It’s been a while since I shipped out with ENSIFERUM, the Euro folk metal veterans. A lot has changed in that time. Folk metal has gone from a relative novelty to a well-worn genre with hordes of bands jostling each other for attention.

I remembered the band being more “warrior-like” and stern than the fun and happy melodies that pop up on Thalassic – too happy and fun for this grumpy Cornish Viking to digest. I like my folk metal with a bit more grit than this. Everything on Thalassic has been polished to a blinding sheen and many of the galloping tempos here are very, very familiar.

I could swear that I’ve heard tracks like ‘Andromeda’, ‘Run From The Crushing Tide’ and ‘One With The Sea’ not just once but many times before. The same perky happy riffs, balanced between harsh/clean vocals. Folky guitar solos have popped up with great regularity, and it seems like ENSIFERUM is repeating themselves, only with less metallic grit and earthiness than before.

If you do enjoy upbeat metal songs with a “Celtic” flavor, Thalassic is for you. Not me, though. I’m looking for something a little tougher and more original.
Review By: Dr. Abner Mality

ENSIFERUM
Thalassic
Metal Blade
3 / 6