EMP Rockinvasion caught up with Ensiferum at Summer Breeze 2017 and spoke to Petri Lindroos (vocals, guitar) and Sami Hinkka (bass, vocals) about a number of topics, including their upcoming seventh full-length, Two Paths, out this Friday. Watch the interview below:

Two Paths will be available Friday (September 15th) worldwide via Metal Blade Records. In the video below, the band perform "Two Of Spades" live at On The Rocks in Helsinki, Finland on October 28th, 2016. Watch the entire live show on the DVD that comes with the CD version of Two Paths.

Produced by Anssi Kippo, the Two Paths master was recorded on tape, for a true analog experience. For a preview of the album, fans can watch the tracking for the closing song on the album, "Unettomaan Aikaan":

Pre-order the new album here in the following formats:

- Deluxe wooden box (limited to 2500 copies worldwide)
- Limited edition Digibook CD+DVD
- CD
- 180g black vinyl
- turquoise blue-green vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- clear sky blue-marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- blue/orange/yellow-splatter vinyl (Germany exclusive - limited to 200 copies - distributed by Nuclear Blast)
- golden yellow vinyl (Austria exclusive - limited to 200 copies - distributed by Napalm Records)
- olive green-marbled vinyl (Finland exclusive - limited to 100 copies - distributed by Levykauppa)
- clear frost blue-marbled vinyl (China exclusive - limited to 100 copies - distributed by Yamin Records)
- blue-gray-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- forest green-marbled vinyl (USA exclusive - limited to 250 copies)
- picture disc LP (limited to 500 copies worldwide)

* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available.

To view the vinyl master tape cutting, fans can watch a video by T. Ruotsalainen and A. Kippo below:

You can't talk about the true greats of folk-inspired melodic death metal without reverent mention of Ensiferum, and with Two Paths they once more affirm their place in the pantheons of the genre. Further building upon the thrilling metallic hybrid honed across six full-lengths, Two Paths is simultaneously the Finnish quintet's most epic and far-reaching collection and their most organic, which definitely sets it apart from the pack. Additionally, the album literally takes the concept of Two Paths to heart, with two different versions of standout tracks "Don't You Say" and "God Is Dead".

"Even though Ensiferum has always had clean vocals and choirs, harsh vocals have been the main style, and those songs worked so well with both styles that we decided to include both versions," explains bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka.

With Mikko P. Mustonen again handling orchestral arrangements and Lassi Logren returning to play nyckelharpa and violin on a few songs, Hinkka is also more than happy that they brought "more bombastic orchestral and down to earth folk aspects" to the record, further fleshing out their vision. This also applies to the contribution of Gyula Havancsak, who provided the artwork for both Two Paths and its predecessor, One Man Army.

"It was really nice to work with him again because he always wants to hear our ideas and then he adds his own magic and improvements to them, and the result is always astonishing."

Two Paths tracklisting:

“Ajattomasta Unesta”
“For Those About To Fight For Metal”
“Way Of The Warrior”
“Two Paths”
“King Of Storms”
“Feast With Valkyries”
“Don't You Say”
“I Will Never Kneel”
“God Is Dead”
“Hail To The Victor”
“Unettomaan Aikaan”
“God Is Dead” (Alternative Version)
“Don't You Say” (Alternative Version)

“Way Of The Warrior” video:

“For Those About To Fight For Metal”:

From September 26th onward, Ensiferum will present Two Paths live on stage, splitting their European tour into two parts. The first part will be in September with six dates in three countries, and then in April 2018 there will be an extended tour through many more European countries. In between that time, Ensiferum will visit all other continents. See below for all confirmed shows, with more to be announced soon.

Tour dates:

September
26 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
27 - Langen, Germany - Stadthalle
28 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Luxor Live
29 - Berlin, Germany - SO36
30 - Osnabruck, Germany - Hyde Park

October
1 - Paris, France - La Machine

Ensiferum lineup:

Petri Lindroos - Vocals/Guitar
Markus Toivonen - Guitar/Vocals
Sami Hinkka - Bass/Vocals
Janne Parviainen - Drums
Netta Skog - Digital Accordion/Backing vocals