Turisas - Battle Metal

Once again, I know my fellow critics of this site will be less than pleased that I have but mentioned this band/album, but it has managed to get itself a large listening time from me, and as such feel I should review it as Turisas have made themselves popular within the last year or two, and I am meant to be the one that reviews less obscure bands.

Turisas, I believe, mark what viking metal is ALL about. They are new, and so are not one of the classic bands but somehow manage to define their own genre in a way similar to Maiden defining Heavy Metal and Metallica defining Thrash. Their musical style and lyrics both reflect this, by using violins, pipes and trumpets to give the Norse feel to their songs whilst singing about death in battle and the afterlife. Not that it has much to do with listening to the album, but they also dress up as blood-spattered warriors when on stage, which does look pretty cool.

I reckon their defining songs on this album would be 'Battle Metal' and 'Land of Hope and Glory' (no, not the hymn moron). They both use classic Norse folk styles and almost make you want to rape and pillage your neighbours for shits and giggles. I found Rex Regi Rebellis and its prologue could only be described as weird, and though it seemed kinda epic and adding to the glory and death theme it verged on being funny, but not in the good way. Sahti-Waari deserves credit, as although it is entirely in some Scandinavian language it does show that they know of their ancestry and of the viking culture, and are not just some piss-take band.

Whether this album is really worth your money is debatable. What isn't debatable is that viking metal is very much an aquired taste, one that does not suit the other two reviewers of this site. Buying the album is one thing, however, as I would undoubtedly pay to see them live. In all fairness, you can hardly hate a band too much with lyrics like this...

'With full power we smashed into their lines,
The ground shook, swords tasted their flesh,
Hooves trampling over men screaming for their lives,
The battle raged until both troops were thrashed.'

... can you?