“Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife” is the latest single from Finnish folk metal giants, Ensiferum. The heroic new track comes by way of the band’s stunning new studio album, Winter Storm, set for release on October 18th through Metal Blade Records.
Ensiferum has maintained a prolific release schedule since their first demo in 1997, gradually increasing in stature until eighth album Thalassic crowned their ascent in 2020. The nautical opus went on to top Finland’s album chart, reaching #3 in Germany, and top ten in Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. The global COVID pandemic however ensured that the four-year wait for Winter Storm would be the longest in the band’s near-thirty-year history.
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.
“The lyrics of Winter Storm are based on part of my unpublished fantasy book. This album is more like a ‘musical’ than a traditional album,” says Hinkka. He further elaborates on “Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife,” “From hearing the first demo of this song, I instantly visualized it as a song about harsh and dark winter. The lyrics tell about a member of the Winter Storm Vigilantes who was exiled and he is barely alive as he wanders at snowy wastelands. He is saved and taken into a remote tavern where he regains his strength and has a vision of his destiny. The song takes the listener on a journey into another world by building up slowly towards a freezing cold winter storm.”
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”.
Photo by Svetlana Goncharova
