Wolfheart

A melodic death metal outfit designed and directed by prolific Finnish metal-maker Tuomas Saukkonen, Wolfheart came to be in 2013 after Saukkonen officially closed the doors on his previous incarnations, Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, Dawn of Solace, and RoutaSielu. Employing a melancholic blend of wintry acoustic Scandinavian metal and complex and melodic extreme metal, the group has released a string of strong, lauded efforts, including Shadow World (2015) and Wolves of Karelia (2020). Saukkonen went the one-man band route for the project's first outing, 2013's Spinefarm Records-issued Winterborn, but the following year saw Wolfheart grow into a proper band with the arrival of guitarist Mika Lammassaari (Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Mors Subita), bassist Lauri Silvonen (Bloodred Hourglass), and drummer Joonas Kauppinen (Disease of the Nation). That ensemble was responsible for 2015's critically acclaimed Shadow World, as well as 2017's atmospheric Tyhjyys. Fully embracing the newly minted genre of winter metal, the band released their icy and majestic fourth full-length outing, Wolves of Karelia, in 2020. ~ James Christopher Monger