Reviews :              

Ensiferum : Victory Songs
Spinefarm Records 2007
Posted : 17.05.2007
Done by: Marta Molina



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

 

So, here’s the new long awaited (by some) Ensiferum full-length. First work for the new line up after the controversial EP “Dragonheads”, work that leaved many (but not us) perplex. But if “Dragonheads” had only one new song actually, the title track, this album was all written from the actual members of the band and for the “new” singer Petri Lindroos (Norther’s front man, also). After many critics from the old fan base, Ensiferum had to show that they don’t need the former singer Jari Mäenpää to be a great band, and they did. The music may have changed but the style is still there, as epic and folk as ever.

First thing we may notice just looking at the booklet is that this time the entire band but the drummer Janne Parviainen took part in the song writing, and this is absolutely good new.

But let’s talk about music.

The intro Ad Victoriam is probably the best ever written by the band, a great solemn tune written by Meiju Enho, Markus Toivonen and Sami Hinkka, intro that presents already some of the themes of the album, and that leads the first actual song of the album. Blood Is The Price Of Glory (music: Toivonen and former bass player Jukka Pekka Miettinen, Lyrics: Sami Hinkka) is a perfect Ensiferum song. Good melodic riffs, nice harmonies, majestic and proud lyrics, and a savage primordial energy.

For the first time we hear actually a real Lindroos’ solo here, and that’s probably, of course with the voice, the biggest difference from the origins of the band. In fact, while Jari was a swipper, Petri is mainly a shredder and an alternate picker. The solo is strong and fluent, yet melodic, a perfect example of what this guy can do (I wonder why our dear old Petri gives his best as a guitarist with Ensiferum, while with Norther, his main band, we sometimes have the impression that he does the top of the minimum :P).

The second track, Death Bringer From The Sky (music: Hinkka/Toivonen, lyrics: Hinkka), is a song with a lot of good potential. The intro for the song is nice, the oboe bits are well done and enjoyable, but the thing the probably diminish the quality is the chorus, good, but not as good as the rest of the song. Nice bass solo by Sami, who never misses a chance to show how a good player he is, and with all the rights. Nice is also the idea of the lyrics… beware… a big evil dragon raised from the myths, hide while you can!

And he we are to one of the best songs in the album. Ahti (music: Toivonen, lyrics: Hinkka), song about the  finnish god of the waters, is an epic song, where everything is at its own place… everything about the solos, mythological as Ahti himself. In fact in the booklet Lindroos is credited for a banjo and a guitar solos, but no real solo is to be heard. Is to notice the fact that we can hear some growls very different from Petri’s. Is no one less than our old friend Jukka Pekka, who helped more than a little in this work, it seems. For this song you can also find the first ever official promo video Ensiferum ever did.

And here we come to the first single, the drinking song One More Magic Potion (music: Toivonen, lyrics: Hinkka). A happy nice song, quite “oustyle” some may think, but weren’t Ensiferum who say “There’s nothing that whiskey can’t cure”? The magic potion from the song seems more beer (like Markus told us after the show in Milan, the cover from the single IS actually a beer pint), but the idea is the same. “Bring me a magic potion; it will heal my aching wounds / A taste so bitter that makes my bleeding soul feels so good”.

And so, bring us a new pint, as this songs does its work and does it good, making you want to dance sing and drink, with it’s flutes and folk spirit.

And after the drinking song, the first moment of “calm”. The happy flute in Magic Potion leaves his place from the romantic sweet flute of Wanderer. This tune may be heavy still it has a nostalgic feeling, given mostly by the flute and the violin, and by the complete absence of harsh vocals.

Seventh song from the album, Raised By The Sword is probably, with the title track, the real jewel. Nearly all written by Meiju, apart a little heal from Markus for the music, this song makes me wonder… why the hell did she waited so much to compose? Perfect majestic music, proud and glorious lyrics, balance between the fast heavy bits and the acoustic slow ones… what more could we ask from Ensiferum?

And now, probably the more atypical Ensiferum song. Fast, furious as a wild horses’ charge, A New Dawn is the first song Petri Lindroos wrote for a band different from his Norther. What to say, probably my favourite song from the album, but this does not make it the best. Probably quite the contrary, as for being an Enska song is, as I said, quite atypical, and the guitar solo reminds us quite a little (too much) of Norther. So beautiful, great song, but this is probably going to be one of the less favourite for the fans.

And so we come to the real masterpiece of the album, the 10 minutes long Victory Songs. It can be nearly considered as a small suite, if we want to look at it from a classical formal point of view, with some very distinct moments, both instrumental and sung. The best moment of the song is probably the finnish choir, a brilliant reminiscence of the fan’s most beloved LAI LAI HEI. Not much can be said about this song, probably one of the best Ensiferum ever wrote. Everything else must be left to the hears of the listeners.

On the special dual-disk edition makes its presence also the Urriah Heep cover Lady In Black, well done, but nothing exquisite, on the cd side, and two nice DVD tracks, one a collage of some Iron’s live performance and a small documentary about the photo shoot for the album, quite finny and entertaining.

In conclusion, a very good album, that starts a new era for Ensiferum, with only one original member in the line up, the founder Markus.

Of course Jari was a column for the band, but as a performer Petri has a much better technique, and Sami and Meiju song writing are solid and stylish.

Petri’s voice, colder and sharper then Jari’s, is perfect for the new Ensiferum's lyrics style, less personal and introspective then the previous works, but surely as effective.

Probably some of the old nostalgic fans will abandon definitively the band after this work, but if they do is not for a quality loss, but just for they inability to accept changes.

 

Vote: 80/100