Masterpieces take a while to be created – review of Wintersun’s “Time II”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” is a translation of a very old French phrase and while the origins go back to the Middle Ages, it is still unbelievably current. Wintersun‘s upcoming record “Time II” also wasn’t built in a day, and while some might make fun or mock the band for this, I don’t mind waiting at all. I think that this is exactly the quality of product I would want for Jari Mäenpää and mates to deliver to the whole world.

Technically their genre is a symphonic melodic death metal, but I would go a bit further and include progressive in their description too. The complexity and sophistication of the melodies created by both Mäntysaari on guitar and Mäenpää on keyboards elevate the record to something truly extraordinary. “The Way Of The Fire” is an opening suite that has power, intensity, emotion and atmosphere; these characteristic stay constant throughout the whole record.

Mäenpää alternates between clean and harsh vocals giving passion and delicacy when needed, then unleashing the mayhem with his mighty growls and screams. The sorrow and force of his “We shall leave this world behind!” is what makes Jari and his band so unique and interesting. Nothing is done casually, everything is perfectly planned and executed.

Maybe it’s just me, but Kai Hahto shines completely differently when he plays with Wintersun. He shines brightly, majestically and gloriously, bearing on his shoulder the whole team. The only thing that bothers me a little of “Time II” is that instead Jukka Koskinen on bass is instead relatively hidden in the mix; in anyway, he also must be praised for an excellent performance on the record.

During “Storm“, we hear “I had to make a sacrifice / So I could capture the essence of time“; although I feel extremely sorry if Wintersun had so suffer, their pain is now our (and their) gain, because “Time II” is first and foremost a masterpiece, without a doubt. I cannot state enough how the elegant structure and the avant-garde production concur to create a result that is far beyond anything released before.

Even if you are not a melodic death metal fan, please do not miss “Time II”. Wintersun have managed to surprise and to awe us with their art, and it would be a mistake to overlook it. This record has the appeal to satisfy even the most skeptical of metal fan, and it certainly has made a breach into our hearts. Thank you, Jari, for giving us your “Time”. We’ll be sure to celebrate it properly!

Tracklist:

1. Fields Of Snow 4:05
2. The Way Of The Fire 10:08 
3. One With The Shadows 6:18 
4. Ominous Clouds 2:21
5. Storm 12:15
6. Silver Leaves 13:30