New Jersey’s Windfaerer will unleash their upcoming album, Tenebrosum, on September 22, 2015, but right now you can head on over to No Clean Singing for a taste of what’s to come in the form of opening track “Celestial Supremacy.” Yes, you will find folk metal blended with Scandinavian black metal, death metal, and more… like violins.

If you’re wondering what “Tenebrosum” means, it’s an archaic term for the Atlantic Ocean (“Mare Tenebrosum”), meaning “sea of darkness.”

Tenebrosum follows Windfaerer’s 2009 debut demo, Glorybound, 2010’s debut LP, Tribus, and 2012’s Solar EP.

Tenebrosum Track Listing:

1. Celestial Supremacy
2. Finisterra
3. Tales Told In Oblivion
4. Santería
5. The Everlasting
6. Morir En El Olvido
7. The Outer Darkness

Windfaerer will bring their sonic rituals to the stage on a short bout of East Coast performances beginning today at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York. Later in the month the band will raze Trenton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, followed by a performance at the Pocono Folk Metal Fest in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in August, with additional live actions to be announced in the coming weeks.

Windfaerer Live Dates:

7/01/2015 Saint Vitus Bar- Brooklyn, NY
7/17/2015 Championship Bar – Trenton, NJ
7/24/2015 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
8/01/2015 Pocono Folk Metal Fest – Stroudsburg, PA

Rock Hard \m/

With their album, One Man Army, ready to drop next Tuesday, February 24th, Finnish folk metallers, Ensiferum, have announced a co-headlining tour this spring. Set to commence on May 6th, in Los Angeles, the band will level nearly two dozen cities with the trek coming to a close on May 29th, in New York City. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest. The tour follows the band’s European march alongside Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum next month. Tickets are on sale today. See all confirmed dates below.

Ensiferum Tour Dates:

w/ Frosttide
2/27/2015 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI
2/28/2015 Rytmikorjaamo – Seianajoki, FI
3/06/2015 Lutakko – Jyvaskyla, FI
3/07/2015 Nosturi – Helsinki, FI
w/ Craving
3/10/2015 Schlachthof – Lingen, DE (“Fan Appreciation Show” by EMP)
w/ Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum
3/11/2015 Zeche – Bochum, DE
3/12/2015 Rockfabrik – Ludwigsburg, DE
3/13/2015 Backstage – München, DE
3/14/2015 Masters of Rock Café – Zlin, CZ
3/15/2015 Club 202 – Budapest, HU
3/16/2015 Szene – Wien, AT
3/18/2015 Live Club – Milan, IT
3/19/2015 Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
3/20/2015 La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR
3/21/2015 Z7 – Pratteln, CH
3/22/2015 Ninkasi Kao – Lyon, FR
3/23/2015 Le Bataclan – Paris, FR
3/24/2015 O2 Academy Islington- London, UK
3/25/2015 Patronaat – Haarlem, NL
3/26/2015 Hedon – Zwolle, NL
3/27/2015 Biebob – Vosselaar, BE
3/28/2015 Tivoli – Bremen, DE
3/29/2015 Grünspan – Hamburg, DE
3/30/2015 Vega – Copenhagen, DK
3/31/2015 Göta Källare – Stockholm, SE
4/01/2015 Sticky Fingers – Gothenburg, SE
4/02/2015 Inferno Metal Festival – Oslo, NO
w/ Korpiklaani, Trollfest
5/06/2015 House of Blues – Los Angeles, CA [tickets]
5/07/2015 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA [tickets]
5/08/2015 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR [tickets]
5/09/2015 El Corazon – Seattle, WA [tickets]
5/10/2015 Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver, BC [tickets]
5/12/2015 Republik – Calgary, AB [tickets]
5/13/2015 Union Hall – Edmonton, AB [tickets]
5/15/2015 Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO [tickets]
5/16/2015 Bourbon Theater – Lincoln, NE [tickets]
5/17/2015 Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN [tickets]
5/18/2015 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL [tickets]
5/19/2015 Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH [tickets]
5/20/2015 Opera House – Toronto, ON [tickets]
5/21/2015 Mavericks – Ottawa, ON [tickets]
5/22/2015 Club Soda – Montreal, QC [tickets]
5/23/2015 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC [tickets]
5/24/2015 Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA [tickets]
5/26/2015 Mr. Small’s Theater – Pittsburgh, PA [tickets]
5/27/2015 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD [tickets]
5/28/2015 Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA [tickets]
5/29/2015 Irving Plaza – New York, NY [tickets]
2015 Summer Festivals
8/13/2015 Rockstadt Extremefest – Rasnov, DE
6/19-21/2015 Hellfest – Clisson, FR
7/30-8/1/2015 Wacken Open Air – Wacken, DE
8/06-08/2015 Party San Open Air – Schlotheim, DE
8/08/2015 IntoThe Grave Festival – Leeuwarden, NL
8/09/2015 Bloodstock Open Air – Walton-On-Trent, GB
8/13-15/2015 Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbühl, DE

Rock Hard \m/

“March of War” sets the tone, preparing the listener for the battle to come. “Axe of Judgement” blisters its way home with luscious guitar riffs and galloping drums, standard to Ensiferum’s sound since their first release in 2000. The tone of this album comes off darker, however, with moments like the middle of “Warrior Without a War.”

Has anyone played Skyrim recently? Has anyone ever played Skyrim while listening to a band whose music is comprised of epic fantasy battles? Rushing in to slaughter a dragon priest while the title track, “One Man Army,” is playing only adds to the experience. The thrash riff is reminiscent of “Fight Fire With Fire,” by the great Metallica, adding various other instruments and gang vocals telling the story of a man on a mission to kill.

This album is energetic and a fun listen. There are times, however, that Ensiferum does let this fall a bit. Maybe it is my lack of attention span, but the two longer tracks on the album, “Cry for the Earth Bounds” and “Descendants, Defiance, Domination,” drag out their builds a bit too long. The latter could make its appearance as the soundtrack for The Battle For Helms Deep, but without the imagery it can feel a bit like it drones on and on. Allowing the wait for the build of One Man Army (54 minutes without the bonus tracks) is worth the wait.

The Verdict: 3.5/5

In anticipation of the forthcoming release, today Ensiferum unveils the official new video for One Man Army‘s title track as well as an in-depth “making of” clip that brings fans deep into the heart of the filming session. Check out the epic video in the player above.

Ensiferum’s One Man Army will be released via Metal Blade Records on February 24th, 2015. 70,000 Tons of Metal voyagers will be able to catch Ensiferum’s battle-ready live performance next week before the band kicks off a lengthy European live incursion, wielding their swords alongside Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum. See confirmed dates below.

Ensiferum Tour Dates:

1/22-1/26/2015 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise – Miami, FL
2/27/2015 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI
2/28/2015 Rytmikorjaamo – Seianajoki, FI
3/06/2015 Lutakko – Jyvaskyla, FI
3/07/2015 Nosturi – Helsinki, FI

w/ Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum
3/11/2015 Zeche – Bochum, DE
3/12/2015 Rockfabrik – Ludwigsburg, DE
3/13/2015 Backstage – München, DE
3/14/2015 Masters of Rock Café – Zlin, CZ
3/15/2015 Club 202 – Budapest, HU
3/16/2015 Szene – Wien, AT
3/18/2015 Live Club – Milan, IT
3/19/2015 Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
3/20/2015 La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR
3/21/2015 Z7 – Pratteln, CH
3/22/2015 Ninkasi Kao – Lyon, FR
3/23/2015 Le Bataclan – Paris, FR
3/24/2015 O2 Academy Islington- London, UK
3/25/2015 Patronaat – Haarlem, NL
3/26/2015 Hedon – Zwolle, NL
3/27/2015 Biebob – Vosselaar, BE
3/28/2015 Tivoli – Bremen, DE
3/29/2015 Grünspan – Hamburg, DE
3/30/2015 Vega – Copenhagen, DK
3/31/2015 Göta Källare – Stockholm, SE
4/01/2015 Sticky Fingers – Gothenburg, SE
4/02/2015 Inferno Metal Festival – Oslo, NO

Festivals Summer 2015
8/13/2015 Rockstadt Extremefest – Rasnov, DE
6/19/2015 – 6/21/2015 Hellfest – Clisson, FR
7/30/2015 – 8/1/2015 Wacken Open Air – Wacken, DE
8/06/2015 – 8/8/2015 Party San Open Air – Schlotheim, DE
8/09/2015 Bloodstock Open Air – Walton-On-Trent, GB
8/13/2015 – 8/15/2015 Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbühl, DE

Rock Hard \m/

Finland’s favorite 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

[The] 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.’

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).

Hinkka on the cover art:

On the new album, we took many things musically to the next level so we decided also to try something new graphics-wise. Gyula Havancsák did a phenomenal job! For the first time it was really nice to be more involved with designing the cover and all details. Our humble gratitude to Gyula for all the patience and really amazing results. We couldn’t be more satisfied!

Ensiferum’s One Man Army will be released via Metal Blade Records on February 24, 2015. Further details, including track listing and additional teaser hymns to be unveiled in the coming weeks. In the meantime, 70,000 Tons of Metal voyagers will be able to catch Ensiferum live next month before they kick off a massive European trek, wielding their swords alongside Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum. See confirmed dates below.

Ensiferum Tour Dates:

1/22-1/26/2015 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise – Miami, FL
2/27/2015 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI
2/28/2015 Rytmikorjaamo – Seianajoki, FI
3/06/2015 Lutakko – Jyvaskyla, FI
3/07/2015 Nosturi – Helsinki, FI

w/ Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum
3/11/2015 Zeche – Bochum, DE
3/12/2015 Rockfabrik – Ludwigsburg, DE
3/13/2015 Backstage – München, DE
3/14/2015 Masters of Rock Café – Zlin, CZ
3/15/2015 Club 202 – Budapest, HU
3/16/2015 Szene – Wien, AT
3/18/2015 Live Club – Milan, IT
3/19/2015 Les Docks – Lausanne, CH
3/20/2015 La Laiterie – Strasbourg, FR
3/21/2015 Z7 – Pratteln, CH
3/22/2015 Ninkasi Kao – Lyon, FR
3/23/2015 Le Bataclan – Paris, FR
3/24/2015 O2 Academy Islington- London, UK
3/25/2015 Patronaat – Haarlem, NL
3/26/2015 Hedon – Zwolle, NL
3/27/2015 Biebob – Vosselaar, BE
3/28/2015 Tivoli – Bremen, DE
3/29/2015 Grünspan – Hamburg, DE
3/30/2015 Vega – Copenhagen, DK
3/31/2015 Göta Källare – Stockholm, SE
4/01/2015 Sticky Fingers – Gothenburg, SE
4/02/2015 Inferno Metal Festival – Oslo, NO
End Tour
8/13/2015 Rockstadt Extremefest – Rasnov, DE
6/19/2015 – 6/21/2015 Hellfest – Clisson, FR
7/30/2015 – 8/1/2015 Wacken Open Air – Wacken, DE
8/06/2015 – 8/8/2015 Party San Open Air – Schlotheim, DE
8/09/2015 Bloodstock Open Air – Walton-On-Trent, GB
8/13/2015 – 8/15/2015 Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbühl, DE
8/13/2015 Rockstadt Extremefest – Rasnov, RO

Rock Hard \m/

For curious minds, “Mach Dich Frei” translates to “set yourself free,” and although the lyrics are in German, the images presented in the video tell a story of being a slave to work and neglecting one’s private life. The greater message being that you better set yourself free from the chains of labor before it’s too late. As well, the scenery and the landscape of the video is worthy of a Peter Jackson film. It’s definitely something to feast your eyes on!

Mach Dich Frei Track List:

1. Abfahrt
2. Schicksals End’
3. Zeit für Hass
4. Im Auge des Sturms
5. Mach Dich Frei!
6. Mann gegen Mensch
7. Reise zum..
8. Finsterforst

Rock Hard \m/

Ensiferum has completed work on their upcoming new album, One Man Army. The band spent the last few weeks at Astia Studio in Lappeenranta in Finland with producer Anssi Kippo. The album is scheduled for release on February 24th in North America, and February 23rd/20th in the UK/Europe. New music, art, track listing, and video clips from the studio will be online within the next few weeks.

Next week, Ensiferum will be filming a brand new music video with Grupa #13 in Poland. Grupa #13 is the production house behind some of the most spectacular music videos in metal, including videos from Behemoth, Amon Amarth, and more.

Vocalist/guitarist Petri Lindroos comments:

We worked hard and long days one after another while Kippo kicked our asses to make us do the very best, and you can hear that in this album. It’s a killer album with killer sound. I’m very proud to a part of this masterpiece!

Bassist Sami Hinkka adds:

We are extremely proud to announce that the album is 100% done! The recording session was incredible experience for us. We can’t express our gratitude enough for Mr. Anssi Kippo, who never lost his nerves, was full of crazy ideas and worked like a madman for weeks! The shortest working day was 12 hours and the average was around 16 hours! After all ‘blood, sweat and tears’ it feels great to tell you that the result for years of hard composing and weeks of intense recordings is without a doubt the best Ensiferum album song- and soundwise. Material is pretty diverse and each song tells a tale of it’s own instead of being a crappy copy of previous song so no fillers included. Next week we go record the new music video, but that’s another story… Stay tuned!

Ensiferum will be on tour this autumn and already has shows and festival appearances confirmed for next year. The band plans to return to North America in May 2015.

Ensiferum Tour Dates:

+ special guests
11/03/15 DE – Bochum – Zeche
12/03/15 DE – Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
13/03/15 DE – München – Backstage
14/03/15 CZ – Zlin – Masters of Rock Café
15/03/15 HU – Budapest – Club 202
16/03/15 AT – Wien – Szene
18/03/15 IT – Milan – Live Club
19/03/15 CH – Lausanne – Les Docks
20/03/15 FR – Strasbourg – La Laiterie
21/03/15 CH – Pratteln – Z7
22/03/15 FR – Lyon – Ninkasi Kao
23/03/15 FR – Paris – Le Bataclan
24/03/15 UK – London – O2 Academy Islington
25/03/15 NL – Haarlem – Patronaat
26/03/15 NL – Zwolle – Hedon
27/03/15 BE – Vosselaar – Biebob
28/03/15 DE – Bremen – Tivoli
29/03/15 DE – Hamburg – Grünspan
30/03/15 DK – Copenhagen – Vega
31/03/15 SE – Stockholm – Göta Källare
01/04/15 SE – Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers
02/04/15 NO – Oslo – Inferno Metal Festival

w/ Orphaned Land
26/11/14 JP – Tokyo – Club Duo Exchange
27/11/14 JP – Osaka – Mamba Rocket
29/11/14 CN – Shanghai – Mao Livehouse
30/11/14 CN – Bejing – Yu Gong Yi Shan

2015 Festival Appearances
13/12/14 NL – Eindhoven – Metal Meeting
22/01-26/01/15 US – Miami – 70,000 Tons Of Metal
13/08/15 RO – Rasnov – Rockstadt Extremefest
13/08-15/08/15 DE – Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Festival

Rock Hard \m/

No Beer in Heaven was released today, August 8th, and can be purchased via their Bandcamp page.

If you’d like a taste of the brew Protokult has on tap, check out the eclectic, hoppy folk thrasher “Get Me a Beer” in the video player at the top. Indeed this mix of traditional folk, thrash metal, death metal, and other genres will have you stomping your feet and drinking too fast.

Vocalist Ekaterina Pyatkova comments:

We are delighted to showcase our finest release brought to you by our lineup in peak form!! Three years in the making, No Beer In Heaven presents an assortment of ambient, prog-folk, heavy tunes that take you on a dark, drunken adventure! So grab a cold one and indulge!

Rock Hard \m/

Yeah, so our last post led you to the track “Ursvamp.” Today, in conjunction with the album’s release, Finntroll has unleashed a live video of the song “Trollhammaren.” The track is a rocker and a party anthem of sorts (that hook and melody, man, just try to escape it). There’s a reason “Trollhammaren” was the band’s first major single.

Catch the madness in the video player above. Then head to Amazon to buy em>Natten Med De Leavande Finntroll: MP3 – $10.49 or CD – $34.78

Let us know what you think of this rockin’ folk barn-stomper in the comments section below.

Rock Hard \m/

As of June 17th, Helsinki’s Finntroll will finally have a live album on the market, and really it’s about time since the best way to experience such thirst-inspiring and unique extreme metal is in a live setting.

The album, Natten Med De Leavande Finntroll (which translates to Night of the Living Finntroll), was recorded at Amsterdam’s prestigious Melkweg Concert Hall on September 20, 2008, and you can get a taste of it with the song “Ursvamp,” over at Decibel Magazine.

If, after hearing that pagan-fueled death metal, you don’t feel like doing a happy dance while wearing a furry frock and drinking from a tankard, then you obviously haven’t drunk enough. If you did a dance, and you’re not seeing double yet, you can pre-order Natten Med De Leavande Finntroll at: Amazon

For some Finntroll lore, see below:

Formed in 1997, Finntroll has drawn inspiration for their brand of folk/heathen metal from the Olden Days when the Southern plague called Christianity hadn’t yet swept over every forest, nook and cranny of Scandinavia’s troll-laden woodlands and telling tales about eradicating mankind (starting with the men of cloth).

One of the most unexpected success stories in extreme metal ever, these outlandish oompah oddballs have paved the way for countless succeeding pagan metal acts, becoming a key act in conceiving the scene that these days virtually dominates the European metal festival stages. The band’s initial breakthrough began with 2001’s Jakten’s Tid, and from then on it has been an ever-expanding story both success-wise and musically, currently with remarkable chart success in Germany and Scandinavia, and incorporating several types of ethnic world music to their mad musical mayhem.

Check out “Ursvamp” and let us know what you think below.

Rock Hard \m/