Ensiferum (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: , n adj., meaning "sword bearing") is a Finnish

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

band from

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal."

History

Formation, demos and ''Ensiferum'' (1995−2002)

''Ensiferum'' was founded in 1995 by

Markus Toivonen Markus Toivonen (born 1979 in Helsinki) is the founding member of the Finnish folk/death metal band Ensiferum. Markus founded the band in 1995 and is the sole original member to have lasted the distance to Ensiferum's present incarnation. His ...

(

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

), Sauli Savolainen (bass) and Kimmo Miettinen (drums). In the next year,

Jari Mäenpää Jari Mäenpää (born 23 December 1977) is a Finnish heavy metal multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is the founder of Wintersun for which he records all instruments except the drums. Before forming Wintersun, Mäenpää was best known for ...

was taken into the band as singer and second guitar-player. In 1997, the first demo was released, containing three songs. In 1998, Savolainen and Miettinen left the band and were replaced by Jukka-Pekka Miettinen (Kimmo Miettinen's little brother, then 14 years old) and Oliver Fokin. In January 1999, a second demo was recorded, which although it did not produce a recording deal, boosted the band's confidence. In November 1999 a third demo ''Hero in a Dream'' was recorded, and was successful in obtaining a record deal with

Spinefarm Records Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. History Spinefarm Records was originally founded in 1990 by Riku Pääkkönen as a mail-order distrib ...

. The logo that appears on all the band's releases was designed for the third demo by Tuomas Tahvanainen, who also designed the logos for the earlier demos. In 2000, the band went into the studio to work on their first album, ''

Ensiferum Ensiferum (Latin: , n adj., meaning "sword bearing") is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal." History Formation, demos and ''Ensiferum'' (1995−2002) ''Ensiferum'' was founde ...

'', which was released in July 2001. In the same year, Meiju Enho joined them as a

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

-player.

''Iron'', Line-up changes, ''Dragonheads'' and ''10th Anniversary Live'' (2003−2006)

In early 2004, after the work was completed on the second album, ''

Iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

'', Mäenpää was fired from the band due to conflicts between scheduled studio work on his side project

Wintersun Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki originally formed as the side project of Jari Mäenpää, then-vocalist and guitarist of folk metal band Ensiferum. In 2003, Mäenpää began pulling together songs that he had been work ...

and touring with Ensiferum. For the tour with

Finntroll Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on ''Visor om slutet''. Finntroll's original singer, ...

starting in April, Petri Lindroos from

Norther Norther was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo formed in 1996 and broke up in 2012. History Norther formed under the name Requiem (Lindroos, Korpas, Hallio) in 1996 after various early stage band formations. The band's debut effort w ...

replaced Mäenpää on guitar and as singer, and became a member of the band after the tour. In December 2004, Jukka-Pekka Miettinen left the band and was replaced by Sami Hinkka (

Rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

). Fokin also left in 2005 to be replaced by Janne Parviainen. The new Ensiferum line-up entered the studio later that year to record an EP to be called ''

Dragonheads ''Dragonheads'' is an EP by Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum. It was released on 15 February 2006 by Spinefarm Records. It is the first Ensiferum release featuring the then recently hired members Petri Lindroos, Sami Hinkka and Janne Parviain ...

'', which was released in February 2006. As well as the title track, it also contained two reworked demo songs; an

Amorphis Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal, an ...

cover and a short rendition of the

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and r ...

melody, as well as a medley of three traditional

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

songs. In June 2006, Ensiferum released their live

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

, '' 10th Anniversary Live'', which was recorded in

Nosturi Nosturi (Finnish language, Finnish for "crane (machine), crane") was a culture and music hall and a nightclub in the Punavuori district of Helsinki, Finland. It was owned by the Association of Live Music (''Elävän musiikin yhdistys'', ELMU). ...

, on 31 December 2005.

''Victory Songs'' and Meiju's departure (2006−2009)

The recording of the third studio album, called ''

Victory Songs ''Victory Songs'' is the third studio album by Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum. It was released on 20 April 2007 by Spinefarm. It is the band's first full-length album to feature new members Petri Lindroos, Sami Hinkka and Janne Parviainen, and ...

'', took place between November 2006 and early 2007, and was released on 20 April 2007. A single titled "

One More Magic Potion "One More Magic Potion" is the second single by Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum. The song comes from their third album, '' Victory Songs''. It was released on 7 February 2007 by Spinefarm Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record labe ...

" (after the track of the same name) was released on 7 February. Following the album's release, the band released through the producer's MySpace page, a music video for the song "Ahti," which included all band members featured as extras. The video was released after the album release due to video filming problems. On 10 September 2007, it was announced that keyboardist

Meiju Enho Meiju Enho, born in 1981 in Finland, is the former keyboard player of the Finnish Viking/folk metal band Ensiferum. Meiju joined the band in 2001 following the release of their debut album ''Ensiferum'' and played on all subsequent releases unt ...

would leave the band. This was posted in a bulletin on their MySpace page and later confirmed on their website. The band used

Emmi Silvennoinen Emmi Silvennoinen (born 9 April 1988) is a Finnish keyboardist who is the former keyboardist for the folk metal band Ensiferum. She filled the role following the departure of Meiju Enho Meiju Enho, born in 1981 in Finland, is the former keybo ...

of Exsecratus as a touring fill-in. Silvennoinen later became a permanent member of the band during the recording of the ''From Afar'' album. Ensiferum headlined the Paganfest tour in Europe and North America in 2008. Others playing the tour included

Týr (; Old Norse: , ) is a god in Germanic mythology, a valorous and powerful member of the and patron of warriors and mythological heroes. In Norse mythology, which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the Germanic peoples, ...

and

Eluveitie Eluveitie ( ; )Chrigel Glanzmann: "...According to current research, it is pronounced in Bernese German as, i.e. ''"Elvèyti"''. But I don't know if this is correct. The gods know that.:: Metalist Magazine :: Interviews :: Eluveitie is a Swiss f ...

, with

Moonsorrow Moonsorrow is a Finnish pagan metal band formed in Helsinki in 1995. Musically, the band incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal in their sound. The band call their sound "epic heathen metal" and try to distance themselves from the ...

and

Korpiklaani Korpiklaani (Finnish: ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti who was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani started with folk music ...

also joining them on the European part of the tour, and

Turisas Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war. Turisas are a folk metal band, incorporating elements of power metal and symp ...

in North America. They also supported

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

on the opening night of their United Abominations – Tour of Duty European tour. Ensiferum also supported

Amon Amarth Amon Amarth () is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and hi ...

on their North American ''

Twilight of the Thunder God ''Twilight of the Thunder God'' is the seventh studio album by the Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth. ''Twilight of the Thunder God'' was released in September 2008. The album's name and title track refer to Thor's slaying of the Midg ...

'' tour. Shortly before their Russian tour in 2008, Lindroos fell "seriously ill" and was unable to participate. The band hired ex-bassist Jukka-Pekka Miettinen to assume Lindroos' guitar duties, while bassist Sami Hinkka took over his lead vocal duties for the tour. In the first half of 2009, Ensiferum performed at a string of

festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...

including Frostrock in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Finnish Metal Expo Finnish Metal Expo was a heavy metal fair and festival held annually at Kaapelitehdas in Ruoholahti, Helsinki, Finland from 2005 to 2012. It was a part of the Helsinki Metal Meeting. It's original location was the Cablefactory in Helsinki, Finl ...

and

Tuska Open Air Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, commonly shortened to Tuska ( fi, pain, agony), is a Finnish heavy metal festival taking place annually in Helsinki. The first Tuska took place in 1998 and the festival has since grown larger every year. The locati ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, Winterfire, Rocktower, Legacy and Rock am Härtsfeldsee in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Summer Nights in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and Z7 Metal Dayz in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. In June and July they toured North America as part of the

Summer Slaughter Tour The Summer Slaughter Tour is an annual heavy metal music tour held every year since 2007. It originated in North America in 2007 and has toured in Canada in 2008, Europe in 2008, and Australia and New Zealand in 2009. Billed as "The Most Extreme T ...

with

Necrophagist Necrophagist was a German technical death metal band founded and fronted by guitarist and vocalist Muhammed Suiçmez. The band used baroque music-influenced compositions paired with extreme metal drumming. The name originates from the Greek ro ...

, Darkest Hour,

Suffocation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...

Blackguard Blackguard is an old-fashioned term for a scoundrel. Blackguard or Black Guard(s) may refer to: * Black Guard, a corps of Black African soldiers in Morocco * Black Guard (Brazil), a militia of former slaves intended to protect the monarchy * Bla ...

Dying Fetus Dying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and hea ...

Beneath the Massacre Beneath the Massacre is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec. Their debut EP ''Evidence of Inequity'', was released in 2005, under Galy Records. In early 2006, the band signed with Prosthetic Records and released their fir ...

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...

, and

Winds of Plague Winds of Plague is an American deathcore band from Upland, California. Formed in 2002, the band is known for being one of the few deathcore bands to incorporate symphonic elements into their music. The band's name is derived from a section of ...

. In August they performed at the Global East Rock Festival in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Ankkarock Ankkarock was a Finnish rock and metal festival held annually in Korso, Vantaa, in the Greater Helsinki area. It literally translates into Duckrock. The first Ankkarock was held in 1987. The festival was free of charge until 1998. In 2006 the t ...

and Jurassic Rock in

, and Let's Open Air in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

''From Afar'' and ''Unsung Heroes'' (2009−2012)

Ensiferum released their fourth studio album, '' From Afar'', on 9 September 2009 with

. The album was produced by

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...

producer

Tero Kinnunen Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neval ...

and ''

'' producer Janne Joutsenniemi, and it was mixed by producer

Hiili Hiilesmaa Kai "Hiili" Hiilesmaa (born December 1966) is a Finnish record producer and musician. He is the vocalist of the rock music, rock band The Skreppers, former drummer of the doom metal band KYPCK and former keyboardist of the rock band Daniel Lione ...

. The limited edition of the album includes a cover of

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

group

Nordman Nordman is a Swedish duo founded in 1993, that mixes folk music with rock and pop. This genre is called etnorock or folk rock in Swedish. The group consists of Håkan Hemlin, as singer and frontman, and Mats Wester, who plays the nyckelharpa, as ...

with guest vocalist

Heri Joensen Heri Joensen (; born 21 February 1973) is a Faroese musician, notable for being the vocalist for the heavy metal band Týr. Heri was born in the Faroe Islands capital of Tórshavn which has had an influence on his song writing. As well as Týr, ...

of Faroese band

. Following the release, the group embarked on a European tour with

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

band

Metsatöll Metsatöll (from – 'forest' and ''töll'' – 'four-legged being', used in Western Estonia as an euphemism for "wolf" or "werewolf") is an Estonian heavy metal band formed in 1999. The band has been influenced by many musical groups along w ...

and

melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...

band

Tracedawn Tracedawn is a Finnish melodic death metal band created in 2005 by guitarist/vocalist Tuomas Yli-Jaskari.. Retrieved on 2012-03-17 Biography In 2005, Tuomas Yli-Jaskari created a project that would be named "Moravia" and eventually Tracedawn. H ...

. In October they performed at Hellflame Festival – The South Side of Hell and Devil's Revenge festival in

, and Tattoo the Mind in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Ensiferum performed on the second day of the inaugural Screamfest Festival in Sydney, Australia, on New Years Day 2010. In November/December they toured North America with

Ex Deo Ex Deo is a Canadian death metal band formed in Montreal, Quebec in 2008. The band is a side project of Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, and is based on the history of the Roman Empire. History Ex Deo was formed in 2008 as an artistic proje ...

(on selected dates), and Blackguard. Ensiferum were also confirmed to play

Bloodstock Open Air Bloodstock Open Air is a British heavy metal music, heavy metal rock festival, festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, since 2005. Originally held indoors for one day with two stages, the festival started in 2001 ...

at Catton Hall, United Kingdom in 2010. In October 2010, Ensiferum embarked on their first ever South African tour. This tour consisted of four shows in two cities, and they were accompanied by numerous local metal bands including Riddare av Koden, Empery and All Forlorn. The final show, at The Black Dahlia in Johannesburg, was filmed to potentially appear on their next live DVD. In early 2011 Ensiferum embarked on

The Ugly World Tour 2011 Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Sepp ...

with labelmates

Children of Bodom Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Sep ...

Machinae Supremacy Machinae Supremacy is a Swedish/Finnish band that combines modern Heavy metal music, heavy metal, power metal and alternative rock with chiptunes. Self-defined as "SID metal", many of their songs use a SidStation that features the MOS Technology ...

supporting them for segments of their tour in the US and Canada. The tour took place within a 4-month period of time and spanned 23 countries. The band's fifth studio album, ''

Unsung Heroes ''Unsung Heroes'', also known as ''Unknown Heroes'' or more literally as ''Nameless Heroes'', is a North Korean war drama mini-series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple part ...

'', was released on 24 August 2012. It's also their final album for Spinefarm Records. The next year, Ensiferum signed with

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

after thirteen years with their previous label. After release of the album, Ensiferum embarked on a tour of Europe and South America.

New Label, ''One Man Army'', and ''Two Paths'' (2013−2019)

Ensiferum's sixth album, '' One Man Army'', was released on 20 February 2015. The album was recorded at Astia Studio with producer

Anssi Kippo Anssi Kippo (born 1976) is a Finnish record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and struc ...

. A music video for the title track "One Man Army" was released prior to the album's release. In March of that year, Ensiferum announced on their Facebook page that keyboardist Emmi Silvennoinen would not be able to make the European and North American "One Man Army Tour" due to personal commitments at home. Former

accordion player Netta Skog filled her role for the tour. Skog had performed clean vocals on the ''One Man Army'' songs "Cry for the Earth Bounds" and "Neito Pohjolan".

makes an appearance on the track "Heathen Horde", quoting stanza 16 of ''Hávamál'' in Old Icelandic. On 31 March 2016 it was announced that Emmi Silvennoinen would take a leave of absence from the band because of personal issues. Netta Skog was confirmed as her permanent replacement. With Skog in the line-up, the band entered the studio to record their seventh studio album, '' Two Paths''. Anssi Kippo, who had produced ''One Man Army'', was again chosen to produce the album. The band focused on a more "organic" sound for ''Two Paths'', using

analog recording Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which, among many possibilities, allows analog audio for later playback. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph. ...

and neglecting to use a

click track A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, sometimes for synchronization to a moving image. The click track originated in early sound movies, where optical marks were made on the film to indicate precise timin ...

for certain songs. ''Two Paths'' was released on 15 September 2017. Skog left the band in December 2017. File:Ensiferum Rockharz 2018 12.jpg, Guitarist Markus Toivonen File:Ensiferum Rockharz 2018 14.jpg, Singer Petri Lindroos File:Ensiferum Rockharz 2018 13.jpg, Bassist Sami Hinkka File:Ensiferum Rockharz 2018 11.jpg, Drummer Janne Parviainen

''Thalassic'' (2020−present)

On January 7, 2020, the band announced that they had begun recording a follow up record to ''Two Paths'', at Studio Petrax in

Hollola Hollola () is a municipality of Finland, located in the western part of the Päijänne Tavastia region. The municipality is unilingually Finnish and has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . H ...

, Finland. This release coincides with the band's 25th anniversary. On February 27, the band confirmed Pekka Montin as their new keyboard player and clean vocalist. The single "Rum, Women, Victory" was released on May 6, followed by a music video of the second single "Andromeda" on June 17. The band's eighth album, '' Thalassic'', was released on 10 July 2020.

Musical style

The band has been described as

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

and

Viking metal Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. Viking metal is quite diverse as a musical style, to the point where some consider it more a cr ...

Band members

Current members

– guitars, backing vocals (1995–present), clean vocals (2004–present) *

Petri Lindroos Petri Lindroos (born 10 January 1980 in Espoo, Finland) is a melodic death/folk metal guitarist and vocalist. He is currently the lead vocalist in Ensiferum. Previously, he was a founding member and lead vocalist for Norther. Biography At 14 yea ...

– harsh vocals, guitars (2004–present) *

Sami Hinkka Sami Hinkka (born 27 April 1978 in Finland) is a heavy metal bass player, presently with Ensiferum. He joined his current band in 2004 as a replacement for Jukka-Pekka Miettinen after playing for some years in the melodic death/doom metal band R ...

– bass, clean vocals (2004–present) *

Janne Parviainen Janne Parviainen, born 1973 in Finland, is a heavy metal drummer, who plays in the bands Sinergy, Barathrum and Ensiferum. He is a former member of Waltari and Zwanziger. Janne joined Barathrum in 2000, and Sinergy and Ensiferum more recently. ...

– drums (2005–present) * Pekka Montin – keyboards, clean vocals (2020–present)

Former members

* Sauli Savolainen – bass (1995–1998) * Kimmo Miettinen – drums (1995–1998) *

– harsh & clean vocals, guitars (1996–2004) * Oliver Fokin – drums (1998–2005) * Jukka-Pekka Miettinen – bass (1998–2004) *

– keyboards (2001–2007) *

– keyboards, backing vocals (2007–2016) * Netta Skog – electric accordion, backing vocals (2016–2017)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2007) * '' From Afar'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * '' One Man Army'' (2015) * '' Two Paths'' (2017) * '' Thalassic'' (2020)

Compilation albums

* ''1997–1999'' (2005) * ''Two Decades of Greatest Sword Hits'' (2016)

EPs

* ''

'' (2006) * ''Suomi Warmetal'' (2014)

Live DVD

* '' 10th Anniversary Live'' (2006) * ''Ensiferum Acoustic Live @ On The Rocks, Helsinki, Finland 28.10.2016 (DVD included in the Two Paths Limited Edition)'' (2017)

Videos

* "Ahti" (2007) * "From Afar" (2009) * "Twilight Tavern" (2009) * "One More Magic Potion" (2010) * "In My Sword I Trust" (2012) * "One Man Army" (2015) * "Way of the Warrior" (2017) * "For Those About to Fight for Metal" (2019) * "Rum, Women, Victory" (2020) * "Andromeda" (2020) * "Run from the Crushing Tide" (2021)

Singles

* "Tale of Revenge" (2004) * "

" (2007) * "From Afar" (2009) * "Stone Cold Metal" (2010) * "Burning Leaves" (2012) * "In My Sword I Trust" (2012) * "One Man Army" (2015) * "Way of The Warrior" (2017) * "For Those About to Fight for Metal" (2019) * "Rum, Women, Victory" (2020) * "Andromeda" (2020)

Demos

* ''Demo (1997)'' *# "Frost" *# "Old Man (Väinämöinen)" *# "Knighthood" * ''Demo II (1998)'' *# "Dreamer's Prelude" *# "Little Dreamer (Väinämöinen part II)" *# "Warrior's Quest" *# "White Storm" * ''Demo III: Hero in a Dream'' (1999) *# "Intro" *# "Hero in a Dream" *# "Eternal Wait" *# "Battle Song" *# "Guardians of Fate"

Cover songs

Recorded cover songs

* "Into Hiding" (by

from ''

Tales from the Thousand Lakes ''Tales from the Thousand Lakes'' is the second full-length album by doom metal band Amorphis. It is a concept album, the lyrics are based on the Finnish national epic, ''Kalevala''. While still predominantly melodic death metal and gothic ...

'') − Found on ''Dragonheads'', ''10th Anniversary Live'' as a live version and ''Victory Songs'' Special Edition * "Battery" (by

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

from ''

Master of Puppets ''Master of Puppets'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. Recorded in Denmark at Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it was the band's last album ...

'') − Found on "Tale of Revenge" single and ''Iron'' digipak * " Lady in Black" (by Uriah Heep from ''

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

'') − Found on "One More Magic Potion" single and ''Victory Songs'' digipak and Japanese version * "

Breaking the Law "Breaking the Law" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album '' British Steel''. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is readily recognized by its opening guitar riff. Com ...

" (by

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

from '' British Steel'') − Found on the digipak version of their eponymous album. Song was covered again in 2010 and released as a bonus track of "Stone Cold Metal" digital single. * "

Vandraren "Vandraren" (The Wanderer) is a song with music composed by Mats Wester and lyrics written by Py Bäckman. The song was recorded by Nordman as the opening track of their self-titled debut studio album ''Nordman''. Becoming a major hit in Sweden, i ...

" (by

) – Found on the limited edition version of '' From Afar'' * "Wrathchild" (by

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

) - Released as a bonus track of "Burning Leaves" digital single * " Bamboleo" (by

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, t ...

) - Released as a bonus track on "Unsung Heroes"

Covers only played live

* "Battle Hymn" (by

Manowar Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) and mythology (particularly Norse mythology and Greco-Roman mythology), as well as ...

) * "

Enter Sandman "Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist a ...

" (by

) * "Fight Fire with Fire" (by Metallica) * "Näitä polkuja tallaan" (by

Matti ja Teppo Matti ja Teppo is a famous Finnish folk duo made up of brothers Matti Tapio Ruohonen 73 (born in Turku, Finland on 8 August 1949) and Teppo Ilmari Ruohonen 74 (born also in Turku on 1 March 1948) who have performed together since childhood. The ...

) * "Olen suomalainen" (by

Kari Tapio Kari Tapani Jalkanen (22 November 1945 – 7 December 2010), better known by his stage name Kari Tapio, was a Finnish schlager and country & western singer. During his career, he was one of the most popular singers in Finland for decades; having ...

) * "

Rentun Ruusu ''Rentun Ruusu'' ( en, The Rose of the Rascal) is a 2001 Finnish biographical film drama directed and written by Timo Koivusalo. The film is based on the life of Antti Yrjö Hammarberg (Irwin Goodman) who is still today a very popular singer i ...

" (by

Irwin Goodman Antti Yrjö Hammarberg (14 September 1943 – 14 January 1991), professionally known as Irwin Goodman, was a popular Finnish rock and folk singer. In the late 1960s he was widely known as a protest singer. He recorded over 300 songs, most of which ...

) * "

Run to the Hills "Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, '' The Number of the Beast'' (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson ...

" (by

) * "

The Trooper "The Trooper" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as the second single on 20 June 1983 from the band's fourth studio album, ''Piece of Mind'' (1983). It was one of only a few songs to get much radio airplay in ...

" (by

) * " Tsingis Khan" (by Frederik) * "

Sweet Child o' Mine "Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. It appears on their debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction''. In the United States, the song was released in June 1988 as the album's third single, topping the ''Billboard'' ...

" (by

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

)

References

External links

*
The official Ensiferum webshop

Ensiferum
at

{{Authority control Finnish heavy metal musical groups Finnish melodic death metal musical groups Finnish folk metal musical groups Viking metal musical groups Musical groups from Helsinki Musical groups established in 1995 Musical quintets Metal Blade Records artists