WINTERSUN
Time II
Nuclear Blast Records
In the band's latest press materials, mercurial WINTERSUN frontman/guitarist/bandleader Jari Maenpaa describes the long-awaited Time II as "an epic journey," which is certainly apt not only for the material therein but for the process of putting the album together, which began some, well, time ago.
Indeed the "epic journey" that eventually yielded Time II traces back to 2004 when Maenpaa started work on what then was envisioned as an epic single album, simply titled Time. But given the material's complexity, Maenpaa's creative vision, subsequent issues with the studio technology and financial disagreements with the label - not to mention such lame excuses as construction noise outside his apartment - by the time 2012 rolled around it was decided WINTERSUN would split Time in two and release separate albums.
Time I came out in October 2012, with Time II slated to follow within a year or so, at least in theory - since it supposedly was pretty much already done. A decade-plus later, here we are and here Time II finally is.
Betwixt and between there was more drama, demands and primadonna-ing, mostly over money, that ended up yielding an entirely different and separate third album. The Vivaldi-inspired The Forest Seasons, issued in 2017, was central to a crowdfunding campaign/financial compromise with Nuclear Blast that proved wildly successful and paved/paid the way for updated studio space - though apparently at Maenpaa's home and not the "WINTERSUN headquarters" as envisioned - "allowing" the band to, eventually/finally, finish Time II.
But is it worth the wait and the whole fucking soap opera that went along with it? Well, anyone who found The Forest Seasons overblown and underwhelming and was hoping for something really special and monumental from Time II is likely to come away disappointed.
Time II is monumental without a doubt, but special? Not really. To be fair, when it's good Time II is pretty awesome. Maenpaa and crew deliver epic symphonic metal like nobody's business - when they really put their minds to it. The 10-minute "The Way Of The Fire" and 12-minute "Storm" are absolute tour de forces - mind-boggling exercises in maximalism that are, for the most part, downright spellbinding.
"The Way Of The Fire" charts more of a black metal course, with insistent blast beats much of the way powering frantic trem guitars and Maenpaa shriek and croak vocals. But it is all draped in a sumptuous orchestral air with opulent strings/synths, soaring clean singing and choruses, and loads of shreddy soloing - thanks in part to Teemu Mantysaari, who last year was recruited to play with MEGADETH, both bassist Jukka Koskinen and drummer Kai Hahto also split time with NIGHTWISH. It sounds more like the work of 40 people than four, which is no wonder given there are reportedly upward of 200 tracks in some of the mixes.
"Storm" offers much of the same, but from a melodic death metal perspective. It is more turbulent, ominous and heavy but still quite spectacular with layer upon layer upon layer of everything, careening tempos and sheer majestic scale - though the final three minutes could easily have been lopped off, more on that in a moment.
The tidiest song here, "One With The Shadows", tones things down to a degree and is more of a power metal anthem. Despite a clunky start, with Maenpaa adopting a Hetfield-like bark - though thankfully without all the "yeahs" - it grows grander and more commanding as it moves along, while maintaining a measured pace. Sandwiched between the gonzo "Fire" and "Storm", it makes for an effective if unremarkable breather.
Still, at half the length, "Shadows" has twice the impact as Time II's repetitive and tedious closer, the 13:30 power ballad-like "Silver Leaves", which takes the notion of slow build to ridiculous extremes. It, too, is clunky at the outset - once its long intro gives way to a metallic trudge and its accompanying hokey lyrics and Maenpaa's awkward, haiku-like phrasing. But it keeps piling on until reaching a rousing and satisfying crescendo that would have made for a fantastic finish - ironically sung in Finnish! - had the song indeed ended there at the 10-minute mark. Instead, it drifts off to the strains of anerhu - the Asian flavor of Time I is more frequent and pronounced here - and the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
It is indicative of the album's swaths of wasted space as WINTERSUN seems bent on leaving nothing on the table with the whole Time saga. The three-minute intro to "Silver Leaves" carries over from the three-minute outro to "Storm" - and rehashes in Oriental accents of the album's instrumental opener "Fields Of Snow". The delicate lead work on "One With The Shadows" is then replicated by the understated Asian/flamenco-style guitar solo of the 2:21 "Ominous Clouds" that segues into "Storm".
Ultimately, Time II sags under the weight of its overly lofty ambitions, bloated arrangements and the band's - and more specifically Maenpaa's - myriad excesses. Amid the suites, connective tissue, repetitious motifs and ostentation, there isn't much in the way of hookiness or anything that really grabs the ear or, to my point earlier, makes it special. It's mostly just razzle dazzle.
And while there certainly has been much rejoicing amongst the rank and file now that Time II has actually been released, what seems to get lost amid the adulation is that after all the time WINTERSUN spent fiddling with the album - not to mention all the pouting, posturing and panhandling - it is merely more of what Time I delivered over a decade ago, with an emphasis on "more". I'd venture to say much of what Maenpaa obsessed over for 12 years trying to achieve "perfection" here will be lost on all but the most fanatical of listeners - though there does seem to be plenty of them - and hardly warrants the agonizing delay. If there was ever an argument for cutting your losses and moving on, Time II is it.
2.5 Out Of 5.0
