It was never going to live up to the hype, but it's still a fantastic album. Silver Leaves is simply one of the best songs Jari has ever written. That riff will be stuck in my head for days. The only slight let down on the album for me is the song Storm. I understand that the title is supposed to reflect how the song is played, fast and chaotic...but it's simply not very memorable to me. Every other song is amazing. Its a damn good time.

Written by mikeprado30 on 05.09.2024 at 00:27

That's another proof that "art is subjective". Looks hard to me thinking about this album as something "soulless" or "without emotional depth", when in my case every and each track I found it with so powerful vibes about those things you point, bro. When I read viewpoints like this I wonder, "what if my way to listening music is really biased?".

But anyways, in this case I could ask you to recommend me some stuff with real emotional depth and/or soul from your personal tastes

As I said, “soulless” would be my own description if I could only use one term. But that says more about my subjective personal taste than about the objective quality of this album. You could certainly also say “bombastic”, “multi-layered” or “epic”, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't find access to this kind of music. It just doesn't touch me.

A good example of an album that still manages to move me after 20 years is Antimatter's Planetary Confinement. But that's a completely different kind of music - it's not even metal - and I'd be surprised if you could relate to it.

Too bad they didn't release this in 2006 like they said originally. I probably would have adored it at that time, but nowadays I find this type och extreme progressive metal to be pretty boring. Excellent album in many ways, songwriting and instrumentation, vocals and everything. It's just that it is a bit... boring.

Written by Kuroboshi on 05.09.2024 at 11:04

Too bad they didn't release this in 2006 like they said originally. I probably would have adored it at that time, but nowadays I find this type och extreme progressive metal to be pretty boring. Excellent album in many ways, songwriting and instrumentation, vocals and everything. It's just that it is a bit... boring.

Couldn’t agree more. There’s a time I would’ve at this shit up but now it feels like so much of the same and you can tell it’s pretty dated on release. Not a style I’ve ever loved, but this one didn’t really win me over. Gave it about 5 listens but I think that’s all I’m in for.

Written by Vellichor on 05.09.2024 at 15:21

Couldn’t agree more. There’s a time I would’ve at this shit up but now it feels like so much of the same and you can tell it’s pretty dated on release. Not a style I’ve ever loved, but this one didn’t really win me over. Gave it about 5 listens but I think that’s all I’m in for.

I'm probably in the same boat too. I used to listen to Children Of Bodom everyday in high school. I recently went back to listen to their earlier albums again and it felt like I wasn't listening to the same band. I should have stayed away and kept the nostalgia.

Well, I finished listening to it on my 4th spin and i´m disappointed.

It really shouldn´t matter but I cannot forget the digital single ´warning´ from 2023. 2 minutes of a bandcamp exclusive released in 7 different versions.
The 17(!) part boxset from Time II that costs 129,- euro's with the original album, instrumental album, different mixes, isolated tracks, single versions and more. All in all, released for the sole purpose of being extremely exclusive, and thus very expensive.
And still very fresh in my memory the absolutely shameless way in which he collected money from fans through crowdfunding. He started with the announcement of the Time albums in what, 2005? 19 years ago. Highway robbery of the fans it is.
Of course, if an idiot gives me a million dollars, would I say no? But it's shameless at best how Yari has behaved himself.

But shameless people can still make great albums of course, but for me it's a damn shame the base of melodic extreme power/folk metal has been saturated really with filmic and (Japanese?!) symphonic elements. It's overkill on my senses, I find it nothing more than distracting, and it takes too much away from it being a metal album. Time II feels like 4 genres into one album, it just doesn't work. Without wanting to be nostalgic, the first Wintersun album was pretty damn perfect in terms of composition, the way the songs were structured and in which the album was varried in terms of fast tracks and slower epic tracks. But it was instantly recognizable, the riffs from that album still come to mind immediately and metal music must have a pay off to it's build up. Other genres like death or thrash metal deliver that build quicker or as one giant pay off:) But if you call your music ''epic'' or if you consider this to be folk metal or epic black metal, then please at least make music that are a part of that genre. This album, It is alot of build up to nothing, with really only ''The way of the Fire'' as a positive exception. It's an album that is just .. boring. I hate to call an album something so insulting really, because metal is really not often boring if you ask me. But it misses all the potential hooks and riffs it could have had, and the self-indulgence just drips of these tracks. Im absolutely sure Jari sleeps in a Wintersun Pyjama. You can hear he really loves this, but where is the pay off dude? Like all Wintersun albums, forget about the execution or production, it will be flawless. But yeah, others paid for that. Frankly I was quite frustrated because the album feels like another wasted opportunity to make something as freaking awesome like their first album, which will always be in my personal top 5.

Forgive me since English is not my first language, and I respect everybody who does enjoy this album, but for me it's a 6.4 out of 10.

Written by Boxcar Willy on 05.09.2024 at 15:26

I'm probably in the same boat too. I used to listen to Children Of Bodom everyday in high school. I recently went back to listen to their earlier albums again and it felt like I wasn't listening to the same band. I should have stayed away and kept the nostalgia.

This could be an interesting topic to discuss in the https://metalstorm.net/bands/album.php?album_id=482 thread. I feel CoB's early stuff has aged very well, myself.

Written by Metren on 05.09.2024 at 20:03

Written by Boxcar Willy on 05.09.2024 at 15:26

I'm probably in the same boat too. I used to listen to Children Of Bodom everyday in high school. I recently went back to listen to their earlier albums again and it felt like I wasn't listening to the same band. I should have stayed away and kept the nostalgia.

This could be an interesting topic to discuss in the https://metalstorm.net/bands/album.php?album_id=482 thread. I feel CoB's early stuff has aged very well, myself.

Couldn't agree more, Follow the Reaper is an all time favorite, which still sound fresh and spectacular to this day!

I have listened to it like 15 times now and it keeps getting better!

Definitely didn't expect to like this so much, especially when it wasn't so special on the first spin, but I keep finding new things every time I hear the songs.
The guitarwork is outstanding and I'm happy that the solos that were missing on Time 1 were clearly all packed on this one. I mean say what you will, but Jari's guitar chops are up there with the best of them.
I feel like a lot of people are just coming back to this album after having liked the Time 1 back in the day, but are actually not really into this type of music anymore. Not sure how anyone can like the first part but not the second one. It seems like a perfect continuation. Also, I made fun of Jari like everyone else, but I also just moved on with my life without giving him money and waited for him to finish this like any other band. Not really my business how fast he makes his music so I'm just excited this actually came out.

Silver Leaves and Storm are the definite standouts for me. Can't get the melodies out of my head and Silver Leaves somehow brings me somewhere else and touches me like nothing else. The last time I had this was when listening to Death by Aether Realm, which actually has become my #1 most listened to song on Spotify. We'll see if this will take it's place.

Btw, yes someone can like an album enough to give it a 10. Don't send the voting police please!

Written by Boxcar Willy on 05.09.2024 at 15:26


I'm probably in the same boat too. I used to listen to Children Of Bodom everyday in high school. I recently went back to listen to their earlier albums again and it felt like I wasn't listening to the same band. I should have stayed away and kept the nostalgia.

So relatable about CoB!

Which one of you gave Invincible Shield a 1, tell me.

What's with all the Chinese filler music? Almost 10 minutes of it! Can I get an edited version?

Written by MadHatter on 07.09.2024 at 18:54

Which one of you gave Invincible Shield a 1, tell me.

Me

What you going to do about it?!

In fact, you didn't, as expected

Written by rps on 08.09.2024 at 00:41

What's with all the Chinese filler music? Almost 10 minutes of it! Can I get an edited version?

Upvote for tasteless comment of the year award.

Written by Stunning Cactus on 09.09.2024 at 10:42

Written by rps on 08.09.2024 at 00:41

What's with all the Chinese filler music? Almost 10 minutes of it! Can I get an edited version?

Upvote for tasteless comment of the year award.

Just stick around for a while before Time II voted for Biggest Letdown of the year award, at least to what I witnessed in Biggest Letdown in MSA 2017.

Written by rps on 08.09.2024 at 00:41

What's with all the Chinese filler music? Almost 10 minutes of it! Can I get an edited version?

Yeah, Jari wasn't doing himself any favors with that. An intro is alright, but the album is only 48 minutes long as it is.

I know there are many disappointed people, and I understand them. They think it didn't live up to those 12 years of waiting, and that's okay. Maybe it really isn't. Sometimes I feel like it's missing something that the debut and even Time I had: soul. Some parts just feel empty. But in no way is it a bad album, like those that gave it a score of 4 and even 2, poor angry kids.

It is definitely a better album than Forest, and a step above Time I. For me this is the second best Wintersun album, and by far the most ambitious to date.

Hope MS Awards put this as biggest surprise of 2024 not for being good but for actually being released this year LOL

Written by XAV_METALOGIST on 10.09.2024 at 05:27

Hope MS Awards put this as biggest surprise of 2024 not for being good but for actually being released this year LOL

Well that's... That's quite the surprise indeed.

Maybe Hunter X Hunter will continue now...?

Quote:

Quote:

Well that's... That's quite the surprise indeed.

Maybe Hunter X Hunter will continue now...?

And Winds of Winter too. And Doors of Stone as well...

Sadly, this will be one of the most talked about albums this year. All that chatter doesn't mean the album is exceptional. It just means there's drama surrounding the record. The music itself is fine, but the production is really, really bad. Jari is NOT an audio engineer. Had they spent some of their fundraiser money on a mixing engineer, this record might get a 7 or 8 from me.

B O R I N G

I've listened to it enough times now to say that, apart for the mix issues, particularly with the drums, this is a very good album. I was a bit disappointed to begin with but, having tweaked the equaliser settings so that the profile resembles the lift hill on a rollercoaster, it's grown on me a lot. I do tend to skip the intro and outro but the filling in between is a joy to listen to.

Quote:

Quote:

Written by Kvothe on 11.09.2024 at 02:06

Well that's... That's quite the surprise indeed.

Maybe Hunter X Hunter will continue now...?

And Winds of Winter too. And Doors of Stone as well...

God tier references 😂 Maybe the release of Time II has unlocked all these other sacred, never-to-be-released media.

The intro sounds just as corny and loud as the visuals.
Silver Leaves does very little for me, although I approve Jari singing in finnish so I'm not distracted by the mediocrity of the lyrics. As the 'slow song' of the album, Land Of Snow And Sorrow did a better job in my opinion.
One With The Shadows — great atmosphere, great solo, great vocal range — on the other hand stands alongside the Time track to me.
The Way Of The Fire is as killer as you would expect, and yet this song alone is not worth Sons Of Winter And Stars. But then you ad Storm — which sounds a lot like (and probably inspired) Eternal Darkness (Autumn) — to the list and voilà.
Ominous Clouds was a big surprise. I get that it is meant to be an intro for Storm or just an interlude, but to me it really stands on its own. It's like a two and a half mintue summary of Jari's style and influences : from eerie melancholic to east asia very quickly, and then the next second we're Malmsteen-sweeping on an heroic neo-classical quest just before we get suddenly high with some Becker/Friedman dreamy bends and ethereal scales. I actually enjoy it a lot and it's a shame that it seems so ovelooked here.

In terms of quality only, Time II really live up to Time I as an excellent album. Far better than The Forest Seasons, but not consistent or relevant enough to match Wintersun's debut.