Wolfheart: Draconian Darkness
It is a well known fact that the Nordic regions have dominated the fields of melodic death metal for decades. They just have that midas touch of being able to harness skill, aggression, melody and emotion to construct some of the most impressive offerings heard around the world. Finland’s WOLFHEART have confidently bulldozed their way to the top of the pack with their consistently high quality releases and upcoming effort Draconian Darkness looks to be continuing their streak.
“Our last album, King Of The North, was based around the era where Nordic people really respected nature,” explains frontman and founding member Tuomas Saukkonen. “We worshipped bears as demigods which was represented in the cover artwork. We prayed for rain, prayed for sun, and feared the thunder. We were in a very good balance and only killed what we needed and ate what we were able to grow. Draconian Darkness represents how humankind no longer share those values and don’t carry the same balance. We kill what we want, burn what we want and just take it. It’s about the darkness we are contributing to this world.”
The appropriately named Draconian Darkness sees WOLFHEART venture into the grittier side of their repertoire, fully leaning into the bleak subject matter. “King Of The North was our most mid-tempo and melodic album and I think that was due to the direction the narrative of Finnish mythology and the Nordic inheritance drove the album,” explains Tuomas. “It felt like a more romantic topic, particularly for a Finnish person but this time it’s definitely more aggressive. We enjoy building the grim and dark soundscapes and playing with the contrast between the dark and melodic elements that mean you can create big melodic choruses. We wanted it to be like a rollercoaster ride with loads of surprises. This was the first time that Saku Moilanen was the main producer and his work with the keyboards and orchestration is on a completely different level. He really brought a movie soundtrack, cinematic quality to the songs.”
WOLFHEART initially began as a solo project but it didn’t take long for Tuomas to recruit additional members who shared in his vision. The longstanding relationship and mutual respect amongst their core lineup has undoubtedly contributed to the high standards the band has set. “I basically write all the music for the basic demos and structures and then whatever the other guys bring to the table I don’t complain or touch, that is their contributions. I’m always open to suggestions and ideas. It’s never a mandatory thing, it’s just always been the way that the music initially comes from me. I also don’t get involved in their vocal work either. The best thing I can imagine is that I have a song and then the other members can grab that and take it to another level and that’s what I love about the way our band works and how we have three vocalists. My vocals are basically additional percussion with the growling so I only really bring in the rhythmical elements.”
Whilst the core lineup has remained from a writing perspective, it has not been possible for this collective to continuously convene for touring due to external responsibilities. “We’ve had to rely on a lot of session musicians for extensive touring as other members have long term commitments like family, education, jobs so it’s not been easy to get the core lineup together to play live,” admits Tuomas. “Luckily we live in Finland so we’re not short of options! We’ve done North American tours where it has just been myself and the drummer from the original lineup, but everyone understands that the more we can push this forward the better the conditions will be for the core members in the future. At this point we’ve not had the opportunity to play any of the new songs live as we want to represent the material as the actual WOLFHEART, hopefully we will get the chance to do so.”
WOLFHEART have been in operation for a decade at this point, speaking to Tuomas about this milestone, it was evident that he fully believed in the success of this project and knew it would flourish. “It doesn’t feel like ten years! I guess that’s a good sign. It doesn’t feel like I’m 44. I still feel like I’ve got all this energy. Maybe I just never grew up and I’m just being a completely irresponsible adult at this point. I think I would’ve been more surprised if I had stopped making music as it’s all I’ve ever known. I recorded the first album and released it all myself, without a label and even back then I was thinking ahead to the next few albums. It seems that the older you get the faster the time goes but that probably means we are having fun doing this. Before you know it you’re planning the next 12 months in advance.”
Draconian Darkness is out now via Reigning Phoenix Music.
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