Turisas
The Varangian Way
Band: Turisas
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Finnish Viking-lore preservers have returned with their second album on "The Varangian Way". One adjective best describes this effort, grandiose. These four Norsemen use grand choruses, grand orchestrations and massive power chords to retell the perilous, yet victorious adventures of the Northmen known as the Varangians. The Varangians were a group of Vikings who explored Eastern Europe by way of the East-European River during the 9th - 11th centuries.
"The Varangian Way" seeks a wide array of styles and techniques employed on Viking metal albums. One group who is often overlooked for their influence on bands making Viking-themed album is Manowar. Songs such as "To Holmgard and Beyond" and "Fields of Gold" demonstrate symphonic passages that ebb and flow dramatically like the motion felt by the Varangians on their eastward explorations. Also, the guitar work on "To Holmgard and Beyond" and "Midlagard Overture" strike a powerful resemblance to the loin-clothed ones, especially in the way the heavy chords beef up their respective tracks. The guitar on "Midlagard Overture" also cuts through the silence of light keyboards and acoustic guitar to energize and intensify the song. Along with horse-powered guitars and bombastic classical elements, the group also employs a good number of folk instruments. Perhaps drawing influence from fellow Fins, Finntroll, tracks like "A Portage to the Unknown" and "In the Court of Jarisleif" feature a wide array of table-dancing, heal-clicking folk instrumentation, with a primary focus on the ethnic sounds of the group’s Finnish heritage. The primal beat of shamanistic drums, congos, bongos, djembe, and udu create tribal beats; while keyboards and other types of programs electronically mimic other folk sounds like what appears to be an accordion on "A Portage to the Uknown". It seems that no Nordic metal album is complete without at least a hint of black metal. Turisas understands this unwritten law and lashes out with the occasional dose of metallic savagery. "Cursed Be Iron" and "Five Hundred and One" highlight the band’s black metal abilities with throaty black metal vocals that bring to mind Ihsahn of Emperor and galloping guitars in the tradition of Viking metal masters, Enslaved. The orchestral elements are at times pretentious and overdone. It is simply a matter of letting yourself go; closing your eyes and allowing the music to open your mind’s eye. Also, a closer look at their arrangements will reveal the band’s ingenuity. By embracing their rich Scandanavian history and taking full advantage of over two decades of Viking-metal, Turisas has created one of the more diverse and moving albums in the history of Nordic metal. Darren Cowan
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