The Varangian Way

The Varangian Way
Studio album by Turisas
Released	UK: May 28, 2007 Finland: June 6, 2007 Europe: June 18, 2007 North America: July 17, 2007 Japan: July 25, 2007
Recorded	November 2006 - March 2007 at Sound Supreme Studio, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Genre	Folk metal Power metal Symphonic metal
Length	42:57
Label	Century Media
Producer	Mathias "Warlord" Nygård, Janne Saska
Turisas chronology
Battle Metal (2004) The Varangian Way (2007) Stand Up and Fight (2011)

The Varangian Way is the second full-length album by the Finnish folk metal band Turisas, released on May 27, 2007 through Century Media. It is a concept album that tells the story of a group of Scandinavians traveling the river routes of medieval Kievan Rus' (territory of modern Belarus, Ukraine and Russia), through Ladoga, Novgorod and Kyiv, down to the Eastern Roman Empire.

A Special "Directors Cut" edition was released with the Rasputin single.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
PopMatters	link

Track listing

1. "To Holmgard and Beyond" – 5:17
2. "A Portage to the Unknown" – 4:50
3. "Cursed Be Iron" – 5:03
4. "Fields of Gold" – 4:34
5. "In the Court of Jarisleif" – 3:17
6. "Five Hundred and One" – 6:18
7. "The Dnieper Rapids" – 5:20
8. "Miklagard Overture" – 8:18
9. "Rasputin" (Boney M. cover) (Director's Cut bonus track) - 3:53
10. "To Holmgard and Beyond" [Single Edit] (Enhanced edition bonus track) - 3:00
11. "Rex Regi Rebellis" [Finnish Version with Prologue] (Enhanced edition bonus track) - 10:20
12. "Battle Metal" Live at Party San '06 (Enhanced edition bonus track) - 5:40

A Limited Edition "Pagan Fest Tour Edition" version comes with two bonus tracks, Rasputin and To Holmgard and Beyond (single edit), and a DVD containing the video for Rasputin and several live performances.

Credits

• Mathias "Warlord" Nygård – vocals, orchestral programming, keyboard
• Jussi Wickström – guitar
• Tuomas "Tude" Lehtonen – drums, percussion
• Olli Vänskä – violin
• Hannes "Hanu" Horma – bass, backing vocals
• Janne "Lisko" Mäkinen – accordion
• Music by Mathias Nygård, except track 3 (Nygård/Wickström), 5 (Nygård/Lisko/Vänskä) and 6 (Nygård/Vänskä).
• Lyrics by Mathias Nygård, except track 3 (traditional/Elias Lönnrot), taken from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.
• Classical choir recorded at Vanha Kirjastotalo Music Hall, Tampere, Finland.
• Orchestral samples included in this recording from the Vienna Symphonic Library.

Sources

• Century Media press statement
• Turisas studio diary
• Turisas official website

See also

• Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks
• The Long Ships (historical novel dealing with the same subject)
• Kalevala (the lyrics of "Cursed Be Iron" contain a section of the poem "The Origin of Iron")