I was blown away. I had heard maybe one or two other Turisas songs prior to this album, and this effort absolutely blows their older material out of the water. Like Blind Guardian's latest, "At the Edge of Time" (one of my top 5 albums of 2010), "Stand Up and Fight" makes use of a full backing orchestra on every track. The difference between the two is that Turisas have managed to make each song distinct and memorable, with no weak spots to be found anywhere in the track list.
The music is grandiose and powerful, and covers a variety of themes. The band ventures into the high seas for some pirate metal a la Alestorm on "Hunting Pirates," into the gladiatorial arenas of ancient Rome on "Venetoi! Prasinoi!" and out onto the medieval battlefield for the epic title track.
It's so over-the-top epic that some may not take it seriously, but that's their loss. This band clearly had a ton of fun making this album, and I know I've been having a blast listening to it. I'm not gonna give it a rating yet, as I've only listened to it two or three times, but "Stand Up and Fight" is shaping up to be one of my favorite albums of 2011 so far. Here's the title track - it took me a while to get past the warpaint and the kilts, but the music speaks for itself:
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