That ENSIFERUM was on a downward slide between 2009 classic From Afar and ‘20s Thalassic still kind of hurts, given how reliable the band was for its first four albums. I’ve kept up peripherally with them since, always at least given each new release a spin, but have come away feeling disappointed, and never went back to see if there was anything I might’ve missed, because there was so much more to hear and give time to, even within the folk metal sub-subgenre.

Intro ‘Aurora’ sounds like the loading screen for the flash game Crush The Castle, and ‘Winter Storm Vigilantes’ sashays through the snowflakes, no real bite to the frost, no real substance to the storm. One thing I’ve always enjoyed about ENSIFERUM, though, is the presence of multiple vocalists, and willingness to put the best throat behind whatever the section calls for. The same holds true here, and it still works well as it ever did. ‘Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife’ spends too much time in the buildup, but the recitation before the song proper begins sets the mood, and this is the ENSIFERUM of old, but new, and sounding heroic in a way it hasn’t in far too long.

After a solid ‘Fatherland’, the balladic ‘Scars In My Heart’ holds its own, despite (or because of?) the clear sonic ties to the female-fronted glut of ages past. As it is, it’s an odd piece in the canon of the band and, due to such, may end up one of the more memorable tracks from the album. While ‘The Howl’ finds the band at times on autopilot, the nearly nine-minute ‘From Order To Chaos’ is robust, instantly attention-grabbing, and holds that attention. Hack-and-slash riffs, waves and waves of keys crashing upon cliffs of rhythm, and pretty much every vocal style in the band’s arsenal make this one key.

Much has been made of founder Markus Toivonen’s use of computers and digital tricks in putting this one together. ENSIFERUM has not only retained the human element with Winter Storm; it has regained, it seems, a bit of inspiration to go further toward the horizon. I’ll come back to this one.
Review By: Lord Randall

ENSIFERUM
Winter Storm
Metal Blade