I bought 'Battle Metal', the debut album of Finnish metallers Turisas, after hearing a demo of theirs.
The demo was very good, featuring a cover of 'Those Were The Days', which should be heard by anyone who has yet to do so.
Turisas have a very specific brand of metal which does not appeal ... Read review
Advantages: Tremendous, consistent songs Disadvantages: It can all get a bit cheesy at times
...highly commended by me.
Battle Metal took seven years in the making, which is possible a bit excessive for any band, although some have certainly taken longer. But the result is simply amazing. The album is essentially a battle cry, fuelled by guitars, strong vocals, an accordian, a beating drum and so on. Their image gives a good idea of what to expect - they pose in fur, with swords etc. It must all be taken in good fun, with a touch of ... ...lyrics than at first it may seem - that they are about daily life, not just war. Regardless of what you may think of the lyrics, the songs themselves never disappoint, with the title track being particularly grand. Its not necessarily the kind of album you would want to play to someone who is not into viking metal, because it can all get pretty cheesy at times, and is likely to make them cringe. But if you are a metal fan, I strongly recommend this ... more
I bought 'Battle Metal', the debut album of Finnish metallers Turisas, after hearing a demo of theirs. The demo was very good, featuring a cover of 'Those Were The Days', which should be heard by anyone who has yet to do so. Turisas have a very specific brand of metal which does not appeal to everyone. The album title pretty much says it all; 'Battle Metal'. The genre that Turisas play, viking metal, is reworked by other artists - virtually all Scandinavian, and also classed as folk metal by some, although this is a bit different. You can find similar artists, though I must add not the same, such as Moonsorrow, Ensiferum and Thyrfing. All those are highly commended by me. Battle Metal took seven years in the making, which is possible a bit excessive for any band, although some have certainly taken longer. But the result is simply amazing. The album is essentially a battle cry, fuelled by guitars, strong vocals, an accordian, a beating drum and so on. Their image gives a good idea of what to expect - they pose in fur, with swords etc. It must all be taken in good fun, with a touch of irony. The band insist that their is more to the lyrics than at first it may seem - that they are about daily life, not just war. Regardless of what you may think of the lyrics, the songs themselves never disappoint, with the title track being particularly grand. Its not necessarily the kind of album you would want to play to someone who is not into viking metal, because it can all get pretty cheesy at times, and is likely to make them cringe. But if you are a metal fan, I strongly recommend this album. Its an excellent record, and I look forward to seeing what Turisas have to offer in the future.
Advantages: Great lyrics, fantastic story, good music. Disadvantages: None
I first got into Turisas with their debut full-length, BattleMetal. However, when purchasing the latest album from Turisas, The Varangian Way, I was blown away.
Initial Thoughts
I had read the review in Metal Hammer, and thought it sounded good - I'd already had experience of their previous work and thought this would be for me. I went out and bought it, and slipped the disc into my player. The opening bars of 'To Holmgard And Beyond' crashed out through the speakers, instantly stimulating. First listen through I thought of it as a great album musically, added it to my play list and continued listening to it with regularity.
A Breakthrough
However, the real joy for me came when I listened hard to the lyrics, and imagined I was in the middle of the story, rowing along with 'Hakon' and dancing 'In The Court ...
Advantages: Really Good For aimed market segment Disadvantages: not for everyone
Turisas is a BattleMetal band which is not new but is relatively new to fame. After being reviewed in the Metal Hammer magazine and appearing in the Get In The Ring competition (4 bands play their best songs in a boxing ring as 4 judges from the metal scene judge who is best.
Their new album, Varangain Way is full of great songs to inspire any metal band/fan. The thing in this band that differs them from any other metal band is their painted faces (red and black striped) and violin playing.
The songs are about battles and going into war much like the Manowar songs but with a new edge for the current metal scene. They have really good solos and awe inspiring lyrics that touch you in a powerful way
Before buying this album i recommend you downloading the single Holmgard And Beyond as this album seems to aim itself at a small ...
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