Thalassic

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Thalassic
Studio album by
Ensiferum
Released10 July 2020
RecordedJanuary – February 2020
Studio
  • Petrax Studio (Hollola, Finland)
  • Sonic Pump Studios (Helsinki, Finland)
  • Fascination Street Studios (Örebro, Sweden)
GenreFolk metal, melodic death metal, power metal
Length43:46
LabelMetal Blade
ProducerJanne Joutsenniemi
Ensiferum chronology
Two Paths
(2017)		 Thalassic
(2020)		 Winter Storm
(2024)
Singles from Thalassic
  1. "Rum, Women, Victory"
    Released: 7 May 2020[1]
  2. "Andromeda"
    Released: 17 June 2020[2]
  3. "For Sirens"
    Released: 15 July 2020[3]
  4. "Run from the Crushing Tide"
    Released: 8 September 2020[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BangerTVStarStarStarStar[5]
Blabbermouth.net8.5/10[6]
Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles8/10[7]
Exclaim!8/10[8]
KNAC4/5[9]
Metal HammerStarStarStarHalf star[10]

Thalassic is the eighth studio album by Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum. It was released on 10 July 2020 through Metal Blade Records.[11] It is the first Ensiferum album to feature new keyboardist and clean vocalist Pekka Montin, who joined the band in February 2020.[12]

The album's title "thalassic" (which is derived from both French and Ancient Greek) means "of or relating to seas", which pertains to the theme of the album's lyrics.[13]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Sami Hinkka, except where noted.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Seafarer's Dream" (instrumental)
  • Hinkka
  • Mikko P. Mustonen
3:01
2."Rum, Women, Victory"
4:16
3."Andromeda"
  • Hinkka
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
4:04
4."The Defence of the Sampo"
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
4:50
5."Run from the Crushing Tide"
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
4:22
6."For Sirens"
  • Hinkka
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
4:40
7."One with the Sea"
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
6:10
8."Midsummer Magic"
  • Hinkka
  • Ensiferum
3:42
9."Cold Northland (Väinämöinen Part III)"
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
8:41
Total length:43:46
Digipak bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
10."Merille lähtevä"trad.
  • Hinkka
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
3:47
11."I'll Stay by Your Side" (The Lollipops cover)
  • Lundgreen Torben
  • Lundgreen Jørgen
  • Torben
  • Jørgen
2:49
Total length:50:22
Japanese bonus track[14]
No.TitleMusicLength
12."Rum, Women, Victory" (demo)
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
4:13
Total length:54:35
Box set bonus CD
No.TitleLyricsMusicOriginal albumLength
1."Rum, Women, Victory" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
Thalassic4:13
2."Andromeda" (demo) 
  • Hinkka
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
Thalassic3:59
3."The Defence of the Sampo" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
Thalassic3:53
4."Axe of Judgement" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:40
5."Heathen Horde" (demo)
  • Hinkka
  • trad.
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:14
6."One Man Army" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:28
7."Warrior Without a War" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:53
8."Cry for the Earth Bounds" (demo) 
  • Hinkka
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army7:08
9."Two of Spades" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army3:33
10."My Ancestors' Blood" (demo)
  • Hinkka
  • trad.
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:24
11."Descendants, Defiance, Domination" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army11:01
12."Candour and Lies" (demo) 
  • Toivonen
  • Ensiferum
One Man Army4:12
Total length:60:38

Personnel

Band members

Guest members

  • Mikko P. Mustonen – orchestrations, whistles, guitars (additional acoustic), vocals (additional), programming
  • Lassi Logrén – nyckelharpa, violin
  • Janne Joutsenniemi – guitars (additional), vocals (backing)
  • Emmi Silvennoinen – keyboards, hammond organ, grand piano, clean vocals (only tracks 4–12 on bonus CD)

Production

  • Janne Joutsenniemi – producer
  • Jens Bogren – mixing, mastering
  • Tero Kinnunen – additional recording
  • Gyula Havancsák – artwork
  • Vesa Ranta – photography

Charts

Chart (2020) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[15]28

References

  1. Joe DiVita (7 May 2020). "Ensiferum Debut Scorching New Song 'Rum, Women Victory' + Announce New Album". Loudwire. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. "Ensiferum's "Andromeda" Doesn't Strain to Slap". MetalSucks. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  3. "ENSIFERUM Debut "For Sirens" Lyric Video". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. "ENSIFERUM Premier Lyric Video for "Run From The Crushing Tide"; Thalassic Album Lands On Charts Worldwide". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  5. Gowan, Dylan (10 July 2020). "ENSIFERUM Thalassic Album Review". BangerTV. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. Lawson, Dom (8 July 2020). "Ensiferum - "Thalassic"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  7. Catino, Rich (13 July 2020). "ENSIFERUM - Thalassic". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  8. Hopkins, Manus (9 July 2020). "Ensiferum Bring Extra Vigour to Their Finnish Folk Metal on 'Thalassic'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  9. Zamudio, Francisco (9 August 2020). "ENSIFERUM Thalassic". KNAC. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  10. Wright, Holly (9 July 2020). "Ensiferum's Thalassic is the sound of a band still gallantly riding on the wings of folk metal". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  11. "ENSIFERUM To Release Thalassic Album In July; "Rum, Women, Victory" Lyric Video Posted". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  12. "Ensiferum - Pekka Montin Joins The Band On Keyboards And Clean Vocals". Metal Storm. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  13. "ENSIFERUM To Release 'Thalassic' Album In July". Blabbermouth.net. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  14. "「Thalassic / タラシック」 | Ward Records". ワードレコーズ | Ward Records (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  15. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2020. 29. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 30 November 2021.