Well Jari, you finally did it. Time – what an appropriate name considering fans have been waiting 12 years for Time II to be unleashed upon the world. Of course, it couldn’t be a simple CD/vinyl/digital release – our man Jari concocted an idea to launch an Indiegogo campaign featuring Time II (plus instrumentals, isolated tracks, singles, and dynamic) as well as a host of other music including old demos, Jari’s Fantasy Metal Project (the best part of the package), Time I 2.0 (remixed/remastered, plus instrumentals, isolated tracks, dynamic, and single versions), The Forest Seasons: Loud And Modern (plus instrumentals), and “special secret items.”

It was enough to convince it was worth the investment and the short answer is yes, it was worth it. This however, isn’t something simple to review when taking into consideration Jari’s shenanigans behind-the-scenes and the length of time it took to release 48 minutes of music. Alas, let’s take some...time and dive into The Time Package.

Time II

For all the talk of not having the proper production mechanisms to make the album sound like Jari wanted; it is astounding the amount of compression and lack of clarity Time II possesses. It sounds like a victim of the loudness wars that plagued the mid-‘00s. The guitars are prominent and up-front, dominating the soundscape. 

The Japanese influence is paramount in opening instrumental “Fields Of Snow” with symphonics setting the atmosphere and bits of melody stirring the air before acoustic guitars begins “The Way Of Fire”. It follows the mold of “Sons Of Winter And Stars” with epic twists and turns and triumphant attitude. The guitar work is phenomenal with not a note wasted. Jari is truly a talented musician and his playing is simply stunning and attention grabbing. “The Way Of Fire” does not completely capture the highs and magic of “Sons Of Winter And Stars”, but nonetheless it’s a monumental track.

“One With The Shadows” emulates “Land Of Snow And Sorrow” as a passionate and intricate track with colorful, descriptive lyrics, and melancholic, descending guitar riff that’s one of sadness and longing. It erupts into rapid drumming and growling vocals before a melodic chorus takes hold. This one is a grower and is better with multiple listens. 

2 minute instrumental “Ominous Clouds” is an airy guitar venture showcasing classic rock, bluesy scales – a different, and welcomed vibe that leads into the 12 minute “Storm” – a fast, rager through and through with neoclassical soloing, grand orchestration, and demanding tempos. 

The 13 minute closer “Silver Leaves” lives up to the hype with its majestic melodies and sentimental lyrics. It holds a major East Asian influence in the instrumental bits and the grand, melodic guitars carry this emotional track to glory. It’s one of the best Jari has written.

Listening to the Dynamic version makes a world of difference sound-wise. There is astounding clarity and depth. This is the proper way for Time II to be listened, however it’s locked behind a paywall that’s no longer available. The question is: why wasn’t this version the one used?

It's hard to score Time II without taking into consideration the amount of time took for its release and after multiple listens, there is no persuasive reason why this was held back for so long. The majority of Wintersun fans are enjoying it however, and that’s what matters most. The only way I can see Jari winning over the others who are objecting to his behavior (and justified in doing so) is going on tour and completely killing it.

Rating: 6.5

The Songs Of Jari Mäenpää I

This collection of demos is like pulling out a cassette player deep within the crypts of a castle. These 12 tracks clock in at over an hour and shows Jari messing around with black metal with also an abundance of instrumentals showcasing his guitar abilities with heavy riffs backed by hollow keys. The drumming is definitely programmed, but does not detract from the listening experience. 

“Music For The Immortals (Intro)” is a creepy vibe that flows into “Waltz Of The Vampires”. Jari’s vocals croak forth in a Norwegian black metal influence that’s done fairly well. The 11-minute “On The Day Of Darkness (And The Night Of Brightness)” is a stand out of raw, buzzing, symphonic black metal pulled from a ‘90s time capsule.

The rest of the of this set sees a Running Wild type instrumental with “Wild Rays”, his penchant of long intros with the drunkenly done “Alone In The Moonshine”, a fun, pirate gallop to “Crystal Of Magic”, an ‘80s metal attitude with warrior lyrics to “My Way”, a classical approach with ascending bombast to “Wedding Waltz For The Dead”, and a cool, short demo of future Wintersun standout “Sleeping Stars”.

Rating: 7.5

The Songs Of Jari Mäenpää II

This set of demos runs just under one hour and holds demos of two tracks found on the first Wintersun album as well as various forays into black metal and galloping folk metal.

There’s many interesting bits like the growling vocal version of “Death And The Healing” and key drenched “Beyond The Dark Sun”. 9 minute “The Silence Of The Night” is a strange collusion of ideas combining thrashing, swirling Swedish black metal, brief Asian instrumentation, and dungeon synth conclusion. “To The Mountains” is a warrior’s march instrumental reminding of Tyr, while “The Race” has a classic heavy metal vibe. 

Intriguing musical moments appear in the Ensiferum, black metal-ish “Where Is My Tomorrow”, but the vocals are left to be desired. Same can be said with the plodding “Morning Angel”, but the energy improves on the boisterous “Waiting For You” with blastbeating drums that can best be described as blackened power metal. Fascinating content.

Rating: 7.5

The Songs Of Jari Mäenpää III

Round three is the longest clocking over 80 minutes and is the strongest of the bunch.

“Powers Inside” is textbook galloping power metal while “The Last Day” shows anthemic, synthy experimentation with a fist-pumping chorus and it works. A rough demo of “Sadness And Hate” is all electric guitars with no acoustic breaks as Jari tries to nail down the vocal inflection of the tune. 

There’s nothing wildly long until track 8 with “The Curse” running over 11 minutes as a whirlwind of neo-classical, thrash, screaming vocals, searing keys and power metal and then the hypnotic wave of “Echoes Of Symphony” shreds in at over 16 minutes, a neo-classical, instrumental sprinting frenzy that would make Yngwie Malmsteen blush. 

One of the more well-produced efforts is “Red Horizon (The Pirate Song)”, a Running Wild anthem that could fit right into Black Hand Inn and closer is a heavy, melodic ballad with a similar vibe to “Death And The Healing”. The selection of songs could be seen as the best and worst of Jari, well-composed songs and ones that go off the rails because of unrestrained imagination and creativity.

Rating: 8.0

Jari Mäenpää's 4-track Madness

Madness is the apt description – an hour of Jari going at it on his guitar. All instrumental, no vocals.

The songs are rough recordings with some having this video gamey tone. Jari goes through the Olympics of guitar playing with pure shredding (the precisely titled “Shredding”, 7-minute scramble “Nameless”), a 3.5 minute exercise Kirk Hammett would approve of (“Stormy Waves (The Wah-TheWah Song)”), arena shredding with nods for audience callback (“‘Live’ Guitar Solo”), ‘80s Judas Priest rocking (opener “Motorcycle Song”), and the atmospheric turned power chorded riffing to “Ice Drink”.

It is chock full of creative ideas and shows Jari’s prowess on guitar. It can become exhausting to listen to, especially the shred-athons, but there’s enough here to keep the ax-heads coming back for more.

Rating: 7.0

Fantasy Metal Project by Jari Mäenpää

The cream of the crop. The Fantasy Metal Project is like a lost medieval-themed Ensiferum album. This is ten songs and 50 minutes of rousing folk/power metal. 

Think of this as a continuation of Iron, but instead of warriors and pagans, it’s with a feudal, wizards, Renaissance theme. The synth style keys reminds of those old ‘90s dungeon crawler PC games. The rousing courtyard waltz “Wild Are The Rivers And Seas” and opening intro “The Battle Rages On” are emblematic of this.

“The Dragon Song” is a melodic, dreamy masterpiece and “Hunters Of The Misty Forests” is an 8 minute instrumental gallop that is impressive as it is catchy. “Fountain Of Life” goes through 9 minutes of dancing keys, healthy gallops, and wild melodies telling the tales of a wounded knight that is another winner. 

Short instrumental “Riding Into War” reminds of Luca Turilli and early Rhapsody, while “Star Sky” is dreamy, dungeon-esque soundscapes that once again delivers in memorability. 

This project is magnificent, entrancing that doesn't becoming too grand and pretentious and is the best part of The Time Package.

Rating: 9.5

Special Secret Items

The “special secret items” are an assortment of covers and Jari gets credit for his choices.

The eye-opener is his take on the Bruce Dickinson classic “Tears Of The Dragon”. This is the one time Jari puts his guitar down and instead relies on the piano as his backing instrument with accents of synth that appear in the second verse. He vaults into an a-Capella version of the chorus as the “solo” before wrapping it up behind muscled vocals and pulsating piano chords. Quite the take.

The “Legendary Early Covers” as they are dubbed features an even faster version of the Dio-era Black Sabbath Dehumanizer tune “TV Crimes”, growling vocals for the Manowar racer “Each Dawn I Die”, and a fun rendition of the The Shadows’ “Apache”. 

Last item is an 8-bit, video game version of “Fields Of Snow” – a neat novelty item. 

Rating: 8.0

Other Notes / Conclusion

The Loud & Modern version of The Forest Seasons is exactly as it says. Beefed up guitars and louder chords to enhance the listening experience. “The Forest That Weeps (Summer)” and “Eternal Darkness (Fall)” stick out the most with the new production.

Time I 2.0 – Remixed And Remastered is a new, but familiar experience. Some of the sonics and instrumental pieces jump out without derailing the drums and guitars. This is one of the rare times where a remastering and remix outshines the original release. It’s like a clear snowflake where all the crystals and shape can easily be measured. 

Jari is a controversial guy, but crazily talented which makes his deeds confusing and frustrating. His collage of demos and Fantasy Metal Project are fascinating listens and are more intriguing than Time II itself. It is also representation that keeping it simple often leads to better results rather than constant overthinking to lengthen songs or make every little aspect “perfect.” 

Now – the challenge is to hit the road and show Wintersun is still a viable live act. Do it!