I have been their first album Ensiferum loyal fan. Experienced countless times live and every time a pleasure for the eyes and ears. No album so far has let me down or has fallen short of my expectations. In "From Afar" was different. It no longer sounded so much like Ensiferum, what I thought I knew, rather almost by Equilibrium ... and I must say, just because they had a very specific, distinctive sound, I found it incredibly well. In her latest work, but I lack the folky-inspired pieces (clear, they are present, but only between the normal hammering). Most of the time go guitars, bass and keyboards in a sole, very Pagan metalligem hammering below, are extremely fast and exciting but somehow not so incredibly well mixed (in my eyes). I miss the clean vocals in between, the male and female choirs act somehow interspersed because they just have to be there, but not really like the old albums.
(Cynical, one could say: the album is clearly commercial than her previous works, but less Ensiferum more Pagan and a wider audience that is addressed ...)
Overall is "From Afar" much more epic, fast-paced and a bit harder than all been there from Ensiferum. Wems like it, please. Live definitely!
I prefer to enjoy yet another round the old stuff and await with new.
