ENSIFERUM
Stop the presses! Dammit, I had just got done posting my Top Albums of 2001 and then this album arrived and I was blown away to the extent that I had to go back and make the necessary change. Enter ENSIFERUM...Finland is absolutely exploding with new bands these days. Much like Sweden endured the early/middle 90's onslaught of chainsaw guitar Death Metal, Finland is experiencing an invasion of Neo-Classical Melodic Death Metal inspired by none other than CHILDREN OF BODOM. I find it quite entertaining watching and listening to this most engaging evolution. I'm having a hard enough time keeping up as is evidenced by me being completely oblivious to this outstanding release. Here goes...
This self-titled album is stylistically diverse in almost every respect. Purity has no meaning here. Let us try calling them Power/Viking/Folk/Thrash/Death/Norse/CHILDREN OF BODOM/Your Mama/Whatever-ya-call-it Metal. You get the idea. In other words this is a terrific blend of a lot of styles, primarily up-tempo Power Metal with lots of CHILDREN OF BODOM type growls and quick-riffed guitar stunts. I really want to know if there is any end to the pool of talented guitarists in Finland! Here again we have another round of flashy leads to compliment some of the catchiest Nordic Metal I have ever heard. The band have effectively blended a smattering of Scandinavian Metal styles and done so with incredible finesse. The nimble musicianship is yet another reminder of how seriously the Northern countries take their music and as an American who has watched my Metal scene crumble into dust, I'm frankly humbled beyond all words. ENSIFERUM are talented - really talented. Not just in playing ability but in songwriting and creativity. Its all here.
The band utilize heavy Folk influences throughout, which translates into the catchy flare many of these Finnish acts are so well known for. However, ENSIFERUM have a special quality about their music that makes it the most addicting I have heard since the mighty CHILDREN OF BODOM crashed onto the scene a few years back. This album is a bit of a second coming if you will for FInland's more elite bands. I consider this offering up there with CHILDREN OF BODOM's Hatebreeder in terms of impact. While Hatebreeder will undoubtedly be remembered as a landmark in Finnish Metal history, so should this album as it is just a phenomenal model of diversity and truly a groundbreaking effort. The listener is treated to a host of proud Nordic choruses that will have you trying to memorize the lyrics so you can sing along as well as visiting your local library to brush up on your Viking history. Clearly inspired by Sweden's Viking Power Metal acts, ENSIFERUM use that chemistry as a base then infuse their native Folk, Death and Thrash Metal influences to create a blissful Metal album that shatters trends by uniting them toward a common musical goal.
Vocally this is great in every possible way. Transitions are frequent: from scratchy Black/Death Metal shrieks to strong-lunged and pride-inspired Power Metal chants. Both excellent. The guitars aren't the heaviest you've ever heard but Finnish bands are not traditionally concerned about pummeling the listener like Swedish band's often are. Rather the band find a perfect balance of heaviness and clean tone, which translates into a better sounding affair when the more technical elements come into play. Now throw in those acoustics and a subtle sprinkling of keyboards along with that tasty double bass and you have the makings of Finland's next big act.
ENSIFERUM hammered out 13 tracks for this release (1 a bonus plus an intro as well) and I can't find one thing to gig this album for. Its nearly perfect and among the catchiest, most entertaining Metal albums I have heard in a good decade. This makes my list for the best of 2001 without hesitation. I simply cannot wait to see what the band do next.
John's rating: 6.5
Matt's rating: 7.5
