STAND UP AND FIGHT!

Stand up and step into the light
Pushing the clouds away

Stand Up and Fight
Stand up and watch the sky grow bright
Fight for a better Day
STAND UP AND FIGHT!

And now that that is out of my system... I be certain some folks will recognise that as lyrics from the aptly named song Stand Up And Fight, title track of the new album by Turisas. Which I shall now review. Said review taking the form of two seperate parts. please ignore the first. As it is basically the response of a massive Turisas fan and Vikingr Geek to hearing the album

Ahem! AWESOME BRILLIANT GLORIOUS!

And now that I have been able to restrain myself.

For those who don't know, you poor, poor, deprived souls, Turisas is a Metal Band. Specifically a Folk Metal Band out of Finland. They tend to sing of Vikingy things, with a particular emphasis on the Norse spread out east, into Novgorod (Now western Russia) and south to the Byzantine Empire (Think Turkey, only bigger, predominantly Christian, and regardless of how Roman they pretended to be, mostly Greek.)
In fact, a major theme of their second album, The Varangian Way, was travelling to Constantinople, known at that time to the Norse as Miklagaard. Now, in Stand Up And Fight, we have arrived, to join the Varangian Guard.

The first song on the album, The March Of The Varangian Guard is basically a description of the guard, and of how one got their from Norse lands. It is very well done, and one of my favourite tracks on the Album. After the title itself, it probably is the strongest track on it.

It is followed by Take The Day, which whilst a good song, has little I found excessively distinctive. On the other hand, song 3, Hunting Pirates is brilliant fun. Even those three songs show wildly differing styles, one of Turisas's major strong points.

Track four I would tentativelly describe as an attempt to repeat the successful pattern of In The Courts Of Jarisleif. Sadly it is only, in my mind, partially successful. The music does bring to mind the events it is meant to, or at least, their modern equivalents, but the words are spoken, rather than sung, and I personally much favour Jarisleif. Taken on its own merits, it certainly stands high enough, but I can't help but compare it to Jarisleif, in whose shadow it pales greatly.

Title Track is number 5. It's also an Epic song. And it gives a lesson that everyone should take to heart. No sense in just giving in to fate, we must struggle to make things better.

Track 6, to a student of Norse, or even Norman/English/Anglo-Saxon history is rather amusing. It be about the last great Viking raider. Or at least, the person most historians attribute that title to, slain in his prime at the battle of Stamford Bridge... But I can get into his history later, the poor unlucky sod...

Track 7, entitled Fear The Fear is in my mind the weakest track on the album, but this may just be the departure from traditional Turisas subject matter. It does however mention another valuable lesson, about how fear should never prevent on from doing what one believes needs done.

As for eight, it describes the end of the Byzantine empire, and is very well done. As for track nine, It is a quote from one Hakon Halfdanson, around 1043. I believe he was Norse royalty, possibly Norwegian, exiled by the sons of the Bloodaxe during their brief period on the Norwegian Throne. On the other hand I'm probably wrong.

In conclusion, I must describe the album as Epic. And quite possibly their strongest to date. Tune in Monday to see my ideal Turisas Setlist...