Finland’s favourite folk metal collective and recent Metal Blade signees, Ensiferum, will unleash their sixth studio album this Winter. Titled One Man Army, the predominantly analog-recorded offering was tracked between September and November of this year with award-winning producer Anssi Kippo (Children Of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene, Entwine etc.) at Astia-Studios in Lappeenranta, Finland.
Elaborates Ensiferum bassist/vocalist Sammi Hinkka of the sessions:
Recording process was long, hard, rewarding and full of incredible moments. Instruments were actually played and left as they were instead of creating tracks from hundreds of different takes, moving them to the grid and modifying things. Of course computers were used but overall we made everything as analog as possible. Listeners can experience a better sound and natural groove, something that we think most metal albums lack these days. Overall, the album sounds much more like a band playing live rather than ‘midi-metal.’
Commended by Outburn for songs that are consistently “epic” in scope with a “reliance on catchy melodies,” Ensiferum’s One Man Army serves as the follow-up to 2012’s lauded Unsung Heroes full-length and boasts the stunningly detailed, mythological cover craftings of renowned illustrator Gyula Havancsák (Annihilator, Tyr, Elvenking, Stratovarius etc).
“On the new album, we took many things musically to the next level so we decided also to try something new graphics-wise,” relays Hinkka. “Gyula Havancsák did a phenomenal job! For the first time it was really nice to be more involved with deg the cover and all details. Our humble gratitude to Gyula for all the patience and really amazing results. We couldn’t be more satisfied!”
As a precursor to the release, Ensiferum recently unleashed the fittingly-titled “Warmetal” for public consumption. Composed by Demonos Sova of Finnish black metal unit, Barathrum, the track is currently available on the covermount CD of the current issue of ’s Legacy Magazine in all its battle-ready glory.
Ensiferum’s One Man Army will be released via Metal Blade Records on February 24th, 2015. Further details, including track listing and additional teaser hymns to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
[ensiferum]
