RockOverdose recently had the chance to conduct an interview with Finnish winter metallers WOLFHEART. These days, mastermind Tuomas Saukkonen finds himself in Greece, preparing material for the band’s third album already, while his bandmates, Mika Lammassaari (guitars), Joonas Kauppinen(drums) and Lauri Silvonen (bass) are about to join him for a greek mini-tour in support of their latest gem “Shadow World”.
Read below as he comments on the band’s current state, the transition from working alone to working with a label, their future plans, “winter metal” and more…
RockOverdose: Hello and welcome to RockOverdose!
You’ve been in Greece for quite a while since 2016 kicked in. Other than the upcoming mini Greek tour, why is that?
Tuomas Saukkonen: Hell-O! I came to Athens already 1.1. to have a longer winter vacation and start the pre-production of the 3rd Wolfheart album.
RockOverdose: Some months have passed since your latest release “Shadow World”. How do feel about the album now? Are you satisfied with your work and its reception?
Tuomas Saukkonen: I am still very much satisfied of the album and also the feedback has been very good both from the fans and media. We had the album ready and mastered already in November 2014 but had to wait for 10months for the release because Spinefarm records also wanted to re-release the debut before releasing “Shadow World”. Because of the long wait I had new songs written already before the release of the “Shadow World” and also that is the reason why I am working already with new album.
RockOverdose: “Winterborn” was recorded as a one-man band, but with “Shadow World” you had three permanent members in the band. How did it feel and did it make any difference regarding the recordings/writing process?
Tuomas Saukkonen: Since I have had the same guys playing gigs/tours with me since the beginning of 2013 it would have been weird to head to the studio all by myself. Of course the workload was much smaller and I could focus even more on the productional side. All guys are really talented and by that I was able to write more varied stuff so their participation pushed the music also forward. Writing process remained pretty much the same but our solo guitarist brought riffs to one of the songs and wrote one completely.
RockOverdose: So, when did you first start thinking this could be more than a one-man project, how did it all happen?
Tuomas Saukkonen: All the guys are old friends of mine so it was really easy thing to make them permanent members. Since the beginning I wanted to be able to play shows with Wolfheart so the first thing after recording the debut was to find a line up so it would have never been 100% one band even if I would have decided to continue the studio work alone.
RockOverdose: Also, “Winterborn” was self-released, but you stroke a deal with the label for the next record. How was this change for you?
Tuomas Saukkonen: It was a pretty big change that I did not have the financial burden anymore. It took a lot of work to gather the budget for the debut + video on my own so now I could focus a lot more on the music. Also since there is now a label handling the whole release process I can focus more on the management of the band etc.
RockOverdose: Do you ever compare your work with Wolfheart with your past projects? (ed. Before The Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, Dawn Of Solace etc) Or is it something that feels completely different for you?
Tuomas Saukkonen: I always focus on the next gig/tour/album/video etc I have done already 15 albums so it would be too much of a work to compare present to the past emoticon smile
RockOverdose: How do you usually write down your music? What inspires you the most?
Tuomas Saukkonen: I need a lot of time on my own. That is one of the reasons I came to Athens to start the work for the 3rd album. I have been writing music since I was 16-years old so difficult to analyze the process anymore. It is more like a constant stream of thought. Just need some privacy to get it out.
RockOverdose: How do you feel about the term ‘winter metal’?
Tuomas Saukkonen: I like it and I was the one starting to use it for Wolfheart emoticon smile. Always when writing for Wolfheart I have a certain wintery landscape in my mind which also is the main topic in the lyrics so the term “winter metal” works well.
RockOverdose: What about the new material for a future Wolfheart album?
Tuomas Saukkonen: So far I have demo recorded more than 50% of the 3rd album during my stay in Athens so the album is starting to take its shape. We will head to the studio in Finland in early April to do the final recordings.
RockOverdose: Coming up on Thursday, a Greek mini tour kicks off with supporting acts AmongRuins and Desert near the End. I remember you also had played a couple of shows with AmongRuins back in 2013, but there’s more to it. What are your ties and what do you think about both bands?
Tuomas Saukkonen: We have played before with both bands. I also produced and mainly recorded the forthcoming AmongRuins album “No Light”. For the vocals recordings we used Desert Near The End guys’ studio and I did all guitar/bass demo recordings for the new songs there just a few days ago so there are many ties. Really cool guys and cool bands and will be awesome to get on the road with them.
RockOverdose: What do you like most about Greece? And what do you miss the most about winter wonderland of Finland when you’re not at home?
Tuomas Saukkonen: Overall atmosphere is very chill out + gyros ! I miss the winter itself but there will be plenty of that left when I go home on 10.2.
RockOverdose: What are your next plans for 2016, after the tours in Greece and Finland in February/early March?
Tuomas Saukkonen: We heading to studio in early April and the 3rd album will be ready in the beginning of June. Before that I have 1 week of video shootings for Wolfheart coming up in Norway. In the festival season will be play festivals at least in Finland, Germany, Norway and Switzerland and we will keep on touring when the new album comes out in October.
RockOverdose: What could someone expect from your live shows? Share a message to your fans!
Tuomas Saukkonen: Be there to witness the wrath and beauty of Finnish winter
RockOverdose: Thank you!
For RockOverdose,
Sofia Ntouska
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