ARTIST: Ensiferum
ALBUM NAME: Thalassic
RELEASE DATE: 10 July 2020
COUNTRY: Finland
CITY: Helsinki
GENRE: Folk Metal
Members:
Petri Lindroos – Vocals/Guitar
Markus Toivonen – Guitar/Vocals
Sami Hinkka – Bass/Vocals
Pekka Montin – Keyboard/Vocals
Janne Parviainen – Drums
How do you improve upon perfection?
Step one: Be Ensiferum.
Step two: Release Thalassic.
Ensiferum has had many a line-up change in their 25-year history, and though each incarnation brought a special sort of magic to the table, I am truly gobsmacked by how perfect this dynamic is. This is the Ensiferum that works the best. This is the Ensiferum that speaks the loudest.
I’ll be honest with you. Ensiferum are one of my absolute favourite bands, and have been since I first heard them a decade ago. I went into Thalassic expecting to love it (because I have forever pledged my allegiance to this band, and even if they recorded 40 minutes of silence I’d jam to it). What I didn’t see coming, is that Thalassic would touch pieces of my soul I didn’t realize were still alive.
I say this unironically: Thalassic is majestic. The musicality is beautiful, the lyrics hit hard, and Pekka’s new and powerful vocal contributions work in harmony with the familiarity of Ensiferum that I’ve come to know and love. Thalassic plays as though each preceding Ensiferum album was a prelude to it; as though the band before was practicing the ultimate impeccability that Thalassic would become. It’s so good that, though it’s refreshing, it doesn’t seem new. It feels more like a hidden gem that I wish I discovered sooner than it does a latest release. You’d swear that this has always been Ensiferum. The band is so comfortable in its sound that I can barely tell what’s set in stone and what’s experimental in light of the new line up and energy.
This is a prime example of what folk metal should be. Ensiferum have perfected the genre, and Thalassic is testament to that. This is the sort of album that will suck you in and pull you on an adventure that you’ll recount time and time again.
Where to, you ask?
To the sea, of course.
It’s calling.
You best listen, and let it carry you away.
Reviewed by: Kelly Damon[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”4790″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]