Ensiferum was founded in 1995 by Markus Toivonen (guitar), Sauli Savolainen (bass) and Kimmo Miettinen (drums). In the next year, Jari Mäenpää was taken into the band as singer and second guitar-player. In 1997, the first demo was released, containing three songs.
In 1998, Sauli and Kimmo left the band and were replaced by Jukka-Pekka Miettinen (Kimmo's little brother, then 14 years old) and Oliver Fokin. In January 1999, a second demo was recorded, which although it did not produce a recording deal, boosted the band's confidence. In November 1999 a third demo, "Hero in a Dream", was recorded, which was successful in obtaining a record deal with Spinefarm Records. The logo that appears on all the bands releases was designed for the third demo by Tuomas Tahvanainen, who also designed the logos for the earlier demos. In 2000, the band went into the studio to work on their first album, Ensiferum, which was released in August 2001. In the same year, Meiju Enho joined them as a keyboard-player.
In 2004, after the work was completed on the second album, Iron, Jari left the band due to conflicts between scheduled studio work on his side project Wintersun and touring with Ensiferum. For the tour with Finntroll, Petri Lindroos from Norther replaced Jari on guitar and as singer, and became a member of the band after the tour. In December 2004, Jukka-Pekka left the band and was replaced by Sami Hinkka (Rapture). Oliver also left in 2005 to be replaced by Janne Parviainen.
The band has been described as folk metal, melodic death metal, power metal and Viking metal.
Official site bio:
Ensiferum are a true powerhouse when it comes to folk-inspired melodic death metal, something they hammer home more resolutely than ever with eighth full-length Thalassic. The title translating from ancient Greek as “of or relating to seas”, it’s a suitably huge and wide ranging collection that incorporates orchestrations and traditional folk instrumentation alongside the roaring guitars, bass, and drums. “I think we managed to take another step ahead musically and we also utilized the best parts of our old sound,” states bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka. “There are lots of Ensiferum’s trademarks: beautiful folkish melodies, ass-kicking riffs, a nice mix of different vocals and great singalong choruses.”
It’s been three years since the towering Two Paths and the quintet kept themselves busy writing over that period. Viewing Two Paths and its predecessor One Man Army (2015) as being something of a pair, this time out they wanted to jump into the unknown and try a new approach, without forgetting their roots. Kicking the album off with the grand orchestral piece “Seafarer’s Dream” definitely makes an impression, though overall Thalassic scales back a little on such instrumentation. “I guess that has become kind of a part of Ensiferum’s sound, but on this album we actually used orchestrations less than before because the songs turned out to be more straightforward metal. We like to emphasize the story and the feeling of a song with the sounds that fit them best, so using huge orchestrations has to serve the purpose of the song and not be taken for granted and used all the time.” The likes of “Rum, Women, Victory” and “Run From The Crushing Tide” are certainly full on metal, but these sit comfortably alongside the jaunty “Midsummer Magic” and triumphant “Andromeda”. The band were helped in realizing these tracks by the addition of new keyboard player/lead clean vocalist Pekka Montin who “really raised the new songs to another level” while Mikko P. Mustonen once again presided over the orchestrations and violin virtuoso Lassi Logren recorded folk instruments on a few tracks.
The biggest difference separating Thalassic from the rest of Ensiferum’s catalogue comes from the fact that it’s the first of their albums to be built around a theme. “The idea of it started to brew in my mind when I was doing interviews for Two Paths and many journalists asked if it was a theme album, and I noticed that I was answering all the time that because of the way we compose it’s almost impossible to make a theme album. This really started to piss me off and the decision was made: the next album would have a theme. At that time we already had a few songs almost ready for the next album and I started to listen to the demos much more from the feeling aspect instead of analyzing them musically. For some reason all of them took me to a seashore and the theme was found: something related to sea or water. So I started to read about history, myths and legend around the world that had something to do with the theme, but even though all of the lyrics are obviously inspired by this, I tried my best to keep Ensiferum’s heroic mentality in them. In the end there were too many ideas for lyrics, because I didn’t set myself any boundaries, like all stories would have to be Nordic etc, and one of my favourite songs on the album tells about Andromeda from Greek mythology. I can’t promise that this way of lyric-writing will be the future of Ensiferum but at least we did this once.”
Thalassic was recorded and produced in Petrax and Sonic Pump studios by Janne Joutsenniemi, who was involved on their albums Victory Songs (2007) and From Afar (2009). “We like to go to a studio when we have all the songs 99.9% ready so the producer’s main job is to kick our asses while we record. Of course Janne Joutsenniemi is a world-class producer and we asked his opinion if we were doubting any details. It was really a pleasure to work with him again, and I think this was one of the most easy-going studio sessions I have ever been part of and we are extremely happy with the result. It helps a lot when you do proper demos of the songs, then everyone already has a very good picture of how each song will sound.” Gyula Havanchak handled the artwork and once again raised the Ensiferum standard, creating something that vividly reflects the songs, and indeed the theme running through them.
Looking ahead, the band only intend to keep on doing what they do best. “We are very privileged to be full-time musicians but you never know what the future brings. I hope we can keep doing the thing we love the most. What I really hope happens is a support tour with much a bigger band because in the folk/pagan/battle/whatever metal scenes everyone knows Ensiferum - so Steve Harris, if you are reading this: we are ready!”
Iron
Ensiferum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A shadow is riding the horizon
An arcane man arrives to town
Remoresless and condemned
Tasted the snake's poison
Broken every bone
Twelve thousand gunshot wounds
But there's nothing that whiskey can't cure
Ride Through the crossfire
Ride Through the flames, like a predator in the night
The eagles fly into eternal sunset
The heroes die, dying for their pride
Awoken to heavy galloping
I heard the blasting whiplash
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
Beware, he's crying out your name
Now the time has come
When the Iron tears the heart
And the trumpets will ring loudly
As the stars are painted with blood
Blazing fire under the moon
Burning taste of lead
We'll ride forever
Cause' the Iron is stronger than death
The lyrics to Ensiferum's song "Iron" speaks of an impending doom as a rider, marked by silence and shadows, approaches a town. The rider is described as an "arcane man" who is remorseless and condemned, having tasted the poison of a snake, broken every bone, and suffered from numerous gunshot wounds, which whiskey seems to be the only cure. The chorus of the song calls for a ride through the crossfire and flames, like a predator in the night, as the heroes die for their pride and the eagles fly into an eternal sunset.
The second verse begins with the singer waking up to the sound of heavy galloping and blasting whiplash, with a clear intent to kill in the rider's eyes. The singer warns others that the rider is crying out their names, and the Iron tears the heart when the trumpets ring loudly, and the stars are painted with blood. The final lines speak of a blazing fire under the moon, the burning taste of lead, and how they will ride forever, always stronger than death because of the Iron.
Overall, the lyrics speak of a violent and epic battle where heroes will die, blood will be spilled, and the Iron will reign supreme. The use of heavy metal imagery of galloping horses, trumpets, and eagles add to the tone and feel of the song. The lyrics call for a ride towards danger and the promise of glory, a call to arms for any lover of epic battles and heavy metal music.
Line by Line Meaning
The silence breaks the ground
The calmness of the situation is disturbed and something is about to happen.
A shadow is riding the horizon
An ominous presence can be felt approaching.
An arcane man arrives to town
A mysterious and powerful individual comes into the community.
Remorseless and condemned
The man carries no guilt or shame for his past actions and is facing punishment for them.
Tasted the snake's poison
The man has been poisoned but survived, perhaps as part of his past trials and tribulations.
Broken every bone
The man has endured physical pain and injury.
Twelve thousand gunshot wounds
The man has been in numerous battles and has survived many injuries.
But there's nothing that whiskey can't cure
Despite all of the hardships he has faced, the man has found solace in alcohol.
Ride Through the crossfire
Defy danger and opposition by taking action.
Ride Through the flames, like a predator in the night
With courage and stealth, make it through difficult and perilous times.
The eagles fly into eternal sunset
The battle has ended and the victorious soar into everlasting glory.
The heroes die, dying for their pride
The noble and brave characters in the story meet their demise but die with honor and dignity.
Awoken to heavy galloping
Startled and alert to the sound of a horse approaching.
I heard the blasting whiplash
The sound of a whip cracking is heard, signifying the power and authority of the rider.
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
The rider is full of malice and anger, and seeks to end someone's life.
Beware, he's crying out your name
The rider is calling out a specific person for confrontation or vengeance.
Now the time has come
The situation has reached a pivotal point and something significant is about to happen.
When the Iron tears the heart
Violence and combat will bring pain and suffering.
And the trumpets will ring loudly
The start of the battle is announced and signaled with a call to arms.
As the stars are painted with blood
The brutality and violence of the battle are likened to the painting of the night sky with the blood of the fallen.
Blazing fire under the moon
The battle rages on under the light of the moon, which also reflects the heat of battle.
Burning taste of lead
The taste and smell of gunpowder accentuates the danger and intensity of the battle.
We'll ride forever
The singer and his allies will keep battling until they achieve their goals or die trying.
Cause' the Iron is stronger than death
The determination and strength of character that fuels their battle is more potent than the fear of death or defeat.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JARI TAPANI MAEENPAEAE, JUKKA-PEKKA MIETTINEN, MARKUS ALEKSI TOIVONEN, MEIJU RUOTSALAINEN, OLIVER FOKIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dylanvalorfall
The silence breaks the ground
A shadow is riding the horizon
An arcane man arrives to town
Remorseless and condemned
Tasted the snake's poison
Broken every bone
Felt a thousand gunshot wounds
But there's nothing that whiskey can't cure
Ride Through the crossfire
Ride Through the flames, like a predator in the night
The eagles fly into eternal sunset
The heroes die, dying for their pride
Awoken to heavy galloping
I heard the blasting whiplash
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
Beware, he's crying out your name
Now the time has come
When the Iron tears the heart
And the trumpets will ring loudly
As the stars are painted with blood
Blazing fire under the moon
Burning taste of lead
We'll ride forever
Cause' the Iron is stronger than death
@karenchrystiellen5822
Lyrics:
The silence breaks the ground
A shadow is riding the horizon
An arcane man arrives to town
Remorseless and condemned
Tasted the snake's poison
Broken every bone
Twelve thousand gunshot wounds
But there's nothing that whiskey can't cure, oh
Ride through the crossfire
Ride through the flames
Like a predator in the night
The eagles fly into eternal sunset
The heroes die, dying for their pride
Awoken to heavy galloping
I heard the blasting whiplash
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
Beware, he's crying out your name
Now the time has come
When the iron tears the heart
And the trumpets will ring loudly
As the stars are painted with blood
A blazing fire under the moon
Burning taste of lead
We'll ride forever
'Cause the iron is stronger than death
A blazing fire under the moon
Burning taste of lead
We'll ride forever
'Cause the iron is stronger than death
@SilicateOverlord
I lost 60lbs thanks to this song. I ran to the blasting of the rhythm and didnt stop the whole time. Im now fully fit and pushing myself to be the best i can be. I will be the viking of my kind, and forever a metalhead.
@konstaperttola4162
The dude on the album covers is actually Väinämöinen, a mythological Finnish shaman and the first man on earth. J.R.R Tolken was heavily influenced by him in the creation of Gandalf.
@witsunshifrin3776
👏👍
@arielgarcia5065
So the first man on Earth was Finnish. That explains a lot of things about this country lol
@benderrodriguez3605
Love the random shit I learn from YouTube comments lol
@sebastianfernandezescartin1666
Is he really a "Shaman" or he is automatically a Shaman cause he is the first man
@sebastianfernandezescartin1666
@@benderrodriguez3605 and the best part is that is true cause Tolkien was very influenced with the Suomi (finish) culture
@dylanvalorfall
The silence breaks the ground
A shadow is riding the horizon
An arcane man arrives to town
Remorseless and condemned
Tasted the snake's poison
Broken every bone
Felt a thousand gunshot wounds
But there's nothing that whiskey can't cure
Ride Through the crossfire
Ride Through the flames, like a predator in the night
The eagles fly into eternal sunset
The heroes die, dying for their pride
Awoken to heavy galloping
I heard the blasting whiplash
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
Beware, he's crying out your name
Now the time has come
When the Iron tears the heart
And the trumpets will ring loudly
As the stars are painted with blood
Blazing fire under the moon
Burning taste of lead
We'll ride forever
Cause' the Iron is stronger than death
@edmasterson4588
thank you
@dikkiFIN
Awoken to heavy galloping
I heard the blasting whiplash CLAP CLAP
Eyes are filled with lust to kill
Beware, he's crying out your name
-
Fixed that for you