Year: 2024
Total Time: 39:33
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
With their seventh full-length album, «Draconian Darkness», released this time by Reigning Phoenix Music, WOLFHEART demonstrates what it truly means to maintain consistency in one’s releases. The Finnish melodic Death Metal band manages to preserve the elements that define its sound while also presenting innovative ideas in the songwriting of this new effort.
The band seems to invest significantly in orchestral elements, creating a more dramatic, atmospheric, and almost theatrical effect. The distinctive sound of WOLFHEART, characterized by Tuomas Saukkonen’s growls and Evaggelos Karzis’s clean vocals, harmoniously blend and alternate, contributing to a rich, cohesive, and balanced sonic result that remains multifaceted and complex.
The album opens with «Ancient Cold» featuring an orchestral intro followed by an immediate Death Metal outburst that sets the tone for what awaits us in «Draconian Darkness». The second single, «Evenfall», delivers a powerful punch with its drum intro, an incredible bass line, and quieter, almost acoustic passages that create a remarkable balance.
Continuing, one of my favorites, «Burning Sky» begins with an acoustic introduction that quickly transitions to orchestral and guitar elements, while Joonas Kauppinen delivers a drum performance that steals the show. «Death Leads the Way» is ideal for headbanging with its rhythmic nature and chugging riffs, while the solo injects much-needed vitality into the track. «Scion of the Flame» my favorite song on the album, is a cinematic composition combining stormy drumming and symphonic melodies with acoustic guitar and clean vocals, offering a grand emotional crescendo.
The first single, «Grave» with its beautiful piano introduction, subsequent outburst, and piano return in the chorus, stands out as a prime example of the content of «Draconian Darkness». «Throne of Bones» features sharp guitars, heavy bass, and martial-like drumming that heightens the overall intensity, providing Tuomas Saukkonen with a solid foundation for powerful vocals. The third single «Trial by Fire» is a quintessential melodic Death Metal track with an impressive chorus and drumming, while some symphonic parts add a necessary depth to the composition. The album closes with «The Gaie» where acoustic passages combined with symphonic explosions make it an ideal conclusion to an album like «Draconian Darkness».
With «Draconian Darkness», WOLFHEART proves that years of practice, a clear vision for musical direction, and the chemistry of a band’s members can deliver something both familiar and fresh. It’s a creation you’ll want to revisit, a preview of what the band has in store for the future!
Rating: 9/10
Editor: Antonis Braikidis
Related Link: WOLFHEART – Official Page
