ENSIFERUM

Thalassic

Metal Blade
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Seafarer's Dream
02. Rum, Women, Victory
03. Andromeda
04. The Defence of the Sampo
05. Run from the Crushing Tide
06. For Sirens
07. One with the Sea
08. Midsummer Magic
09. Cold Northland (Väinämöinen Part III)


It's almost impossible to achieve longevity in heavy metal without repeating yourselves occasionally. In the best possible way, ENSIFERUM have been the model of consistency over the years, with a long-established musical identity and a steady forward march toward bigger and better things very much part of the bargain. Righteously huge in Europe, the Finns have so far lacked the collective charisma to emulate AMON AMARTH's unlikely ascent to festival headliner status, but "Thalassic" sounds like the record they needed to make to unlock those last few potential levels.

Any fear that founder Markus Toivonen had run out of ideas by this point are walking the plank within seconds of sumptuous overture "Seafarer's Dream". Although not a full-blown concept album, "Thalassic" does revolve around a core theme of battles, beasts and mythological happenings on the high seas. One result of that subtle shift of focus is that ENSIFERUM's eighth studio record is a much more rounded affair than any of its predecessors: with the wind in their lyrical sails, the band's mastery of atmosphere and drama has blossomed. You might not hear it in the exuberant bombast of preview single and instant crowd-pleaser "Rum, Women, Victory" (which might initially seem like a boozy ALESTORM knockoff but is actually one of the most straightforwardly ripping tunes ENSIFERUM have recorded yet),but from the widescreen thunder of "Andromeda" onwards, "Thalassic" showcases a subtly enhanced and expanded musical vision, with more depth to underlying orchestration, and more muscular heft behind everything else.

It's always been an impressive feat, ENSIFERUM's blending of melodic death metal's heads-down intensity with the fog-shrouded pomp of Finnish folk metal. The latter influence has always been closer in spirit to AMORPHIS than to FINNTROLL, and its potency has never been more apparent than in the likes of "For Sirens" and "The Defence of the Sampo", wherein Toivonen's (or possibly bassist Sami Hinkka's) clean vocals provide an emotional counterpoint to frontman Petri Lindroos's dominant rasp. Elsewhere, "One with the Sea" is truly monumental. At six minutes, it's a veritable epic by ENSIFERUM standards, but it's the song's ghostly grandeur and euphoric chorus that mark it out as a career high point. It also helps that Janne Joutsenniemi's production is immaculate: vivid, warm and nuanced, but still exerting the ribcage-rattling oomph that modern metal demands.

Concluding with the riotous call to revel of "Midsummer Magic" and the imposing, intricate and laudably ambitious "Cold Northland (Väinämöinen Part III)", "Thalassic" isn't radically different from previous ENSIFERUM records. What it does do, and brilliantly so, is confirm beyond doubt that this band are more than worthy of their place at European metal's top table. Consistent? Yes. But also getting stronger and sharper with every fresh skirmish, rum consumption notwithstanding.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).