Ensiferum was founded in 1992 and with only two demos this band wouldn't fully come to fruition until 2000 with Jarri Mäenpää at the reins. Under the helm of his guidance the band released two perfect albums the first being a self-titled and the next being Iron. The quality of the music is unheard of as the lyrics and rhythms are so utterly majestic. Though I'm partial to the self-titled I can't choose a front runner because the quality of them both is that good. This is quite possibly, in my opinion of course, the best incarnation of a folk/viking metal band. This band was a gateway band in some regards for any future folk/viking metal that I would later come to love. The early years of Ensiferum and in my opinion the superior years, have an edge and some very catchy rhythms that made this band very accessible to all lovers of metal. After Iron, Jari Mäenpää left to pursue his side project Wintersun (still waiting for Time btw). During a tour Petri Lindroos of "Norther" filled in and was later made a full time band member. With Petri on the reins of Ensiferum they would release an EP, Dragonheads that would show some depth not seen in his earlier work. After Dragonheads, the later years played well for Ensiferum releasing two more albums, Victory Songs and From Afar. Though equally enjoyable, the experience doesn't feel as deep as their previous work. With that being said Victory Songs was no slouch, it was fast relenting folk/viking metal that with Petri only propelled the band into a new foray of music. From Afar was good but defiantly didn't have the same feel as the previous albums. It wasn't deep and meaningful like the first two and wasn't fast and relenting like Victory Songs. Still it remains a quality album and is only a slouch because of mere comparison. The lyrical themes often relate to fantastical, archaic, or historic stories with a heroic sentiment as the name Ensiferum translates to sword bearer. This band is still active with Petri Lindroos and has plans to release another album, unfortunately the release date has not been slated yet.
Quality: Enisferum (2001) - V0 MP3 / VBR
Iron (2004) - V0 MP3 / VBR
Dragonheads (EP) (2006) - V0 MP3 / VBR
Victory Songs (2007) - V0 MP3 / VBR
From Afar (2009) - V0 MP3 / VBR
1997-1999 (2005) - V0 MP3 / VBR
10th Anniversary Live (DVD) (2006) - 320 kbps MP3 /CBR
Live In Montreal, Quebec (Bootleg) (2009) - V2 MP3 / VBR (scene rip)
The Jari Mäenpää years:
- Ensiferum (2001): MirrorCreator
- Iron (2004): MirrorCreator
The Petri Lindroos years:
- Dragonheads (EP) (2005): MirrorCreator
- Victory Songs (2007): MirrorCreator
- From Afar (2009): MirrorCreator
Miscellaneous Albums:
- 1997-1999 (Compilation of first three demos from the Jari Mäenpää years released in 2005): MirrorCreator
- 10th Anniversary Live (Live performance DVD audio from the Petri Lindroos years released in 2006): MirrorCreator
- Live In Montreal, Quebec (This is a bootleg that was uploaded in 2009. The quality isn't great but it does have the "cool" factor because it's a bootleg.): MirrorCreator
