Wintersun - Wintersun (2)

...album!

Wintersun are from Finland. Another amazing band from Finland then... what are they putting in the water up there? Two out of every three bands I listen to comes from Finland, where they're taught how to play instruments at three months old and they learn English while they're still in the sack. As a model for an education system, we should be looking at what those guys are doing.

Wintersun's version of metal ...
...also in Rotten Sound. Wintersun came about as Jari's solo project while he was playing in another Finnish band named Ensiferum, and he soon quit Ensiferum to go all the way with Wintersun.

The music on this album is a very mixed affair, with Neo-Classical influences, Finnish folk influences, and slow songs mixing it up with lightning fast guitar solos, blastbeats and some fantastic screaming. You never know what you'll get, from song ... more

Wintersun.... Death Metal.... Heavy.... Screamed Vocals.... Whatever! I could leave it there and point you in the direction of a few of my other reviews probably, because music like this is all I'm into reviewing at the moment! However, I feel it is my duty to separate the good from the crud, so today I will be letting you know about Wintersun's eponymous debut album!

Wintersun are from Finland. Another amazing band from Finland then... what are they putting in the water up there? Two out of every three bands I listen to comes from Finland, where they're taught how to play instruments at three months old and they learn English while they're still in the sack. As a model for an education system, we should be looking at what those guys are doing.

Wintersun's version of metal is very similar in places to other Finnish acts like Children of Bodom, Ensiferum and Finntroll, but with something extra that will just blow you away. Wintersun's main man, Jari Mäenpää is a multi-instrumentalist of absolutely stunning quality - on this release he did all of the vocals, keyboard programming, bass work and guitar work, needing help only from a quality drummer named Kai Hahto, who is also in Rotten Sound. Wintersun came about as Jari's solo project while he was playing in another Finnish band named Ensiferum, and he soon quit Ensiferum to go all the way with Wintersun.

The music on this album is a very mixed affair, with Neo-Classical influences, Finnish folk influences, and slow songs mixing it up with lightning fast guitar solos, blastbeats and some fantastic screaming. You never know what you'll get, from song to song, start to finish of this album. The songs start short, the opening track being less than three minutes in length, and each gets longer through the album, with the final track being a monster ten minutes long... though even with the longer songs, there is so much happening that you will not get bored. The vocals are very different from what you would normally expect in the genre, from songs with only screaming like 'Beyond the Dark Sun', to songs with no screaming like 'Death and the Healing'.

Lyrically, the general themes are personal to Jari, exploring different aspects of his life and career - 'Death and the Healing' for example is a metaphorical tale about his leaving Ensiferum (the Death) and his focusing on Wintersun (the Healing). He writes many of his songs in a metaphorical way, using metaphors relating to Finland and the winter to express his ideas. The themes are dark, but there is nothing upsetting or satanic on the album at all.

1 - Beyond the Dark Sun - 2:40 - A slow intro on the guitar explodes as all the other instruments join in at once. This is a great riff, and this short but very fast paced song is a perfect introduction to the album.

"The dawn will never rise again for my eyes
and I will never sleep again
I've lost my hope time after time
cause the light has vanished from the sky"

2 - Winter Madness - 5:10 - My favourite song on this album, it contains a minute long guitar solo that rips apart almost anything that has gone before it. I'm not talking punk-ass Dragonforce solo's here, I'm talking pure Malmsteen-esque talent, using the solo as an integral device to drive the song forwards. This is another fast song, and has a great set of lyrics.

"Winter - The realm of eternal ice
Snowfall and darkness descends upon the vales of time
Distant caress of the sun's fading light
The lands were painted white with the Winter's might"

3 - Sleeping Stars - 5:43 - Mid-paced double-bass drumming is very obvious in this reasonable song. Very much slower than the preceding songs, it mixes screamed vocals and clean vocals, which doesn't work in this song because the clean vocals are below par. One of the weak links on the album. The lyrics, again, are excellent.

"Suddenly I feel a warmth go through my body
But I feel that a part of me has died, I sense the change in me
I must have been away so long
so please stay with me for a while"

4 - Battle Against Time - 7:05 - Nice introduction, although the chanting after thirty-five seconds is off-putting. When the song finally starts properly after about two minutes, it's just amazing. Fast paced, great chorus that is cleanly sung, and brilliantly screamed vocals for the verses... great! I'm sorry to keep throwing lyrics at you, but these are immense!

"I see a golden light shining far away
I can't tell if I'll make it there someday
I reach my hands but there's no one on my path
I can't sleep 'cause my body is burning
Cold sweat, cannot breath, I'm loosing my mind
Reflection in the mirror shows a different man at night
And as hours and seconds pass by
I feel my every feeling wither and die
Do I really feel this pain
'cause sometimes I can't tell if I'm awake"

5 - Death and the Healing - 7:15 - Another slow song, and this one is a classic. The clean vocals sound perfect. I also have to mention the keyboard intro to the song, as it is simple yet so effective. Another beautiful solo in here too.

6 - Starchild - 7:56 - The intro to this song is good, utilising a great riff, but what happens after that is just amazing. The riff totally changes after a small bridge, and becomes ridiculously fast, perfect for banging your head to... and it's used a few times in the song!

7 - Beautiful Death - 8:18 - A slow brooding intro livens up before a very emotional chorus line. Generally mid-paced, there are a couple of moments where it speeds up very nicely.

"'Cause life will always be withering away from us
I want to be alone with you
and I'll give my heart to you, before I go
'cause life is just a beautiful, beautiful death"

8 - Sadness and Hate - 10:16 - Another slow song, and unfortunately not the best way to end the album. The vocals and the folksy influences work well within the song, but it's too slow as an album closer after the ferocity that has come before it. Some individual parts of the song are beautiful, but it doesn't impress me as a whole.

This album may be hard to find in the shops, but is easily available from any number of online retailers. Be happy if you can get it a quid either way of £10.00.

With regards to the originality of the album, this genre is a tired one where bands blatantly copy each other, so having a band as fresh, and with as many different new influences for the genre as Wintersun can only be a good thing. They do not have the showmanship of Children of Bodom, the direct brutality of Amon Amarth or the melody of Amorphis, but they've crafted their own little piece of musical legend on this album, and for that they should be revered.

Despite there being only 8 songs on this album, it weighs in at fifty-five minutes long, which certainly represents value for money.

Also, you can download the Wintersun song 'Beautiful Death' legally from the Kai Hahto official website at http://www.kaihahto.com/ You can also view the video for 'Beyond the Dark Sun' at www.nuclearblast.de

Similar Artists - Children of Bodom, Ensiferum, Einherjer. 

...less