Wednesday 3 January 2018

Ensiferum - Two Paths



Release Date: 15 September 2017
Genre: Epic Folk Metal
Country: Finland


                            Line-up:
                            • Petri Lindroos - Harsh vocals, Guitar
                            • Markus Toivonen - Guitars, Clean & Choir vocals, Bouzouki
                            • Sami Hinkka - Bass guitar, Clean, Choir & Harsh vocals, Dulcimer
                            • Janne Parviainen - Drums
                            • Netta Skog - Accordion, Female & Choir vocals
                            Discography:
                            • Ensiferum - 2001
                            • Iron - 2004
                            • Dragonheads (EP) - 2006
                            • Victory Songs - 2007
                            • From Afar - 2009
                            • Unsung Heroes - 2012
                            • One Man Army - 2015
                            • Two Paths - 2017
                            This is the 7th full-length album by the Finnish band Ensiferum. This record features a shift in the sound of the band, initiated in their previous work, One Man Army. While presenting this sound change, the essence of the band's sound has been kept, making this album a good work in Ensiferum's catalogue.

                            Although subtle, this shift in the band's sound is noticeable mostly in that there are now hardly any clean harmony sections sung by Markus and Sami. Instead, the band has opted for using choir chants. In addition, the keyboard role, as well as that of the accordion are now less predominant in the overall sound.

                            Leaving the sonic differences behind, the band has achieved a tight, solid performance. The work on vocals by Petri is strong and the drum delivery is precise and spot-on, as always (although not having used a click track on some tracks, as Janne stated in this interview). Overall, the band's performance is firm and vivid along the whole album.

                            As stated in the previously linked interview, Two Paths was recorded on analog tape in Astia-Studio, Lappeenranta, Finland. Whether this is the key component or not, the album features a clean sound, with big, wide and powerful production. Despite these efforts in getting an "old-school", "good-sounding" production, the decision to overcompress the mastered album on the CD version undermines them. This is a sign that the Loudness War is still going on. The vinyl version of the album gives the listeners an alternative, tough.

                            Moving on to individual songs in the record, we must point out "For Those About to Fight for Metal", " Way of the Warrior", "King of Storms" and "Don't You Say" as its highlights. Both "For Those About to Fight for Metal" and " Way of the Warrior" present powerful riffs in the lines of the new band's sound. "Don't You Say" is a catchy song and a good piece nonetheless. 

                            "King of Storms" is in our opinion, the best track in Two Paths. We consider it to be this good mostly for the reminiscences of the previous style of the band, which are the present in the drum sections, the verse riffs and the solo (the song has many elements that remind us fondly of tracks like "Elusive Reaches" and "A New Dawn", from From Afar and Victory Songs, respectively"). The song meets us with blazing fast rhythms and tasteful melodies. The symphonic parts this time get a predominant role (one of the few times this happens in the album), thus giving the tune a high-sounding epic atmosphere.

                            In conclusion, Ensiferum have delivered a fantastic album, fulfilling the expectations of the fans, at least those in the Aural Art team. It is all in all a recommended album to take a listen to.

                            Score: 7/10

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