Turisas - Stand Up and Fight

In the time since their 2004 debut Battle Metal, Turisas has rapidly gained a name for themselves for their brand of metal music.  Since then, they have released The Varangian Way, which is the band’s best effort to date, and have done numerous tours, as well as release a DVD.  However, one cannot live off of past efforts forever, and now, it’s Turisas’ time to release a new album in Stand Up and Fight.  The results are somewhere in between their first two albums, which isn’t such a bad thing.

Stand Up and Fight is a combination of the epic sound that The Varangian Way presented and the ridiculous lyrical matter that Battle Metal had on the album, a fact reinforced by the first two tracks “The March of the Varangian Guard” and “Take the Day,” respectively.  “Hunting Pirates” is a more unconventional track by Turisas standards, but it is still a fun song that shows glimpses of the Turisas sound.  More of the previous albums’ influences can be heard on the title track, as the slow, yet powerful tempo builds towards the equally powerful battle cry of “Stand Up and Fight.”  If you’re looking for something new from Turisas, it seems that there is more of a rock element to their sound, as evidenced by the beginning to “The Great Escape.”  It’s not quite as obvious on first listen, but it becomes clearer after a few listens.  If there is anything that Turisas still needs to do, it would be to perfect what it has done so far because while it sounds great, the separate elements from the first two albums haven’t quite gotten to the point where they are working in perfect rhythm.

It took over three years for Turisas to make the follow up to The Varangian Way, with the tours and getting their name out to the audience at large.  However, the wait was worth it, as they continue to develop their sound and even mature as they go along.  Overall, Stand Up and Fight is a worthy follow up to The Varangian Way, but they are still a ways from reaching the highest point.  With their record of putting time and effort into the albums however, it’s hard to see them not make it to the top.

Release Date: February 23, 2011
Label:  Century Media Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The March of the Varangian
      Guard
2.  Take the Day!
3.  Hunting Pirates
4.  Venetoi! – Prasinoi!
5.  Stand Up and Fight
6.  The Great Escape
7.  Fear the Fear
8.  End of an Empire
9.  The Bosphorus Freezes Over

Total playing time:  46:14

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter

February 22, 2011