ENSIFERUM

Oh, what a splendid marvel!!! Seared on one side by the flames of fierce battles, and sun-kissed on the other by the playful warmth of folk. ENSIFERUM hails from the land of a thousand lakes — one does not question the musicianship of their bards and minstrels. And with "Iron," our Finnish neighbors did not disappoint. Arguably one of the strongest viking-folk releases in recent years. Considering that this branch of heavy metal reached its apex in 1997-1998 and then gradually — at an agonizing dinosaur's pace — went extinct, ENSIFERUM's latest effort is poised to herald a new wave of audio crusades for Holy Grails and other Knights of the Round Table. The album opens with a simple acoustic intro: a ringing guitar, a flute, everything beautiful and cloudless, with various birds seemingly fluttering about. Then the mightiest weapon in any medieval minnesinger's arsenal enters the fray — a toothy Stratocaster. And off we go!!! Over bumps and potholes, through mountains and valleys, a rousing song about IRON!!! There are almost no filler tracks on the disc, and among the weightiest anthems (first among equals, heh) I would name "Sword Chant," "Tale of Revenge," and the record-length "Lai Lai Hei." Manowar-esque lyrical cliches are entertainingly seasoned with passages in Finnish, which only adds an unexpected "kick" to the rest of the still life of sweets and spices. On the final track, "Tears," the band's keyboardist Meiju Enho delivers a very effective vocal performance. Thus, this release comes highly recommended to all lovers of melodic, high-quality music.