Wolfheart forms a raging blizzard of heavy metal with the release of second single, “The King”, cut from their upcoming full-length, King Of The North, out September 16 via Napalm Records. King Of The North picks up right where their last two releases - Wolves Of Karelia (2020) and the Skull Soldiers EP (2021) - left off, taking every aspect of their trademark blend of colossal melodies, earth-shaking vocals, gripping lyricism and driving rhythms to searing new levels.
Scorching gutturals from frontman Tuomas Saukkonen break through the ice on the new single as he is accompanied by epic orchestration packed with strings and horns. Heavy guitar chugs and powerful pummeling drums march through the track as Tuomas tells the tale of the hunt of the mighty forest god. “The King” is the album’s most glorious epic that unleashes Wolfheart’s exquisite balance of grandiose melodic atmosphere with crushing heavy guitars and pounding drums, premiering today alongside a new music video.
Wolfheart’s Tuomas Saukkonen about “The King”: "'The King' is about a broken sacred rule that forbids the hunt of a bear in winter. Hunter was only allowed to face the king when it was in its full strength. Bear was carried out from the forest head first because bears spirit was believed to live forever and only dead were carried feet first. The skull was hung in a sacred tree facing east where the spirits were believed to travel. Bear was truly the ruler of the woodlands and especially the death of the king was full of rituals and beliefs. The song also introduces our guitarist Vageliss as a vocalist in a leading role and his magnificent execution brings Wolfheart trademark sound into a new level."
Each song on King Of The North is dedicated to a different story of Finnish mythology – underlined by Wolfheart’s grand, crushing songwriting and production. “The King”, for instance, tells the tale of the forest god with horns and pianos accompanying heavy guitar riffs and solos, before raising the energy levels once more on the relentless “Cold Flame” featuring Karl Sanders of legendary extreme metal group Nile. King Of The North is a true masterpiece of melodic death metal, crafted with loads of attention to detail and intricate mythology-driven storytelling – showcasing Wolfheart at never-before-heard artistic levels!
Tuomas Saukkonen about King Of The North: "After 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 2nd world war and went straight to the tales about creation of nordic world, ancient gods of north and the majestic nature. The colorful theme also inspired me to write the musically most diverse Wolfheart album and also bring the biggest variation of vocals than ever before, putting Lauri and Vageliss in their well-earned spotlight."
King Of The North will be available in the following formats:
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Die-Hard Edition Marbled Crystal Clear/Black + Poster + Slipmat (limited to 300)
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Marbled Orange/Yellow
- CD 6-page Digisleeve
- Digital album
Pre-order 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"
"Ancestor" video:
Wolfheart are:
Tuomas Saukkonen - guitar, vocals
Joonas Kauppinen - drums
Lauri Silvonen - bass, vocals
Vagelis Karzis - guitar, vocals
(Photo - Teppo Ristola)
