Concept albums have long been a staple of metal and rock. Whether it be based on a book, ("Leviathan" by Mastodon for example,) a movie ("The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" by Sepultura), or an original story like Queensryche's classic, "Operation: Mindcrime" or the seminal Iron Maiden album, "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son," not to mention the majority of King Diamond records, storytelling has always been a vital part of the genre. It's especially fascinating to hear what kind of stories our favourite musicians come up with and with "Winter Storm," based on an as-yet unpublished book by bassist Sami Hinkka, Finnish veterans Ensiferum have an original tale to weave through the medium of music.

The story in question concerns a tribe called the Vigilantes, who gain the knowledge to control rare elements in a magical world, but become corrupted by it. A tribe in the north of the land fights back when the Vigilantes come to claim their territory, as part of their quest to gain more of these elements and thus, the stage is set for our conflict. The listener needs to pay attention to the vocals to get a good grasp of the story as it's being told, but even if you're taking it in at a more leisurely pace, it's fairly easy to follow. "Aurora," the album's opening track is a short intro that wonderfully crafts the atmosphere that will permeate the record and helps one imagine the landscape and characters.

From there, Ensiferum charges straight into excitement with "Winter Storm Vigilantes," which lyrically explains the first few sentences of the previous paragraph but musically contains a furious energy that sums up the Vigilantes. Meanwhile, an almost pirate-like melody can be heard, while Markus Toivonen channels his inner Bruce Dickinson in places. It's a great way to get things moving and is followed by the superb epic, "Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife," which fits a hell of a lot into the seven-minute run time, without becoming overcrowded or cluttered. Surprisingly, it has some competition later on in the form of, "From Order To Chaos," another incredible epic that is so vivid that the listener can picture the battle between the warring factions.

If long songs aren't your thing though, there's no need to panic. There are a few other brief tracks, such as "Resistentia," featuring only spoken word vocals, and "Leniret Coram Tempestate," which lets the dust settle on "From Order To Chaos" while also providing a nice lead into the final track, "Victorious." Meanwhile, a brilliant choice of guest vocalist in Madeleine Liljestam of Eleine, who plays the part of the widow and handles vocals on the song, "Scars In My Heart," which manages to rock despite being tinged with sadness. Another character who gets centre stage is the Vigilante outcast, who tells his story on "The Howl," an excellent piece that combines black metal fury with the fun of eighties heavy metal.

Ensiferum has an amazing catalogue of music and following 2020's "Thalassic" was always going to be a difficult task. Not only have they done so admirably, but they may even have surpassed their previous album. Fans are drawn to their music for a multitude of reasons and most, if not all, of those reasons are displayed proudly on "Winter Storm," making it easy to hear why they've attracted such a following over nearly thirty years. Longtime followers will no doubt be thrilled by "Winter Storm" and for the neutral wondering if they should finally check them out, this album serves as a superb introduction that will make you want to dig through the past eight albums to discover what you've been missing.