Ahead of the release of their full-length King Of The North, Finland’s melodic death metallers Wolfheart have taken to YouTube to unveil a new video for the track ‘The King’. You can watch it here:
According tot he band, each song on the new album explores a different story of Finnish mythology; of ‘The King’ guitarist / vocalist Tuomas Saukkonen explains: “‘The King’ is about a broken sacred rule that forbids the hunt of a bear in winter. [A] hunter was only allowed to face the king when it was in its full strength. [The] bear was carried out from the forest headfirst because [a] bear’s spirit was believed to live forever and only [the] dead were carried feet first. The skull was hung in a sacred tree facing east where the spirits were believed to travel. [The] bear was truly the ruler of the woodlands, and the death of the king was especially full of rituals and beliefs.” Adding, “the song also introduces our guitarist Vagelis as a vocalist in a leading role – his magnificent execution brings Wolfheart’s trademark sound into a new level.” It’s also worth noting that the esteemed Mr Karl Sanders, of Nile fame, contributes to the album on a track entitled ‘Cold Flame’ , and Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach on the track ‘Ancestor’.
Of the album, Tuomas explains that: “after [2020’s] Wolves Of Karelia, it made a lot of sense to continue writing thematic albums, but this time I wanted to travel a lot further in history than the second world war and went straight to tales about [the] creation of nordic world, ancient gods of north and the majestic nature. The colourful theme also inspired me to write – musically – the most diverse Wolfheart album and also bring the biggest variation of vocals than ever before, putting Lauri [Silvonen – bass/vocals] and Vagelis [Karzis – guitar/vocals] in their well-earned spotlight.”
King Of The North is released on a multitude of formats, including a limited to 300 units LP Gatefold Vinyl Die-Hard Edition Marbled Crystal Clear/Black + Poster + Slipmat, via Napalm Records on 16 September. Pre-orders available here.
King Of The North tracklisting:
Skyforger
Ancestor feat. Jesse Leach
Knell
Desolated Land
The King
Cold Flame feat. Karl Sanders
Headstones
Fires of the Fallen
Eternal Slumber
Wolfheart are:
Tuomas Saukkonen – guitar, vocals
Joonas Kauppinen – drums
Lauri Silvonen – bass, vocals
Vagelis Karzis – guitar, vocals
Band photo credit: Teppo Ristola
