Band:	Turisas
Album:	Stand Up And Fight
Style:	Folk metal
Release date:	February 23, 2011
Guest review by:	PsychoticNK

Disc I
01. The March Of The Varangian Guard
02. Take The Day!
03. Hunting Pirates
04. βένετοι! - πράσινοι!
05. Stand Up And Fight
06. The Great Escape
07. Fear The Fear
08. End Of An Empire
09. The Bosphorus Freezes Over

Disc II [limited edition bonus CD]
01. Broadsword [Jethro Tull cover]
02. Supernaut [Black Sabbath cover]
+ The March Of The Varangian Guard [video] [acoustic live version]
+ Stand Up And Fight [video] [acoustic live version]
+ To Holmgard And Beyond [video] [acoustic live version]

Turisas is a symphonic folk metal band from Finland that incorporates a very visual and battle oriented stage presence. Right off the bat you're probably thinking of one word, and that word is "cheese", and I can't really say that you'd be wrong when you make that accusation. They certainly are very outward with their appearance on stage as well as in their music, and people either seem to love that about a group, or absolutely despise it. A lot of it will probably depend on what you're expecting, and one look at the admittedly silly album cover will most likely give you an idea. It's the same style that they've had their whole discography, only seemingly bloated with more corny-but-catchy Viking ballads and war chants. Again, that is a good point. However, on their latest release, Turisas have managed to craft a surprisingly great symphonic metal record that succeeds in both vigor and charm.

Everything seems to just click into a solid nook of melody and energy. The starting track helps to set the mood with the guitars and symphonics booming forward for an in-your-face intro, and then takes advantage of the surprising tone it has set by going into a more silent sort of marching anthem. From there, the chorus basically hits you like a wall. The choirs, the orchestras, and everything else just erupt into a cavalcade of magnificence. In a nutshell, the intro song was perfect for this particular record.

The rest of the band isn't all that technical, and the guitars usually stick with power chords, although some of the solos they have are really amazing. The vocals I admit could use just a little work, but to tell you the truth they don't really sound that bad. They fit the style the band seems to be going for and aren't really bad enough to the point where they're distracting.

The orchestras, on the other hand, are fantastic. This is some of the finest composure I've seen in symphonic metal in a long time. They add that much more to the music, to the point where I find myself listening to and humming along to the orchestral parts instead of the guitars. Turisas really outdid themselves in terms of songwriting and consistency on this album. Every song has memorable hooks and riffs that will be stuck in your head for days. As far as perfect material for live shows, this is exactly the kind of anthemic song structure that gets crowds really riled up.

Even with all of these upsides to the record, there will still be people who don't like it. That's simply because it isn't their thing. While I think the symphonic melodies are mind-blowing, others will think that they're too overblown and silly. Same as how I think that some of the vocals are only a minor issue, others simply won't like the blatant image and unprofessional cleans that are present here and there. In short, this record is not for everyone, but listeners who do like symphonic and epic sounding choirs and bombastic orchestras and vocals, and enjoy fun and humorous music every now and then, will love this release.