Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Turisas
Label: Century Media
Release: 2007
It took a (way too) long three years to get a follow-up to the excellent debut Battle Metal (2004) from Finland’s Turisas, who wowed fans and critics alike with their first album. Many called Battle Metal the best debut album of the year when it came out, Turisas were crowned newcomers of the year, and the record more or less got sung praises from all sides. No wonder, since that excellent, energetic mix of folk and symphonic metal gets its hooks in fast. The guys knew full well that all the “hype” around the debut would be hard to live up to, and they made the right call in taking absolutely no rush with the second record. Turisas worked and worked and worked for three years, and finally their second album, The Varangian Way, is here. Personally, I think Battle Metal is a great record, but a bit overrated, so I approached The Varangian Way with caution, and wrote the review you’re reading only after countless listens.
Right off the bat I can say this is a fantastic record, and on top of that it comes with an extremely interesting and pretty unique concept. The story follows the journey of the brave Norse tribes that European nations called the Varangians. Every single track works like a point on a map tracing those Vikings’ route from their homeland in Sweden or Norway all the way to Kiev, then down the Dnieper River to the Black Sea and on to Constantinople. But The Varangian Way is not just a plain description of a route or an itinerary, since the excellent lyrics also capture the inner journey that adventure-hungry warriors go through on an expedition like that. The story itself is fictional, but it’s based on real historical events, since the Varangians really did travel along similar routes and colonized a good chunk of Eastern Europe.
The Varangian Way fixes everything that was missing on Battle Metal, which at times sounded like something was lacking, like it was unfinished. The production alone is a notch better in quality. The guitar tone is much more prominent and not as weak as on the predecessor, the drums sit in the mix just right, the bass guitar is clearly audible too, and the symphonic parts are noticeably improved and now blend far better into the record’s overall sound. And that’s not where Turisas stop! Every single solo on the record is played on a violin! Yep, you heard right, a violin. And The Varangian Way isn’t just a step forward instrumentally, because Mathias, a good vocalist but one who didn’t stand out from the crowd of similar singers, has improved enormously. The Varangian Way has much cleaner singing, and Mathias manages to reach the epic grandeur the lyrics describe. He took the narration so seriously that we can easily picture ourselves sitting by the fire, listening to the story of someone who actually lived it. But don’t worry, good old aggressive Mathias and his growl are still here. Symphonic elements are something that really works for Turisas, and some bands, like Rhapsody (of Fire), the self-proclaimed champions of “Epic Hollywood Metal”, could learn a thing or two from the Finns.
Since the tracks work like stops along the brave Vikings’ journey, each song has its own soul, yet none of them stands out from the coherent whole. Given that our travelers are making their way through Eastern Europe, the music at times takes on a Slavic (just listen to In the Court of Jarisleif), even pagan flavor, and the closer they get to Constantinople, the more Greek, or rather Byzantine, the whole thing sounds. The Varangian Way is a record that offers a great story, masterfully written music, and an atmosphere that runs the whole gamut, from bombastic, magical, wildly epic and melancholic to the kind you’d only experience in the thick of fierce battle.
The sails are full of wind, the sun glints off sharpened swords, and the warriors’ hearts pound with excitement… The adventure has begun, and the road ahead is long! Go now and don’t look back! And give the king my regards!
Lineup
Warlord Nygĺrd – vocals, keyboards, programming
Jussi Wickström – guitar
Hannu Horma – bass guitar
Tude Lehtonen – drums
Olli Vänskä – violin
Lisko – accordion
Production
Warlord Nygĺrd
Track list
1. To Holmgard And Beyond 05:17
2. A Portage To The Unknown 04:50
3. Cursed Be Iron 05:03
4. Fields Of Gold 04:34
5. In The Court Of Jarisleif 03:17
6. Five Hundred And One 06:18
7. The Dnieper Rapids 05:20
8. Miklagard Overture 08:18
