Comments on: Ensiferum – From Afar

By: Old Pick Axe

Old Pick Axe — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:30:08 +0000

I really dig these guys. It’s like they ate the death metal heart that Amorphis abandoned…and absorbed their powers. Long live Ensiferum!

By: JustinH

JustinH — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:02:52 +0000

Great review, although you called it “Stone Cold Steel”, rather it’s “Stone Cold Metal”. Great album, I enjoyed it a bit more than Victory Songs.

By: fightingmike

fightingmike — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:17:42 +0000

I am diggin this record! Not as good as Iron, but more epic and orchestral than Victory Songs. It sounds like touring with Turisas has rubbed off on them with all of the epic orchestration added on here. I can’t wait for the new Wintersun and Turisas too!

By: Storm King

Storm King — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:28:26 +0000

First off, love this album big time. Given my love for this sort of epic music, I have no idea how I overlooked Ensiferum for so long. It’s everything I loved about early Moonsorrow, without everything becoming 30 minutes long. (Really, only Moonsorrow can get away with that, in my opinion.)

As for Decibel…sometimes it seems like a good straight up metal magazine, and then sometimes-their year end top 40, the occasionally odd choices for their Hall of Fame-it’s like they’re just pushing things they like, and to hell with objectivity. Still better than Revolver, though.

By: Chris S.

Chris S. — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:59:13 +0000

Another kick ass album by these guys. It has made some longs days in the office a little more fun.

By: Blackwater Park

Blackwater Park — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:22:42 +0000

Who cares about Decibel. That magazine is a fucking joke. Metal wrapped in a slick corporate package can fuck off. The new Ensiferum is bad ass. Not Top 10 material to me, but certainly in my Top 20 of the year.

By: Chevalier Mal Fet

Chevalier Mal Fet — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:33:36 +0000

Great review Erik, I’m psyched to see them in a couple months. I’m not sure how I am feeling about the album yet, I am a Johnny-Come-Lately on this band who loved Victory Songs and so far this is not measuring up, but repeated spins might change my mind.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:01:38 +0000

They gave Winds of Plague a 7/10 in the same issue. I guess they have a wide variety of critics. It was a little shocking to see such a widely appreciated band (one that had graced Decibel’s cover a month or two before, no less) get such a low score, but at the same time, I respect the magazine for publishing such a review. I think it shows a great deal of integrity. Do you think a cum-rag magazine like Revolver would ever give JFaC or Suicide Silence a low score? Not a chance. Not while they’re putting them on the cover every other month and touting them as the future of metal. I applaud Decibel for not deepthroating a band (critically, that is) just because they were popular or were featured earlier.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:45:48 +0000

No, sure wasn’t Chris. Everyone has an opinion I guess, but that was a harsh review I thought.

By: ceno

ceno — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:36:34 +0000

Absolutely amazing album. Their best I think. That banjo solo is soooo fitting. Great review too.

By: Erik Thomas

Erik Thomas — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:12:50 +0000

Did Chris D review it? – he loathes this kind of stuff

By: shane

shane — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:06:14 +0000

Dude in Decibel gave this a 3 out of 10. WTF? I’ve seen nothing but great things about this record. Ensiferum rocks!!!