| Reviews for Turisas's Battle Metal |
| Hakkaa päälle pohjan poika!!! - 95% |
| Written by Crushader
on December 23rd, 2008
|
| Turisas is one of the first folk/viking-bands I got familiar with and nowadays a big name in this sub-genre of metal. Their first full-length, Battle Metal, is among the most impressing debuts I’ve ever come across. It’s a very diverse album containing rich features from many metal-genres. But the main point is clear: Battle Metal is what everyone can see from the name, music for battles and heroic acts. On Battle Metal, Turisas offers you a tight package of aggressive and fast yet beautiful and flowing metal. They call (or at least called at the time when Battle Metal was released) their music battle metal and are widely considered founders of the term. In my opinion they may have been the first to use that particular term to describe this certain kind of metal but naturally there were many bands that could have been defined with the term battle metal long before Turisas. Still, Turisas stand side by side with the very best in battle-themed metal, which you can instantly hear when listening to BM. Battle Metal is a blend of folk (and viking) metal, melodic black metal and even some power metal, all within symphonic framework. A variety of elements are mixed with talent to create a mighty atmosphere. Some people say that Battle Metal is incoherent at times due to many impetuous changes between song-parts. I partially agree and imo that is almost the only thing on Battle Metal, which hints me that Turisas wasn’t fully mature at the time it was released. Then again, those quick moves from passage to passage guarantee that the album doesn’t get boring. Folky guitar riffing morphs into straightforward metal assault which morphs into flute- or some other folk instrument-interlude and so on. In some songs it is clear that the very changes build the awesome wholeness like in Rex Regi Rebellis. As Torches Rise, in turn, represents the aggressive side of the album as well as The Messenger. The title track is an epitome of heart-lifting war-song and the best song on the album with Among Ancestors, a great track drawing its power from the mythic lore of Finland. Sahti-waari is a brilliant drinking-song but also contains a proud pagan message. Katuman kaiku, a wonderful instrumental, closes the album with an unforgettable manner. That song makes me long for the pre-Christian times and almost brings tear to me eye every time I listen to it. In fact, there’s only one track on BM that is weaker and it isn’t even a song in the same sense as usually. Prologue for R.R.R. is a spoken introduction to Rex Regi Rebellis and while it’s atmospheric and Warlord uses his voice very well in it, it’s still a kind of a filler and track to jump over. Mathias “Warlord” Nygård has an important part of this album’s (and band’s) awesomeness. His voice isn’t maybe the most honed but it fits excellently into Turisas’ music. He is able to express vast emotional dimensions with his clean and harsh vocals and truly sounds like a great warlord when it seems fitting. Jussi Wickström and Georg Laakso handle the guitars (and Jussi bass also) with talent and their playing never clash with the other instruments. Tude Lehtonen is a skilled drummer who blasts with fury or supports the melodies with soft beats when it’s proper. A special price goes to the keyboardist Antti Ventola whose bombastic trumpet-synths and subtly flowing patterns are a very major part of the album’s battlefield feeling. Also the quest musicians and a quest female vocalist have done a god job in polishing up the music. Lyrics on Battle Metal, on behalf of the obvious battles and wars, concern Finnish mythology and history. I’m especially fascinated by the tale of Rex Regi Rebellis, which tells us the story of a Finnish cavalry regiment in the 30-Year War. I dare to say that the highlight of the whole album is the yell “Hakkaa päälle pohjan poika!” in R.R.R. when the king has died but the brave Finns continue the attack with enormous fury and bright flame of vengeance. I don’t bother to translate that battle cry ‘cause it’s meaning is fully revealed to us Finns only but it’s a sign of the last attack against the overwhelming enemy. Fucking epic! Besides the slight impetuousness there’s only one thing that disturbs me a little (sometimes) and that’s Battle Metal’s production. The problem is not the roughness of the music, that’s only a good thing and makes the atmosphere even better. However, the production is also kind of thin. The bass almost disappears at times and the drums sound hollow in some songs. Still, that’s not a big problem as you can see when looking at the grade! I conclusion, Battle Metal is a glorious album from the past that takes you into the middle of the old, heroic tales. It is a vast musical experience and once again shows what Finns are made of (no, I didn’t mean cheese you asshole!). |
| They Surely Have Won The Battle.. - 100% |
| Written by Cyconik
on July 16th, 2008
|
| Hailing from Finland, this outstanding band Turisas, has produced a fine folk metal (or self-proclaimed, battle metal) masterpiece. Upon my first listen, I was astounded. Utterly shocked at the sheer genius behind the album, I wondered how I could have been missing out on it for so long. Every song is paced at wonderful speeds ranging from epic, victorious songs, to some slower ones like Land of Hope and Glory. The album itself is a concept album, engaging the listener, and sucking them into a fascinating tale of battles and celebrations of victory. Turisas manages to marvelously blend a whole arsenal of instruments in order to achieve a truly unique sound worthy of the category battle metal. Accordions, Flutes, trumpets, and violins all add to the traditional sounds of metal. Chanting choruses are also found amidst the album, producing an atmosphere of an ancient military, fueled by sheer aggression and determination. It does not take a tremendous amount of effort to imagine yourself alongside your army, preparing for battle. All of said instruments are played with a tremendous amount of skill. The violin is placed into songs with great talent, not overpowering, yet still prominent. Vocals are also extremely fitting too, sounding just as someone would who is leading their men into war. In the end, if you decide to check out this album, prepare yourself to be whisked away to a land of victorious battles, tragedies, and a multitude of celebrations. This is a truly inspirational album, and I greatly suggest everyone to give it a try. It will NOT disappoint. Highlights: One More, Battle Metal, Among Ancestors, Sahti-Waari |
| Just a little overdone - 80% |
| Written by Sir_General_Flashman
on February 5th, 2008
|
| Turisas's first release always holds a little place in my music mind, but really it's a lot different than it's more superior later release. Lets take a look at it right now. First off, lets put it how it is. This is still a great release, but the song writing is sloppy and overdone in it's images of war. As Torches Rise is a good example of the overdone part of this album. The vocals aren't very good, the keyboard plays the tune and the guitars do the backing riffs. The one part where the song changes isn't very good, and as such it isn't a very good job. Then the album changes to a much better, much more uplifting Battle Metal. With a better, more creative keyboard and the vocals change, the tempo keeps the same. The album is mostly made up of songs with a musical value a little less than battle metal. Although some contenders would be the high strings The Messenger, in which you can almost hear the tension, and One More. The album has several lower songs as well, but it's not like they're trainwrecks. This album just shows how much improvement Turisas has had between the two albums and how much Turisas took the right direction in the Varangian Way. This album still makes me want to grow a beard, get into a shield wall and hack some enemy with my sword |
| Lots of potential, but lacks originality - 80% |
| Written by Tale_of_the_Hellship
on November 4th, 2005
|
| This album is currently being praised as the best thing that has happened to symphonic folk metal since... ah, I don't know, since the gender has existed, actually. Well, is it true? Not really, and I'll tell you why. This is not a bad album, by any means: there are enough good symphonic bombastic moments in here to deserve an 82% rating, but except for those small progressive influences (most notably on "Land of Hope and Glory - the techno beat and the Hammond keyboard - and in "Among Ancestors" - that short goofy keyboard passage that comes out of fucking nowhere!), you won't hear almost anything that hasn't been done before by other Finnish and even non-finnish bands. The Bal-Sagoth influence is really present here - the fanfarre-like keyboards, hitting you on the head and calling to battle, and the narrated parts are a true B-S tribute. Being a finnish folk metal band, their second major influence would, in a first listen, be really obvious: Moonsorrow or Finntroll. Well, actually it's not that obvious. That a plus for Turisas; they don't completely rip off their countrymen Moonsorrow or even Finntroll, like most finnish bands do. There is indeed a Moonsorrow influence - the way the guitars are drowned underneath the keyboards. However, Moonsorrow do it a lot better - as they sound a lot more raw and powerful, while Turisas keyboard-over-guitar-sound tends to get kind of bland sometimes. BUT! At least, they didn't rip them off! And that leads me to another problem with the album, the goddamn prodution. I'm not a fan of extremely raw production, but I also hate it when bands overproduce the sound in the album, and make it sound completely unorganic and even fake. You can notice that in Battle Metal, and it can kill the atmosphere at times. Well, the way I'm reviewing it, you would think it's a bad album. It's not. If you like Bal-Sagoth, Moonsorrow, Thyrfing or any other band of the genre, this is definitively for you. The epic keyboards, the battle-like atmosphere, the generic but powerful riffage, the ocasional feminine vocals, the folky fiddle sections... and those slight jazz influences, from a structural point of view, create a quite interesting listen. For such a young band, they are on the right path; they just need to get a more defined identity. |
| I want a suit of armor!!!! - 94% |
| Written by BorknagarCOB
on March 28th, 2005
|
| This CD seriously makes me want to suit up in armor and march down the street chanting. Turisas is classified as Folk/Viking metal and come from the almighty country of Finland. The band has enough instruments to start their own symphony, or maybe they have their own and just like to call it a war symphony? The CD is damn near flawless. The recording is amazing, every instrument they used on this album shows they wanted you to hear it by never having anything being drowned out. The CD is titled "Battle Metal" and really lives up to that name. The CD opens up with an intro called "Vicoriae And Triumphi Dominus" which really seems like it should be an intro to any war whether it be real or in a movie. Each song is laid out with great violin riffs, trumpet sounding brass instruments, amazing vocals that fit the viking metal genre great, epic viking chants, and anything else you could picture in a viking/folk metal band. Every song breaks something unique and new to the table. The 2nd track "As Torches Rise" starts out with an amazing epic intro and goes into those great raspy vocals, the song even breaks down into a dance style violin/flute combo. The 3rd track, "Battle Metal", also starts in an amazing epic intro, and it's completely different from the one you heard from the 2nd song, it also starts out with some clean vocal/chant mixtures before it goes into the raspy vocals. The 4th song "The Land Of Hope And Glory" doesn't start out with an epic intro, but still shows off the meaning of epic in different ways. The 5th track, "The Messenger", is moreso a mixture of the previous songs into one. The 6th track, "One More", which is possibly my favorite song on the CD, starts out very slowly and starts out with a mellow guitar and drum beat, while the vocalist sings in mellow clean vocals, then it just opens into a great folk song with some of the best chanting. The 7th track, "Midnight Sunrise", just randomly adds in some beautiful female vocals out of no where, and shall I say an accordian? The 8th track, "Among Ancestors" starts out with chanting and goes straight into an epic experience. The 9th track, "Sahti-Waari", I think this is where the Folk label for them came from, this song really makes you think of Finntroll and really wanting to dance. The 10th track is a simple prologue, and possibly a time for refreshments. The 11th track, "Rexi Regi Rebellis", yay more epic intros that lead into those pure viking sounding vocals. The final track, "Katuman Kaiku", is a really depressing outro song, it leaves you want more. The reason for the 94. "Battle Metal" is an amazing CD and any fan of Viking or Folk metal should DEFINATELY have this, the only thing(s) this CD is really missing would be a faster or melodic set of guitar riffs, although that varies on peoples tastes. Something I know this CD should of had that i've heard from numerous Viking metal bands is the amazing usage of double bass kicking drums and blast beats. Even without those elements, this disc is still unique in more ways then imaginable. Not to mention this is one of the best debut CD's i've ever heard. |
| A folk/viking classic. - 100% |
| Written by LifeInAFireBox
on January 16th, 2005
|
| {Semi-warning: I listen to folk/celtic music. That's folk minus the metal. And celtic, minus the metal. And I adore it, so this review could be 5 to 10 points bias.} Giving this a listen for the third or fourth time, I found myself asking - could it get any better than this? Turisas is right up there with the likes of Finntroll and Ensiferum, in this genre - though, this CD has even one more over Ensiferum; this CD is extremely unique at times. This, of any folk metal CD I've heard, probably has the most emphasis on "folk". Which is no problem by me - it's fantastic. While it brings you the irresistible urge to dance, it will also bring you the undeniable urge to bang your head. Also included, are some jazzy ... hm, I suppose you'd call them progressive parts. Accompanied also by very triumphent sounding brass instrument sections. There are many instruments involved in the mix at times, and none are ever drowned out. The production is dead on. Their vocalist is also perfect for this genre - I mean perfect. He's harsh, raspy, and angry, just as a viking metal vocalist should be. His singing is very, very authentic and actually augmented to an extent by his accent. This CD just reeks of atmosphere and the olden folk feel. While bringing down the level of metal at times, it doesn't truly cease in being heavy, on the grand scale. Sometimes the guitar is not the focal point of the music. Quite often it will actually be the violin you'll find out in the front of the music. I can't even tell you how catchy and sheerly brilliant these violin (and other instruments) folk riffs are. If you don't get the urge to dance - you're dead. Plan and simple. Scattered throughout are dark, spoken parts - and they don't use that generic sounding effect on the person's voice to simply make it sound low, when they are speaking normally, as in Nightwish ... and some others that I can't recall at the moment. There is also the Prolouge of R.R.R. which is a great ambient peice with a spoken passage, which will do exactly as it was intended, and take you to the age of old. Sahti-Waari will bring you a taste of something so folk, it'll blow your socks off. I'm not sure, but it sounds to me as if this is an actual old folk song ... I could be wrong. If not, it's very authentic sounding. The musicianship and song writing here are on par with that of Rhapsody and Symphony X ... these are a bunch of talented motherfuckers. There are no complaints to be made with regards to the members' performance. The technicality and intricacy will blow your mind ... nothing so techincal and beautiful. However, they've skipped right to that comfortable spot where many bands seem to be after their second or third release ... which, may prove a problem in the follow-up, because frankly, I cannot possible imagine the follow-up being any better than this. On an over-all, this album has great variety, and everything you'd seek in a classic. Highlights: Midnight Sunrise, The Land of Hope and Glory, One More If you even consider yourself the slightest fan of folk/viking metal, buy it. If you consider yourself a fan of metal at all, at the very least, give it a chance. |
| It is victory... or death - 88% |
| Written by jaevlasvensk
on October 3rd, 2004
|
| Turisas’ first full-length, Battle Metal, is definitely comparable to the work of Bal-Sagoth, though it’s also very much in the folk-metal vein of bands like Ensiferum and Finntroll. This is not the most original album ever recorded, but it’s the combination of power and folk metal that makes it great–in fact, Turisas’ brand of music is just what they claim: “Battle Metal”. Harsh vocals, glorious horn fanfares, relentless synth action, bombastic group singing, folky use of flute, violin, and accordion... there’s a lot going on here. A big factor in Turisas’ music is also their willingness to experiment, which I’ll point out later. The album opens with a brilliant symphonic piece, “Vicoriae & Triumphi Dominus,” moving right into our first metal epic, “As Torches Rise”. The horn blasting here is absolutely gargantuan, plunging the listener into the midst of a great battle in the northland. We also hear our first bit of folk-violin in this track. The title track is another great war epic, complete with more horn fanfare, brutal, raspy singing, and folkish flute breaks. Now, here’s where we get our first look at Turisas’ willingness to take a step outside the normal boundaries of their genre, regardless of what those who are too “true” for their own good might say: “The Land of Hope and Glory” opens with a techno beat. A damn awesome one at that. We have an awesome melody played at first by flute and then by violin, and then on to the metal. The stuff here approaches the polka influence heard in Finntroll’s music, what with the upbeat guitar chords and distinctly Slavic melody. We also have another Finntroll element, the Finnish “joik” folk singing, backed by accordion. Fits in nicely. The next track, “The Messenger,” open with an admittedly less-than-stellar synth-string intro... this kind of this has been done, many times before. Besides that, however, the song is plenty good on its own, and we get an awesome harp break about 2 minutes in, featuring some nice female vocals. Oh goodness. Now we have my personal favorite from this album, the epic “One More”. After a nice folky intro, the song is moved along by more great Turisas elements; fanfare and violin melody. Once we hit that clean pre-chorus, though... things really start to get intense. The chorus of this song is nothing short of AMAZING, if this doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping, you shouldn’t even be listening to this album in the first place. This is Viking metal in its purest form, it absolutely possesses you to grab your sword and charge into battle. About 3 minutes into the song, however, the mood changes, the song reducing itself to a mournful violin solo over the sound of what seems like a gathering of soldiers. The next synth/guitar passage builds some tension, leading into a bouncing folk section with more Joik singing. The pre-chorus comes floating back soon enough though, and you know the glory of that chorus is coming back once again–“ONE MORE!” We’ll see you when we die, indeed. “Midnight Sunrise” begins with a tense combination of synth and violin, bursting into some great speed riffing with violin twiddlings and group chanting. More female and group vocals, several accordion breaks, and various synth parts are spread throughout, making this another great song. After the song’s end, however, we hear the howling of a cold wind, and a distant, bellowed singing... Sounds like a warrior singing a lamentation from high upon a cruel mountainside... That outro leads us into “Among Ancestors,” which is more of the same–but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I have to admit, the break at 2:55 reminds me of something out of a videogame, or an anime... something Japanese :-D (“at last, the moment you’ve been waiting for... now it’s time to fight or fall”). Once again, we have an extended outro–this time it’s the sound of a band (Turisas?) preparing to play at a small venue. We hear a little bit of polka, and we’re taken to the next song. “Sahti Waari” is overtly folk-metal, using more flute, violin, and accordion, on top of folkish guitar stuctures. The prologue to “Rex Regi Rebellis,” while it might drag the flow of the album a bit, is a great adrenaline-booster for anyone who enjoys history and the whole outlook of viking metal. It’s actually quite deep, challenging the listener to look into the past, offering them a new point of view on it all. Once the prologue is through, “Rex Regi Rebellis” begins with a darker fanfare, leading into some more great folk singing. Later we have an interesting acoustic break with more use of flute, and immediately thereafter we dive back into intense metal. At about 5:25, we hear another one of Turisas’ experimental quirks–a slow, jazzy break, which lasts for about 35 seconds before returning to all-out metal assault. Finally, we have the closer, “Katuman Kaiku”. This is a beautiful, melancholic folk song, which is eventually joined by epic guitar work for the album’s finale. Again, this is not the most original music you’ll hear, as it brings to mind Bal-Sagoth at almost every turn, also conjuring sounds of folk-metal veterans like Ensiferum and Finntroll, but there is an energy contained within this album that is quite unparalleled. Recommended for fans of any of the mentioned genres, or anybody just looking for some wartime Viking metal. |