Only Heavy Metal

CHANGES IN THE ENSIFERUM FAMILY

Many fans have asked in recent times where Emmi is at our shows. We can now confirm that due to family reasons, she will be stepping aside from keyboard duties, with Netta Skog continuing as a permanent member of Ensiferum, bringing her electric accordion to the stage.

Emmi:
“Many of you have probably noticed that during the last year I have missed lots of gigs and now it's time to put an end to all rumours. For family reasons, I have to step aside from Ensiferum. It's been an amazing 9 years, I have learned and seen so much all over the world. This decision was not made lightly! But every cloud has its silver lining and I couldn't be any happier that my dear friend Netta will take my place in the band. I want to thank our fans around the world, everyone I met on the road and of course the guys in the band. There is no bad blood between us and I will always remain a part of the Ensiferum family. Life goes on! Tättädädää!”

Netta:
“With joy and respect, I hop in my lovely friend Emmi's shoes. I've had time of my life during the last year with the Ensiferum guys and I'm thrilled about the upcoming tours, composing new material and all awesomeness that future will bring! Love you all!”

We hope that you will join us in thanking Emmi for her many years of hard work and also in celebrating Netta's induction to the Ensiferum family! We look forward to seeing you all on the road!

NEW ALBUM NEWS!

Ensiferum recently entered the Astia-studio in Lappeenranta, Finland, where the band recorded a few demo songs for their upcoming seventh full-length, set to be released September 2017 via Metal Blade Records. The quintet will soon return to the Astia studio to begin recording this new album, which will be produced once again by Anssi Kippo (Children Of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene, Entwine etc.).

Sami Hinkka (bass) comments: "Hi Folks! So, as some of you might have already noticed from our social media channels, we are getting ready to go record the next Ensiferum album pretty soon. Just a few weeks ago, we recorded demo versions with Anssi Kippo, who also recorded and produced 'One Man Army'. The demo session went smoothly, and working with Anssi is always such a pleasure because he is so full of creative ideas with a positive attitude. The goal for the new album will be to capture Ensiferum's live energy on the songs, and we also plan to use analog recording as much as possible to guarantee the best possible sound. The song material will include familiar elements, but like we always love to do, we will also take Ensiferum's mighty warship to unexplored seas of musical madness. More info later."

Before the album's release, European fans will be able to catch Ensiferum at various festivals this summer. See below for all dates, with more shows to be announced soon!

Ensiferum tour dates:
Mar. 31 - Full Metal Mountain - Troepolach, Austria
Apr. 1 - Rock In Hell - Colmar, France
Apr. 7 - Metal Franconia Festival - Dettelbach, Germany
Apr. 8 - Durbuy Rock Festival - Durbuy, Belgium
June 3 - Metal Open Air Plzen - Plzen, Czech Republic
June 30 - Rockfest Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain
July 1 - Hoernerfest - Brande-Hoernerkirchen, Germany
July 13 - Dong Open Air - Neukirchen - Vlyn, Germany

aunches first single, “For Those About to Fight for Metal”, online; announces “Two Paths: The Beginning – Tour 2017″

On September 15th, Ensiferum will release their seventh full-length, Two Paths, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. Produced by Anssi Kippo, the master was recorded on tape, for a true analog experience. To hear the first single, “For Those About to Fight for Metal”, please visit: metalblade.com/ensiferum – where the record can be pre-ordered in the following formats:

–Deluxe wooden box (limited to 2500 copies worldwide)
–Limited edition Digibook CD+DVD
–CD
–180g black vinyl
–turquoise blue-green vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 500 copies)
–clear sky blue-marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
–blue/orange/yellow-splatter vinyl (Germany exclusive – limited to 200 copies – distributed by Nuclear Blast)
–golden yellow vinyl (Austria exclusive – limited to 200 copies – distributed by Napalm Records)
–olive green-marbled vinyl (Finland exclusive – limited to 100 copies – distributed by Levykauppa)
–clear frost blue-marbled vinyl (China exclusive – limited to 100 copies – distributed by Yamin Records)
–blue-gray-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive – limited to 250 copies)
–forest green-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive – limited to 250 copies)
–picture disc LP (limited to 500 copies worldwide)
* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available!

To view the vinyl master tape cutting, fans can watch a video by T. Ruotsalainen and A. Kippo at: youtube.com/watch?v=4KEuGT1Nfd4

You can’t talk about the true greats of folk-inspired melodic death metal without reverent mention of Ensiferum, and with Two Paths they once more affirm their place in the pantheons of the genre. Further building upon the thrilling metallic hybrid honed across six full-lengths, Two Paths is simultaneously the Finnish quintet’s most epic and far-reaching collection and their most organic, which definitely sets it apart from the pack. Additionally, the album literally takes the concept of Two Paths to heart, with two different versions of standout tracks “Don’t You Say” and “God Is Dead”. “Even though Ensiferum has always had clean vocals and choirs, harsh vocals have been the main style, and those songs worked so well with both styles that we decided to include both versions,” explains bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka. With Mikko P. Mustonen again handling orchestral arrangements and Lassi Logren returning to play nyckelharpa and violin on a few songs, Hinkka is also more than happy that they brought “more bombastic orchestral and down to earth folk aspects” to the record, further fleshing out their vision. This also applies to the contribution of Gyula Havancsak, who provided the artwork for both Two Paths and its predecessor, One Man Army. “It was really nice to work with him again because he always wants to hear our ideas and then he adds his own magic and improvements to them, and the result is always astonishing.”

From September 27th, 2017 onward, Ensiferum will present Two Paths live on stage, splitting their European tour into two parts. The first part will be in September with six dates in three countries, and then in April 2018 there will be an extended tour through many more European countries. In between that time, Ensiferum will visit all other continents. See below for all confirmed shows, with more to be announced soon!

Ensiferum tour dates:
Aug. 17 – Summerbreeze festival – Dinkelsbuehl, Germany
Sept. 26 – Bochum, Germany – Zeche
Sept. 27 – Langen, Germany – Stadthalle
Sept. 28 – Arnhem, Netherlands – Luxor Live
Sept. 29 – Berlin, Germany – SO36
Sept. 30 – Osnabruck, Germany – Hyde Park
Oct. 1 – Paris, France – La Machine

NETTA SKOG TO LEAVE ENSIFERUM

In life, there are times when you have to take a look in the mirror and be totally honest with yourself and those around you. Those moments usually culminate in big decisions. Today, that moment has arrived for Ensiferum as our dear friend Netta Skog will no longer be a member of Ensiferum

There is no drama here. Sometimes, time schedules overlap and priorities change meaning they no longer match with the people who you are working with. In these situations, it's better for everyone to take your separate paths and to move on.

We want to thank Netta for all the great times on the road and in the studio and we wish her all the best on her new journey.

Netta says: "I've gotten to spend amazing times with great people and I could not be more grateful for what I have experienced. So many great memories with one of the coolest band ever! But unfortunately now it is time for me to move on and focus on other things in my life at the moment and head into new adventures. Thank you all for your great support on the road and I wish nothing but the best for the boys in the band! See you somewhere in the future! Love you all!"

At the moment we are not looking for a replacement and we will inform more about our future plans soon. All confirmed shows will happen as planned and more gigs will be announced soon.

Hi folks! :)

The new Ensiferum album is recorded and the mixing starts on Monday. Just the raw tracks sound incredible and I personally think it’s the best album Ensiferum has ever made. The way i see it, we managed to combine the best elements of the old school and the more recent elements of Ensiferum’s music. I can’t wait to hear the final mixes and most of all, to play these songs live!

We’ll have some surprises coming up with Metal De Facto during the spring plus we’ll start working with our second album quite soon. So remember to like/follow us to get all the news.

Have a brilliant weekend!