With the resurrection of Before the Dawn in recent years, you would probably think that Tuomas Saukkonen might be putting his other band Wolfheart in the back seat for a bit. Clearly not the case, in 2022 Wolfheart put out King of the North, while in 2023 Before the Dawn returned with Stormbringers (their first album in 11 years), and now in 2024 Wolfheart returns yet again with Draconian Darkness.
What is the band’s seventh full-length since Saukkonen launched the project back in 2013, that output averages to roughly a new studio album every 1.5 years. Honestly, it is difficult to imagine material can be pumped out at that rate, under the name Wolfheart, Saukkonen has managed to do so… all without sacrificing quality. Each album having a very distinctive icy cold feeling of Melodic Death Metal mixed with even some Black Metal vibes, Draconian Darkness is truthfully an amalgamation of all that make Wolfheart what they are.
Released on September 6, 2024 through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM), joining Saukkonen you have Joonas Kauppinen on drums, Lauri Silvonen on bass/vocals, plus Vagelis Karzis on lead guitars/clean vocals. Karzis, joining Wolfheart in 2020, certainly added a new dynamic to the band’s sound with the interjection of clean singing, and it was ever-apparent on King of the North. Showcased perhaps even more so with Draconian Darkness, the album features an intensity in the performance, yet a delicate nature at times that makes it unique to prior Wolfheart albums.
As mentioned, certainly a combination of the most pronounced elements of their previous works, for whatever reason, Draconian Darkness seems to have a different feel to it. Not at all a bad thing, the album comes on strong and has plenty of dazzling portions that will keep you fully engaged and ready for what’s next. Chalked full of blazing fast drums and guitar playing, matched with some more symphonic elements, in truth, it could be the band’s most dynamic record to date. With this in mind, some clear standouts include “Evenfall,” the haunting quality of “Scion Of The Flame,” “Burning Sky,” plus the relentless attack of others like “Grave” or “Trial by Fire.” This while tracks, like album closer “Gale,” take you on a journey that is nothing less than breathtakingly effective.
In all, Wolfheart’s prolific approach to creating music continues to follow the trend that sometimes you do not have loss quality for quantity. It is clear the band is within a creative stride and amazingly with all the projects Tuomas Saukkonen has led through the years (Before the Dawn, Dawn of Solace, Black Sun Aeon, just to name a few), Wolfheart has been the most productive. An album that has many moments that make unquestionable distinctive, Cryptic Rock gives Draconian Darkness 4 out of 5 stars.
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