Ensiferum have announced that founding vocalist and guitarist Jari Mäenpää will reunite with the band for a special run of “The Early Years” shows in 2027.
Dubbed Ensiferum feat. Jari Mäenpää: The Early Years, the performances will see Mäenpää join the band onstage for the first time outside of Finland, more than two decades after his departure from the group.
The shows will celebrate Ensiferum’s early material as well as the 20th anniversary of Victory Songs, with the band promising to revisit songs from the Ensiferum, Iron and Victory Songs eras.
“We’ve heard you in the comments! You want us to play the old stuff. You want to hear the classics,” the band said. “Well… It’s time to give you some VERY exciting news.”
Ensiferum continued: “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of ‘Victory Songs,’ and we thought there would be no better way to celebrate than by going back to where it all began. We’re bringing the ‘Ensiferum,’ ‘Iron,’ and ‘Victory Songs’ era back to the stage, but there’s more.
“For the first time ever outside Finland, we will be joined on stage by the original singer and guitarist Jari Mäenpää.”
Mäenpää also commented on the reunion: “I’m excited and honored to be joining Ensiferum for these very special ‘Early Years’ live shows! After more than 20 years, I’ll be performing with Ensiferum again. I can’t wait to sing these classic songs with you all. See you there!”
The first confirmed appearance will take place at Ragnarök Festival, scheduled for April 1-3, 2027 at Stadthalle Lichtenfels in Germany. Ensiferum feat. Jari Mäenpää: The Early Years has been announced as a headliner for the festival.
That won’t be the only appearance, however. Ensiferum confirmed plans to bring The Early Years across Europe in 2027 and teased the possibility of taking the shows even further.
“We’ll be bringing The Early Years across Europe in 2027. And who knows… maybe even further,” the band said.
Ensiferum also clarified that Mäenpää will only appear at concerts specifically billed as “Ensiferum ft. Jari Mäenpää: The Early Years” and/or shows featuring The Early Years logo.
Mäenpää was a founding member of Ensiferum and performed vocals and guitar on the band’s first two studio albums, Ensiferum (2001) and Iron (2004). He departed in 2004 to focus on Wintersun, with Petri Lindroos subsequently taking over as Ensiferum’s lead vocalist and guitarist.
For The Early Years shows, Mäenpää will reunite with Ensiferum alongside the band’s current lineup of Markus Toivonen, Petri Lindroos, Sami Hinkka, Janne Parviainen and Pekka Montin.
Additional dates for Ensiferum feat. Jari Mäenpää: The Early Years are expected to be revealed.
