Wintersun - Time I review
| Band: | Wintersun |
| Album: | Time I |
| Style: | Extreme power metal |
| Release date: | October 19, 2012 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
Disc I
01. When Time Fades Away
02. Sons Of Winter And Stars
1 - Rain Of Stars
2 - Surrounded By Darkness
3 - Journey Inside A Dream
4 - Sons Of Winter And Stars
03. Land Of Snow And Sorrow
04. Darkness And Frost
05. Time
06. [hidden track] [Mediabook & Mailorder edition bonus]
Disc II [DVD] [Mediabook bonus]
+ Time I Live Rehearsals At Sonic Pump Studios
+ Licks & Tricks
+ Sons Of Winter And Stars - Project Demonstration
+ Photo Gallery
Disc III [instrumental CD] [Mailorder edition bonus]
01. When Time Fades Away
02. Sons Of Winter And Stars
1 - Rain Of Stars
2 - Surrounded By Darkness
3 - Journey Inside A Dream
4 - Sons Of Winter And Stars
03. Land Of Snow And Sorrow
04. Darkness And Frost
05. Time
One of the most highly anticipated albums of the last decade; Time I finally ends the eight year silence, but was the wait worth it?
After the charming Eastern folk influenced introduction, it soon becomes apparent that things have changed with the band in the last eight years. From the album theme of comprehending human emotion and our time on earth to the musicianship and ambitious nature of the orchestrations, Wintersun have aimed for a much grander sound.
Much more symphonic, bombastic even, "Sons Of Winter And Stars" kicks the album off with high spirit and energy. Eight years all of a sudden becomes a little more understandable with the amount of attention to detail and intricate compositions that are so copiously and lavishly interlaced into the music. The musicianship is absolutely top-notch throughout and the closing two minutes of the song provide a wonderfully epic and memorable crescendo.
The album has so many layers, it is deeply ambitious. Time I is an album that has very clearly had so much dedication and effort put into it, but at times it also sounds like Jari has become so consumed with making this the masterpiece everyone wanted that it becomes a little over-indulgent with how complex and dense the compositions are. We are presented a masterclass of orchestration in metal, but it is a challenge to digest and connect with.
With a running time of forty minutes, which includes the introduction and interlude, Time I as a standalone album is very short. The previously mentioned "Sons Of Winter And Stars" and title track "Time" are both great songs and enough to make you crave the second album, but it is hard not to feel underwhelmed when the album seems to cut short. It isn't made any better with a questionable light and quiet production either. Time I then is exactly that; the first of two halves, not the complete article.
The album is mindblowingly impressive in portions, but is just a little too complex and indulgent for its own good. Perhaps along with Time II the picture will become complete, but even though this album has some golden moments - it just feels unfinished alone.
-
Symphonic Extreme Power metal
Nuclear Blast
Finland
Length: 40:07
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 7 |
Rating:
8.7
8.7
|
Rating: 8.7 |
Wintersun - is it real? Well, no, it isn't. We hardly see the sun; for four whole weeks, it never shines. Allow me to copy the style of DerRozzengarten (the greatest reviewer ever), who knows how to write proper metaphors. Such music is never meant to explain northern life for people who have never actually walked on a frozen river or cleared snow from their car before work (I'm not taking a jab at the French, Dutch, or Danish, who usually overreact when they see 1 cm of snow). Imagine the pre-internet days: it's blizzard beasts, mid-winter, the sun never shines, just 22 hours of darkness and twilight in between. There is nothing to do, only good music, books, or finding a way to channel your creativity. Outside activities, aside from collecting firewood and cleaning snow? I don't think so (but wait a minute, Jari lives in the city anyway?). Anyway, the streets are dead and frozen, the horizon is dark, and night light is ablaze on the snow. All you can do is wait for spring and then summer to arrive slowly. I've done it all my life, still do, and we all did. It's typical northern madness! Read more ›› |
Comments page 8 / 8
| Amy Posts: 137 |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Amy on 09.01.2015 at 08:28 Don't expect it any time soon. And no that was not a pun.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| BigBad Posts: 7  |
Time was my introduction to the band, perhaps that allows me to more easily disregard how long it took to produce. The guy seems to complain a lot over online media which is rather annoying at times and makes me question the band's future, though I don't believe it detracts from what he's done with this. Whatever the case I treat this as an unfinished EP and look forward to part 2...even if I'm retired by the time it hits (ugh). I've played this frequently over the past year/14 months and enjoy everything about it. Sometimes ultra-layering can be a cluster, other times it keeps me coming back to discover new little intricacies going on within the tunes - Time does the later for me. These guys have some decent live performance footage out there for some of these tracks and despite some orchestral backtracks being used to accomplish what they're going for it just makes me appreciate the band more. To me this is the perfect blend of guitar work with symphonic elements in that it leaves room for both to be appreciated while maintaing a nice flow throughout. My only minor criticism on the production would be the guitars sounding a bit thin. I'd rate it an 8.5 as it stands.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62001  |
Written by Amy on 09.01.2015 at 08:28 maybe there is a reason why it is named Time
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Sword_Chant Posts: 717 |
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| 4look4rd The Sasquatch Posts: 840  |
Personally I think Time II is amazing. Not worth the wait, but a bloody fantastic album.
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