Line #59 Music/Turisas


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/band_members_6248.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Olli Vänskä, Jaakko Jakku, Mathias Nygård, Robert Engstrand, Jussi Wickström, Jesper Anastasiadis]]
3	->''The heart of Turisas was forged by four winds
4	->In a smithy high up in the skies
5	->On an anvil honour, with a hammer of blood
6	->The Four Winds pounded''
7	-->-'''"Battle Metal"'''
8
9	Turisas is a battle/folk/viking metal band from Hämeenlinna, Finland, formed in 1997. Their name comes from Iku-Turso, an ancient god of war in the Finnish mythology. Their debut album ''Battle Metal'' pretty much named and kick-started an entire subgenre of HeavyMetal.
10
11	'''Members''':
12	* Mathias "Warlord" Nygård : vocals, percussion
13	* Jussi Wickström : guitar
14	* Jesper Anastasiadis : bass guitar
15	* Jaakko Jakku : drums
16	* Olli Vänskä : violin
17	* Robert Engstrand : keyboards
18
19	'''Former members''':
20	* Antti "Pormestari" Laurila: Accordion
21	* Riku Ylitalo: Keyboard, Accordion
22	* Mikko Törmikoski: Bass
23	* Janne "Lisko" Mäkinen: Accordion
24	* Tino Ahola: Bass
25	* Antti Ventola: Keyboard
26	* Wincef Boncamper: Accordion
27	* Ari Kärkkäinen: Guitar
28	* Georg Laakso: Guitar (1999 - 2005)
29	* Sami Aarnio: Bass
30	* Netta Skog: Back Vocals, Accordéon (2008 - 2011)
31	* Hannes "Hannu" Horma: Bass, Back Vocals (2004 - 2011)
32	* Tuomas "Tude" Lehtonen: Drums, Percussions (1997 - 2012)
33	* Jukka-Pekka Miettinen: Bass (2011 - 2012)
34
35	'''Discography''':
36	* ''The Heart of Turisas'' EP (2001)
37	* ''Battle Metal'' (2004)
38	* ''The Varangian Way'' (2007)
39	* ''Stand Up and Fight'' (2011)
40	* ''[=Turisas2013=]'' (2013)
41
42
43	!! This band provides examples of:
44	----
45	* AlliterativeName: Drummer Jaakko Jakku and former bassist Hannes Horma.
46	* AssholeVictim: The pirates in "Hunting Pirates" make a living off of killing and stealing from innocents, so no one really feels bad when they're killed by the protagonists.
47	* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: "Hunting Pirates" is about a crew of [[HiredGuns mercenaries]] that make their living by [[PayEvilUntoEvil plundering pirate ships]].
48	* BilingualBonus: Several of their songs contain Finnish, Swedish and Russian.
49	* BloodKnight : Being a Viking/folk/battle Metal band, lots of their songs (and their costumes) give off this vibe. When your lead singer is nicknamed 'Warlord,' it kinda comes with the territory.
50	* BreadAndCircuses : Venetoi - Prasinoi is ''all over this trope.'', being about a medieval Roman chariot race.
51	** "Ladies and gentlemen! The main event of tonight:/On chariots of fire!"
52	* TheCasanova: Rasputin, according to "Rasputin."
53	* ChildhoodFriends: Wickström and Nygård. They were probably young teenagers when they first met; Nygård's older brother was dating Wickström's older sister at the time. The band formed in 1997, when they would have been fourteen or fifteen, so it's reasonable to assume they met somewhere between 1995 and 1997.
54	* ConceptAlbum: ''The Varangian Way'' tells the story of a group of Scandinavians traveling the river routes of medieval Russia down to the Byzantine Empire. The story continues on "The March of the Varangian Guard", the opening track of ''Stand Up and Fight''.
55	* CoverVersion: They released a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkBs0VCSX0 metal cover]] of Music/BoneyM's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkG1J5SZ_kw "Rasputin"]] as a single.
56	* DrunkenSong: "One More".
57	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luv4sfhPMl1r65b6ao1_500.jpg Yes, that is Warlord]]. [[http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luv4sfhPMl1r65b6ao2_500.jpg Yes, he has a crew-cut (presumably from army service) and yes, his entire upper body is covered in black paint and yes he is wearing bell-bottom jeans]]. These were probably around 2001 or 2002, considering the length of Warlord's hair (it was roughly shoulder-length by the time 'Battle Metal' rolled around in 2004).
58	* EndOfAnAge: The song "End of an Empire" deals with the fall of the Byzantine Empire following the Battle of Manzikert, and the Fall of Constantinople, bringing an end not only to the Byzantines as a nation, but also closing the book on the Roman Empire before it for good. It also contains a rather bittersweet reminiscence on TheEmpire and its history, ultimately painting its fall as a sudden, but inevitable occurrence. It also mentions several other pivotal battles throughout history that spelt the beginning of the end for major powers, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo Stalingrad]], [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Waterloo]], [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution Bastille]], [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatNorthernWar Poltava]], and [[HornyVikings Stamford Bridge]] [[note]]Which, funnily enough, ties back into ''The Great Escape'', which details Harald Hardrada's escape from Constantinople. [[/note]]. The CentralTheme of the song is that even the greatest empires fall eventually, and few see it coming when it does.
59	* EpicRocking: The song "End of an Empire" is a more literal example of this, being a seven minute long song (longer than their standard fare) about, well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
60	* FaceYourFears: "Fear The Fear" tells us to do this instead of hiding our heads in the sand.
61	--> And you think you are bold, and you think you are brave
62	--> When push comes to shove, you know it's a feign
63	--> You're better off if you choose to abstain
64	--> Your fear is your true grave
65	* GratuitousLatin: ''Rex regi rebellis''. Doubles as ViewersAreGeniuses, since it refers to Z. Topelius's book ''Välskärin kertomuksia'' and its opening scene, the battle of Breitenfeld 1631.
66	* HornyVikings : They feature a few in their lyrics. For example, "The March of the Varangian Guard" is a song dedicated to the Varangian Guard, a group of Norse warriors that swore fealty to the Byzantine Emperor.
67	* HorribleHistoryMetal: Albeit done with a rather rousing and inspirational vibe.
68	* LargeHam: Red and black warpaint? Costumes that frequently feature leather, fur and armour? A lead singer who can switch from clean baritone vocals to gravelly roars at the drop of a hat? Yeah, they are known for being ''pretty theatrical''.
69	--> ''"Go now, and don't look back! Give my greeting to the Greek king!"''
70	* NewSoundAlbum: ''[=Turisas2013=]'', which toned down tremendously the pompous orchestrations and choirs that were so prominent part of their sound in previous albums, aiming for a more organic rock sound with a touch of punk. The band even described it as the antithesis of ''Stand Up and Fight''.
71	** Not to say they got rid of it altogether. There was still choirs, horns, timpanis and string sections aplenty, but it wasn't nearly as prominent as the previous album, which was practically straight-up symphonic metal.
72	* PayEvilUntoEvil: The protagonists of "Hunting Pirates", who are a mercenary band that make their living [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin hunting pirates]]. They take a [[BloodKnight rather sadistic pleasure]] in killing their targets and plundering their ships, but as they point out, their victims aren't really ones to judge.
73	-->Hoist the sails! Wipe them out now.
74	-->[[LeaveNoSurvivors Kill them all! Let them die.]]
75	-->[[AssholeVictim Scum they are! Foe of mankind.]]
76	-->Clear the sea! Show no ruth.
77	* RedOniBlueOni: Nygård (headstrong, outgoing, opinionated) is red, Wickström (quiet, rather antisocial, introspective) is blue.
78	* RevolvingDoorBand: Just look at the list of former members. None of their albums have been made with the same line-up.
79	** So far, the only musicians who have remained through the entire bands career are Mathias Nygård (Lead vocals), Jussi Wickström (Guitar) and Olli Vänskä (Violin).
80	* ShownTheirWork: Lyrics in ''The Varangian Way'' and ''Stand Up and Fight'' show aplenty of knowledge of the medieval Eastern Europe, viking trade routes and Byzantine Empire.
81	* WarIsGlorious : Almost all of their songs are about battle and fighting. Including, surprisingly enough, 'Battle Metal.'
82	* TheQuietOne: Jussi Wickström. Both of the band's drummers - Tude Lehtonen and Jaakko Jakku - also apply, to a certain degree.
83	* TitleTrack: "Battle Metal" and "Stand Up and Fight".
84	* UnscrupulousHero: The protagonists of "Hunting Pirates" are a ruthless, greedy, and sadistic band of mercenaries who seemingly take great joy in hunting down and killing pirates. Nonetheless, they seem to genuinely care about exacting justice and making the seas safer. Just as many of the lyrics are devoted to [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech condemning the pirates for their crimes]] as they are to showing [[BloodKnight how much fun they're having killing them]].
85	-->[[IDidWhatIHadToDo We have no choice]], it's you who are the bad guys.
86	-->[[RapePillageAndBurn You've taken it all]] [[{{Hypocrite}} and yet you still dare to fault.]]
87	-->[[NotSoDifferentRemark Who are you to judge and condemn us?]]
88	-->Underneath the paint your flag is still black.

Context Music / Turisas