Ensiferum Album Review – “One Man Army”

Finnish metal band Ensiferum can now be called true veterans of the genre. Ensiferum was founded in 1995 and they continue to leave headbangers with a sore neck in 2015, probably even more than ever. The Fins, who describe their brand of metal as melodic folk metal, have recorded their strongest album yet. The new album ‘One Man Army’ sees the band stepping up their craft on every level.

Ensiferum’s sound is still marked by combining death metal influences and rough vocals with melodies and folk inspirations. In ‘One Man Army’ they have perfected this mix even more. The album begins with the 90 second intro ‘March Of War’ before moving into ‘Ax Of Judgment’, a classic opening with blistering speed, plenty of double bass action and fast riffing. In true Ensiferum style, they include references to Russian folk music, a chorus, and a break in the middle of the song that not only has rhythm but also includes Accept-style chorus sequences. Most metal fans will join.

‘Heathen Horde’ follows and brings more traditional metal parts, some guitar melodies even sound like Maiden. Arching over all of this is the extensive use of chorus-like gang vocals, a recurring theme for the rest of the album. The break in the middle ventures into medieval folk music before the band picks up speed again. Ensiferum then goes into fifth gear with the title track ‘One Man Army’. Blazing fast riffs, crisp melodies and again the chorus are the trademarks of this song. The 2-minute ballad ‘Burden Of The Fallen’ offers a welcome break.

The remaining six songs on the album are kept at the same high quality level. Ensiferum ranges from epic song structures (the 11-minute ‘Descendant, Defiance, Domination’) to upbeat, upbeat tracks (‘Two Of Spades’) and progressive Maiden-esque adventures (‘Warrior Without A War’). It’s hard to pick a highlight of the album. All the songs have their own little treasures to discover. The special edition of ‘One Man Army’ comes with three bonus songs including a version of the classic ‘Rawhide’ that really suits the band’s sound.

Ensiferum has not changed its style compared to the previous album. Nor have they rewritten the history of heavy metal. But what they have done is create a unique brand of metal that is recognizable and different from most mainstream metal bands these days. It is not the search for the hardest, fastest and most extreme metal that you find on this album. Instead, you’ll find well-crafted songs that will make your live performance break your neck.

The bottom line is that Ensiferum has released a very strong album that will be on many top 10 lists by the end of the year. Finland’s metal veterans have further refined their sound. His six full-length album releases have gone from record to record. ‘One Man Army’ is the logical continuation in this line of hard-hitting releases. It looks like the band has a lot more to give in the years to come. Watch them live if they play near you.

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