Faster, higher, bigger…. more ‘epic’. There can be few areas of metal that have embraced new technology to the extent that power metal has. In the search for a ‘big’ sound, keyboards and computers have increasingly proved too much of a temptation. But all too often the results have fallen short and proved, to me at least, that it’s hard to cover up for a lack of music originality or actual songs with flashy production. Wintersun is the latest to fall for the allure. Much has been made of the hundreds of tracks former Ensiferum vocalist and guitarist Jari Mäenpää has been locked away preparing and the scale of the project he has taken on. Years of expectation, years of delays and years of saying just how phenomenal this is going to be. That alongside the enduring and almost legendary popularity of 2004’s self-titled debut. Anticipation for Time I (note that it’s only part I. We’ll be returning to that theme later) have been at fever pitch.
Ok, so the pressure is on here for Wintersun, so let’s get the bad news out of the way straight off. Perhaps the first thing that strikes me is that this is only 40 minutes long (a little longer if you include the hidden track) compared to Wintersun’s 54 minutes. That’s fine, but as many fans have pointed out this was eight years in the making. For such a long heralded magnum opus I’m thinking that this is short by about a third – if not more. The second is that there are only three real songs here. Not bad really given the last album I reviewed contained just one, but again I feel the pressure mounting before I’ve even plugged in my headphones.
So, takes a deep breath… The good news is that on many levels this lives up to expectations. The slowly building opener When Time Fades Away that is basically the intro to the first full song Sons of Winter and Skies which is itself a swirling power metal meets electronica spectacular. Existing fans will love it and so will a few new ones. It’s a cracking way to begin and easily prime contender for the best of the three. It also demonstrates that Wintersun aren’t just dabbling with production techniques. The song whips up into a maelstrom towards the end in what will convince a lot of people it was all worth the wait. The two tracks together clock in at almost 18 minutes but seem to pass in moments. Time flies, I guess. (ahem)
The remaining two songs continue in a similar vein. A little odd though that the title-track itself felt to me less impressive than the opener. But, in short, it has many of the ingredients that anyone who loved the first album will like and the sound is indeed a lot, well, bigger. For the uninitiated it’s a bit like Ensiferum (listen to those folky choruses, bass lines and dancing guitar riffs) meets, Stratovarius (at their best, few do over the top power metal better), with a bit of late career Angel Dust thrown in (Enlighten the Darkness – makes most bands in the genre sound like cartoon bands. Buy it and thank me later).
But while I would happily recommend this to any power metal fan I still can’t shake the disappointing feeling we’ve been a little short changed. Why not really push the boat out and have released Time I and II (supposedly due next year but don’t hold your breath) as a double album, really blow us all away and show the world how it’s done. If you have not already overdosed on power metal excesses you may well love this but others have provided as much if not more and with more originality (Ayreon’s excellent if more prog rock-oriented Universal Migrator and Luca Turilli’s Prophet of the Last Eclipse have already demonstrated what you can do with a computer (in much less time), a boundless imagination and a generous credit facility). Otherwise, three songs – one good the other two okay, if I’m being completely objective – does not make this the landmark release I was hoping for.
(7/10 Reverend Darkstanley)
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