Ensiferum
Iron

THE REVIEW

Today we're talking about an album I'm really fond of; I must confess – I'm not a great connoisseur of Ensiferum’s career, but now and then I revisit this album, the previous one, and a few scattered tracks from throughout their discography. And I have to say, even though it took me a while to get into it, this album is one of the best records the new millennium has given us in the metal world.

The band, hailing from Helsinki, was driven by a deep love for their folk roots, combined with a visceral passion for melodic death, splashes of power metal, and classic thrash. The result wasn’t an evil folk close to black metal, but rather a super muscular speed metal, mixed with keyboards and powerful deep vocals, yet also able to carve out some truly melodic moments. It’s melody itself that opens the heavenly – and kitschy, but we love it that way – "Ferrum Aeterno," a lengthy intro that reaches almost Morricone-like territory and pairs perfectly with the fantasy atmosphere of the cover art. Then the title track hits like a punch: the keyboard riff might make viking purists raise an eyebrow, but fear not, the band knows its craft and delivers a truly respectable piece, a first track you’d definitely want more of! Some of the choral sections with their rapid-fire pace even remind me of Rhapsody à la "Dawn of Victory," but maybe that's just my impression. "Sword Chant" doesn't stray far from the title track in terms of grit and expressiveness, making it a second hit. The band takes a small breather with the interlude "Mourning Heart" and then charges back with the rock-solid "Tale of Revenge." And it’s after this track that we arrive at a song I can't help but linger on more than I should. Let me specify: the whole album is brilliantly performed, excellently produced, and filled with great musical ideas. But the track I most hold dear – and perhaps, since it’s the least folk-influenced (and therefore, in a sense, maybe the least personal) – I consider the most beautiful, the one I loved most on first listen (maybe precisely because it’s less folk and more accessible), and, for a long time, as a bitter, sadly pissed-off adolescent, thought was one of the best to soundtrack my most melancholic moments, well, that’s the superb, monumental "Lost in Despair." The alternation between unbearably heavy sections and delicate acoustic moments gives me goosebumps, the way it shifts from a ferocious, Amon Amarth-like growl to vocals that brush up against ‘90s alternative rock yearnings is sublime. And the lyrics, what can I say: "Take me away/bury me in the sand:/’cause after all these years/I am still the same/sad and bitter man.../Crush my hope/grow my hate/there’s no home for me/Nothing to give/nothing to say/so tell me it’s a dream...". Now, tell me again that Ensiferum are only good at writing cheesy viking stuff. The melodic section reaches levels of epicness that could make Manowar or Candlemass envious.

"Slayer of Light," however, shows no mercy: did you let "Lost in Despair" tame you? A track of pure vehemence is ready to make you pay! The double "Into Battle"/"LaiLai Hei" returns to play on epicness and furor of the north, then making way for "Tears" and a cover of Metallica’s "Battery," which is very good even if not especially personal, showing how the band’s roots lay in metal in general and not too sectarian.

I also think this is a historically important album: the band placed itself in a very unfortunate phase for metal, especially the classic-rooted kind; it was the 2000s, nu metal was losing its momentum but audiences didn’t seem ready to decide what the new path for metal should be, seeming to prefer sounds like Nightwish’s, which certainly didn’t reflect Ensiferum’s way. Yet, even though many now look back on those years as a period of stagnation in the metal world, the band managed to craft a real masterstroke. Maybe some of the power sections are a bit too over the top, or some tracks a bit too muscular and thus unnecessarily lumbering, but I assure you that just a couple of listens are enough to overcome these hurdles.

So, an album that’s pretty accessible even though it’s heavy and massive, offering catchy sounds but also great ferocity – a landmark of modern metal and an anchor for your strongest emotions and atmospheres. If you’re looking for three quarters of an hour of proper music, don’t hesitate: Ensiferum won’t let you down. "'Cause the Iron is stronger than death!". Score: 89/100.