ALBUM REVIEW: Wolves of Karelia – Wolfheart

Tuomas Saukkonen is an absolute warrior. At the tail end of 2018, he released Constellation of the Black Light, not just the strongest WOLFHEART album to date, but potentially the crowning glory of Saukkonen‘s highly prolific career thus far. Barely 18 months later, he’s back, following the most brutal touring cycle of WOLFHEART‘s existence and the reigniting of one of his many projects in DAWN OF ASHES with another career topping record: Wolves of Karelia. But do WOLFHEART capitalise on their run of strength, or is Saukkonen beginning to suffer from his intense creative schedule? 

Wolves of Karelia marks a first for WOLFHEART. Though there is no unifying narrative or clear cut, all-engulfing story, this is very much a concept album. Here, Saukkonen and co. delve into the experiences of the Finnish during the Winter War – the conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union during the Second World War, which saw the Finns repel the Russian invaders against overwhelming odds. But make no mistake – this is not a record for the chest-pounding, gung-ho glory seekers. WOLFHEART tackle this concept with their trademarked melancholy, offering darkness and brutality at every turn.

The quartet crash into Wolves of Karelia in full, furious form with video single Hail of Steel. Classic WOLFHEART riffing immediately creates a grandiose atmosphere, before the four piece drive into up-tempo, blackened, melodic death metal aggression. The speed never really lets up, even in the misery drenched chorus, and it becomes abundantly clear that the band have no intentions of resting on the laurels of their new-found success. Horizon On Fire delves even deeper into the melancholy, maintaining the savage intensity while exploring the emotive atmospherics that have become a staple of WOLFHEART‘s sound while Reaper makes its presence felt as perhaps the heaviest tracks the band have ever put to tape.

That is, until, The Hammer smashes you against an anvil. Bringing that quintessential WOLFHEART atmosphere and melancholy, the quartet blend it with some of the most brutalising aggression of their career, never stopping for a breath and even having the audacity to throw in the ear-worm hook of “Never surrender! Never retreat!“, just in case the aural evisceration wasn’t unforgettable enough. Its only with the closing moments Saukkonen and co. allow the melody to take control, leading very nicely into the instrumental interlude of Eye of the Storm wash over as a lesson in heart-wrenching misery.

But like its meteorological name sake, Eye of the Storm is just a brief moment of respite before Born From Fire rains down in like tempest, maintaining the sombre atmosphere but bringing blackened tremolo riffing to the fore, before a crushing groove takes over. The melodic black metal influence bleeds in again over the chorus, juxtaposing the pounding stomp nicely and leading into some tasteful buzz-saw riffing. The solo work amid the sonic darkness is a rare addition, but a welcome one. Penultimate track Arrows of Chaos serves as a last gasp of aggression, utilising all the classic melo-death, black metal influences and old-school death metal groove that make up WOLFHEART‘s sonic compass before the beautiful Ashes closes Wolves of Karelia in a highly emotional fashion, making stunning use of the subtle orchestration.

So, is Wolves of Karelia Saukkonen‘s breaking point? Is this where we see one of the most underrated songwriters in metal falter under the weight of a brutal creative schedule? Is this the point where WOLFHEART‘s incredible discography sees a fall from grace? Behave yourself, of course it’s not. Backed up with a fascinating lyrical concept, this is some of the best music Saukkonen has ever released. Winter metal sounds better than ever, and WOLFHEART reign supreme.

Rating: 9/10

Wolves of Karelia is set for release April 10th via Napalm Records. 

Like WOLFHEART on Facebook.