Wintersun – ‘Time II’ (2024)
Rating: 9/10
Release: 30 August 2024.
Label: Nuclear Blast
Wintersun was formed by Jari Mäenpää as a side project when he was in Ensiferum. Jari saw Wintersun as an opportunity to play the music he wanted to hear, write, and play. After obtaining a record deal, Mäenpää intended on keeping Wintersun as a side project while upholding his commitment as lead singer and guitarist for Ensiferum. Circumstances would unfold that would conflict with the 2004 release of Ensiferum’s Iron and their record company, Spinefarm Records, scheduled a European tour with dates that conflicted with studio time Mäenpää had booked to record the first Wintersun record. After Mäenpää requested a break from the band, he was fired from Ensiferum. The first Wintersun album was recorded entirely by Mäenpää, apart from the drums which were played by Kai Hahto. There were several setbacks to the recording and release of this album.
Fast forward to 2024, on August 30th Wintersun is set to release their fourth studio album, ‘Time II’. The title is fitting, since it has taken Mäenpää several years to record, mix and release ‘Time II.’ Mäenpää has picked up from where he left off on ‘Time I’ giving fans six masterpieces of melodic/epic folk metal. The album begins with the first track, a melodic instrumental “Fields of Snow.” Track two pulls us right back where “Time I’ left off, introducing melody, speed, harmony, and sheer beauty.
With the other four tracks, we get more of the same. The Wintersun sound has matured. Mäenpää delivers well-structured music, progressive in nature, overall splendid composition. Three of the six tracks go beyond the ten-minute mark, and usually songs that long do not keep my interest, but Wintersun songs are always changing, evolving, enough to keep me captivated.
Favorite tracks, all, but if I had to pick two, they would be ‘One with the Shadows’ and ‘Silver Leaves’.
The band will also release a 12-disc boxset entitled the ‘Time Package’, containing alternate versions of tracks from ‘Time II’ and ‘The Forest Seasons’, as well as five albums of early demo tracks.
Tracklist
- Fields of Snow 04:05
- IThe Way of the Fire 10:08
- One with the Shadows 06:19
- Ominous Clouds 02:22
- Storm 12:15
- Silver Leaves 13:31