Band:	Ensiferum
Album:	10th Anniversary Live
Style:	Extreme folk metal
Release date:	June 14, 2006
Guest review by:	ponderer

01. Intro
02. Hero In A Dream
03. Guardians Of Fate
04. Tale Of Revenge
05. Dragonheads
06. Windrider
07. Warrior¹S Quest
08. LAI LAI HEI
09. Old Man (Väinämöinen)
10. Slayer Of Light
11. Finnish Medley
12. Tears
13. Token Of Time
14. White Storm
15. Into Hiding
16. Into Battle
17. Kalevala Melody (Intro)
18. Iron
19. Treacherous Gods
20. Näitä Polkuja Tallaan
21. Battle Song

This has to be one of the stranger reviews I've done because before joining Metalstorm I knew little to nothing about this band other than the fact that they had an album in the Top 100 albums list. My reviews are usually for bands I've been following for many years, but I figured I'd check out Ensiferum's self-titled debut and see what was going on in Finnish metal these days. I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. While still retaining what I like to call their "Viking Flavor", Ensiferum are a power metal tour de force with that fast, raw guitar riffing which stays right up in your face throughout. Anyone questioning the talents of these boys should check out this dvd which is a real treat.

The first thing I'm instantly blown away by is Petri Lindroos uncanny knack for singing (unique style of screaming) and guitar riffing while treating us to his brilliant soloing. Petri seems to have been torn straight out of a page of Norse mythology, and is just screaming raw talent from every pore.

Another thing that really grabbed my attention was how Markus Toivonen and Sami Hinkka not only feed so well off each other, but share in all the vocal activities bringing their own unique styles to an already overwhelming powerhouse of music. Sami Hinkka isn't quite your typical power metal bassist as he brings a 6 string on stage with him live and uses it to the fullest. I was expecting the typical uninteresting affair you get from most power metal bassists, but Sami managed to capture my attention with some interesting bass work during this show. Sami could easily do progressive rock and metal any day of the week. Janne Parviainen does a solid job behind the double bass kit, and makes playing power metal look like a walk in the park. Did I mention that Emmi Silvennoinen on the keyboards is cute? Without her adding the ambient viking flavor live, this band wouldn't be what it is.

I really am blown away by how well this band performs live on stage. They are a relentless Nordic power metal act, who bring everything they've got musically with them on stage. Ensiferum are just brimming with talent from song to song and I hope they manage to keep their current line-up together because I think they've got something really special going on right now. The dvd also contains a couple bonus songs as well as beautifully produced 5.1 and 2.0 digital audio tracks.