The Varangian Way (Century Media)

Unlike Victorian children, who were to be seen but not heard, Turisas is better heard than seen–that is, if you want to take the music seriously. As if sporting bearskins, loincloths, and face paint in concert weren't goofy enough, the Finnish folk-metal band also performs demented, accordion-laden covers of Slayer's "Raining Blood" and Boney M's "Rasputin", the latter due for release as a single in September. However, the eight melody-rich originals on this sextet's sophomore album blaze with an intensity that should attract Finntroll and Rhapsody fans.

Turisas hails from Hämeenlinna, best known for classical composer Jean Sibelius and its medieval red-brick castle; fittingly, Nordic-flavoured dramatics abound here. The Varangian Way celebrates medieval Vikings who followed Eastern European rivers to seek treasure in Kiev and Constantinople. "To Holmgard and Beyond" sets the tone with synth fanfares and epic choruses that evoke the Red Army Choir reinterpreting the Gladiator soundtrack. Frontman Warlord Nygård subsequently personalizes his characters beyond stock-metal warriors with lines like "Turo had eaten too much again/Now hanging himself overboard/The Tostensson twins were excited as always/Adventure was their game." From Nygård's death roars on "Cursed Be Iron" to the reflective piano on "Five Hundred and One", this album's overall diversity outstrips that of 2004's Battle Metal .