Wintersun - Wintersun
| Release date: | 13 September 2004 |
| Style: | Extreme power metal |
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Owners: |
1943 have it 165 want it 2 trade it |
Disc I
01. Beyond The Dark Sun
02. Winter Madness
03. Sleeping Stars
04. Battle Against Time
05. Death And The Healing
06. Starchild
07. Beautiful Death
08. Sadness And Hate
09. Winter Madness [demo] [Japanese bonus]
10. Beyond The Dark Sun [demo] [Japanese bonus]
11. Death And The Healing [demo] [Japanese bonus]
Disc II [Live At Summer Breeze 2005 DVD] [2006 Special Tour Edition re-release bonus]
01. Beyond The Dark Sun
02. Battle Against Time
03. Sleeping Stars
04. Beautiful Death
05. Death And The Healing
06. Winter Madness
The best debut album of 2004
Top 20 albums of 2004: 1
Top 200 albums of all time: 25
01. Beyond The Dark Sun
02. Winter Madness
03. Sleeping Stars
04. Battle Against Time
05. Death And The Healing
06. Starchild
07. Beautiful Death
08. Sadness And Hate
09. Winter Madness [demo] [Japanese bonus]
10. Beyond The Dark Sun [demo] [Japanese bonus]
11. Death And The Healing [demo] [Japanese bonus]
Disc II [Live At Summer Breeze 2005 DVD] [2006 Special Tour Edition re-release bonus]
01. Beyond The Dark Sun
02. Battle Against Time
03. Sleeping Stars
04. Beautiful Death
05. Death And The Healing
06. Winter Madness
The best debut album of 2004
Top 20 albums of 2004: 1
Top 200 albums of all time: 25
Reviews 
Lyrics Kai Hahto - drums
Jari Mäenpää - bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals
Additional info
Drums recorded at Tico Tico Studios in January 2004 by Ahti Kortelainen.
Everything else recorded at Sundi Coop Studios in April by Tuomo Valtonen.
Mixed at Sonic Pump Studios in May by Nino Laurenne.
Mastered at Finnvox Studios in May by Mika Jussila.
Produced by Jari Mäenpää.
All music and lyrics written by Jari Mäenpää.
Tracks 1, 2 and 5 are re-recordings of the tracks with the same names from the afore mentioned Winter Madness demo.
Jari Mäenpää had been working on the songs for this album for a long time. The songs were written in/between:
1. Beyond the Dark Sun (1998)
2. Winter Madness (2002)
3. Sleeping Stars (1995-2003)
4. Battle Against Time (2002-2003)
5. Death and the Healing (1996)
6. Starchild (2000-2003)
7. Beautiful Death (2003)
8. Sadness and Hate (1996)
Rating:
10
10
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Rating: 10 |
Those readers who are familiar with the history of folk/power-metallers Ensiferum will doubtless be familiar with the history of Wintersun (i.e. that after walking out on Ensiferum, main man Jari Maënpäa formed the latter as a solo project). Speculation was rife in melodic metal circles - expectations for 'Wintersun' were largely high, though some suspected that Wintersun would be little more than Ensiferum Pt.II. In spite of the various similarities between this release and those of Maënpäa's former band (and make no mistake- they do exist), 'Wintersun' is very much an exceptional album, and will be reviewed as such. Read more ›› |
Rating:
9.4
9.4
|
Rating: 9.4 |
Ok, just to make it clear right at the beginning, I absolutely love/adore/worship (choose preferred term) this album. And I'm not alone, just check the number of fans in "Featured bands" section. So reviewing this album comes with great responsibility. Jari Mäenpää started as a part of Ensiferum. Great black folk metal band if you'd ask me. So why did he leave? He came up with some interesting not-so-Ensiferum-like ideas. So he started his own project with drummer Kai Hahto of Rotten Sound grinders. But where are the others? Where are synth, bass, second guitar players we can hear in there? Well by the time Wintersun was recorded Jari Mäenpää did everything except drums. Yes, everything except drums. Later on Jukka Koskinken of Norther and Teemu Mäntysaari joined to finish the lineup. Read more ›› |
Rating:
9.2
9.2
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Rating: 9.2 |
Wintersun is the band Jari Mäenpää started after leaving Ensiferum. Some people dispise this band because they compare it to Ensiferum and say it's worse. Big mistake. This probably isn't as bombastic and catchy as Ensiferum, of course, but, what is Wintersun? I've seen them labelled as Melodic Death Metal, as well as Extreme Power Metal. The first thing that comes to my mind though, is Children Of Bodom. But Children Of Bodom they are not. They play somewhat epic, almost progressive Melodic Death/Black Metal with Folk influences. You may see it as less Folk-like, as only some riffs have Folk qualities, but more aggressive and complex Ensiferum. It's far more than just that however. Read more ›› |
Rating:
10
10
|
Rating: 10 |
When in 2004 Jari Mäenpää left Ensiferum, few people could imagine what impact that would leave on the metal community. Ensiferum got on pretty we'll, but what Jari did with his new band Wintersun was something quite unexpected. There are only few albums that deserve this kind of praise and hype, but I think this one is one of them. Read more ›› |
Guest review by
Andro Maximus
Andro Maximus
Rating:
7.5
7.5
|
Rating: 7.5 |
A most beautiful melancholic album cover, fast sweeping guitar solos, some fantastic melodies, and an epic, if slightly overproduced soundscape - Wintersun's debut album is clearly the result of a lot of passion and hard work and is obviously intended to be a monumental album. It is a shame then, that with so much going for it, Wintersun falls short of being the masterpiece that it is intended to be. Read more ›› |
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Comments
Comments: 145
Visited by: 3364 users
| JÄY Metal slave Posts: 1567  |
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| bard Posts: 171  |
It really is just overflowing with content. But due to its legacy I really can't listen to it for more than a few songs without getting frustrated.
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| Promonex Cathemeral Elite Posts: 9720  |
LOOOOOL @ obscure gem...
---- All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu... This is the truth! This is my belief! ...At least for now. - The Mystery of Life, Vol. 841 Ch. 26
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
It's fine for what it is. Decent music, but nothing too spectacular. This is certainly the single most overrated album of the previous decade.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
I agree with Marcel, yes, the music is not bad, but there are surely tons of better albums than this one. After many listens, I'm still not impressed. It's just good, nothing more, nothing less, nuff said.
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669  |
Maybe i claimed something different in the past in review comments (dont remember now), but currently i will rate it somewhere around 8...there are way too much songs, that arent my very favorite
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Written by JÄY on 11.02.2010 at 00:30 Being on the same major label as Nightwish, In Flames, Blind Guardian, Dimmu Borgir, Sonata Arctica, Kreator, Testament, Rhapsody Of Fire, Edguy, Hammerfall, Korpiklaani, Anthrax, Overkill, The 69 Eyes, Chrome Division, having a worldwide distribution deal, as well as being 22nd out of 4564 bands here on MS...Yeah, you're right, totally obscure. EDIT: Are you sure you know what obscure means? You may be using it in the wrong context...
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| JÄY Metal slave Posts: 1567 |
Written by Doc G. on 18.02.2010 at 19:48 it was joke, dumdum
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by JÄY on 18.02.2010 at 19:51 dumdum? If you've read the seriously moronic posts I've come across over the 4 years I've spent on this site, you wouldn't be calling me dumdum for not picking up sarcasm from a 5 word sentence. EDIT: A lot of those moronic posts being from irrational Wintersun fans who worship this album.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| JÄY Metal slave Posts: 1567 |
Written by Doc G. on 18.02.2010 at 19:55 geez, Louise
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by JÄY on 18.02.2010 at 19:58 What? I explained myself, I ask that you do the same.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Hey Snoogans you really want to play it that way? Better think twice... you snooze, you lose (hope you catch the band reference there, but probably not  ) Just think about it.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 12.02.2010 at 08:16 Agreed on everything. "Wintersun" is the most overrated metal album of the 00s, just as "Nightfall In Middle-Earth" was the most overrated album of the 90s.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| metalgemini Posts: 5 |
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| Valaskjalf Account deleted |
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| Archetype Posts: 253  |
Very decent album indeed. Not sure why it's taken me so long to check it out.
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9158  |
Is this like cob? it says extreme power metal like cob?
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| FeskarN Posts: 872  |
Written by Boxcar Willy on 07.04.2010 at 20:51 Hell no. It's like 1000 more epic than CoB. 50/50 clean and screaming vocals. Amazing solos and catchy melodies. If you like Ensiferum's earlier works you should love this.
---- The Land Is Silent... Before The Storm!
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| Boxcar Willy yr a kook Posts: 9158 |
Written by FeskarN on 07.04.2010 at 22:40 ohhh
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| Got Mayhem? Posts: 767  |
Yea...it just isn't that good at all.It sounds like Jari just tried to fit at many possible genres into this thing as possible. It's just all over the place musically.
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| Angel Of Mercy Posts: 276  |
I happen to love this album, it's an obscure gem (as someone said earlier, it's obscure because most people out side of this site haven't heard of it. Well in my country anyway.). Jari went from one band in order to do this. It's awesome  . Got me into the heavier stuff like Amon Armarth this did.
---- Your time will come.
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847  |
I know it's been said a million time but DAMN this album is so overrated...
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| qlacs "The Quaker" Posts: 1547  |
Damn this album is not overrated I've listened every epic metal band even some you haven't heard of and can't find anything close to Wintersun. Still I think Time will be even better  Don't know why someone said above there's too many genres mixed  , I can barely find any more than melodic death mixed with power metal and symphonic elements. (could have been more progressive, as for me.) Best mixture ever for imagine northern tales, winter and coldness. If you want to argue more check out the bands in my profile THEN say you know better than this... 
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by MétalNoir on 19.05.2010 at 22:47 It's not a bad album but I don't know why some people believe it is so special. It's only Powermetal with harsh vocals and some blastbeats.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 16.06.2010 at 00:10 I do like this album a lot, but I don't understand why some cult following appeared around this band after just one good album. I guess Jari's name preceded him and he could have done anything average and be called a genius...
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| qlacs "The Quaker" Posts: 1547 |
Written by MétalNoir on 16.06.2010 at 03:52 eg. Cynic... Jari didn't make anything average so far; if he will that stuff be considered normally average, not great. As for me I think the new Ensiferum is overrated, but still there are people who thinks it's even better than Iron and the self-titled. Everyone has his own opinion.
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847 |
Written by qlacs on 16.06.2010 at 10:44 you call me cynic when I give my opinion and then conclude with the clichéd "Everyone has his own opinion"? Oooook... Anyway, there always are inconditionnal fans who defend their favorite artists to their very last breath and that's great, because that gives support to the underground scene... but I still think Wintersun is overrated. Vey good album. But not THAT great IMO. 8? All right. 9? Ok. 10? Pfffffff... Maybe.
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| qlacs "The Quaker" Posts: 1547 |
Written by MétalNoir on 17.06.2010 at 04:33 LOOOOL no I'm talking about the band Cynic... they had cult following after the first album too just like Wintersun. And I'm not defending just some people to explain his/her ratings.
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| Vikcen Metálico Posts: 971  |
Finally i bought this album, and i have to say that Jari Maenpaa is great, nice album yeah.
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| Vikcen Metálico Posts: 971 |
Well, and Kai "the grinder" Hahto of course =). This album is awesome.
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