Ensiferum

Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The name is Latin (ensiferum, meaning “sword bearing”). The members describe their style as “melodic folk metal”. The band has released nine studio albums.

Ensiferum was founded in 1995 by guitarist Markus Toivonen, bassist Sauli Savolainen and drummer Kimmo Miettinen. In 1996, Jari Mäenpää joined as vocalist and second guitarist. The band released its first demo in 1997, containing three songs. In 1998, Savolainen and Miettinen left and were replaced by Jukka-Pekka Miettinen and Oliver Fokin. In 1999, a second demo was recorded, followed by a third demo, “Hero in a Dream”, which led to a record deal with Spinefarm Records. The band’s logo, used on later releases, was designed for this demo period.

Work on the debut album began in 2000, and “Ensiferum” was released in 2001. Keyboardist Meiju Enho joined the band in the same year.

After the completion of the second album “Iron”, Jari Mäenpää left in 2004 due to scheduling conflicts with his project Wintersun. Petri Lindroos from Norther replaced him on guitar and vocals and later became a permanent member. In late 2004, Jukka-Pekka Miettinen left and was replaced by Sami Hinkka. Drummer Oliver Fokin left in 2005 and was replaced by Janne Parviainen. The EP “Dragonheads” was released in 2006, including a title track, reworked demo material, a cover version of an Amorphis song, and traditional Finnish pieces. A live DVD, “10th Anniversary Live”, was released in 2006.

The third studio album “Victory Songs” was released in 2007. The single “One More Magic Potion” preceded it, and a video was later released for the song “Ahti”. Keyboardist Meiju Enho left the band in 2007 and was temporarily replaced by Emmi Silvennoinen, who later became a full member during the recording of the next album. During this period, Ensiferum toured widely, including appearances at the Paganfest tour in Europe and North America, and supported bands such as Megadeth and Amon Amarth on selected dates. During a 2008 Russian tour, Lindroos was unable to participate due to illness, and former member Jukka-Pekka Miettinen temporarily filled in on guitar while Sami Hinkka handled vocals.

In 2009, the band performed at multiple festivals and toured North America on the Summer Slaughter Tour. The fourth studio album, “From Afar”, was released in 2009. It was produced by Tero Kinnunen and Janne Joutsenniemi and mixed by Hiili Hiilesmaa. A limited edition included a cover song featuring guest vocals by Heri Joensen of Týr. The band toured internationally following the release.

The fifth studio album, “Unsung Heroes”, was released in 2012. After this release, the band ended its contract with Spinefarm Records and later signed with Metal Blade Records in 2013.

The sixth studio album, “One Man Army”, was released in 2015. During touring, Emmi Silvennoinen was temporarily unavailable and was replaced by Netta Skog, who later became a full member. Heri Joensen also contributed guest vocals on the track “Heathen Horde”. The seventh studio album, “Two Paths”, was released in 2017. It was recorded with a focus on a more organic production approach. Netta Skog left the band in late 2017.

In 2020, recording began for the next album, and Pekka Montin joined as keyboardist and clean vocalist. The single “Rum, Women, Victory” was released in 2020, followed by “Andromeda”. The eighth studio album, “Thalassic”, was released in 2020. The ninth studio album, “Winter Storm”, was released in 2024.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensiferum

Studio albums
Ensiferum ("Sword Bearer", 2001)
Iron (2004)
Victory Songs (2007)
From Afar (2009)
Unsung Heroes (2012)
One Man Army (2015)
Two Paths (2017)
Thalassic ("Of the Sea", 2020)
Winter Storm (2024)