Ensiferum – One Man Army (2015)

While people hated on Ensiferum for their 2012 release “Unsung Heroes”, we actually quite enjoyed it. The band has evolved from their “Iron” and “From Afar” days, but the still deliver high-quality Folk Metal filled with epicly catchy tracks. Featuring 11 songs and around 53 minutes of music, this album is another very enjoyable entry in the band’s career and will surely recapture some of the band’s lost fans.

After being buttered up by the catchy “March of War”, the band goes all out with the epic “Axes of Judgment”. Here we get the traditional riffing and tempo expected from a release of this genre, and we have to admit that Janne Parviainen’s drumming really got us going on this very typical track. “Heathen Horde” is a track that is more our pace due to its catchy melodic tempo and the well-crafted vocal arrangements. Things continue to be epic with the dramatic “One Man Army”, a song that will make drop everything you are doing and start headbanging from start to finish.

We don’t care much for the interlude tracks that are less than 2 minutes, but the next block of music focuses more on the Folk side of things with the engaging “Warrior Without a War” and its excellent guitar work and the angelic female vocals on “Cry for the Earth Bounds”. Things return to the in-your-face catchiness with “My Ancestors’ Blood” and they slowly move into more mellow but crushing territories with the 11-minute epic “Descendants, Defiance, Domination”.

Closing with the Finnish Folky/twangy tune “Neito Pohjolan”, Ensiferum has managed to deliver a pretty solid album with “One Man Army”. The band has crafted several very catchy and engaging Folk Metal tracks in this release and they should be recognized for that. Petri Lindroos vocals take the band into battle and they come out victorious with nearly an hour of engaging music. If you are a fan of the genre, this release will perfectly fit your collection, especially the massive limited edition that the label is releasing.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: February 10th, 2015

Genre: Folk Metal

Country: Finland