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!”
Sword Chant
Ensiferum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[I:] A flaming blade of the dark shadows struck the lands
With furious lightning it fell into the hands of man
And the ancient fire came down
Down from the sky into the ground
The clouds moved aside as the sword was cast from the sky
Burnt by a mark of fire, who shall make this find
And the grey clouds were watching down, down from the sky into the ground
[II:] Creatures started crowling from the ashes and smoke
And the night was cursed and drifting within the winds so cold
And the knights from the sea were marching down
To the deep caverns down, down where the old spells are found
The war was growing in the old lands and towns
From the mountains war drums pounded with a defeaning sound
They'll seek the Sowrd forevermore, until in battle they'll fall
...Now, hear the battle's call
Who dares to play with death
Who smells the dragon's breath
No grief for the fallen ones
The search for the sword has begun
[Carved in stone:]
Great as the mountains and seas
Grim as the earth and old trees
Made from the glimmer of golden lakes
Chained with fire that never fades
Rocks and stones they carve and mould
When the rivers run fierce and cold
May this chant haunt your past
For this Sword is yours at last
Raise the arms the battle is near
Through the mud and waters clear
The blood is coloring the lands again
A sign of victory the wind will send
The lyrics of Sword Chant tell the story of a mythical sword that fell from the sky into the hands of man, imbued with ancient fire, and marking its wielder with burnt scars. As the sword is sought after by knights, creatures crawl out of the ashes and smoke, a war is brewing in old lands and towns, and the search for the sword becomes a deadly pursuit. The chorus asks who dares to play with death and smell the dragon's breath, signaling the danger that lies ahead.
The lyrics are rich in imagery of fire, lightning, smoke, and ancient spells, creating a vivid picture of a mythical world full of danger and adventure. The story of the sword is a common theme in mythology and fantasy literature, representing power, honor, and destiny. The lyrics evoke a sense of urgency and excitement, as the search for the sword leads to battles, victories, and sacrifices.
Line by Line Meaning
A flaming blade of the dark shadows struck the lands
A sword of fire, dark and powerful, struck the land
With furious lightning it fell into the hands of man
The sword was grasped by a man as it fell with lightning speed
And the ancient fire came down
The sword was imbued with ancient, fiery power
Down from the sky into the ground
From the sky it came, crashing into the earth
The clouds moved aside as the sword was cast from the sky
The clouds parted as the sword descended from the heavens
Burnt by a mark of fire, who shall make this find
The sword was marked by the fire that created it, but who will claim it?
And the grey clouds were watching down, down from the sky into the ground
Watching from above, the clouds observed the sword's descent to the earth
...As the shapes of light were drowned
The flashes of light disappeared as the sword hit the ground
Creatures started crowling from the ashes and smoke
Monsters emerged from the ruins left by the sword's impact
And the night was cursed and drifting within the winds so cold
The night was filled with a curse that drifted on cold winds
And the knights from the sea were marching down
Sea-faring knights set out to investigate the source of the sword's power
To the deep caverns down, down where the old spells are found
They descended into the depths of ancient caverns, where powerful magic lay hidden
The war was growing in the old lands and towns
War was brewing in the nearby settlements and ancient lands
From the mountains war drums pounded with a defeaning sound
The sound of war drums could be heard in the mountains, resounding loudly
They'll seek the Sowrd forevermore, until in battle they'll fall
They will search for the Sword for all time, even if it means giving their life in battle
...Now, hear the battle's call
The call to battle can be heard loud and clear! It is time to fight!
Who dares to play with death
Who would dare to risk their life?
Who smells the dragon's breath
Who can survive the breath of the powerful dragon?
No grief for the fallen ones
There is no time to mourn the dead in the midst of battle
The search for the sword has begun
The hunt for the Sword has started and will not end until it has been found
Great as the mountains and seas
The Sword is as legendary and powerful as the mountains and seas themselves
Grim as the earth and old trees
The Sword is a foreboding and ancient weapon, imbued with the power of nature
Made from the glimmer of golden lakes
Forged from the light reflecting off of golden lakes
Chained with fire that never fades
Bound with eternal flames, never to disappear
Rocks and stones they carve and mould
The sword was crafted from stone and molded into shape
When the rivers run fierce and cold
During tumultuous times, when the rivers rage with cold waters
May this chant haunt your past
This chant will be engrained in your memory, haunting you for all time
For this Sword is yours at last
For you, this Sword is finally yours to claim!
Raise the arms the battle is near
Prepare for battle, it is approaching quickly
Through the mud and waters clear
Through any obstacle or circumstance, we will fight
The blood is coloring the lands again
Once again, the land is stained with the blood of war
A sign of victory the wind will send
A victory is coming, the wind has foretold it!
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