Wintersun - Time II Review - Metal Utopia

Band: Wintersun
Album: Time II
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Genre: Melodic death metal, Power metal
Country: Finland
Release Date: August 30th, 2024
For Fans Of: Ensiferum, Children of Bodom, Kalmah

I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to do this review. With all the associated baggage I wasn’t even sure I wanted to listen to Time II. But my curiosity got the better of me, so here we are. After years of delays, excuses, crowdfunding campaigns and sauna trips, Time II has finally arrived.

I’ve been a fan of Jari Mäenpää for a long time. His work with Ensiferum produced some of my favorite albums of all time, and while I could never consider myself a power metal fan, I think his Wintersun debut is some of the best music the genre has to offer.

As a non-guitarist, I’m not someone who is won over by the extravagant virtuosity and soaring guitar work prevalent in power metal. Instead, I’m more interested in melody, riffs, and songwriting- which is what appeals to me most in Jari’s early works.

Following an orchestral swell intro track, “The Way of the Fire” kicks off with big riffs and the sweeping solos we come to expect. With a solid chorus and driving energy, this track starts the album off strong. The extended solo in the back half features some crazy key changes and time signature shifts, with Jari shredding at the top of his game. “One with the Shadows”, a mid-paced track at a brisk 6 minutes, has some strong melodies and lyrical guitarwork with an epic and grandiose feel to it. The interlude “Ominous Clouds” features Jari clean-shredding for two minutes and it’s a bit self-indulgent, but impressive nonetheless, and doesn’t last too long.

“Storm” is a driving epic that feels like the centerpiece of the album, taking the listener down an odyssey of twists and turns. This track has more attention to atmosphere and a climactic feel to it that borrows from the best parts of his previous albums. The grandiose closer “Silver Leaves” does the Chinese influence thing much better than on Time I, with some great clean singing and a catchy melody that recurs at the perfect times. Right when you think it’s getting a little ridiculous, the track kicks into more typical Wintersun faire. The melody and chorus are so compelling that “Silver Leaves” ends up being one of my favorite tracks on the album, bringing to mind nostalgic feelings of the Mists of Pandaria expansion for World of Warcraft, of all things.

Overall, am I blown away? Not really, but I enjoyed my time with this album. I think the mix is a bit oversaturated, and it can get a bit too shreddy for my tastes. The drums could be produced better too. But there are compelling moments here, and it’s presented in a surprisingly tight package. Mostly I think it’s a very important release for Jari as a musician, and for his reputation. The production of this record went through so much controversy that if Time II ended up sucking it could have been catastrophic. Instead, it’s a solid release and a return-to-form that is worth listening to, even if you hopped off the Wintersun train long ago like I did. Against all odds, the saga of Time II gets a happy ending.

Rating: 7/10

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