high expectations that weren't met. I'll probably give it another chance sometime, but I agree that it's their worst release yet.
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| elseif Posts: 96 From: France  |
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| BitterCOld The Ancient One Posts: 15250  |
Written by R'Vannith on 28.08.2012 at 12:57 well said i thought about giving up numbers in reviews as other staff writers have, but decided against it. numbers have some value and are a way to at least rank appreciation of an album. MS has a set scale to correspond with general whole numbers, and the other side of the decimal point gives the reader an idea where it stands compared in relation to other albums I reviewed. considering i review a lot of smaller acts, i think seeing a 8+ from me will hopefully bring more traffic to the review, thus getting the band attention. ideally you'd like readers to actually, well, read and process your reviews rather than score. and understand individual mileage varies from album to album. and, as said before, others numbers are significant for figuring out whose opinion to disregard, whether it be the person who scores everything 9, 10, or 1... or the person who loves one genre and thus has significantly lower ratings for other genres (I.e. a prog lover who scores all doom a 5 or 6) ... the more similar a person's numbers trend to mine, the easier it is to assess and value their score on an album i haven't heard.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia |
Written by BitterCOld on 29.08.2012 at 03:19 Yeah, the numbers are useful for reassuring those who read the review that what they're reading is worth their time. Terrible really, when you think about, but that's how things are I guess, people see a review with a yellow number they might more readily check out the review than one with an orange number. Totally forgo the number and you are pretty much throwing caution to the wind and hoping things like the opening lines as they are displayed on this website attract readers, or a nice album artwork etc. As soon as people begin to read the review they should leave the number to an aside, rather than keeping it at the front of their mind while reading. That totally detracts from what the reviewer is trying to say I think. And that's definitely true too, there is a certain level of respect that you develop for someone's opinion based on what they've rated and how similar they are to how you would rate things and what it is they like listening to. Wherever and whenever I can though I prefer to read what someone has to say about the music, not just what number they put to it. The number is a brief indication to me, nothing more.
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| Varegan Hamranakara Posts: 912 From: Iran  |
And by the harp of Vainamoinen!!! what the fuck are those stupid narrations in an Ensiferum song? It's like buying a bottle with a big brand of vodka on it and pure mineral water in it!
---- Written by muthafucka on 08.07.2010 at 06:46
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic  |
I didnt, because i pretty much loved "From Afar"
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| atkmetal123 Posts: 60 From: Vietnam |
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| SigFog Posts: 3 From: Germany |
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic |
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| MarioVillalobos Posts: 16 From: Costa Rica  |
Well i really don´t like to much the ensiferum albums but this is pretty nice, a little bit more different that the others
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| Dark Cornatus Powerslave Posts: 4330 From: New Zealand  |
Written by atkmetal123 on 31.08.2012 at 14:04 He sounds so bad, it is probably the worst vocals i've heard on an album yet. Never really have liked him. I think they can do with a better vocalist. He sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
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| Dinruth Posts: 419 From: Austria |
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| crucifiedjesus Posts: 122 From: Canada |
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| Dinruth Posts: 419 From: Austria |
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662 From: Czech Republic |
Written by Dinruth on 03.09.2012 at 23:08 the question now is, which kind of drug it was  http://www.nolifescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/spiders_drug.jpg
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden |
Written by Ellrohir on 03.09.2012 at 23:19 They are definitely the crack's spider's bitch.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| fade Son of Sweden Posts: 3771 From: USA  |
Nice review Baz, and correct. I like what I have heard and while I realize not every album will hit the nail on the head of brilliance we still must find the bright spots and support what we like. After all these years we are all older and I like to think musically wiser too.. bawls am I stoned? All I know is I only played this album on my trail run last week and it repeated 4 times...needless to say at the end of my four hour run I was singing... "In my Sword I Trust." I still wish Petri was still with Norther, but this is another story for another day... faded
---- The troubles of avoiding horseshit. My Music database: http://www.racksandtags.com/northernsky/
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| AngelofDeth Cyborg Raptor Posts: 1183 From: USA  |
Written by fade on 06.09.2012 at 08:46 The problem is that the bright spots and dark spots are in the same songs. If there were good songs and bad songs its much easier to pluck out and salvage a few songs from an album. But here if you wanna get to that one or two good melodies in a song you gotta bear through all the boring watered down crap to get to there. its the same problem with Khaos Legions. Not worth it in my opinion.
---- pewpew.. gotcha
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| Mugthulhu Posts: 50 From: Finland  |
It's a good album. I think it's a good thing that it's different from the other ones. Bands who make the same album over and over again tend to get boring, and Ensiferum is clearly not one of these bands.
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Stabby
Account deleted Written by Guest on 08.09.2012 at 20:52 Nice! Hail Sohvaperuna! 
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| BORT Posts: 98 From: Canada |
Great album but the last two songs Passion, Proof, Power and Bamboleo could have been left off the album. Or just shorten Passion, proof, power to not include that awful break in the song at the 12 minute mark. I also found this album to be more folky similar to the first album with the mixture of electric guitars, acoustic guitars and clean vocals. 
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| JohnnyMetalDrums Posts: 1 From: USA  |
Like most I was also disappointed in Unsung, but it's not terrible. Burning Leaves is my favorite track, but like the review says.. the album in it's entirety lacks the "grab your axe, beer and lets fight!" attitude.
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