Turisas - „Battle Metal“
Century Media - 2004
As the record company announced the signing of the band named after the ancient war-god Turisas lots of people might have thought that this was just another band in this genre of Folk/Viking Metal which wanted to “get its piece of the cake”. Only a few people might have known that this band exists since 1997, recorded its first demo CD in the year 2000 and played a lot of concerts in its home country Finland since then. But it lasted until now to get attention outside of Finland which should have been now successful with this output.
The
album starts off with the promising Intro “Victoriae & Triumphi Dominus”:
The majestic winds (of the orchestra) play a
motive which lets you take a deep breath and then the strings set in followed by
an opera choir which let it all swell to the climax. A little brake where you
stop breathing guides you to the first “real” song “As Torches Rise”.
The first part is dominated by drums with a nice double base attack and the
orchestra. Bass and guitars are just an instrument to create a full sound. Now
the vocals set in. Warlord Nygård shouts like hell which fits to this
pugnacious mood perfectly and you start to think about an approaching army.
These break necking parts are interrupted by slower passages where an insane
played violin and melodic speaking vocals are placed in the foreground.
The
title track begins in a lower velocity and consists of an electrifying rhythm.
Powerful vocals tell about “the heart of Turisas” which stands by a warrior
during his battles. And when you finally hear the shouted words “Battle
Metal” you just want to do this either! The winds push the song forward and it
seems Warlord is also pushed forward because in some parts his voice sounds
overturned. But this is the only little bad thing as especially the flute solo
in the middle of the song is extremely unforgettable.
The
following “The Land Of Hope And Glory” is THAT highlight of this record. It
starts off with a warrior choir supported only by mellowed synthesizer rhythms.
Then the flute takes over the lead melody until choir and musicians set in
together. In a slowly way violin and vocals take the leading part and then the
“inferno breaks through”. It is a wild but very melodic race which makes
your feet waiting to move. In the next seconds the song develops its full
potential to shout along with. The Musicians use all their strength to create an
atmosphere in which you feel like a feather until you are finally overrun by
these wild men.
But
you don´t get a break. Symphonic sounds are used in “The Messenger”
massively. There are a lot of changes in the tempo and you hear a female voice
for the first time. The speed is forced continuous because in case of the
song’s theme a trot wouldn´t fit for transporting an important message.
After that the musicians of Turisas take a little care for the exhausted
listener and make it with “One More” possible to calm down a little. Violin
and drums create relaxed sounds until the kettledrum wakes you up. And then you
listen to a beautiful male voice. Yes – you read right – the verse is sung
clearly and strong followed by a very melodic instrumental. Battle companions
are reminded in the chorus and the warriors motivate themselves for the next
battle although the violin sounds very suffering this time. The band is able to
mix different moods and velocities in this song which guaranties variation but
it is still a more pathetic song.
These five guys even play Polka! The beginning of “Midnight Sunrise”
consists of thy typical Turisas trademarks (fast basic speed, tearing and
screaming vocals, warrior choir), guest singer Emanuelle Zoldan takes the chorus
and then a high speed Polka melody follows. Your feet are rocking in the rhythm.
That´s how it should be!
Now
wind comes up and you can hear some silent and very deep voices which swell on
to a real choir. The choir choose the singing party with the lead singer and the
rhythm reminds me of “As Torches Rise”. But the structures here are
interrupted by piano parts which create an own identity for this song called
“Among Ancestors”.
There
is a difference between “Sahti-Waari” and the other songs on this album.
Firstly you can hear Voices, clinking glas, applause and dog barking and then
musicians tuning their instruments. Somebody counts. Accordion and Tuba start to
play a Humppa melody in which the rest of the band sets in, too. The lyrics are
written completely in Finish language but in the booklet of the CD it is told
that it speaks about old traditions in the home area of the band.
In “Prologue Of R.R.R.” Warlord Nygård reads a part of the novel “The
surgeon´s stories – In times of Gustaf Adolf” from Zacharias Topelius to
the listener accompanied by baneful sounding synthesizers. The following “Rex
Regis Rebellis” with more than seven minutes is the longest and also most
monumental song on this record. Fanfares are building a second intro and can be
heard through the whole song. Drum rolls and hacked guitars are preparing for
the vocals. The lead singer has to do a hard job in this song. After a short
intermezzo in English the verse is sung on Swedish like reciting a poem. An
acoustic part in the middle sheds a delusive quietness. The wildness continues
once more and after a last breathing break the musicians push themselves into
the final with a Finish battle shout.
After so many battles it is just normal that the album is finished with in a
smooth way. “Katuman Kaiku” (The Echo Of Lake Katuma) is a beautiful but
very thoughtful instrumental which leitmotiv is played by a recorder first and
then by the guitar which sound fades away.
Wow. These guys of Turisas found their own place between the established bands in this genre. And if you need a term to categorize this music you can use the record title “Battle Metal”. This record is well thought and developed. You never get to the point where you think it is too symphonic and this album doesn´t get boring not even after listening quite a lot times. The listener´s phantasy is stimulated and taken out to the battle fields. And there is just one question left: How do Turisas want to top this debut?
Recommended tracks: Battle Metal, The Land Of Hope And Glory
Rating: 9,5 out of 10 points Review by Wiebke
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