Finnish heavy melodic death metal unit WOLFHEART are back with their most commanding offering yet. The four-piece Nordic machine returns with their highly-anticipated new full-length masterpiece, Wolves Of Karelia, set for release on April 10, 2020 via Napalm Records. The album is available to pre-order, HERE.
Just as wildlife itself maintains harmony with a violent clash of beauty and unpredictability, Wolves of Karelia explores the band’s previously coined genre of “winter metal” – smoothly bridging a traditional approach of extreme genres with tracks like the breakneck epic ”Reaper”, while maintaining atmospheric and acoustic elements on songs such as the bludgeoning wall-of-sound ”The Hammer” and grandiose ”Horizon on Fire”. Crowned by the deeply stunning instrumental interlude ”Eye of the Storm”, Wolves of Karelia could easily go down in metal history as WOLFHEART’s most intense record.
In celebration of the announcement of Wolves Of Karelia, WOLFHEART has shared a new video for their colossal new single, ”Ashes”. Watch the video and get a first taste of Wolves Of Karelia.
The album’s lyrical and musical content is inspired by the Winter War waged between Russia and the band’s native country, Finland, which took place during the winter of November 1939-March 1940. Finland ultimately managed to stop the Russian troops from invading their country. WOLFHEART mastermind and frontman Tuomas Saukkonen was inspired by the personal stories of local veterans, conveying the tales of what they experienced and survived from their perspectives. Somber, frostbitten and heroic, Wolves of Karelia portrays these tales with stunning musical precision.
“I was born in a small village right on the Russian border, about 15km to the border zone from our family farm,” says Tuomas. ”There is a hill with a cannon pointing towards Russia where we used to play as kids and the famous WW2 sniper “White Death”, aka Simo Häyhä, was from the neighboring village… so you could say the history of the war is well remembered in that area.
We had 32 tanks against their 3,000 and 114 planes against their 3,800… we had less than 350,000 soldiers against their one million, and yet, still we speak Finnish.”
He adds about the new single “Ashes”, ““Ashes” is the last song of the album and grand finale of the main theme which is Winter War. More precisely the end of the war. The first dawn when the guns and cannons went silent. I was listening to a lot of stories told by veterans of that day. Most heartbreaking and grand was a story of veteran who lost his best friend in the war and his body was never found until just recently in the Russian woods by a team who still tries to find remains of the fallen heroes left behind. He waited 80 years to know the fate of his friend.”
North American WOLFHEART fans, now’s your chance to see the beast in the flesh! The band will hit the road in North America, supporting Rotting Christ on the Devastation on the Nation tour, beginning March 19 in Berkeley, CA. See below for a full listing of current tour dates:
WOLFHEART North American Tour Dates:
On the Devastation on the Nation tour w/ ROTTING CHRIST, BORKNAGAR, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT
3/19: Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
3/20: Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
3/21: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
3/22: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
3/23: Boise, ID @ The Shredder (ROTTING CHRIST, BORKNAGAR, WOLFHEART only)
3/24: Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
3/25: Denver, CO @ The Roxy Theater
3/26: Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
3/27: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
3/28: Chicago, IL @ Reggies
3/29: Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary
3/31: Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
4/01: Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques
4/02: Quebec City, QC @ Le D’Auteuil
4/03: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar
4/04: Manchester, NH @ Jewel
4/05: Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
4/06: Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall
4/07: Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlies
4/08: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
4/09: Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
4/10: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
4/11: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Hell)
4/13: Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
4/14: Fort Worth, TX @ Rail Club Live
4/15: Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live
4/16: El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse Bar
4/17: Mesa, AZ @ Club Red
4/18: San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
4/19: Los Angeles, CA @ 1720
