Album Review: Wolfheart - Draconian Darkness
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
When it comes to Finnish metal, one of the most prolific musicians in terms of output has to be Tuomas Saukkonen with a steady stream of releases from his multiple projects but his main focus has been his primary band Wolfheart. Originally formed as a solo project in 2012 it became a full band by 2014 and for a while became the sole musical output for Tuomas shelving all other bands and projects he had involvement in. Alas this didn’t last with the resurrection of Dawn Of Solace in 2019 and Before The Dawn in 2021 but this hasn’t affected the output or the quality of Wolfheart and with album number seven “Draconian Darkness” it is business as usual of the gloomy melodic death metal kind.
The Finnish seem to have a natural knack for producing amazing melancholic and gloomy metal and Tuomas seemingly thrives on it with it being the backbone of every band he has produced. Wolfheart have that doom-laden melancholy and darkness to their music but this band has a lot more bite to it with faster rhythms and aggressive riffing merged with epic melodies and symphonic undercurrents though in comparison to his other bands Wolfheart have a greater level of ferocity. Songs such as ‘Burning Sky’ and ‘Grave’ tread that fine balance of melody and viciousness whilst ‘Scion Of The Flame’ and ‘The Gale’ are melodic grandeur with a greater exploration of the band’s symphonic side. But then you get songs like ‘Throne Of Bones’ which mixes all the elements that make up the album together in one glorious melting pot and is the clear highlight of the record.
The band are a fine tuned melodeath machine with the line up having remained the same 2020 and “Draconian Darkness” sees them on fine form with some fantastic guitar playing from Tuomas and Vagelis Karzis in riffs, melodies and solos whilst the rhythm section of bassist Lauri Silvonen and drummer Joonas Kauppinen drive the power and aggression in the music. The vocals are a nice mix of the guttural harsh variety as well as some very pleasant clean vocals which are not overdone and are quite understated fitting perfectly with the dark and melancholic mood of the music.
If you’ve listened to any of the previous six Wolfheart albums then you pretty much know what you are going to get with “Draconian Darkness” but consistency is the key with Wolfheart and they know their craft. Despite being a predictable album, Wolfheart have a way of enthralling and drawing you into their “winter metal” world and if you like aggressive metal with a bit dollop of gloom then this album is well worth checking out.
