The second half of 2024 has a plethora of amazing albums released or releasing soon. It truly is a good time to be alive, musically. In the midst of that, Wintersun has chosen to return after a seven-year silence with the long-awaited sequel to their legendary Time I album from 2012. Time II releases on August 30th and I believe is worth the wait.
Wintersun is one band that honestly makes me chuckle. I see the passion that burns within the fanbase, but those same individuals are quickly angered by the band itself at times. It’s a dramatic state of affairs for this band at pretty much any time. Even so, the lineup remains the same: Jari Mäenpää on vocals, guitar, and programming, Teemu Mäntysaari on guitar, Jukka Koskinen on bass, and Kai Hahto on drums.
The band plays what I would call epic progressive folk metal. It is cinematic, heavy, folk-inspired, and densely layered. The sheer amount of notes being played at one time is astonishing. The band writes with loud/quiet dynamics, so while much of their music is driving and ferocious, an equal amount of their music is lush, introspective, and simply beautiful.
For Time II, the band has incorporated Japanese motifs into their sound, so while the Scandinavian folk sound is still there, the Far Eastern sound is prominent. I think this works really well. The Japanese-style melodies are gorgeous, and the way they interact with various weather and environmental metaphors only increases their effectiveness.
The opener “Fields of Snow” is a good example. This piece is about 4 minutes long, but it is soaked in an epic, cinematic atmosphere punctuated by an instantly attractive Japanese melody. The piece is basically an instrumental intro to the album, but it accomplishes that with purity and flame. It leads directly into “The Way of the Fire” perfectly, which is a piece that is heavy, chaotic, and driving. This song is staggeringly intense, and even though this drive lasts all the way through the song, it never loses its power.
Next comes one of my favorites on the album, “One with the Shadows”. This piece has a sweeping, swooning atmosphere with Jari’s great balance of raspy harsh vox and chesty clean singing. The riffs here are more structured and heroic, and the song slowly grows to a sweet vocal hook from Jari. I love it.
The last three tracks are terrific. “Ominous Clouds” is a short intro to “Storm”, which makes sense thematically; it isn’t as dark as you might imagine, though, featuring stabbing guitar notes and finger work that is more anticipatory than threatening. “Storm” filters in with rain and thunder, and those few minutes of peace are soon decimated when a wall of riffs and drums blasts onto the scene. The song is about ten minutes long, but instead of a fomenting, raging piece, the song has plenty of transitions and quiet moments. The riffs in the first half give way to atmospheric touches and acoustic grace before launching into a vicious, lengthy guitar solo. I love how the song ends in lingering serenity, melody, and light.
The closer “Silver Leaves” is a 13-minute monster that is easily my favorite. It has everything I love about the album: the epic Japanese motifs, the rolling and thunderous riffs, the deep-throated vocals, and plenty of pomp and flourish. The song takes its time, delivering a serene and soothing aura soon punctuated by powerful riffs and wistful, longing lyrics. I love the unadulterated beauty of this song; it is graceful and elegant.
Wintersun takes their time, and there can be drama along the way, but they always seem to deliver. I loved The Forest Seasons in 2017, and of course Time I and the debut, and the band only seems be getting more interesting and courageous. Time II is a wonderful album that absolutely requires headphones due to the density of the music, and I think fans and newcomers alike will love it.
________________
Find Wintersun online:
________________
________________
The PROG Mind 