ENSIFERUM – Two Paths CD

There has been talk in some quarters that Ensiferum has been losing steam in recent years, though to be fair, people have been saying that since Jari jumped ship to form Wintersun and explore the landscapes of his own dark imagination. In some ways, the later incarnation of Ensiferum is a bit more accessible as it places a greater degree of emphasis on catchy hooks and doesn't go as all over the place as it did on the first two albums. Nevertheless, while Two Paths offers a very fun and inviting display of woodland imagery and good times at the tavern, there isn't quite as much staying power to these songs as was heard on the astounding From Afar, which remains this band's magnum opus after 2005. It's a bit more geared towards the mainline folk metal adventurism of Equilibrium and Turisas than the flashy and epic-length wizardry of this band's older days. It's not so much a band running out of steam as it is a band that is stripping things down a bit, though for some the path of simplification and that of stagnation are one in the same.