Turisas – Stand Up And Fight
Certainly one of the most distinctive bands around both musically and visually (these Finnish loons covered in red and black paint is a sight that you're unlikely to forget), Turisas are very much like Marmite; chances are you'll either love them or hate them.
"Stand Up And Fight" is the band's first album since 2007's "The Varangian Way" and only their third full-length release (the first being the genre-defining "Battle Metal" back in 2004) so Turisas are hardly prolific but, after hearing the attention to detail and sheer scale of "Stand Up And Fight", it's easy to see why it takes so long to release each album.
To simply categorise Turisas as 'Battle-Metal' or 'Folk-Metal' would be unfair, as well as inaccurate, as, from the opening bars of first track 'March Of The Varangian Guard', it's obvious that Turisas owe as much (if not more) of a debt to classical music as folk. What Turisas have excelled at on this release is writing an extremely catchy, unapologetically fun (yes, and more than a little silly) album, which is ambitious in scope and impressive in execution. It's a little bit corny in places, even coming across as a rock pantomime on occasion, but I defy anyone not to crack a smile whilst listening to tracks such as the twisted folk of 'Hunting Pirates' with its rousing cry of 'Hoist The Sail...Kill Them All'.
If you're not already a fan of Turisas' brand of Battle Metal lunacy then it may not be enough to get you waving your broadsword or raising a tankard after a hard day's pillaging, but "Stand Up And Fight" is an uplifting call to arms with impressive production and orchestration that is quite simply stunning in places. How effective they are at pulling something this grand in scale off live remains to be seen, but I'm willing to bet it'd be fun to find out.