2:43 pick up drink, try to drink 2:45 Jari and Teemu attack, smile prevents drinking 2:47 "I'll drink this in a bit, lemme listen", guitar stank face ensues 3:06 stank face continues 3:30 puts drink back down without drinking... Yep, that's the Wintersun effect alright.
The singer, Jari Mäenpää said in an interview, that after he had composed and played everything else in the song, he then send it to Kai for him to plan and play the drums. He thought he wasn`t good enough drummer to do them himself. Humble genius. Thank you for the interesting analysis of this epic song. Best I`ve seen.
Next: *"TIME"* . It actually has a piano in the end plus a very tasty little guitar solo. :) Or, since you're a classical composer *"Winter Madness"* . That one has a crazy neo-classical guitar solo.
one thing I noticed from every wintersun song, is that there are so many musical transitions in them, the songs becomes it, a series of infinite transitions, masterfully composed and played, so every song feels like 100 songs mashed into 1.
the "mastermind" is Jari (the singer , guitarist) who left Ensiferum to start his own band Wintersun. He is really nitpicky about his music which results him releasing new stuff ever 5 years or more. You might have good time reacting/analyzing to older Ensiferum records too (first and second). They are more of a folkish side but nevertheless really great piece of music.
IMO, this is one of the most difficult regularly reacted to songs coming in blind and you absolutely crushed it. It is amazing to me the details that you find on your first listen. This song blew my mind the first listen and I missed a ton at first. There is so much going on, as you noted, that it's so enjoyable to return to so I've seen quite a lot of reactions and this one might just be my favorite so thank you for taking your time on this epic monster of a track. Since you asked for feedback, I would be perfectly ok if you just listened to the music if it helps you with your analysis but there are probably a ton of others who want the visuals. One trick I have seen other reactors do is to admit they are kind of ignoring the video to focus on analysis of the music. This way the viewer can see the visuals but it isn't so distracting to the reactor. Anyways, I loved that you covered this song and I learned even more about it and I'm already looking forward to the next song, whatever it may be. Thanks John!
I would agree. Considering all of the other songs I've "reacted" to so far, I would put this one way up there in terms of being one of the hardest to dissect on a first time listen. Gave it my best. Thanks dude.
Great reaction. One of the longest i have ever seen. Kai, the drummer is the drummer for Nightwish. Jukka, the bass player is the guest bass player for Nightwish for the upcoming live concerts. Hope they keep him. Great song. Certainly complex. Heard it a lot of times. Still hear different things. Thank you for this reaction.
Thank you! I've seen a few dozen "reactions" to this song and yours is by far the best! Really good stuff. That Tim Burton feel of the vocal harmonizing section has come to my mind also 😂 Please do 'Time' from this same rehearsal session, thanks.
Thanks for this, quality content! 😍 The mastermind Jari Mäenpää (the guy on vocals) classifies as a half mad genius in my books, with his talent, zero-compromise attitude and ambition. You'll stumble on a lot of varied opinions about his modus operandi if you google him. Personally, I find it admirable that he doesn't put music out there unless it sounds excaxtly what he wants it to sound like. Oh yes and the drumming machine Kai Hahto's machinery is currently residing in the Nightwish camp (since 2014) and they even snatched this here bassist Jukka Koskinen as session bassist for the tour of their latest album Human:II:Nature. Great pick, great bassist.
This was a long reaction and I loved every minute of it. I really saw how you enjoyed this piece of music. I think that this song fitted well into your analytical profile, how you digest songs. Jari's complex composition and your analytical mind matched in this one. Now I'm waiting your reaction to rest of the songs from "Sonic Pump -session.
This was more than "mildly interesting", it was highly educational and entertaining. Thank you so much for investing your time to share your knowledge. Your comment about reactors is so true, there's only a handful - that I know of - who really explain things. The video is quite long, yes, but the time just flew by :-)
I will try to be brief, mate. You keep your reactions as long as you like them. I loved every second of it! On the other hand it is not fair to chuck at you this masterpiece and to expect a reaction that will cover everything. You need at least five good listens. And yet you pulled it off. When you wrote the other day that you got obliterated, I knew exactly how you felt. Wintersun are an awesome band, so complex and yet so fun to listen to. Loved the reaction. Saw it twice today. I told you, they are metal gods! Cheerz, mate!
I think you should continue this Wintersun journey with "Time". This song is the first to the album (following the instrumental intro), and Time is a title and the closing song of the album. P.S. I'm really really surprised you know about Mechanical Poet. They're not very well-known even here in Russia...I'm waiting for the album since their last release in 2008, but guess it will never happen due to Lexx's health issues, though he tried to revive the band. It's also nice that he put all his music to his official RUclips channel for free, here's a link: m.ruclips.net/user/LexoLanternfeatured
Nice one! Yes, I haven't listened to them properly for a very long time. But I loved their Woodland Prattlers album way back in the day. I've only spoken to one other person who knew who they were before. So as you say, they must be not very well known. Thanks for the info and request too!
@@JWSoundworks2 I love that album and also their first EP "Handmade essence". Later he changed the style to more simple, to attract more audience and be able to play that music live. I like that albums too, especially "Eidoline", but they are really way different than the first ones, more simple and more heavy. Also their singer from "Woodland Prattlers", Max Samosvat, was a lead singer of Russian power metal band Эпидемия (Epidemic) until 2010, which is mostly known for their Metal operas " Elven Manuscript". Here's a couple of links if You want to check them out m.ruclips.net/video/sWHvKCr5CoE/видео.html m.ruclips.net/video/DkHuYr66Ba0/видео.html And the next one is my favorite, but it's with new singer: m.ruclips.net/video/h6IHBX0Db9Q/видео.html
Kai Hahto demonstrated his playing of this track to fellow drummers at Extreme Drummers Universe 2014, and did a separate video talk about 4 sections and how he approached mastering them. Fascinating insights pulled out of the mix.
Thank you for this thorough and thoughtful reaction (or should I say dissection?), by far the best I have seen. To give you an idea: Just yesterday I saw a reactor listening to this song for 14 minutes straight without a single break and in the end he literally said the band is decent but the song is too long and too complex to be a good song. I had the advantage that I have heard the song several times before, but you still pointed out stuff that I have never realized, so I definitely learned a thing or two (I am currently listening to Mechanical Poet while writing this). I understand that this type of music is not for everybody (even I just recently got into heavier music like this) but it still puzzles me how the original video "only" has 1.5 million views since the musicianship is "superb" and the composition is "elite" (using your words here).
Thank you very much. Sometimes I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place with doing these videos. Some people love the fact that I dissect the songs and others hate it. Those that don't enjoy it see a "reaction" as someone who does what you stated - they watch a video right through and then give a brief opinion at the end. That would be a gift. And make my life a lot easier. But I don't see the point in that. Literally anyone can do that. I appreciate that the people enjoying these videos particularly like whatever insight I can offer as a musician. I feel if I lose the "reaction" title in my videos then they will be seen by a lot less people as that is the buzzword for these kind of videos. So I feel like I'm always rolling the dice before I publish. Would love to label them as a breakdown / dissection without losing the reaction crowd that are happy to get more than their toes wet. P. S Mechanical Poet - "Bogey In A Coal Hole" is my favourite song of theirs :)
Excellent analysis. I have grown tired of the reaction scene with the exception of a handful of people who actually offer some value to their reaction instead of the typical "ohh Ahh" ... I will defiantly add you to the list of few people who are awesome!
One of my favourite Bands, an your "reaction" does Wintersun justice! Simply because you know what you're talking about. I am following you since your first Ayreon reaction. And yes the Mastermind Jari......
“ Hard on you”…. Dude! Your amazing, breeakdowns: timing : referencing. Perfect take on a great bunch of Musicians. You break it down on levels everyone can understand, and for this I admire n respect you. Rock on 🤘.
Just 10 minutes in your reaction but (perhaps premature but nevertheless) ..... I hope you recognize the man behind the drums ... Kai Hahto (also the drummer of Nightwish). And about the vocalist, Mäenpää served in the Finnish military as part of his national defense duty, during which he contracted tuberculosis. The diagnosis was late, and Mäenpää required surgery to remove part of his lung, hospitalizing him for months.
Nice reaction Man. This band is so talented it`s crazy. React to "Time" from the same rehearsal. That song is perfection in my opinion but who am i ;) Keep up the good work. Greetings from Sweden
Awesome reaction and breakdown As some already pointed out Jari is the mastermind But I would ad the drummer, kai hahto as well Jari sends him the music and he creates the drum parts And you are right. He is a machine. A very humble one. There are a lot of videos of him talking drumming and videos were he shows some warmup routines. He also plays jazz. And, yes, those videos are out there to
Your reactions are very niche, and I say this as nothing but a compliment - I've watched a fair few of your videos as we appear to share similar tastes, I don't generally do "reaction" videos per se but do enjoy channels that truly get personal with the music in one (or many, in your case) way or another because I think it's interesting to see someone who really does love music get involved with something new. You showcase that through and through and it's quite apparent that you are very intelligent (musically and otherwise I'm sure), I wish you the very best and I will continue to be a regular on the channel. Your own music (which I have purchased) is very impressive too, by the way.
Brilliantpick up for your first time listen. I was learning new stuff from this song after 20 listens. A great band with epic songs and amazing composition.
OH JOY. The Wintersun journey has begun. I have been interested in whether we would go there. Hard to skip over Wintersun on a reaction channel I suppose. Well done John. Always appreciate the analysis. Doubt that we will get much new Wintersun for a while considering both Kai Hahto and Jukka Koskinen have joined Nightwish on their world tour.
@@JWSoundworks2 Always a pleasure to converse with you as well. Thank you. I dropped in the reference to Nightwish as a subtle reminder. Their back catalog is calling out like a siren from the deep recesses of Tuomas Holopainen's busy mind.
Excellent video! There are a few people put off by the frequent pauses but I will echo what most people are saying, most of us watching this video are fans of the song and want to geek out over it, so you pausing frequently to dissect what is going on is perfect. I like that you listen to a section and then go back to dive deep. I have watched a few of these videos for this song and yours is the most in depth, but everyone notices different things. I thought it was interesting you mentioned not watching the video because it directs your attention to specific aspects which can distract from the background layers or from the whole piece. That being said, I see a lot of people recommending the some Time from the same album. I ask that you listen to the album as a whole. I'm not asking for an analysis video of the whole thing (that would be probably 3-4 hours long 😅) , just that you listen to it yourself. There is a four minute instrumental intro building up to Sons of Winter and Stars, and the ending of Sons leads into Land of Snow and Sorrow, with another instrumental before Time. The album should be listened to as a whole, in my opinion, to really appreciate Jari's work composing it. None of the videos analyzing this song include the four minute intro because they all go with the video you use, which is a good mastered live recording, but I feel like the whole album is on piece with the songs being movements. I'm listening to Mechanical Poet now and will be checking out The Rupal Face as well. 🤘🤘
This'll probably be the musical highlight of my weekend. Will edit after the hour is up. :) Edit: So, as expected, hard not to be really caught off guard with Wintersun. I only found out about them from Kai stepping in to tour with Nightwish in 2015 and had a listen and was similarly gobsmacked. Lots of the comments below are excellent here in terms of some backstory etc. For me, Jari is in a tier with Arjen and Tuomas for composing and complexity, etc. If I might make a request, it'll be Kamelot. Their singer, Tommy Karevik, was in the Aryeon masterpiece (as is everything Arjen has done) you reacted to. The specific song would be Sacrimony (Official Live Video) but there are many. Also, if you go back to the previous singer prior to 2012, Roy Khan, almost anything is great but The Haunting Live - featuring Simone Simons of Epica (who is married to Kamelot's keyboardist, Oliver Palotai). Their music is a bit more straightforward power metal but I love all of it across the spectrum. Cheers John. Keep up the great work.
I always thought that it's not a song for a common metal show, it's actually a song and a band to behold in a great theater and give a standing ovation after so. ♥
So happy you got around to these guys! This was the first song i heard from them, and it was too much to take in, so i didnt listen to anything from them or a while. But then later i listened to this a few more times, and i absolutely love this music now. 🙂 I also find music videos distract from the music. Have a nice weekend!
Love hearing you break these down. I don't think I ever would have heard that timpani on my own, but it comes through pretty clearly after you mentioned it. One of the best reactor on the tube. Class!
Thanks again, this was interesting! I think you really get more out of Wintersun when you listen to it from a classical perspective. Yes, they are all super talented musicians, but what really sets them apart from other bands are the intricate compositions. This song for example. It has different movements and themes that are developed throughout the song... I feel like Jari should write us program notes or something. :]
It never ceases to amaze me how Kai's snare displacements make this song's rhythm interesting from beginning to end. Great insights from the reaction, rock on!
As many followers have already suggested, song "Time" from the same session is a natural way to go, John. It's slower, but very ambiental, folky, hard...and another epic masterpiece. Please so treat us with another Wintersun reaction. Cheerz, pal.
Kai (=drum player/jazz drummer/drum mechanic/drum teacher) is mastermind behind everything that has something to do with drums (currently one of the most talented drum players in the world) and Jari is behind everything else. Jari is lead singer, guitarist, composer ect ect ect and apparently he is a little bit perfectionist and probably uses every minute in his life for creating a music, so he literally lives music. His old band was Ensiferum (=Folk Metal band, so thats why we have Viking vibes here), but Wintersun has strong Black Metal base so it's mostly black metal and then many other genres as addition. Wintersun - The Forest Seasons album is pure Black Metal (much less any other genres and it's more evil and dark music overall than this Time album here). Kai is now playing drums in Night Wish and bass player from this band was lately also taken to Night Wish. Kai used to paly drums in grindcore band Rotten Sound ruclips.net/video/SHoY51VCluI/видео.html. There is also drummer aspect video of this very same song Wintersun - Sons Of Winter And Stars - Drummer aspect ruclips.net/video/08_PduSKNWU/видео.html.
Class!! 10mins in, but I'll have to come back and watch your entire breakdown. Looking forward to it, what an amazing piece from ana amazing band! Really looking forward to see how you receive the rest of it!
Here I come 1 year later.. Yup. The Drummer, Kai Hahto is a machine. In one of your Nightwish reactions you called Jukka (the former NW drummer) a human metronome. Well. Jukka's good friend and mentor Kai IS the human metronome. NW is lucky to have snatched him 🙂 Wintersun? Absolutlely brilliant. Pure effing Metal. I love it! And I totally agree in your point in removing the visuals to catch more of the layers in the music. I do that all the time.
Great reaction and attempt to break it down. Enjoyed your 'struggle'. x) This is such an amazing band. It is immensely complex, but I guess that's the reason Jari only writes an album every 10 years or so. :P
You are up there with The Charismatic Voice and The Fairy Voice Mother in my opinion, proper analysis from the perspective of musical knowledge, different approach but equally excellent. Keep doing things how you do them.
I recommend the song Time as a next Wintersun reaction, they also did in this live studio setting. Just finished the video, I really enjoyed to see you trying to break this down. Luckily I saw them live twice and they were flawless
If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend checking out Ne Obliviscaris if you haven't already. Any song is awesome, but the live performance of "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope" should be your starting point.
Have you ever heard Galneryus? As you mentioned Power Metal my mind instantly jumped to their music, since i would call (at least some of it) neo classical Power metal. As a start i would suggest the live version of Angel of Salvation (since the music video version is shortened). The song is based on a violin concerto by Tschaikowsky and it's an insane piece of musicianship.
one of the best reactions and analysis i've seen for wintersun's music. hoping to see you cover their upcoming album, Time II, which will be out in 3 days from now, which most fans have been waiting for since 2006, i myself have been waiting since 2012 when Time I came out, so in my impatience i've been checking out people's reactions to their music, you just helped me kill 50 minutes of my time cause august 30th just doesn't seem to wanna come any faster lol
Yes, Kai Hahto, the drummer is a machine and a drum teacher. He replaced Jukka as drummer for Nightwish in 2013 probably for a rest !! The bassist, Jukka, has recently also joined Nightwish as stand in bassist but not singing with them yet.
Thanks for this great analysis! I love Wintersun and I’m a weird time signature nerd, so I really appreciated your comments! 🤓 “Time” and “Loneliness” next for them are good suggestions - but really, all of their stuff is good. New subscriber here! ❤️
This is an excellent analysis of the song for a first listen, really enjoyed it! If you've not heard Ne Obliviscaris, they're a band you might really like. Very classical influence in the composition style. Check out "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope" live in Colorade 2016. I'd enjoy seeing your thoughts on that!
Just catching up on your channel. Loving your de-compositions and showing how the music is put together. Brings back memories of my mother, who, as she said, was a good listener, and every artist needed a good listener. After retiring she studied music and art at Uni and she said it detracted something from the simple listening in the fact that she was now analysing the music and how the piece was constructed but it added so much more to her enjoyment in knowing the how and why it "worked", so please don't stop pausing, analysing, and reconstructing.
27:17 if you wanna hear just exactly how much Teemu is holding back at that point, you should listen to Winter Madness and watch him play the bloody solo in that song, that dude is blessed by the guitar gods...
Wintersun is truly an epic underrated band. I heard this track had so many tracks going on at the same time that computers weren't able to handle at the moment of the composition so the album got delayed several years...now we are still waiting for Time II, the sequel to Time I the album that has this track. It seems that it will be the longest wait ever but certainly worth it if it's this quality. Great dissection, your knowledge is always impressive
28:45 I've watched hundreds of Wintersun reaction videos (and gathered them all in a playlist including yours too) and virtually all focus on the musical aspects of the videos and not so much the other stuff. A common thing though is that the reactors notice Kai Hahto and being surprised and/or amazed by him. Almost like he's the main star of the videos, which is curious to me, though he definitely deserves all the praise.
The things you pick up on are such a joy. I heard this song many many times. Still you point out stuff that I hadn't really noticed. I would love to hear your point of view on Permian: The Great Dying by The Ocean. A hugely underrated band. They kind of specialize in taking one idea and modulating it in the song, building and building, bringing it back and exploding.
Man -your words on the tightness and something around it; its just what I love on the swedish band Miseration where in the first albums the guitarist also plays the drums. These instruments are so locked 💪🏻 - please check something from the The Mirroring Shadows album. A great journey! AND I greatly love Wintersun aswell
If you like black metal, you will definitely love Eternal Darkness (Autumn) by Wintersun. I listen quite a lot of black metal and I've yet to find one song that tops that one. Actually it's my all time favorite song. Jari is familiar with black metal and I although Wintersun isn't a BM band, I guess he wanted to make one BM song that's really supremely epic and badass menacing, he really succeeded with that.
2:42 wanting to take a sip and is stoppend before the cup reaches your mouth and then totally forget it :-) . Nice you finally got to my favoutite band that me and alot of others recommended. We were right ...its worth it isnt it?
See it as a compliment that people request your reaction to more complicated symphonic metal tracks. You know what you're talking about and people like to hear your insight. No use asking you about simple radio songs imo. And when it comes to Wintersun, it's good to be challenged sometimes. And even better to be blown away.
Jari (guitar, vocals) is the mastermind. He writes and records and programs everything. On the album The Forest Seasons the other members only provided vocals
Whoa that's a long one. We are in lockdown level 4 in New Zealand so I have time haha. Also noticed the coffee didn't quite make it to the lips when the blast beat started. Not for reaction, but more you own enjoyment - here is a drum playthrough: ruclips.net/video/tbb8m3wNXbs/видео.html Your not wrong on him being a machine haha.
The guitarists in Wintersun are all beasts, but they really kept it tame on the solo front in the Time album. You should check out the self titled Wintersun album for face melting solos by Jari.
Totally! Crazy arpeggios in the solo section to Death and the Healing. Everything Jari has done with Wintersun has been worth the wait. Still hoping Time pt. II comes out in our lifetime though lol
Awesome reaction! Keep on reacting exactly like you do. No matter if each video is one hour long. Many said it already, but Time is worth another reaction from Wintersun eventually. Please also react to Amorphis (for example Bee). And more Nightwish
Kai Hahto used to play in a grind band Rotten Sound before Nightwish. He also played in a latest Darkwoods My Betrothed album that came out a while back. I believe he's still teaching playing drums and drumming ergonomics.
I love metal but am not really a harsh vocals guy, but my first listen of this song I was initially hooked. Time is an amazing song from the same studio live recording.
My first thought when seeing the length of this video was: "oh hell no if I'm watching this all the way trough without skipping" (which is a bit ironic considering the length of the song) after an hour I'm happily giving it my like. Ps. this was also probably the first time I didn't skip the intro guitar diddling on channel
This Drummer is the current Nightwish Drummer Kai Hahto (he replaced Jukka Nevalainenon 2014).The Black Haired guitarist with Green/Black Tiger painted Guitar on the Wintersun video is the current MEGADETH Lead Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who replaced Kiko Loureiro in Megadeth on last September and is now established as the Lead Guitarist.. AND the Bassist in the video is the current Nightwish Bassist Jukka Koskinen, whom Kai Hahto lured to join Nightwish 2021 when Longest time Bassist Marko Hietala (the tall guy with blonde long hair and double pig tales beard, seen in this video also) quit from the Nightwish - Finland Metal scene is quite close and people change from band to another very quickly :)
Kay the metronoom drummer, the best technical drummer of the world I think. Now member of Nightwish He has some mind-blowing warming up videos, he shows his eppic drum skills
Wow, such an elite analysis to an elite piece of music! Please react to their masterpieces "Time" (from this same live rehearsal at the Sonic Pump Studios) and "Loneliness" (Winter)" (official lyric video). They are even better than this song imho. Enjoy!
🎵🎸Moody, atmospheric, instrumental, one-man-band prog? Right this way 👇
ruclips.net/video/1nWe3g_7pqA/видео.html
2:43 pick up drink, try to drink
2:45 Jari and Teemu attack, smile prevents drinking
2:47 "I'll drink this in a bit, lemme listen", guitar stank face ensues
3:06 stank face continues
3:30 puts drink back down without drinking...
Yep, that's the Wintersun effect alright.
😂😂😂
HhHahaahaaa I noticed exactly the same thing m8 !!! 😄😄
Totally hahaha 🤘🤘
and commenting every 5 sec....... jizzzzzussss
Hahaha
The singer, Jari Mäenpää said in an interview, that after he had composed and played everything else in the song, he then send it to Kai for him to plan and play the drums.
He thought he wasn`t good enough drummer to do them himself. Humble genius. Thank you for the interesting analysis of this epic song. Best I`ve seen.
Next: *"TIME"* . It actually has a piano in the end plus a very tasty little guitar solo. :)
Or, since you're a classical composer *"Winter Madness"* . That one has a crazy neo-classical guitar solo.
Time! (from the same session)
one thing I noticed from every wintersun song, is that there are so many musical transitions in them, the songs becomes it, a series of infinite transitions, masterfully composed and played, so every song feels like 100 songs mashed into 1.
the "mastermind" is Jari (the singer , guitarist) who left Ensiferum to start his own band Wintersun. He is really nitpicky about his music which results him releasing new stuff ever 5 years or more. You might have good time reacting/analyzing to older Ensiferum records too (first and second). They are more of a folkish side but nevertheless really great piece of music.
Tale of Revenge, Into Battle, Treacherous Gods...
Token of time!
lost in despair
Time II coming soon (tm).
That was a class reaction
(PS. this was a joke based on what you said about reactors in the video ;)
@@Sumaleth I thought so! :) I like it ! haha
Kae’s performance is more emphasized by him blinking sweat out of his eyes, almost the entire performance.
IMO, this is one of the most difficult regularly reacted to songs coming in blind and you absolutely crushed it. It is amazing to me the details that you find on your first listen. This song blew my mind the first listen and I missed a ton at first. There is so much going on, as you noted, that it's so enjoyable to return to so I've seen quite a lot of reactions and this one might just be my favorite so thank you for taking your time on this epic monster of a track. Since you asked for feedback, I would be perfectly ok if you just listened to the music if it helps you with your analysis but there are probably a ton of others who want the visuals. One trick I have seen other reactors do is to admit they are kind of ignoring the video to focus on analysis of the music. This way the viewer can see the visuals but it isn't so distracting to the reactor. Anyways, I loved that you covered this song and I learned even more about it and I'm already looking forward to the next song, whatever it may be. Thanks John!
I would agree. Considering all of the other songs I've "reacted" to so far, I would put this one way up there in terms of being one of the hardest to dissect on a first time listen. Gave it my best. Thanks dude.
@@JWSoundworks2 The effort you put in is deeply appreciated. Listening to Mechanical Poets right now and loving it. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@chilly2go I'm also listening to their album Woodland Prattlers right now 😅
@@tanjajko7220 That's the album I listened to. It scratches that symphonic metal itch I often get. Good stuff!
Great reaction. One of the longest i have ever seen. Kai, the drummer is the drummer for Nightwish. Jukka, the bass player is the guest bass player for Nightwish for the upcoming live concerts. Hope they keep him. Great song. Certainly complex. Heard it a lot of times. Still hear different things. Thank you for this reaction.
Thank you very much, John. It was a long one - but nice to properly sink your teeth into an epic composition every once in a while! :)
This guy just makes an hour go so fast and you feel constantly entertained. Great stuff.
Thank you! I've seen a few dozen "reactions" to this song and yours is by far the best! Really good stuff. That Tim Burton feel of the vocal harmonizing section has come to my mind also 😂 Please do 'Time' from this same rehearsal session, thanks.
That's amazing ! Thank you so much :)
Thanks for this, quality content! 😍
The mastermind Jari Mäenpää (the guy on vocals) classifies as a half mad genius in my books, with his talent, zero-compromise attitude and ambition. You'll stumble on a lot of varied opinions about his modus operandi if you google him. Personally, I find it admirable that he doesn't put music out there unless it sounds excaxtly what he wants it to sound like.
Oh yes and the drumming machine Kai Hahto's machinery is currently residing in the Nightwish camp (since 2014) and they even snatched this here bassist Jukka Koskinen as session bassist for the tour of their latest album Human:II:Nature. Great pick, great bassist.
Thank for the info there! Glad you enjoyed! :)
Jukka Koskinen has been since received official member status in Nightwish.
Definitely more Wintersun!!!!!
This was a long reaction and I loved every minute of it. I really saw how you enjoyed this piece of music. I think that this song fitted well into your analytical profile, how you digest songs. Jari's complex composition and your analytical mind matched in this one.
Now I'm waiting your reaction to rest of the songs from "Sonic Pump -session.
Thank you very much, man! I appreciate the kind words. Glad that you enjoyed it! :)
This was more than "mildly interesting", it was highly educational and entertaining. Thank you so much for investing your time to share your knowledge.
Your comment about reactors is so true, there's only a handful - that I know of - who really explain things. The video is quite long, yes, but the time just flew by :-)
Such lovely comments, Tina. Thank you very much 😊🤘
I will try to be brief, mate. You keep your reactions as long as you like them. I loved every second of it! On the other hand it is not fair to chuck at you this masterpiece and to expect a reaction that will cover everything. You need at least five good listens. And yet you pulled it off. When you wrote the other day that you got obliterated, I knew exactly how you felt. Wintersun are an awesome band, so complex and yet so fun to listen to. Loved the reaction. Saw it twice today. I told you, they are metal gods! Cheerz, mate!
I think you should continue this Wintersun journey with "Time". This song is the first to the album (following the instrumental intro), and Time is a title and the closing song of the album.
P.S. I'm really really surprised you know about Mechanical Poet. They're not very well-known even here in Russia...I'm waiting for the album since their last release in 2008, but guess it will never happen due to Lexx's health issues, though he tried to revive the band.
It's also nice that he put all his music to his official RUclips channel for free, here's a link: m.ruclips.net/user/LexoLanternfeatured
Nice one! Yes, I haven't listened to them properly for a very long time. But I loved their Woodland Prattlers album way back in the day. I've only spoken to one other person who knew who they were before. So as you say, they must be not very well known. Thanks for the info and request too!
@@JWSoundworks2 I love that album and also their first EP "Handmade essence". Later he changed the style to more simple, to attract more audience and be able to play that music live. I like that albums too, especially "Eidoline", but they are really way different than the first ones, more simple and more heavy.
Also their singer from "Woodland Prattlers", Max Samosvat, was a lead singer of Russian power metal band Эпидемия (Epidemic) until 2010, which is mostly known for their Metal operas " Elven Manuscript". Here's a couple of links if You want to check them out
m.ruclips.net/video/sWHvKCr5CoE/видео.html
m.ruclips.net/video/DkHuYr66Ba0/видео.html
And the next one is my favorite, but it's with new singer:
m.ruclips.net/video/h6IHBX0Db9Q/видео.html
Kai Hahto demonstrated his playing of this track to fellow drummers at Extreme Drummers Universe 2014, and did a separate video talk about 4 sections and how he approached mastering them. Fascinating insights pulled out of the mix.
Thank you for this thorough and thoughtful reaction (or should I say dissection?), by far the best I have seen. To give you an idea: Just yesterday I saw a reactor listening to this song for 14 minutes straight without a single break and in the end he literally said the band is decent but the song is too long and too complex to be a good song.
I had the advantage that I have heard the song several times before, but you still pointed out stuff that I have never realized, so I definitely learned a thing or two (I am currently listening to Mechanical Poet while writing this).
I understand that this type of music is not for everybody (even I just recently got into heavier music like this) but it still puzzles me how the original video "only" has 1.5 million views since the musicianship is "superb" and the composition is "elite" (using your words here).
Thank you very much. Sometimes I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place with doing these videos. Some people love the fact that I dissect the songs and others hate it. Those that don't enjoy it see a "reaction" as someone who does what you stated - they watch a video right through and then give a brief opinion at the end. That would be a gift. And make my life a lot easier. But I don't see the point in that. Literally anyone can do that. I appreciate that the people enjoying these videos particularly like whatever insight I can offer as a musician. I feel if I lose the "reaction" title in my videos then they will be seen by a lot less people as that is the buzzword for these kind of videos. So I feel like I'm always rolling the dice before I publish. Would love to label them as a breakdown / dissection without losing the reaction crowd that are happy to get more than their toes wet.
P. S
Mechanical Poet - "Bogey In A Coal Hole" is my favourite song of theirs :)
Excellent analysis. I have grown tired of the reaction scene with the exception of a handful of people who actually offer some value to their reaction instead of the typical "ohh Ahh" ... I will defiantly add you to the list of few people who are awesome!
Much appreciated dude, thank you! :)
One of my favourite Bands, an your "reaction" does Wintersun justice! Simply because you know what you're talking about. I am following you since your first Ayreon reaction.
And yes the Mastermind Jari......
“ Hard on you”…. Dude! Your amazing, breeakdowns: timing : referencing. Perfect take on a great bunch of Musicians. You break it down on levels everyone can understand, and for this I admire n respect you. Rock on 🤘.
Thanks for that, dude! :)
Just 10 minutes in your reaction but (perhaps premature but nevertheless) ..... I hope you recognize the man behind the drums ... Kai Hahto (also the drummer of Nightwish).
And about the vocalist, Mäenpää served in the Finnish military as part of his national defense duty, during which he contracted tuberculosis. The diagnosis was late, and Mäenpää required surgery to remove part of his lung, hospitalizing him for months.
As a casual listener, your description of 6/8 vs 3/4 was really helpful - thanks!
Awesome reaction again, thank you!
Nice reaction Man. This band is so talented it`s crazy. React to "Time" from the same rehearsal. That song is perfection in my opinion but who am i ;) Keep up the good work. Greetings from Sweden
That was hella interesting, thank you! I'd really love to hear your take on "Time" from the same rehearsal session. 👀
"My dreams wither in fragments of time" is one of the most poetic lines I've heard in any metal song...
that and almost anything from the Pain Remains album by Lorna Shore haha
Xcellent! 👌
Time II D-57 😎
Awesome reaction and breakdown
As some already pointed out Jari is the mastermind
But I would ad the drummer, kai hahto as well
Jari sends him the music and he creates the drum parts
And you are right. He is a machine. A very humble one. There are a lot of videos of him talking drumming and videos were he shows some warmup routines.
He also plays jazz. And, yes, those videos are out there to
Your reactions are very niche, and I say this as nothing but a compliment - I've watched a fair few of your videos as we appear to share similar tastes, I don't generally do "reaction" videos per se but do enjoy channels that truly get personal with the music in one (or many, in your case) way or another because I think it's interesting to see someone who really does love music get involved with something new. You showcase that through and through and it's quite apparent that you are very intelligent (musically and otherwise I'm sure), I wish you the very best and I will continue to be a regular on the channel. Your own music (which I have purchased) is very impressive too, by the way.
Thank you, I really appreciate your support ❤️🤘😊 some incredibly encouraging and words there.
Brilliantpick up for your first time listen. I was learning new stuff from this song after 20 listens. A great band with epic songs and amazing composition.
This was one of the best reac... sorry, song analyzations of not only Wintersun, but like anything ever that I've seen. Well done, sir!
Dude, that's very kind of you. Thanks, man! 🤘
OH JOY. The Wintersun journey has begun. I have been interested in whether we would go there. Hard to skip over Wintersun on a reaction channel I suppose. Well done John. Always appreciate the analysis. Doubt that we will get much new Wintersun for a while considering both Kai Hahto and Jukka Koskinen have joined Nightwish on their world tour.
Thank you dude! Good to see you! :)
@@JWSoundworks2 Always a pleasure to converse with you as well. Thank you. I dropped in the reference to Nightwish as a subtle reminder. Their back catalog is calling out like a siren from the deep recesses of Tuomas Holopainen's busy mind.
Can confirm from personal experience, this song is absolutely godlike live. Same with their other songs.
Excellent video! There are a few people put off by the frequent pauses but I will echo what most people are saying, most of us watching this video are fans of the song and want to geek out over it, so you pausing frequently to dissect what is going on is perfect. I like that you listen to a section and then go back to dive deep. I have watched a few of these videos for this song and yours is the most in depth, but everyone notices different things. I thought it was interesting you mentioned not watching the video because it directs your attention to specific aspects which can distract from the background layers or from the whole piece. That being said, I see a lot of people recommending the some Time from the same album. I ask that you listen to the album as a whole. I'm not asking for an analysis video of the whole thing (that would be probably 3-4 hours long 😅) , just that you listen to it yourself. There is a four minute instrumental intro building up to Sons of Winter and Stars, and the ending of Sons leads into Land of Snow and Sorrow, with another instrumental before Time. The album should be listened to as a whole, in my opinion, to really appreciate Jari's work composing it. None of the videos analyzing this song include the four minute intro because they all go with the video you use, which is a good mastered live recording, but I feel like the whole album is on piece with the songs being movements.
I'm listening to Mechanical Poet now and will be checking out The Rupal Face as well. 🤘🤘
Thanks for the feedback, dude! Hoping to get back to more Wintersun soon! 🤘
This'll probably be the musical highlight of my weekend. Will edit after the hour is up. :)
Edit: So, as expected, hard not to be really caught off guard with Wintersun. I only found out about them from Kai stepping in to tour with Nightwish in 2015 and had a listen and was similarly gobsmacked. Lots of the comments below are excellent here in terms of some backstory etc. For me, Jari is in a tier with Arjen and Tuomas for composing and complexity, etc.
If I might make a request, it'll be Kamelot. Their singer, Tommy Karevik, was in the Aryeon masterpiece (as is everything Arjen has done) you reacted to. The specific song would be Sacrimony (Official Live Video) but there are many. Also, if you go back to the previous singer prior to 2012, Roy Khan, almost anything is great but The Haunting Live - featuring Simone Simons of Epica (who is married to Kamelot's keyboardist, Oliver Palotai). Their music is a bit more straightforward power metal but I love all of it across the spectrum.
Cheers John. Keep up the great work.
I always thought that it's not a song for a common metal show, it's actually a song and a band to behold in a great theater and give a standing ovation after so. ♥
I mean this is just one big technical wintersun flex
So happy you got around to these guys! This was the first song i heard from them, and it was too much to take in, so i didnt listen to anything from them or a while. But then later i listened to this a few more times, and i absolutely love this music now. 🙂 I also find music videos distract from the music. Have a nice weekend!
I'm already waitin for ''TIME'' ! Great informative reaction, keep it up man!
Love hearing you break these down. I don't think I ever would have heard that timpani on my own, but it comes through pretty clearly after you mentioned it. One of the best reactor on the tube. Class!
The most enjoyable breakdown of this masterpiece of music... so far 👍👌 Great job... and I've listened/watched dozens of reactions already...
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks again, this was interesting! I think you really get more out of Wintersun when you listen to it from a classical perspective. Yes, they are all super talented musicians, but what really sets them apart from other bands are the intricate compositions. This song for example. It has different movements and themes that are developed throughout the song... I feel like Jari should write us program notes or something. :]
great review, more wintersun and long epic songs :)
It never ceases to amaze me how Kai's snare displacements make this song's rhythm interesting from beginning to end. Great insights from the reaction, rock on!
I loved your reaction. Not many people can dissect this like you did. Keep it up my friend
Proper reaction
Great reaction/analysis! hope to see more Wintersun in this channel 🤘🏻
That was awesome, you did fantastic! thank you for such a great reaction! Wintersun Time is amazing, can’t wait to see you react to that one.
As many followers have already suggested, song "Time" from the same session is a natural way to go, John. It's slower, but very ambiental, folky, hard...and another epic masterpiece. Please so treat us with another Wintersun reaction. Cheerz, pal.
Will do, man. There's clearly a demand for it so it shall go on the list 😊🤘
Kai (=drum player/jazz drummer/drum mechanic/drum teacher) is mastermind behind everything that has something to do with drums (currently one of the most talented drum players in the world) and Jari is behind everything else. Jari is lead singer, guitarist, composer ect ect ect and apparently he is a little bit perfectionist and probably uses every minute in his life for creating a music, so he literally lives music. His old band was Ensiferum (=Folk Metal band, so thats why we have Viking vibes here), but Wintersun has strong Black Metal base so it's mostly black metal and then many other genres as addition. Wintersun - The Forest Seasons album is pure Black Metal (much less any other genres and it's more evil and dark music overall than this Time album here). Kai is now playing drums in Night Wish and bass player from this band was lately also taken to Night Wish. Kai used to paly drums in grindcore band Rotten Sound ruclips.net/video/SHoY51VCluI/видео.html. There is also drummer aspect video of this very same song Wintersun - Sons Of Winter And Stars - Drummer aspect ruclips.net/video/08_PduSKNWU/видео.html.
It's much more complex than that, they're not mostly black metal and The Forest Seasons is not pure black metal at all. Lol.
Class!! 10mins in, but I'll have to come back and watch your entire breakdown. Looking forward to it, what an amazing piece from ana amazing band! Really looking forward to see how you receive the rest of it!
Cheers dude. I excel in brevity in everything outside of music. But when it comes to music I'm a talking machine. Lol. This song is class, like.
Here I come 1 year later.. Yup. The Drummer, Kai Hahto is a machine. In one of your Nightwish reactions you called Jukka (the former NW drummer) a human metronome. Well. Jukka's good friend and mentor Kai IS the human metronome. NW is lucky to have snatched him 🙂
Wintersun? Absolutlely brilliant. Pure effing Metal. I love it! And I totally agree in your point in removing the visuals to catch more of the layers in the music. I do that all the time.
Great reaction and attempt to break it down. Enjoyed your 'struggle'. x) This is such an amazing band. It is immensely complex, but I guess that's the reason Jari only writes an album every 10 years or so. :P
I love this band and your reaction was great for another by them Time is very good
You are up there with The Charismatic Voice and The Fairy Voice Mother in my opinion, proper analysis from the perspective of musical knowledge, different approach but equally excellent. Keep doing things how you do them.
Great reaction dude, thank you 😃👏🏻 you should check out the song Time from the same session. Even better 🤯
You should review time, loneliness or winter madness 1.5. Those songs are great.
I recommend the song Time as a next Wintersun reaction, they also did in this live studio setting. Just finished the video, I really enjoyed to see you trying to break this down. Luckily I saw them live twice and they were flawless
If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend checking out Ne Obliviscaris if you haven't already. Any song is awesome, but the live performance of "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope" should be your starting point.
Have you ever heard Galneryus?
As you mentioned Power Metal my mind instantly jumped to their music, since i would call (at least some of it) neo classical Power metal.
As a start i would suggest the live version of Angel of Salvation (since the music video version is shortened).
The song is based on a violin concerto by Tschaikowsky and it's an insane piece of musicianship.
Thanks for the request. I haven't heard them before but the Tchaikovsky connection has intrigued me! :)
@@JWSoundworks2 I second Galneryus. TFFB is one of my favorites.
@@JWSoundworks2 You should definitely delve into Galneryus. They are great and I'm sure you would enjoy their music.
Sons of winter and stars is their most complex song from what I know.
one of the best reactions and analysis i've seen for wintersun's music. hoping to see you cover their upcoming album, Time II, which will be out in 3 days from now, which most fans have been waiting for since 2006, i myself have been waiting since 2012 when Time I came out, so in my impatience i've been checking out people's reactions to their music, you just helped me kill 50 minutes of my time cause august 30th just doesn't seem to wanna come any faster lol
Yes, Kai Hahto, the drummer is a machine and a drum teacher. He replaced Jukka as drummer for Nightwish in 2013 probably for a rest !! The bassist, Jukka, has recently also joined Nightwish as stand in bassist but not singing with them yet.
Thanks for this great analysis! I love Wintersun and I’m a weird time signature nerd, so I really appreciated your comments! 🤓 “Time” and “Loneliness” next for them are good suggestions - but really, all of their stuff is good. New subscriber here! ❤️
Your reaction to this song is…. top notch! You truly have taken this to a new level!
That was a ride. Thank you for the effort you put in.
Cheers dude! 🤘
This is an excellent analysis of the song for a first listen, really enjoyed it!
If you've not heard Ne Obliviscaris, they're a band you might really like. Very classical influence in the composition style. Check out "And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope" live in Colorade 2016. I'd enjoy seeing your thoughts on that!
Just catching up on your channel. Loving your de-compositions and showing how the music is put together. Brings back memories of my mother, who, as she said, was a good listener, and every artist needed a good listener. After retiring she studied music and art at Uni and she said it detracted something from the simple listening in the fact that she was now analysing the music and how the piece was constructed but it added so much more to her enjoyment in knowing the how and why it "worked", so please don't stop pausing, analysing, and reconstructing.
27:17 if you wanna hear just exactly how much Teemu is holding back at that point, you should listen to Winter Madness and watch him play the bloody solo in that song, that dude is blessed by the guitar gods...
Great breakdown and reaction, hope you look into some of their other compositions, the whole first seasons album is a gem.
Wintersun is truly an epic underrated band. I heard this track had so many tracks going on at the same time that computers weren't able to handle at the moment of the composition so the album got delayed several years...now we are still waiting for Time II, the sequel to Time I the album that has this track. It seems that it will be the longest wait ever but certainly worth it if it's this quality.
Great dissection, your knowledge is always impressive
28:45 I've watched hundreds of Wintersun reaction videos (and gathered them all in a playlist including yours too) and virtually all focus on the musical aspects of the videos and not so much the other stuff. A common thing though is that the reactors notice Kai Hahto and being surprised and/or amazed by him. Almost like he's the main star of the videos, which is curious to me, though he definitely deserves all the praise.
The things you pick up on are such a joy. I heard this song many many times. Still you point out stuff that I hadn't really noticed. I would love to hear your point of view on Permian: The Great Dying by The Ocean. A hugely underrated band. They kind of specialize in taking one idea and modulating it in the song, building and building, bringing it back and exploding.
Man -your words on the tightness and something around it; its just what I love on the swedish band Miseration where in the first albums the guitarist also plays the drums. These instruments are so locked 💪🏻
- please check something from the The Mirroring Shadows album. A great journey!
AND I greatly love Wintersun aswell
If you like black metal, you will definitely love Eternal Darkness (Autumn) by Wintersun. I listen quite a lot of black metal and I've yet to find one song that tops that one. Actually it's my all time favorite song.
Jari is familiar with black metal and I although Wintersun isn't a BM band, I guess he wanted to make one BM song that's really supremely epic and badass menacing, he really succeeded with that.
2:42 wanting to take a sip and is stoppend before the cup reaches your mouth and then totally forget it :-) .
Nice you finally got to my favoutite band that me and alot of others recommended. We were right ...its worth it isnt it?
Hahaha good catch! Yes - coffee can wait til I pick my brains back up off the floor!
See it as a compliment that people request your reaction to more complicated symphonic metal tracks. You know what you're talking about and people like to hear your insight. No use asking you about simple radio songs imo. And when it comes to Wintersun, it's good to be challenged sometimes. And even better to be blown away.
Jari (guitar, vocals) is the mastermind. He writes and records and programs everything. On the album The Forest Seasons the other members only provided vocals
that intro sound -like static- seems more like the sound of snow blown away across ice, didnt realize it at first ... wow thx for mentioning that !
Whoa that's a long one. We are in lockdown level 4 in New Zealand so I have time haha. Also noticed the coffee didn't quite make it to the lips when the blast beat started.
Not for reaction, but more you own enjoyment - here is a drum playthrough:
ruclips.net/video/tbb8m3wNXbs/видео.html
Your not wrong on him being a machine haha.
Thank you.Kiitos. Another Finnish band. Alex Laiho Are you Dead Yet. Live.
Know it well. Was a big COB fan back in the day. Even managed to catch them live back in the early 2000s.
The guitarists in Wintersun are all beasts, but they really kept it tame on the solo front in the Time album. You should check out the self titled Wintersun album for face melting solos by Jari.
Totally! Crazy arpeggios in the solo section to Death and the Healing.
Everything Jari has done with Wintersun has been worth the wait. Still hoping Time pt. II comes out in our lifetime though lol
Well done, nice reaction / dissection / whatever! 👌When the blastbeats started in the beginning, I thought you’d never finish up your coffee. 😄
Haha when the blast beats hit I realised I had a cup in my hand and didn't know what to do with it lol.
Great analysis. Next: 'Wintersun - Time' from the same rehearsal session. There is an intro called Darkness and frost in the beginning.
Great reaction and analysis! Probably my all time favorit song 🤟
Awesome reaction! Keep on reacting exactly like you do. No matter if each video is one hour long.
Many said it already, but Time is worth another reaction from Wintersun eventually. Please also react to Amorphis (for example Bee). And more Nightwish
BTW I really enjoyed your analysis although it was pretty long :D
Thanks for the Mechanical Poet suggestion, It sounds great so far.
Kai Hahto used to play in a grind band Rotten Sound before Nightwish. He also played in a latest Darkwoods My Betrothed album that came out a while back. I believe he's still teaching playing drums and drumming ergonomics.
You said it yourself, Kai is a machine! And after listening to it 10 times, you will truly see how epic it is.
Oh! This is gonna be good =)
And it truly was! Skål mate =)
Really great analysis! Well done. Greetings from Finland.
I love metal but am not really a harsh vocals guy, but my first listen of this song I was initially hooked. Time is an amazing song from the same studio live recording.
Kai Hahto (drummer) is currently a member of the band Nighwish and the bassist is still playing in it for the time being.
My first thought when seeing the length of this video was: "oh hell no if I'm watching this all the way trough without skipping" (which is a bit ironic considering the length of the song) after an hour I'm happily giving it my like. Ps. this was also probably the first time I didn't skip the intro guitar diddling on channel
This Drummer is the current Nightwish Drummer Kai Hahto (he replaced Jukka Nevalainenon 2014).The Black Haired guitarist with Green/Black Tiger painted Guitar on the Wintersun video is the current MEGADETH Lead Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who replaced Kiko Loureiro in Megadeth on last September and is now established as the Lead Guitarist.. AND the Bassist in the video is the current Nightwish Bassist Jukka Koskinen, whom Kai Hahto lured to join Nightwish 2021 when Longest time Bassist Marko Hietala (the tall guy with blonde long hair and double pig tales beard, seen in this video also) quit from the Nightwish - Finland Metal scene is quite close and people change from band to another very quickly :)
Kay the metronoom drummer, the best technical drummer of the world I think.
Now member of Nightwish
He has some mind-blowing warming up videos, he shows his eppic drum skills
Wow, such an elite analysis to an elite piece of music! Please react to their masterpieces "Time" (from this same live rehearsal at the Sonic Pump Studios) and "Loneliness" (Winter)" (official lyric video). They are even better than this song imho. Enjoy!