WINTERSUN

A brilliant album by Jari Maenpaa and Kai Hahto. Perhaps one of my favorite albums, Wintersun offers a great deal the the extreme prog metal genre. Wintersun combines folk and power metal with progressive atmospheres.

In this album Jari shows off his technical abilities, such as exceptional skill in sweeping, in the very start of the album with Beyond the Dark Sun and Winter Madness. Drummer Kai "The Grinder" Hahto does a fantastic job and holds up to his nickname. However, the main point in this album is not their technical abilities but rather the sound-scapes and emotions they conjure with their wonderful atmospheres.

Sleeping Stars, is a slower song that builds up over time, beginning with a instrument-by-instrument build, then a low level chanting, then the growls come in and the song. This song portrays the mental romanticism of a majestic universe as if one were a star, with both beauty and the fierce nature of a fiery star.

Battle Against time follows the same idea, though a completely different song; this song starts out speedy and driving, but retains the concept of utilizing keyboards, clean vocal harmonies, and progressively, black metal vocals to create a depiction of a persons inner rage and battle against their death.

Death and the Healing, probably one of the three best songs on the album, slow, , melodic, bombastic. It entirely clean vocals, something of a viking metal style (deep, rhythmic, not very spanning in range, e.i. something you think a viking might sing). This song is predominately a scound-scape, allowing the listener to visualize the imagery within the lyrics and music, things such frozen mountains, death and rebirth, etc.

Starchild changes modes to a fast-paced song that is divided into (small) suites. This song follows a third-person view of a omnipotent child trying to understand themselves and the universe(s) that they create. Yet another song depicting space and its majestic beauty as a whole, from stars, to the very vastness of the universe.

Beautiful Death is probably the weakest song, though effectively conjures emotions of bleakness and peace.

Sadness and Hate, my preferred song on this album, they story remains unclear to me, but the music brings me to believe this is about the lost love of a man who left for a long time, and now he rages towards, and loves her. Musically the strongest and, imo, the most enjoyable. This is one of the three best songs on the album with Death and the Healing and Starchild.

Biggest flaws are Beautiful Death, and that the album does not flow due to that fact that it is organized song-by-song by length (shortest to longest)

Overall, A beautiful album that would appeal greatly to fans of progressive power, folk, black, progressive, and atmospheric metal that use sound-scapes. I would recommend this as a must listen to everyone but do not guarantee you will like it; it isn't for everyone.