WOLFHEART – King Of The North

Finland’s Melodic Death Metal quartet Wolfheart is back with its sixth studio release, King of the North on Napalm Records.

Brief Biography

Wolfheart has been actively growing and perfecting its craft of blending vicious growling Death Metal and soaring melodies treating its growing fan base to a multitextured wall of sound. The band has been extremely busy since 2013 releasing Skull Soldiers – EP (2021), Wolves of Karelia (2020), Constellation of the Black Light (2018), TYHJYYS (2017), Shadow World (2015), and Winterborn (2013). Before Wolfheart’s creation in 2013, founding member Tuomas Saukkonen had been involved with other projects such as Before The Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, and Dawn of Solace, disbanding all of them to focus on Wolfheart.

King of the North

King of the North has a runtime of forty-nine minutes. Every song on King of the North is a near masterpiece dedicated to Finnish mythology but also paints the picture of Finland’s vast deep winters. The music on King of the North adds new elements to the style of Melodic Death Metal that Wolfheart has previously done to date. Vagelis Karlis adds a new depth of feeling with his clean vocals complimenting the familiar growling from Tuomas Saukkonen. King of the North features vocals from Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage) and Karl Sanders (Nile). Each song on this album has its own feel and depth of sound that stimulates many emotions throughout the album.

The Good

“Skyforger” starts the album with a chilling intro into the tales of Finland’s epic poem, the “Kalevala.” “Skyforger” transitions from a mid-tempo melodic grind transitioning into full-bore Speed / Death Metal. The last minute of the song is an orchestral instrumental with keyboards and soaring guitars that perfectly completes the journey. Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage) lends his pipes in the next song, “Ancestor.” “Ancestor” blends Thrash and elements of Metalcore. Karl Sanders (Nile) is featured on the song “Cold Flame”. “Cold Flame” perfectly blends Karl and Tuomas’s vocal styles for a more traditional Death Metal song. Piano and string orchestrations mix elements of Folk Metal in “Knell” adding deep textures accompanying the guitar riff throughout the song. Songs worthy of a mention include, “The King,” Fires of the Fallen,” and “Eternal Slumber.”

Final Thoughts

Wolfheart has created an exceptional album deep in Finnish folklore and expanded its depth in sound with deep layering that will take the listener on an adventure throughout the album.

Tracklisting

1. Skyforger
2. Ancestor (featuring Jesse Leach)
3. Knell
4. Desolated Land
5. The King
6. Cold Flame
7. Headstones
8. Fires of the Fallen
9. Eternal Slumber

Album lineup

Vageliss Karzis – Guitars and Vocals
Tuomas Saukkonen – Guitars and Vocals
Lauri Silvonen – Bass and Vocals
Joonas Kauppinen – Drums