Formed: 1995
From:
Helsinki,
Finland
Last Known Status: Active
Latest Ensiferum News
Below is our complete Ensiferum news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 268 1 2 3 ... 13 14 Last
Ensiferum Posts "Victorious" Video Online
Finnish folk metal goliaths Ensiferum are pleased to present their video for “Victorious.” The track is taken from the band‘s Winter Storm full-length, out now on Metal Blade Records, and arrives in advance of the band‘s upcoming North American co-headlining tour with Korpiklaani.
A grandiose and heroic offering, "Winter Storm" centers itself on a fantasy concept narrative penned by bassist Sami Hinkka. "Victorious" follows the band‘s "The Howl" video where the young boy in the story grows up and becomes a shaman. His people are losing the war and as his final deed, he calls upon the Old Spirits one last time. He sacrifices his mortal form and becomes a spirit wolf and starts his journey to find The One to avenge for his people‘s fate.
Offers Hinkka on "Victorious"; "The One and the spirit wolf have now roamed the lands and gathered an army. They march to the gates of the city of the Winter Storm Vigilantes. The battle starts, but who shall be the last to stand on the battlefield? Who shall be victorious? This fast and furious song calls everyone into a moshpit! We are victorious!"
Watch Ensiferum's "Victorious" video below. More...
Ensiferum Unveils "The Howl" Music Video
Finnish folk metal icons Ensiferum has unveiled their official new video for "The Howl." You can check it out below. The track is taken from the band‘s "Winter Storm" full-length, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Much of the new material for Winter Storm emerged during the COVID lockdown, when Ensiferum's founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music — eventually composing every song except the rousing and anthemic "Fatherland," written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin‘s crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on 2020‘s "Thalassic." But on "Winter Storm" — a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka — Montin‘s super-strong voice finds its optimal place in Ensiferum's sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
Ensiferum will begin a month-long run of European live dates on this year‘s edition of Paganfest alongside Alestorm, Týr, Heidevolk, and Elvenking. From there, the band will return to North America with their comrades in Korpiklaani for the Folkfest Of The North co-headlining tour. The trek begins on February 27th in Boston, Massachusetts and runs through March 30th in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest and Nini. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. More...
Paganfest Going Full Steam Ahead
Following a ten year absence, the travelling Paganfest event is back on the road in Europe. Headlined by Scottish pirate metal icons Alestorm, the trek also features Ensiferum, Tyr, Heidevolk and Elvenking and this week will be visiting England and Scotland, before returning to Germany, with additional shows booked for Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Czechia, Hungary and Croatia.
The remaining tour dates are as follows:
January 16 - Birmingham, UK
January 17 - Edinburgh, UK
January 18 - Manchester, UK
January 19 - London, UK
January 20 - Brussels, Belgium
January 21 - Wiesbaden, Germany
January 22 - Paris, France
January 23 - Pratteln, Switzerland
January 24 - Geiselwind, Germany (also featuring Einherjer & Waylander)
January 25 - Munich, Germany (Sold out)
January 26 - Liege, Belgium
January 28 - Milan, Italy
January 29 - Lyon, France (Sold out)
January 30 - Lausanne, Switzerland
January 31 - Meisenthal, France
February 1 - Leipzig, Germany
February 2 - Tilburg, Netherlands (Sold out)
February 3 - Hanover, Germany
February 5 - Krakow, Poland
February 6 - Warsaw, Poland
February 7 - Zlin, Czechia
February 8 - Budapest, Hungary
February 9 - Zagreb, Croatia
Korpiklaani & Ensiferum Announce Co-Headline Tour
Finnish folk metal goliaths, Ensiferum will join their comrades in Korpiklaani for a 2025 North American co-headlining tour. The journey runs from February 27th in Boston, Massachusetts through March 30th in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest and NiNi.
Comments bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka, "Hi folks! It‘s been way too long since we rocked with our North American brothers and sister but the wait is over! It‘s an honor to join forces with Korpiklaani, Trollfest and NiNi! This tour will bring the ultimate folk metal mayhem to your city! Definitely a party you don‘t wanna miss. See you in the pit!"
Venue and artist presales begin today, Wednesday, October 9th. Use the password, "FOLKFEST." General on Sale date is this Friday, October 11th at 1pm ET/10am PT. See all confirmed dates below.
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Ensiferum Releases New Lyric Video
"Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife" is the latest single from Finnish folk metal giants, Ensiferum. The heroic new track comes by way of the band‘s stunning new studio album, Winter Storm, set for release on October 18th through Metal Blade Records.
Ensiferum has maintained a prolific release schedule since their first demo in 1997, gradually increasing in stature until eighth album "Thalassic" crowned their ascent in 2020. The nautical opus went on to top Finland's album chart, reaching #3 in Germany, and top ten in Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. The global COVID pandemic however ensured that the four-year wait for Winter Storm would be the longest in the band's near-thirty-year history.
Much of the new material emerged during lockdown, when Ensiferum's founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music -- eventually composing every song except the rousing, anthemic “Fatherland,” written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin's crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on "Thalassic." But on Winter Storm -- a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka -- Montin's super-strong voice finds its optimal place in Ensiferum's sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
"The lyrics of Winter Storm are based on part of my unpublished fantasy book. This album is more like a 'musical' than a traditional album," says Hinkka. He further elaborates on "Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife;" "From hearing the first demo of this song, I instantly visualized it as a song about harsh and dark winter. The lyrics tell about a member of the Winter Storm Vigilantes who was exiled and he is barely alive as he wanders at snowy wastelands. He is saved and taken into a remote tavern where he regains his strength and has a vision of his destiny. The song takes the listener on a journey into another world by building up slowly towards a freezing cold winter storm." More...
Dark Tranquillity To Tour With Ensiferum
After such a long time without concerts, Sweden’s Dark Tranquillity and Finland’s Ensiferum are teaming up for a long-awaited tour with new music to be presented live to fans across Europe.
The tour kicks off April 1st in Sweden’s capital Stockholm and continues through 23 countries across Europe, ending back in Goteborg on May 27th after 53 shows. The special guests for each show will be announced shortly, so keep an eye out for these over the next few months.
Dark Tranquillity frontman Mikael Stanne about the tour: "Let's break the spell of silence and fear together this winter! We couldn't be more excited to go back on the European roads again, and to finally play in front of people, to hang out and to vent all this frustration that's been building inside for far too long. It's going to be incredible to join forces with our Finnish brothers Ensiferum for this as well. Having toured together before and crossed paths many times we look forward to screaming the night away throughout Europe this spring. Can't wait to see you all! Cheers!"
Sami Hinkka, Ensiferum, quotes: "After such a long time of darkness & uncertainty in the live music scene, we are very happy to finally reveal a light at the end of the tunnel! We’ll be joining forces with the legendary Dark Tranquillity for a massive co-headlining tour around Europe. It’s no secret that back in the day, Dark Tranquillity was one of the bands that inspired Markus Toivonen to start Ensiferum and now we are hitting the road with our heroes. How awesome is that?! We are sure that everyone is craving some energetic and ass-kicking live music experiences (we sure are!) and with this line-up, this tour is not to be missed. Get your ticket in advance & help support the return of live music! We can’t wait to see you in the front row!"
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Ensiferum Bassist Launches New Project ssSHhh
Ensiferum bassist Sami Hinkka has officially unveiled his new solo project, named ssSHhh. The industrial influenced endeavour will see his first EP released at the end of the month. Hinkka himself comments:
"When COVID-19 cancelled touring plans for both of my bands, I decided to use this time to record my first solo release. The idea of an industrial metal project has been in my mind for years. Now, I had the time and the themes for the songs were not hard to find just from reading the news and witnessing the global climate.
"The song 'Weight Of The World' tells about overworked healthcare workers. Whilst not the most traditional topic for a metal song, it’s very important and increasingly relevant in the current world and fit the song very well."
The self-titled ssSHhh EP will be released digitally on all major platforms Friday 30th October. More...
Ensiferum Releases New Lyric Video
This past July, Ensiferum released their critically acclaimed full-length, "Thalassic," via Metal Blade Records - which landed on the worldwide charts. For a preview of "Thalassic," a new lyric video for the album track "Run From The Crushing Tide" can be viewed below.
The album achieved the following chart positions:
--Finland: #1 - official albums chart
--Germany: #3 - official albums chart
--Switzerland: #5 - official albums chart
--USA: #10 - current hard music albums chart
--USA: #14 - top new artist albums chart
--USA: #26 - current rock albums chart
--USA: #94 - top current albums chart
--Canada: #7 - hard music albums chart
--UK: #11 - rock / metal album chart
--Belgium: #22 - official albums chart (Wallonia)
--Belgium: #83 - official albums chart (Flanders)
--Austria: #26 - official albums chart More...
Ensiferum Posts New Lyric Video Online
Finnish folk metal veterans Ensiferum has uploaded a new lyric video for the song, "For Sirens." You can check it out below. The song comes from the band's latest full length album, "Thalassic," which was released last week through Metal Blade Records.
Mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, "Thalassic" was recorded and produced in Petrax and Sonic Pump studios by Janne Joutsenniemi, who was involved on their albums "Victory Songs" (2007) and "From Afar" (2009). "We like to go to a studio when we have all the songs 99.9% ready so the producer's main job is to kick our asses while we record. Of course Janne Joutsenniemi is a world-class producer, and we asked his opinion if we were doubting any details. It was really a pleasure to work with him again, and I think this was one of the most easy-going studio sessions I have ever been part of. We are extremely happy with the result." Metal Underground recently interviewed bassist Sami Hinkka, which you can also listen to below.
Thalassic track-listing
1. Seafarer's Dream
2. Rum, Women, Victory
3. Andromeda
4. The Defence of the Sampo
5. Run from the Crushing Tide
6. For Sirens
7. One with the Sea
8. Midsummer Magic
9. Cold Northland (Va¨ina¨mo¨inen Part III)
10. Merille Lahteva (Bonus Track)
11. I'll Stay by Your Side (Bonus Track) More...
Ensiferum Posts New Music Video Online
On July 10th, Ensiferum will release their new album, "Thalassic," via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of Thalassic, a video for the new single, "Andromeda" (directed by Vesa Ranta and recorded on Rankki Island, Finland), can be seen below.
Ltd. box set (incl. Digipak, bonus CD, flag, pendant) ?- Ltd. box set (incl. Digipak, bonus CD, flag, pendant, drinking horn - EMP excl.) ?- Ltd. Digi (incl. 2 bonus tracks - EU excl.) ?- CD?- Ltd. LP + 7" + drinking horn (ltd. 1000 - EMP excl.) ?- 180g Black Vinyl (EU excl.) ?- Red/Black Marbled Vinyl (ltd. 700 - EU excl.) ?- Purple/Blue Marbled Vinyl (ltd. 300 - EU excl.) ?- Finish Flag Vinyl (ltd. 200 - Nuclear Blast excl.) ?- Gold Vinyl (ltd. 200 - Ensiferum store excl.) ?- Night Blue Marbled Vinyl (ltd. 100 - Levykauppa excl.) ?- Red/Orange/Yellow Glow (ltd. 100 - Kings Road excl.) ?- PIC-LP (ltd. 300 - EU excl.) ?- Jade Green Vinyl (ltd. 400 - US excl.) ?- Arctic Blue Vinyl (ltd. 300 - US excl.)
?On release day (July 10th),
Ensiferum will host a record release show - "Studio Live" - at 9PM EET // 8PM CET // 7PM GMT // 12PM EST // 9AM PST. The band will be performing a selection of new, classic and rare tracks "live" from Sonic Pump Studio in Helsinki, Finland that will be streamed at www.Keikalla.fi. The band will also be chatting with fans in between the live performance and after the show! For those not able to catch the show when it airs, the performance will be available online for 7 days immediately following the end of the show. Tickets are available now for purchase at: https://www.lippu.fi/en/artist/ensiferum/ More...
Ensiferum Announces North American Tour
This November/December, Ensiferum will embark on their "Path To Victory" North American headlining tour, featuring Kalmah, Abigail Williams, and Aenimus as support. Ensiferum's Sami Hinkka (Bass/Vocals) comments: "Hi folks! It's time to get back on the road for one last time before we head to studio to record the next Ensiferum album. We couldn't be more thrilled about the upcoming North America tour! It's gonna be fireworks of metal for the whole evening because we'll share the stage with awesome bands: Kalmah, Abigail Williams and Aenimus!"
Kalmah adds: "Everybody knows what Santa Claus does but what happens when these two bearded creatures appear at once? I mean Swamplord and that other to the other guy..."
Abigail Williams adds: "After taking a year off to complete our new album, we will hit the road with our friends Ensiferum, Kalmah and Aenimus in November. Expect a set list full of new songs and a couple of old favorites."
Aenimus adds: "We are thrilled to be a part of the 'Path To Victory Tour' this Fall with Ensiferum, Kalmah and Abigail Williams. With this tour being such a diverse line up, we hope to see lots of new faces and perform for people who otherwise may not have heard of Aenimus. We will be returning to some of our favorite cities in the US and Canada, and some exciting new markets."
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Brutal Assault Festival Announces 85% Tickets Sold
Brutal Assault Festival announces 85% of the tickets of its upcoming 2019 edition already being sold. Tells the festival promotion agency:
"The attractive lineup of our festival draws audience from all around the world and we've already sold 85 % of all available tickets - thank You for your interest! Our lineup also misses just a couple of last bands and the artists from our KAL stage to be completely revealed... and that is happening soon! We can only recommend to everyone not to hesitate with the purchase of the festival pass, because there are gonna be no more tickets when the currently available capacity is gone!The festival passes are 102€ (full festival passes only), but you'll also find discounted festival passes for the disabled and for kids in our e-shop HERE."
You can now also generate your own Brutal Assault poster with bands ordered according to your liking and share your taste with the world! If you share your #mybrutal2019 poster on Facebook or Instagram, you can win a free festival pass!
Brutal Assault: 90 € Early Bird Festival Passes
The Brutal Assault 2019-team has the below announcement concerning their early bird festival passes for you:
"By the end of the month we'll stop selling the 90€ early bird festival passes. These are currently available from our e-shop in two forms, physical collector’s ticket where you have to pay for shipping and electronic ticket that you'll print at home and don't have to pay for shipping. It's also possible to change your e-ticket for design hard paper ticket on spot for a small fee.
Don't miss your opportunity to get the cheapest tickets that there are!"
Brutal Assault 2019, will once again take place at the Fortress Josefov - Jaromer, Czech Republic from , 7th – 10th August.
BRUTAL ASSAULT 2019 festival pass [PRINT@HOME ticket]
BRUTAL ASSAULT 2019 festival pass [collector's design hard paper ticket] More...
Obituary Posts 70k Tons Short; Napalm Death Added
Florida death metal legends Obituary has posted a new animated short online promoting their upcoming appearance at the 70000 Tons cruise. You can check it out below. In addition to this, British grindcore masters Napalm Death has been added to the lineup. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Atrocity
Bodyfarm
Carnation
Chontaraz
Convulse
Coroner
Cyhra
Dark Funeral
Delain
Dragony
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Exmortus
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Kamelot
Krisiun
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Mors Principium Est
Napalm Death
Ne Obliviscaris
Night Demon
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Perpetual Warefare
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Raven
Riot V
Sodom
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
Svartsot
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Tyr
Unleash The Archers
Van Canto
Vicious Rumors
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer More...
Three More Added To 70000 Tons Of Metal
The organisers of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise has announced a further three bands for this year's edition of the floating festival. Joining the lineup is Belgian death metal outfit Carnation, while Colombian thrashers Perpetual Warfare and Austrian power metal band Dragony have also been added to the bill. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Atrocity
Bodyfarm
Carnation
Chontaraz
Convulse
Coroner
Cyhra
Dark Funeral
Delain
Dragony
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Exmortus
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Kamelot
Krisiun
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Mors Principium Est
Ne Obliviscaris
Night Demon
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Perpetual Warefare
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Raven
Riot V
Sodom
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
Svartsot
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Tyr
Unleash The Archers
Van Canto
Vicious Rumors
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer
Tyr Confirmed For 70000 Tons Of Metal
Faroe Islands metal outfit Tyr are the latest band to be confirmed for this year's edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Atrocity
Bodyfarm
Chontaraz
Convulse
Coroner
Cyhra
Dark Funeral
Delain
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Exmortus
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Kamelot
Krisiun
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Mors Principium Est
Ne Obliviscaris
Night Demon
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Raven
Riot V
Sodom
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
Svartsot
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Tyr
Unleash The Archers
Van Canto
Vicious Rumors
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer
Three More Bands Added To 70000 Tons Of Metal 2019
The organisers of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise has announced a further three bands for this year's edition of the floating festival. Joining the bill are Brazilian death metal legends Krisiun, American heavy metal outfit Night Demon and Norwegian progressive metal group Chontaraz. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Atrocity
Bodyfarm
Chontaraz
Convulse
Coroner
Cyhra
Dark Funeral
Delain
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Exmortus
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Kamelot
Krisiun
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Mors Principium Est
Ne Obliviscaris
Night Demon
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Raven
Riot V
Sodom
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
Svartsot
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Unleash The Archers
Van Canto
Vicious Rumors
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer
Sodom Confirmed For 70000 Tons 2019
German thrash metal legends Sodom are the latest band to be confirmed for next year's edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Bodyfarm
Coroner
Dark Funeral
Delain
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Mors Principium Est
Ne Obliviscaris
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Riot V
Sodom
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Unleash The Archers
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer
Bodyfarm Added To 70000 Tons Of Metal
The organisers of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise has announced that Dutch death metal outfit Bodyfarm is the latest band to be added to the lineup for next year's edition of the floating festival. The ship will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Bodyfarm
Coroner
Dark Funeral
Delain
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Kalmah
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Ne Obliviscaris
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Pestilence
Rage
Riot V
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Unleash The Archers
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer
Bloodbath And Rage Added To 70000 Tons 2019
The organisers of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise has announced a further two bands for the 2019 edition of the event. Joining the lineup will be Swedish death metal supergroup Bloodbath, whose frontman Nick Holmes will also be performing with his main band, Paradise Lost on the ship, as well as German metal veterans Rage, who will be accompanied during both of their sets by the Lingua Mortis Orchestra. The floating festival will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 31 and dock in Labadee, Haiti, before returning on February 4.
The lineup is now as follows:
Accept
Arkona
Coroner
Dark Funeral
Delain
Eluveitie
Ensiferum
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Gloryhammer
Heidevolk
In Vain
Max & Iggor: Return To Roots
Mayan
Ne Obliviscaris
Nile
Obituary
Onslaught
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Pestilence
Riot V
Soulfly
Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper
Subway To Sally
The Black Dahlia Murder
Tiamat
Tristania
Twilight Force
Unleash The Archers
Visions Of Atlantis
Vomitory
Warbringer