One thing Wintersun are not is predictable. Having released “Time I” way back in 2012, main-man Jari Mäenpää (songwriting, vocals, guitars, keyboards etc etc) chose to follow it five years later with the alternatively conceptually themed “The Forest Seasons”. But surely “Time I” was always going to have a second part though wasn’t it? I mean, there’s the Roman numeral for “1” right there in the title! And yes, finally, 12 years after part 1, that second instalment is upon us, building on past glories and enriching them further and wider.
One thing Wintersun ARE is Epic. Drama exudes from every pore as this band’s personal brand of limitlessly layered, expertly developed and meticulously arranged Metal pummels and caresses its way over 6 tracks of individual worth, mixing melody and fury, light and shade, as Wintersun are masters at. As with “Time I” there’s a multinational feel to the songs, and the 4-minute intro has that familiar gorgeous traditional East Asian feel echoing from “Time I”. This happily recurs later in the album and especially when it transitions from the heavy darkness of ‘Storm’ into the fabulously uplifting (and of course Epic) thirteen and a half minute closing track ‘Silver Leaves’, which explores this East Asian theme even further with strikingly memorable results.
Before we get there however we have plenty of the intense, multi-layered extreme Metal mixed with melody that we’ve all grown to expect from Wintersun as the album gets into its stride from “The Way Of The Fire”, through ‘One With The Shadows’, encompassing the delicacies of ‘Ominous Clouds’ and into the malevolence of the aforementioned ‘Storm’. All these songs are resplendent with dazzling guitar work and that familiar stunning, epic orchestration atop the wonderfully thundering intricate rhythms courtesy of bass and drums. Initially the whole album goes by in an interesting, attention grabbing and at times furious blur, bursting with aggression as well as beauty. But this is an album designed to release its riches gradually, an album that will still be offering something new once the listens are well into double figures. Three of the songs are over ten minutes long, with every track utilizing swathes of orchestration, balanced perfectly by the striking, powerful, speed-driven Metal in a way Wintersun utterly thrive at. Jari Mäenpää’s vocals are as varied as ever, delivered expertly to match and further adorn the high quality of the arrangements and amazing production.
The musicianship throughout is of course excellent. Mäenpää is once more joined by guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari (currently also in Megadeth), bassist Jukka Koskinen and drummer Kai Hahto (both also in Nightwish), as he was on “Time I”, bringing an extra level of continuity to proceedings. Of course you don’t need to have heard “Time I” to fully grasp the musical direction that this album explores, but equally, it’s really interesting to pick up on the occasional theme or nod to its predecessor when they occur. It might have been many years in the making, but this album will definitely be worth the wait for fans of the band. Jari Mäenpää and Wintersun prove once more that they are a unique force in the Metal world, crafting intelligent songs, brimming with emotion and power.
(9/10 Andy Barker)
Leave a Reply