The Varangian Way

The Varangian Way is the second full-length album by the Finnish folk metal band Turisas, released on 27 May 2007 through Century Media.^[1] 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.

The Varangian Way
Studio album by Turisas
Released	UK: 28 May 2007 Finland: 6 June 2007 Europe: 18 June 2007 North America: 17 July 2007 Japan: 25 July 2007
Recorded	November 2006 – March 2007 at Sound Supreme Studio, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Genre	Folk metal symphonic metal Viking metal power 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)

A special director's 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.

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")