Tuomas Saukkonen?
Now, haven't I heard that name before? Chances are, you probably have.
To everyday joe's like us, it can seem unfair just how much talent nature has bestowed on just one single guy. A composer, multi-instrumentalist and a veritable metal scene unto himself, Tuomas Saukkonen is the mastermind of bands like Before The Dawn, Dawn Of Solace, Black Sun Aeon, Routasielu and a slew of others. Saukkonen is the type of guy to whom you can give a rock, or a piece of drainage pipe, just to see that 15 minutes later he's somehow managed to tune and play a song with it. Yet with all of those records and bands under his belt, Tuomas has never played quite like this.
After years of pouring his creative juices to innumerable projects, in the end of 2012 Saukkonen eventually screeched them all into a halt. Thenceforth he's focused on just one brainchild, his labour of love, Wolfheart ' the musical entity and form of expression that finally allows him to channel all his musical genius to just one outlet. Be the approach melodic and hopeful, acoustic and fragile, harsh black/death metal or atmospheric doom, "Winterborn' has it all, in a mix like of which you haven't heard before. There is a reason why Spinefarm picked this gem up.
"After all the blood, sweat and tears poured into the self-released/self-financed debut "Winterborn", it is truly amazing to have a worldwide release for the album and I could not think of a better label for the job than renowned Spinefarm," Tuomas said. "It's super exciting times, since, while counting days for the re-release of "Winterborn", the second Wolfheart album "Shadow World" is almost ready and 2015 will be a year of two albums out."
The fittingly named group's devastatingly excellent debut album could be labelled winter metal ' every ice-cold note of it inspired, well-thought out and breathing in perfect equilibrium with the surrounding harsh nature; brutal as the frozen landscapes it paints on the canvas of your mind, yet beating with the warmth of a wild beast's heart. And deep within the brutality of it all there are details like in snowflakes; intricate, delicate, beautiful.
Like the sun rays on a snowdrift promise spring, the coldness of "Winterborn" can mesmerise you.
Freezing your balls off has never been this pleasant before.
Winterborn Tracklist:
01. The Hunt
02. Strength and Valour
03. Routa pt.2
04. Gale Of Winter
05. Whiteout
06. Ghost of Karelia
07. I
08. Chasm
09. Breathe
10. Isolation
Line-up:
Tuomas Saukkonen - guitar, vocals,drums, bass
Mika Lammassaari ' guitar solos
Live line up:
Joonas Kauppinen - drums
Lauri Silvonen - bass, backing vocals
