Ensiferum

The last time that Ensiferum left the studio with a new album, the world promptly shut down due to the covid pandemic. The Finnish folk-metal Melodeath sensation maintained a prolific release schedule since their first demo in 1997, gradually increasing in stature until eighth album Thalassic crowned their ascent in 2020. The nautical opus went on to top Finland's album chart, reaching #3 in Germany, and top ten in Switzerland, Canada and the USA. Eventually Ensiferum would take Thalassic on two massive world tours and to festivals like Wacken, Hellfest, Summer Breeze and Ragnarök, but the global health hoo-hah ensured that the four-year wait for Winter Storm is the longest in the band's near-30-year history. Much of the new material emerged in the lockdown era, when Ensiferum's founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music - eventually composing every song except the rousing, anthemic Fatherland, written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin's crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on Thalassic. But on Winter Storm - a fantasy concept narrative written by Sami ("The way I see it, this album is more like a 'musical' than a traditional album," says the bassist) - Pekka's super-strong voice finds its optimal place in Ensiferum's sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.