Ensiferum - One Man Army (2015)^{Release ID: 2834}

A Bit of a Dud

Unsung Heroes was a relative disappointment when it dropped in 2012, but I'll even take that one over this. I wasn't optimistic once the tacky album art and generic lead single were unveiled, and the rest of One Man Army didn't change my mind. Nothing on offer here is explicitly bad except for maybe "Neito Pohjolan", but it's just not at the level of excitement you expect from this band. It's almost like Ensiferum rounded up all of their second-rate unused song ideas lying around from the last two albums and re-recorded them. There are some cool moments sprinkled throughout, but it's just not enough. Not for Ensiferum. The only song that even made me smile was "Heathen Horde". It's okay, they're still a fun live act and we'll always have the first four albums to spin when we need our fix of epic power/folk/melodeath.

Highlights: Heathen Horde

Also Worthwhile: Cry for the Earth Bounds, Two of Spades