Wintersun - Wintersun
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Free Music Notes for Wintersun
Free Music Review: Epic, Majestic, Complex and Captivating
Hit: 5 Stars
There are so many incredible bands from Finland (and all Scandinavia) that disprove any ideas that metal music has digressed or that the current metal scene is bland. I hear this empty rhetoric so often in the States, which surprises me b/c there are many great metal bands here too. Maybe its the shear volume that overwhelms people and causes them to simplify in a negative vein? But the plethora of bands does make it more difficult for one to stand out, unmistakably in an unwavering command of everthing a metal fan could hope for; amazing musicianship, complex and coherant arrangement, raw sonic brutality articulated with lyrical concision and thematic timelessness, all the while avoiding the trap of cliche mediocrtiy.
Wintersun accomplishes every one of these feats, unmercifully and exsquisitely. If you think Im overstating it or providing lofty language for strictly personal reasons, listen to them. The band is possessed of a cohesion well into the realm of perfection. Jari, lead singer and guitarist, formerly of Children Of Bodom, has the mandate for metal mastery from the coldest winter dawn. As this is the first album, released in 2004, I would recommend it be listened to and revered before the second release... should you wait , you might not be able to absorb them both at once!
Free Music Review: WHAT A RUSH !!!
Hit: 5 Stars
If you know Ensiferum you know the guy that broke off and formed Wintersun. That said, if you are not a big fan of Ensiferum do not automatically turn a blind eye to this release. This is different from Ensiferum. More Celestial and less Viking. That said, this smokes both Ensiferum releases to ashes. Much faster and the production is so clear and powerful it makes your jaw drop almost immediately. I have been listening to metal for 22 years and I can tell you this still blew me on my ---. I cannot believe how spellbinding and unbelievable this release is. You see so many reviews on Amazon that have 5 stars that it no longer means anything so let me just paint you a picture.
Style wise I think the best picture I can give you is this. Think of releases such as:
Norther - Dreams Of Endless War
Skyfire - Mind Revolution
Skyfire - Spectral
COB - Any
Now, I am not a huge COB fan but the Norther and Skyfire releases I listed are favorites of mine. That said I can tell you straight up that this Wintersun release easily kicks the crud out of all of them. So if you are interested at all in this style of metal Wintersun is simply the top release in the genre and it is not even close.
M the P
Free Music Review: Amazing Metal You Really Need!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
If you like any Finnish, Swedish or other similar metal styles you have to get this! This album was done by two people, Jari Maenpaa (Ensiferum) and Kai Hahto (Rotten Sound). This is the most amazing metal I have ever heard! Jari did all the vocals, guitars, bass and synth and Kai did the drums. Jari is a musical genius. He completly has his own style and does not copy after any other bands. But if you like sweep-picking solos, metal COBish keyboard and fast and heavy double bass drumming you'll love this. Every song is completely unique and Jari's vocal range is amazing. He covers everything from smooth and clean to deep growls and high screams. He is without a doubt my favorite guitar player and songwriter and this cd was my best metal discovery ever! This is the most melodic, beautiful metal I've ever heard! Trust me, if you don't buy this you don't know what you're missing! Also if you haven't heard Ensiferum you need to also. Its the former band of Jari and is more of viking/folk metal which is great too. Wintersun is one of those rare cds for me personally that I can listen to all the way through, over and over and I never get tired of it. Give it a listen you won't be disappointed!Free Music Review: Oh wow...
Hit: 5 Stars
Usually my reviews are somewhat detailed, but I'll make this one short and sweet.
Wintersun is one of the most amazing and melodic bands I have ever heard. After one listen to "Sleeping Stars" I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Like a reviewer below me stated, Wintersun is an artful blend of many different metal genres: Power metal and melodic death being the prominent ones, but the symphonic aspect is reminiscient of many symphonic black metal acts such as Dimmu Borgir.
This is metal, of course: The Children of Bodom-like vocals prove that much. But it's probably the "prettiest" metal I've ever heard; It's that melodic, it's that good. The lyrics are also of a deep and meaningful nature.
This album is not just for "metal" fans, it's also for MUSIC fans. Don't let the vocals scare you off. If you listen to the actual music, I think you'll find yourself amazed at how little people know about this band outside of Finland.
Wintersun makes me wonder what radio is like in Finland. If bands like this are actually considered mainstream, it must be a great place to live.
Free Music Review: Excellent Metal Craftsmanship
Hit: 5 Stars
Imagine a perfect combination of Children of Bodom, early Arcturus, and Dissection, and you'll have an idea of what this album sounds like. Jari is a virtuosic guitarist and really good song writer. Many of the riffs and melodies are catchy and folk-like. Additionally there are many neoclassical sections..circle of fifths progressions, diminished runs and vivaldi violin type melodies in the guitar.
The album also has a nice mix of mid paced and fast songs, which is not common in the world of metal especially varieties which tend towards the Black Metal end of the spectrum.
The vocals are nice, too. There are both clean vocals and growling. Though they aren't quite operatic power vocals, they are well done and fit nicely with the music.
As usual in black metal, the lyrics are somewhat silly, but taken for what they are they fit fine with the music.
When all is said and done though most people who listen to this sort of music are satisfied primarily by the excellent craftsmanship of the music, which you will find here in spades. 5 stars.