Finnish folk metal goliaths, Ensiferum, today unveil their official video for “Fatherland”. The track is taken from their Winter Storm full-length, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Much of the new material emerged during lockdown, when Ensiferum's founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music - eventually composing every song except the rousing, anthemic "Fatherland," written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin's crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on Thalassic. But on Winter Storm - a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka - Montin's super-strong voice finds its optimal place in Ensiferum's sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
Elaborates Hinkka on “Fatherland”: “As so many times earlier, the composing of the song started with a fraction of a melody playing in my head and then grabbing my acoustic guitar and a few minutes later the chorus was done. From there, the song almost formed by itself. This song tells about a remote tribe who has been fighting against the Winter Storm Vigilantes for a long time. A huge singalong chorus and the raw energy that calls everyone into a mosh pit, will guarantee that this will be an awesome live song.”
Ensiferum's Winter Storm was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi, mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, and includes guest appearances by Lassi Logrén on Nyckelharpa and violin and Mikko Mustonen on orchestration as well as Eleine's Madeleine Liljestam who provides all vocals on "Scars In My Heart".
Order here.
Winter Storm tracklisting:
"Aurora"
"Winter Storm Vigilantes"
"Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife"
"Fatherland"
"Scars In My Heart" (feat. Madeleine Liljestam)
"Resistentia"
"The Howl"
"From Order To Chaos"
"Leniret Coram Tempestate"
"Victorious"
"Six Ribbons" (Jon English Cover) *
"Lambada" (Kaoma Cover) *
* Special Edition Bonus Track
"Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife" lyric video:
"Winter Storm Vigilantes" video:
Ensiferum will join their comrades in Korpiklaani for a 2025 North American co-headlining tour. The journey runs from February 27 in Boston, Massachusetts through March 30 in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest and NiNi.
Comments bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka, "Hi folks! It's been way too long since we rocked with our North American brothers and sister but the wait is over! It's an honor to join forces with Korpiklaani, Trollfest and NiNi! This tour will bring the ultimate folk metal mayhem to your city! Definitely a party you don't wanna miss. See you in the pit!"
Tour dates:
February
27 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
28 - Salle Montaigne - Quebec City, QC
March
1 - Beanfield - Montreal, QC
2 - Overflow - Ottawa, ON
3 - The Concert Hall - Toronto, ON
4 - King Of Clubs - Columbus, OH
5 - Crofoot - Pontiac, MI
6 - Outset - Chicago, IL
7 - Skyway Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
8 - Wooly's - Des Moines, IA
9 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
11 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
13 - Goldfield Roseville - Sacramento, CA
14 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
15 - Regent Theater - Los Angeles, CA
16 - House Of Blues - San Diego, CA
17 - Nile - Phoenix, AZ
18 - Sunshine - Albuquerque, NM
20 - Beer City Music Hall - Oklahoma City, OK
21 - Granada - Dallas, TX
22 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX
23 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
25 - Orpheum - Tampa, FL
26 - Masquerade Heaven - Atlanta, GA
27 - Hangar 1819 - Greensboro, NC
28 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
29 - Lovedraft's - Mechanicsburg, PA
30 - Brooklyn Monarch - Brooklyn, NY
Ensiferum lineup:
Petri Lindroos - vocals, guitars
Markus Toivonen - guitars, vocals
Sami Hinkka - bass, vocals
Janne Parviainen - drums
Pekka Montin - keyboards, vocals
(Photo - Svetlana Goncharova)
