“Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife” is the latest single from Finnish Folk Metallers ENSIFERUM. The new track comes by way of the band’s new studio album “Winter Storm”, set for release on October 18th 2024, through Metal Blade Records.
ENSIFERUM has maintained a prolific release schedule since their first demo in 1997, gradually increasing in stature until eighth album “Thalassic” crowned their ascent in 2020. The nautical opus went on to top Finland’s album chart, reaching #3 in Germany, and top ten in Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. The global COVID pandemic however ensured that the four-year wait for “Winter Storm” would be the longest in the band’s near-thirty-year history.
Much of the new material emerged during lockdown, when ENSIFERUM’s founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music — eventually composing every song except the rousing, anthemic “Fatherland,” written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin’s crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on “Thalassic”. But on “Winter Storm” — a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka — Montin’s super-strong voice finds its optimal place in ENSIFERUM’s sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
“The lyrics of “Winter Storm” are based on part of my unpublished fantasy book. This album is more like a ‘musical’ than a traditional album,” says Hinkka. He further elaborates on “Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife,” “From hearing the first demo of this song, I instantly visualized it as a song about harsh and dark winter. The lyrics tell about a member of the Winter Storm Vigilantes who was exiled and he is barely alive as he wanders at snowy wastelands. He is saved and taken into a remote tavern where he regains his strength and has a vision of his destiny. The song takes the listener on a journey into another world by building up slowly towards a freezing cold winter storm.”
ENSIFERUM Live w/ SWALLOW THE SUN:
12/05/2024 Finlandia-klubi – Lahti, FI
12/06/2024 Rytmikorjaamo – Seinäjoki, FI
12/07/2024 Tullisali – Oulu, FI
12/11/2024 Lutakko – Jyväskylä, FI
12/12/2024 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI
12/13/2024 Teatro – Turku, FI
12/14/2024 Kulttuuritalo – Helsinki, FI
Paganfest 2025 w/ ALESTORM, TYR, FEIDEVOLK, ELVENKING:
1/08/2025 Grosse Freiheit – Hamburg, DE
1/09/2025 Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL
1/10/2025 Filharmonie – Stuttgart, DE
1/11/2025 Turbinenhalle – Oberhausen, DE
1/12/2025 Huxley’s – Berlin, DE
1/13/2025 Congress Centre – Roskilde, DK
1/14/2025 Aladin – Bremen, DE
1/16/2025 O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK
1/17/2025 O2 Academy – Edinburgh, UK
1/18/2025 O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK
1/19/2025 O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
1/20/2025 Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE
1/21/2025 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE
1/22/2025 Zenith – Paris, FR
1/23/2025 Z7 Konzertfabrik – Pratteln, CH
1/24/2025 Eventzentrum – Geiselwind, DE
1/25/2025 Backstage – Munich, DE
1/26/2025 OM – Liege, BE
1/28/2025 Alcatraz – Milan, IT
1/29/2025 Transbordeur – Lyon, FR
1/30/2025 Salle Metropole – Lausanne, CH
1/31/2025 Halle Verrière – Meisenthal, FR
2/01/2025 Felsenkeller – Leipzig, DE
2/02/2025 013 Poppodium – Tilburg, NL
2/03/2025 Capitol – Hannover, DE
2/05/2025 Studio – Krakow, PL
2/06/2025 Progresja – Warsaw, PL
2/07/2025 Hala Datart – Zlín, CZ
2/08/2025 Barba Negra – Budapest, HU
2/09/2025 Tvornica – Zagreb, HR
