ENSIFERUM: Finnish Folk Metal Titans To Release Winter Storm Full-Length On October 18th Via Metal Blade Records; New Video/Single Now Playing + Preorders Available

Photo by Svetlana Goncharova

Watch/stream ENSIFERUMâs âWinter Storm Vigilantesâ HERE.

ENSIFERUM will release their long-awaited new studio album, Winter Storm, on October 18th through Metal Blade Records.

The Finnish folk-metal melodeath sensation has 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 United States. Eventually, ENSIFERUM would take Thalassic on two massive world tours and to festivals like Wacken, Hellfest, Summer Breeze, and RagnarÃ¶k, but the global Covid pandemic ensured that the four-year wait for Winter Storm would be the longest in the band’s near-thirty-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 âFatherland,â 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 penned by Hinkka — Montin’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.

“The way I see it, this album is more like a ‘musical’ than a traditional album,” says Hinkka. “The lyrics of Winter Storm are based on part of my unpublished fantasy book. One day it will be outâ¦ I donât want to reveal the plot or details too much but âWinter Storm Vigilantesâ and âFatherlandâ tell of two factions in this long tale. The Vigilantes have gained knowledge to utilize certain rare elements, and even though there was already magic in this world, with this new epiphany they have reached a completely new level. This element seems to interact with living things in a way that even the wisest men donât completely understand. And through generations of trial and error, they have refined a skill to expose their horses to the element and managed to break the law of gravity, making their steeds fly. But they became ruthless and greedy on their quest to gain more of this element. A small tribe in the north keep on fighting for their land, which the Vigilantes plan to take over. These North Folks will literally fight until the last manâ¦

âOther characters include a Vigilante castaway, the last shaman of the North Folk, and a mysterious widow. The album ends with a great battle against the Vigilantes and the unholy alliance of the castaway and the North Folk shaman, who has transcended into a spirit wolf. Who will prevail? Will this be the final battle of the book? Time will tellâ¦ I understand that all this sounds very far out — well, it is a fantasy book — but believe me, it will be truly an epic story!”

Adds Hinkka of ENSIFERUMâs first single from the offering, âWinter Storm Vigilantes,â âMarkus had quite grandeur visions of the song and it turned out to be even more heroic than we expected. It was an obvious choice to open the new album. This epic song serves as one faction of the big story. The song pushes forward with the might of a thousand horses and will surely be a great song in the future setlist.â

Watch ENSIFERUMâs âWinter Storm Vigilantesâ at THIS LOCATION.

ENSIFERUMâs Winter Storm was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi, mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, and includes guest appearances by Lassi LogrÃ©n on Nyckelharpa and violin and Mikko Mustonen on orchestration as well as Eleineâs Madeleine Liljestam who provides all vocals on âScars In My Heart.â

Winter Storm will be available on jewel case CD, special edition CD featuring two additional bonus tracks, and digitally as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

Frost (US)
180g Black (EU)
Light Blue Ice Marbled (EU)
Light Blue Ice Marbled w/ Signed Cover (EU – Ltd. 100 – Amazon EU excl.)
Blood Red Marbled (EU – Ltd. 500)
Pic-LP (EU – Ltd. 500)
Red Opaque Blackdust (EU – Ltd. 200 – Band Shop excl.)
Blood On Ice Splatter (EU – Ltd. 300 – EMP excl.)
Frosty Blue Splatter (EU – Ltd. 200 – Levykauppa excl.)

Find preorders at metalblade.com/ensiferum.

Winter Storm Track Listing:
1. Aurora
2. Winter Storm Vigilantes
3. Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife
4. Fatherland
5. Scars In My Heart (Feat. Madeleine Liljestam)
6. Resistentia
7. The Howl
8. From Order To Chaos
9. Leniret Coram Tempestate
10. Victorious
11. Six Ribbons (Jon English cover) *
12. Lambada (Kaoma cover) *
* Special Edition Bonus Track

ENSIFERUM:
Petri Lindroos – vocals, guitars
Markus Toivonen – guitars, vocals
Sami Hinkka – bass, vocals
Janne Parviainen – drums
Pekka Montin – keyboards, vocals