Five full-length albums in seven years, aren’t a few. But that’s all Wolfheart has released since 2013, ever since they were created after multi-instrumentalist Tuomas Saukkonen decided to disband all the bands he had until then. Of course, he may have resurrected Dawn Of Solace for an album a few months ago, but this is the main project of the Finnish musician.
The remarkable thing is that no matter how often he releases new music, it does not lack quality. The same happens here, since “Wolves Of Karelia” is a great melodic death metal album, which is of more interest to us Greeks since Vagelis Karzis is now a permanent member of them. The Greek guitarist/singer of the awesome Full House Brew Crew and former bassist of the mighty Rotting Christ, got the position as a lead guitarist after many concerts he had given with them. It is worth noting that he is the second Greek musician to participate in Wolfheart, after George Thanasoglou (Orion’s Reign, ex-AmongRuins, ex-Fragile Vastness) in 2017.
As for the album, “Wolves Of Karelia” is devastating. The excellent mid-tempo intro of “Hail Of Steel” is followed by blast beats and closes with a terrific melody. The next ones “Horizon On Fire”, “Reaper” and “The Hammer” follow a similar style. That is, at very high speeds with blast beats, in which there are melodic breaks with amazing riffs, while the symphonic elements are also very intense.
The very beautiful instrumental “Eye Of The Storm” with the acoustic guitars, is probably something like an intermission from the aggression and defines the direction of the last three songs. “Born From Fire”, “Arrows Of Chaos” and “Ashes” are shocking as they follow a mid-tempo approach with an exceptional melancholic atmosphere through their riffs and dark melodies. In a way, we have two different parts: the first one is more aggressive and the second one more atmospheric. Finally, Saukkonen’s vocals remain extreme throughout the album, as in any previous release.
In conclusion, “Wolves Of Karelia” is a high quality melodic death metal record. Wolfheart continues to prove that they are one of the top bands in the world in this genre, as they only release diamonds so far and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. Listen to it and indulge in its aggression, atmosphere and magic.
