Wolfheart Interview With Tuomas Saukkonen

On September 28, 2018, Finnish heavy metal band, Wolfheart released its latest album, Constellation of the Black Light. Two days later, we caught up with frontman Tuomas Saukkonen at the band’s gig in Montreal, Canada.

Check out our interview with Wolfheart’s Tuomas Saukkonen in the player on this page or head on over to our YouTube page to see it there — and while you’re there, check out what else we have.

Yes, the “genre” of the band came up, which in my opinion falls between melodic death metal, black metal, and a bit of symphonic metal. But, as Tuomas discussed, Wolfheart might be forging its own genre, one that is called Winter Metal. You’ll have to listen as Tuomas explains, and there might also be a link to the meaning behind the album’s title.

Of course, Tuomas also discussed the influence of nature in his writing, but we also talked about how traditional Finnish elements might find their way into his songwriting. Making sure to distinguish Finnish culture from other Nordic cultures, Tuomas explained the warrior theme on the album and how the warrior might find the last vestiges of courage and bravery in the midst of battle.

Sadly, with less than an hour to work with, Wolfheart only had time to perform six songs (see the setlist below), and just two from Constellation of the Black Light: “Everlasting Fall” and “Breakwater.” Nonetheless, Wolfheart commanded the stage and the audience’s attention as fans started to pile into the small venue. While standing at the back might have limited our view, the sound was great and well mixed. And when Tuomas announced that the next song was going to be the fast one, well, the band lived up to it and the crowd absolutely responded to it.

The only thing I wish that Wolfheart had done, and I completely understand that it is a logistics thing, but I wish the acoustic parts were actually played instead of being piped in via a backing track. For me, that would have put the show on the next level. Other than that, we can’t complain about a solid performance through and through.

October 25th is Wolfheart’s last date in North America before heading off to Europe. Go here for details on the Richmond, VA, show and future dates.

Wolfheart 2018 Setlist:

“Everlasting Fall” (Intro)
“Aeon of Cold”
“Zero Gravity”
“The Hunt”
“Breakwater”
“Routa Pt. 2”

Rock Hard \m/