Wintersun by Wintersun (CD, Sep-2004, Nuclear Blast (USA))

Jari Maenpaa certainly lets himself go with this album. Writing the songs over 8 years (he was writing music apart from his other bands while he was in them), he produced amazing technical, complex and atmospheric music that can't help but inspire and mesmerize you. I wasn't going to bother to do a song by song review because I don't think its possible to sum up all of the songs with anything short of a small research paper. Seriously, I have a hard time describing this style of music to my friends who have not heard it before. I basically say, "this is some of the most insanely fast, melodic $#%@ I've EVER heard." Anyway, I think I'll take a shot.

Beyond The Dark Sun - First song on the album, kicks you RIGHT in the nuts. Starts off with an awesome riff, into an very nice sweeping arpeggio. Changes tempo mid song very nicely. Ends with a bang only to delve into the most amazing (in my opinion) song on the album.

Winter Madness - Crazy fast blast beats thanks to drum legend Kai Hahto kick off the song. It keeps going in syncopated 3/4 (time signature) with a great melody and lyrics. This song has some of the most amazing guitar work I've ever heard in my life, including a neo-classical type solo that displays Jari's true powers on the guitar. Fantastic.

Sleeping Stars - Not much to say here. A very beautiful song that gives a little break from the fast (don't get TOO comfy though)...

Battle Against Time - .........this song truly needs to be heard to be understood. This is pretty much in a tie with Winter Madness for most amazing song. More blast beats, extravagant guitar work, exquisite melodies and choir chanting that shake the very foundations of time itself.

Death And The Healing - Another slow song to settle things down a bit. Very moving, and very sad. A sort of bluesy sounding guitar solo, followed by extravagant sweeping is present here. Amazing!

Starchild - When i got to this song, Wintersun pretty much became my favorite band. A very fast song (again), and very long. The melodies just keep flowing. WHY HAVEN'T YOU BOUGHT THIS ALBUM YET?!?

Beautiful Death - This is the heaviest song on the album, and I mean that both musically and emotionally. This is a very personal song that deals with a dark moment in Jari's life (his struggle with tuberculosis). You can really feel the angst and hate flowing from this song. Its very beautiful and very haunting at the same time.

Sadness And Hate - A perfect ending to a perfect album. The longest song on the album (clocking in at just over 10 minutes). Very great drumming here demonstrated by Dr. K.

Well, i tried but what i wrote will never compare to the album. I can say without a doubt that this is one of, if not THE favorite metal album of mine. Nothing can truly compare to it. This album changed my life. I will suggest this to any and all that love metal, or in that case, anyone who doesn't even like metal but can appreciate fantastic musicianship. Also, many people also have a problem with harsh vocals, but i believe Jari does them very well (these aren't those low gargly death metal vocals), along with really moving clean vocals. This album was a big inspiration for me to make my guitar playing proficient, and I might even be able to pull some of those solos off soon :) For the last time, this is an amazing musical masterpiece. I only hope that Wintersun's next album, "Time," will be as good. But with my Maenpaa at the helm, I expect nothing short of Miraculous.

Where to start? There is so much to comment about on this cd. Guitars are amazing especially the soloing. The keyboards are a huge thing in this album. Very mesmerizing. The drumming is powerful and fast. The vocals are very diverse. Here are ratings of each song -

Beyond the Dark Sun - An awesome opener that just goes straight into a fast riff with fast drums. Even though this song is awesome, its merely a warmup compared to the rest of the cd.

Winter Madness - This song opens with crushing blast beats and a killer guitar riff topped off with keyboards that make you feel like you right in a ferocious blizzard. The chorus is a memorable one. And probably the highlight of the song is the guitar solo. Its almost unbelievable the accuracy of how he plays.

Sleeping Stars - This is a slower song thats not as technical as others but its a beautiful song.

Battle Against Time - Back to fast and technical! A really epic opening with an awesome guitar riff. Crazy drumming throughout the song with amazing guitars and vocals.

Death and the Healing - Another slow song. Very epic and beautiful throughout the whole song. The chorus is also very memorable. There a couple solos in here and theyre all amazing. One of my favorites on the cd.

Starchild - A quick paced song. With an epic brdge that leads into an awesome chorus thats is kind of folk sounding. Later in the sound the pace slows down but speeds back up in the end.

Beautiful Death - This is a really dark song. The guitar tuning is droppped. And the keyboards really add to the dark atmosphere. And there is also another amazing solo. The drums are fast in parts also.

Sadness and Hate - The longest song on the cd. It opens with a clean guitar riff but then goes right into the distorted heavy riffing. The drums are really technical. Theres an awesome riff in here that happens after a quick little acoustic guitar part. The song ends with a symphony being played with the keyboards and slowly fades away making you sit there in awe and thinking...wow.

Basically this cd can put you in a cabin on the mountains watching a nice snowfall are put you right in the middle of a blizzard that has no mercy.

YOU'RE NOT KIDDING! THIS ALBUM IS TOP NOTCH. EVERY SONG IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND COMPOSED ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THAN ONE ANOTHER. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE WINTERSUN IS FAST,EPIC,MELODIC,BLACK,POWER,​FOLK,DEATH AND SYMPHONIC METAL. IT IS SOME OF THE BEST ON THE PLANET. UNFORTUNATELY THE NEW ALBUM FROM WINTERSUN HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK UNTIL NEXT YEAR. BUT WHEN IT IS FINALLY RELEASED I WILL BE LISTENING TO THE ALBUM FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WINTERSUN IS A BAND THAT WHEN YOU FIND A SONG THAT YOU HAVE COMPLETELY FALLEN IN LOVE WITH YOU WILL LISTEN TO IT ABOUT A HUNDRED TIMES. WINTERSUN IS A BAND THAT EVERY SONG COULD BE A SINGLE. IF THERE ARE SINGLES IN THE UNDERGROUND METAL SCENE? IF YOU LIKE THIS KIND OF MUSIC. BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

It is sad the Jari Maenpaa left Ensiferum at a time when they were doing so well, but with the beauty and grace Jari shows in Wintersun, its very difficult to say which is better. I love Wintersun's album because of its many melodic melodies and amazing riffs. Jari sounds amazing both an guitar and on vocals. Every time i listen to this album, it just makes me happy. When I first heard about Wintersun, I was already in love with Ensiferum. When I heard that Jari was leaving to start his own band, I was dispointed, but after this album, I have been nothing but impressed. I highly recommend this album to anyone who loves Viking Metal, melodic rhythms and epic music. If you are a fan of Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, Children of Bodom, and Moonsorrow, you should listen to this album.

If Jari Mäenpää's music could be described in one word, it would be "Epic." That is what this entire eight (8) song album is--54 minutes of pure Epic black-power metal.

Each song tells a powerful story, all of them in the end alluding to the main premise of (when taken literally) a man trapped in a violent blizzard, and each song seems to be a stage in his contemplation on his life.

On a more metaphorical scale, each song touches on a lot of personal themes. Nearly every song on the album will either make you cry, make you angry, or just leave you in awe with how powerfully the music is arranged.

Jari is a very talented musician, as is Kai Kahto--his drumming fit in with the music perfectly and made everything just short of perfect, if not absolutely and beautifully flawless. I have never been able to connect with an artist the way I have to Jari's music. I definitely suggest this album to anyone who loves any kind of metal, and especially to someone who might be having a hard time in life--I swear that if it doesn't change you and make you see things from a new light, I will print this review out and eat it for your viewing.