Customer Reviews

Wintersun

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was recomended this album/band from a friend, who said that I should definetly pick it up if I could find it. It is impossibly hard to find records from "obscure" metal bands where I live, also known as 85% of bands from outside North america. So one day while I was shuffiling through the Metal CDs at my local Record store, to my utter surprise, I found this. since I had a pocket full of recently made cash I felt I had to buy something, so not finding anything else that I was interested in, I grabbed this one. I had not heard any songs from the record, and I hadn't listened to Ensiferum or Norther, although I did hear good things. To say the least I was completely floored by just how good this album is! Wintersun is in no way a rip-off of Ensiferum, or any other band for that matter. Jari Maenpaa has made a very unique melodic death/power/folk metal blend here. to go off the topic of music for a second, I also really liked the artwork on the cover and in the booklet, it has a very cool frost-like effect on the pages where the lyrics are. At first Listen Wintersun seems to be a CoB/Kalmah/Norther rip off, but about half way through the Record you will realise that Wintersun is so much more then the aforementioned bands. So If your a fan of the melodic death metal scene, you have to listen to this. It breathes life into a genre that is getting more then a wee bit stale.

If you managed to read this entire review, and didn't feel like kicking me in the teeth after doing so, or found it remotely interesting, appealing, or helpful please take a second out of your busy day to press the "yes" button next to "Was this review helpful to you?"

Thank you,

-Igar the Terrible

Wow. Just Wow. This is a brilliant CD, for several reasons. This cd contains some of the best song lyrics (and associated vocal performances) I have ever heard. You can tell that Wintersun are playing right from the soul! Jari's voice is simply AMAZING here, because he spectacular at both regular singing, and harsh growling (listen to a sample song- his growl voice is amazingly understandable and clear, and his tenor voice is beautiful). One peculiar thing that I noticed is that each song gets progressively longer than the one before it. Now for the individual song ratings:

Beyond the dark sun- (2:40)

This is the song that got me interested in the band. I had received the "Monsters of metal" nuclear blast video collection as a gift, and this song was on the 3rd volume dvd. I thought to myself that this band had extreme potential (and this was a short song, too; only 2:40) so I had to check out the rest of their material. There is a nice breakdown/tempo change at 1:20, and the lyrics are perfect for an introductory song. (10/10)

Winter Madness- (5:08)

This song starts out with furious blastbeats on the drums, with melodic guitars. Soon, Jari introduces you to his Tenor singing (absolutely great), and this makes you say "wow." The drums are relentless and insanely good here, as the drummer does blastbeats for over half of the (5:08) song. Some really fantastic lyrics here: "My hands are frozen, my mind is at the edge of madness; Oh how many nights and days, I've been lost in this land of sadness..." The lyrics are the thing that REALLY impressed me about wintersun- I can't reiterate enough how good they are. Read some of them on the internet, because they are truly impressive. This song also contains the album's best guitar solo, and because of these aforementioned things, I would say this is one of the best songs on the CD. (10/10)

Sleeping Stars- (5:41)

This song slows the tempo way down to an almost dream-like tempo. For some reason, I am compelled to say it was too abrupt of a tempo change, as it interrupts the onslaught of songs that is to follow. Nevertheless, the song is very good once it gets going. Good lyrics as usual, competent drumming and guitar playing, it was just the abrupt tempo change that was bugging me. (8/10)

Battle Against Time- (7:02)

Again, we get a furious blastbeat intro. Good tempo change at (1:56) that picks up the pace, and thrusts you right into the main part of the song. I feel that this song is a tad overlong though (at 7:02- not that you can't have songs this long in the genre, as you will see below, it's just that this song doesn't seem musically diverse enough). (9/10)

Death and the Healing- (7:12)

Another slower song, but this one is flawless. Clean singing to start out the song, with a cool melodic beat for the guitars. On almost all the songs, there are keyboards in the background to give the songs additional texture, and in this song they work really well. Great guitar solos in this song, too! The guitars work really well with the keyboards. You can hear the bass in all of Wintersun's songs, and in this one especially, the bass work is exceptional. Great drum work rounds out this perfect song. (10/10)

Starchild- (7:53)

This song still blows my mind, even after listening to it well over 100 times. The song starts out with furious double-bass work for the drums, complex melodic riffs for the guitars, and great bass lines. The use of keyboards in this song is absolutely perfect - the keyboards accentuate, but never become a leading element. This song is very fast, and after a rhythm change at (0:46), it seems even faster. This song is very complex musically, as there are many breakdowns, and five distinct segments to the lyrics. This song has some of the best song lyrics I have ever heard. Here is a sample:

"But I will make the time run backwards and

I'll make the stars shine again

I will light up the sky to a bright, crimson nights

... And they'll shine together forever

With brilliant silver colours they'll shine, forever!"

When you put these lyrics into the context of the song, they are wholly moving and unbelievable and great. Every element of this song is truly perfect, and that makes it the best song on the album by far. (7:53) of musical perfection! (10/10)

Beautiful Death- (8:15)

This is a great song to bang your head to, if you are in to that sort of thing. Crunchy guitars and bass play a chugging rhythm at the start, while the drums perfectly accentuate things. Jari belts out the central lyric to this song: "'Cause life is just a beautiful death!" Great guitar solo at (4:45) goes on for 40 seconds, and there are blastbeats abound for the drums. The drumming on this album is truly something to be admired (I wish I could find a session drummer like Kai). The ending segment of this song starts at (6:54) with beautiful operatic singing. The last segment also features keyboards and the light playing of the guitar, to create a beautiful effect. It is another great one by Wintersun! (10/10)

Sadness and Hate - (10:15)

This is the longest song on the disc. The introduction of the song is very atmospheric, as is much of the song. It is slower than the other songs, which makes for a suitable last song. Competent drum work and guitars; Wintersun retain the folk vibe they are known for in this song. Jari's great tenor singing round out this song. (9/10)

Overall: (96/100)

or: (5/5)

Based on the superb quality of this CD, I am simply dumbfounded that Wintersun have not received more recognition. I would recommend this disc to people who like melodic death metal and/or any kind of folk metal (and fans of Ensiferum for obvious reasons). The production is perfect- no element of the music becomes too leading, it just blends together perfectly. Wintersun is the brainchild of Jari Mäenpää, and he deserves ALL of the credit for putting this album together- he played every instrument on the recording, save for drums (which were played by a fantastic session drummer). He also did all of the producing for this album. I look forward to Wintersun's new (2006) CD with great expectations; now that they have a full band, it will be interesting to see what they sound like. Hopefully they can iron out the minor flaws (after all, it was their debut record) and take their music to the next level.

Wintersun started as Jari Mäenpää, the former frontman of Ensiferum, left the band to pursue his musical vision of Wintersun. Many fans, including myself, mourned the loss of Jari from Ensiferum, but after listening to this beautiful debut release, I can only be joyful in Jari's brilliance at making wonderful melodic northern metal.

'Beyond the Dark Sun' is a short, but fast opener. Jari's screams are very good here and throughout the album. 'Sleeping Stars' is a great melodic viking-esque song with supurb guitar playing. 'Battle Against Time' will take the listener away to the frozen winters of northern Finland. 'Death and the Healing' is a beautiful song, more of a balland that sounds a lot like an Iron Maiden song with the leads. The closer, 'Sadness and Hate' is my favorite song on the album. Do not let this 10 minute song fool you. It is not boring and has many viking elements as Jari's vocals truly shine.

Many fans might have envisioned Wintersun's music similar to Ensiferum. This is not the case at all. Personally, I would have not minded another viking/folk metal album, but Jari Mäenpää took his vision to viking/melodic metal with hints of black metal. This debut album was a very high point of 2004, and pathos is used well in Wintersun's compositions. Jari Mäenpää is currently in the studio, and a new album will be in our hands in the near future. This is what beautiful northern music sounds like. \M/

I bought this with the knowledge that it was primarily melodic death metal. This knowledge comes with another piece of knowledge, being that the melodic death metal scene is overcrowded with Gothenburg sound-alikes. At first listen, I was only semi-entertained by "Beyond The Dark Sun", but as I listened on to tracks like the Norse-like "The Death And The Healing" and the epic "Starchild" I realized that Wintersun is head and shoulders above the rest of their contemporaries. I should add that Ive never listened to any of Jari's other bands like Ensiferum. Anyways..the musicianship is absolutely top notch, Jari tears it up with chops never seen on a Telecaster(except for Richie Kotzen), and the lyrics are inspiring. Overall spectacular release, and Im looking forward to hearing more from Wintersun.

Just as I was walking onto my street from school some guy in the passenger seat of a Ford Mustang leans out the side and yells," HAPPY 420!! HEY!!" Ho damn I just cracked up and knew that in England, in approximately 1 square kilometer, there were atleast 7 people smoking weed. Anyways here is another almost unheard CD released sometime ago when Green Day just sapped up the fame with their-then newly released American Idiot. However, in order to sap this review of any shame, I won't talk about Green Day anymore. What we are treated with here is simply amazing. Jari was previously in the Viking Metal band Ensiferum, but the schelduled recording of Wintersun and the Ensiferum tour was during the same date. Jari was forced to choose between his booked recording of Wintersun and Ensiferum. He eventually chose Wintersun and was forced to leave Ensiferum behind. In my case, smart move...

"Beyond The Dark Sun" is comprised of strong Power Metal drumming, melodic and catchy riffs rounded out by Death Metal vocals. The guitar work from Jari is pretty amazing. It's flashy, technical, and impressive without going over the top. Things really slow down for the better on "Death And The Healing." The folk vibe is well in tact, but musically, things are brought down several notches. Jari's guitar work is really fantastic here because he shows the audience that he doesn't have to play lightning fast to get the job done. It's laid back and you can feel the emotion he puts into it as well.

Some of the tracks here tend to get long, but because there is so much going on here it never gets boring. "Beautiful Death" is just over seven minutes and you would think that in this genre you can't or should go past the four minute mark, but the guys are so talented in composing that there is no time to think of boredom because the tracks only get more beautifully complex and multi dimensional. I think fans of different genres of music will get into this because there is so much to offer. The galloping riffs and beats are plentiful here. Jari and Kai are so talented and handle each instrument with great pride and intelligence. There is nothing lethargic or lagging here. This is Grade A music.

Not too forget mentioning about the cover, which grabbed my attention way back in late 2005. The view of a fallen man during Winter's unforgiving reign. The sun shines as brightly as it can, unable to break the void of Winter's punishing atmosphere, wind, and vibe. It is very calm though, with the night fading on and the absence of life. The one thing that creeped me out the most though was that orangish/brownish aura off to the right a distance away from the snow corpse. Something about it just made we wish I wasn't at night out in the woods if I saw it.

I never liked too much black metal or very power metal stuff, but this CD has emotion, skill, and talent plundered within. Two men handling the responsibility to create great music for the soul, the mind, and the metalhead. Not just any metalhead...but one who can appreciate the culture and the mind's eye represented not just on this, but in another world that only brings forth epic music.

As someone who has listened to The Metal all of his life, you might think it strange that I would dare proclaim Wintersun's debut album as one of my favorites of all-time. I too tried to remain skeptical and would often immediately follow listening sessions of this album with other venerable works such as Master of Puppets, Rust in Peace, Heartwork, Beneath the Remains, and the like. I soon found that this album was, if not better than those, then at least as good in its own way.

Why, you ask? It's true that we can easily look to the past masters of the genre and clearly spot moments of inspired grace. This is not to discredit those efforts, only to say that this particular Wintersun album can, in my opinion, stand with confidence beside those others. It's especially true at this point in time when many of the once-respected bands of yore have fallen by the wayside, musical ideas have been recycled for the Nth time, entire sub-genres have come and gone seemingly overnight. Perhaps, like me, you had become disenchanted with the direction metal had gone and you were looking for something fresh, intelligent, and impressive. You need look no further.

There is just so much to love and appreciate about this release that it's difficult to summarize the various ways it is magnificent. It's as though Wintersun forged an entire universe and stuffed it inside the space of a CD. You'll find yourself quickly captivated by the stellar performances of these clearly talented musicians as they bring their material to life via intricate guitar riffs, phenomenal drumming, supportive keyboards, subtle bass lines, and tasteful vocal work. The songs range from wickedly fast fret board burners to stately and expressive paintings of melancholy. This makes for an album that rewards listeners for repeated plays, one where it is possible to be surprised by seemingly new material that you didn't catch during the previous iteration.

Not only is the music wonderfully crafted and performed, it is also nicely recorded and mixed. It somehow sounds just as great on my audiophile-grade rig as it does in my lowly car stereo. The production is exacting but full of life, and sonically never becomes fatiguing to the ear. Each of the instruments seems to occupy its own acoustic space, yet together their frequencies gel into a tasty smorgasbord of sound that puts this album into a different realm altogether.

I'll go so far as to say that you don't even have to love metal (specifically, folk-inspired technical melodic death metal) to enjoy this release. But perhaps it is best to let the music speak for itself; you won't be disappointed with this purchase. I hope it becomes your new favorite CD like it has mine.

I don't know much about frontman Jari Mäenpää's former band Ensiferum apart from the fact that they played what they called "heroic folk metal", but what I do know is that the debut album by Wintersun is one of the most beautiful metal albums ever to emerge from Scandinavia, as well as taking a high spot in Europe's top 50 metal albums (at least in my opinion). Though some may not find it as appealing due to melodic black/death metal's common usage in the Scandinavian metal theatre, but the music on here is absolutely stunning; despite being only eight songs, it almost reaches the hour-long point. Each instrument is played with beauty and precision that comes together in the end to make one hell of a masterpiece. This may also appeal to a large number of power metal fans who can handle the harsh vocals, as Jari also employs some wonderful viking metal vocals that remind one of early Bathory and Arcturus if they had been recorded a decade later. One thing's for sure, Jari fits comfortably in the ranks of Quorthon and Simen Hestaes (most recent vocalist of Arcturus) as viking metal's best.

Jari Mäenpää proves to any doubters that he is, in fact, a virtuoso, especially when you consider that he recorded this album alone, without the help of any other musicians except for session drummer Kai Hahto, who also does a great job giving the songs a precise and speedy beat like any good metal drummer should do. His vocals are among the album's highlights, as he sounds comfortable belting out mournful, epic tunes as well as screeching with the skill of a seasoned black metal vocalist. His guitars chug with the intensity of an active volcano and while he may not be one of the greatest soloists ever, he knows how to bust one out without sounding unnecessary, but they aren't very common on this disc as they aren't all that important to the progression of the album. The keyboards are wonderful wherever they are, whether spewing out atmospheric ambient tunes or playing fun, speedy solos reminiscent of Children of Bodom's Janne Warman. Bass, like on most epic melo-death recordings, falls to the back ranks unnoticed, but it isn't too important to the recording other than the need of a bass guitar in the works.

Bottom line: if you're a melo-death fan, then you must get this, no matter how hard to find it is (if you see it, buy it, because God knows when you'll ever see it again). But even the average death metal fan and power metalhead will find something to enjoy on this album, as its lacing of grandiose musical structures and heaviness is a sure winner. Other good melodic death metal bands include Norther, Kalmah, and Children of Bodom.

Track Selections: "Beyond the Dark Sun", "Death and the Healing", and "Sadness and Hate".

10/10

we'll try a little experiment here: if you agree that it's the best metal album (i guess EVER), click on the "yes, this helped me button"... and obviously opposite if you feel in opposition.

let's call it democracy!

this /could/ be kinda interesting because this album is honestly on most people's top 5 that are "in the metal community" and Jari really is a genius... it's truly achieved Legendary status in merely a few years, and not from just a niche, but from the whole.

ok... without further delay...

Only 8 songs. Average song length would be close to 7 minutes. The compositions are dynamic, leading from symphonic strings and bells into some of the best speed-metal riffs in existence. Jari uses a 6 string attack, and he sticks to normal tuning--no dropped playing here. These songs have a very classical feel... his vocals are much better than traditional "death metal." He sounds closest on his growls to Dark Tranquillity. There is all sorts of singing as well, he goes from power metal and death metal at perfect times, as someone else stated, his concept of timing on this is perfect for the passage at hand. It's been a very difficult record for me to stop playing, but you can't listen to it on short car trips... you won't have enough time to listen to it all. Impeccable, impressive, the best death metal I've heard and a very refreshing interpretation at that.

If you like any Finnish, Swedish or other similar metal styles you have to get this! This album was done by two people, Jari Maenpaa (Ensiferum) and Kai Hahto (Rotten Sound). This is the most amazing metal I have ever heard! Jari did all the vocals, guitars, bass and synth and Kai did the drums. Jari is a musical genius. He completly has his own style and does not copy after any other bands. But if you like sweep-picking solos, metal COBish keyboard and fast and heavy double bass drumming you'll love this. Every song is completely unique and Jari's vocal range is amazing. He covers everything from smooth and clean to deep growls and high screams. He is without a doubt my favorite guitar player and songwriter and this cd was my best metal discovery ever! This is the most melodic, beautiful metal I've ever heard! Trust me, if you don't buy this you don't know what you're missing! Also if you haven't heard Ensiferum you need to also. Its the former band of Jari and is more of viking/folk metal which is great too. Wintersun is one of those rare cds for me personally that I can listen to all the way through, over and over and I never get tired of it. Give it a listen you won't be disappointed!