EP REVIEW: Skull Soldiers – Wolfheart

Tuomas Saukkonen is back, further strengthening his reputation as the hardest working man in metal. Following on from 2018’s incredible Constellation of the Black Light, Saukkonen dropped two huge records in 2020: the doomy, melancholic Waves for DAWN OF SOLACE, and the blood-thirsty Wolves of Karelia under WOLFHEART. Less than a year on from the release of Wolves of Karelia, and Saukkonen is back once more with the latest WOLFHEART release: Skull Soldiers, an EP continuing the Winter War theme of its predecessor. But with a run of pure excellence under his belt, does the Finnish maestro continue to keep the quality high? 

Side A of Skull Soldiers is by far the juiciest. Showcasing two brand new songs, this is the part of the EP that will generate the most excitement. The title track opens proceedings in classic Saukkonen fashion; a wonderfully catchy barrage of riff work is the main focus, while the main man’s barks and subtle orchestration jostle for attention. Heavy on the hooks and atmosphere with a scream-a-long chorus and plenty of melancholy thrown in for good measure, this is WOLFHEART in its purest form. Hereditary is a much darker affair; here we see the melancholy Finnish death metal has patented taking centre stage amid the blackened, up-tempo abrasion, while the orchestration is far more pronounced than on the title track and the solo work is, as always, sublime.

Side B of Skull Soldiers is focussed on the rarities. First to come into play is an acoustic version of Aeons of Cold, originally taken from their sophomore record Shadow World. Here, Saukkonen displays his otherworldy talent for adapting brutality into beauty, the blast beats and tremolos making way for sombre, down-tempo riffs and heart-wrenching crooning. Comparisons to the acoustic version of Deadsong, from Saukkonen‘s previous outfit BEFORE THE DAWN, spring to mind. Meanwhile closing track is bittersweet in the current, pandemic-induced abstinence of live music. A live version of Reaper from Wolves of Karelia brings a lovely rawness to the track, giving a horrible tease of what to expect when the Finns can take the stage once more.

Bringing two brand new songs and two rarities together, Skull Soldiers is one for the purists and new fans both. The new tracks showcase the continued strength of Saukkonen‘s song-writing chops, and serves to wet appetites for a new full-length – even though we’re less than a year on from Wolves of Karelia – while the B sides show his ability to adapt his compositions and give a bittersweet taste of a live performance. A nice stopgap, but album six is the WOLFHEART release we’re all waiting for.

Rating: 7/10

Skull Soldiers is set for release March 5th via Napalm Records. 

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