Tuomas Saukkonen of Wolfheart an interview on Metalwar.gr

1)Hello Tuomas welcome to metalwar.gr and congratulations on Wolfheart’s excellent and upward trajectory.
Tuomas: Thank you !

2) “King of the North” is an excellent album in continuation of the other 5, also excellent previous albums. What is the recipe for keeping such a high standard in Wolfheart’s work from the beginning until today
Tuomas: Before I started Wolfheart 2013 I had already released over 10 albums and had built a strong relationships to my trusted audio engineers which I continued to work with when Wolfheart entered the studio for the debut album. It has been a common goal for me as a composer and both Juho Räihä and Saku Moilanen as sound engineers to push the quality of both music and productions further with each album.

3) Who do you think is the reason Wolfheart stands out among so many melodic death bands that have appeared in recent years, with also very good work?
Tuomas: Our lyrical themes are based either on Finnish history / mythology or the northern nature so that divides us, from most of central european bands and also our sound is a bit unique since I use only baritone guitars (both electric and acoustic) in our music so the tuning is lower than most other bands considering the tempos and riffs we are playing. It gives overall darker and more doom kind of sound while the music is leaning more into melodic black metal style.

4) Finland as a country has for many years been promoting heavy metal as one of the main genres of music, not only commercially but also essentially. How much do you think this has an effect on the quality and promotion of the country’s bands?
Tuomas: It is a sword with the 2 edges. Finnish metal has a really good reputation all over the world but also when you say that you are a Finnish metal band the expectations of the quality are really high. Also the overall quality of metal bands in Finland is probably the highest in the world and it has been studied than Finland has the most amount of metal bands per capita in the whole world. That makes it really hard to stand out in the Finnish scene and Finland is far from central europe so it takes extra amount of work to reach a level where you are able to tour in Europe / north America and make it financially possible to support yourself with only music.

5) What is Wolfheart’s main concern when creating? Is it personal satisfaction, world satisfaction, commercial success, or a combination of the above?
Tuomas: Only the personal satisfaction. World satisfaction or commercial success is just a bonus that follows after. While writing music and doing the pre-production and later on the final recordings / mixing the only thing that matters is that the music equals the vision I have in my head. If you start doubt our or creation process based on what fans might like it is an endless road.

6) How can you combine your work in Wolfheart, while maintaining only two projects, Before the Dawn and Dawn of Solace, and what is the secret of keeping all three bands at a high level?
Tuomas: Hard work. I lot of hard work hahaha :). Each album from any of the bands mentioned sets the bar and I just focus to raise that bar with the next one. I work hard to become a better musician and song writer so that I have the tools to improve the quality each time I enter the studio.

7) Who do you think is the reason why melodic death metal has been on the rise for many years, with many bands and quality albums?
Tuomas: I believe it is the energy in the music and also within the audience. Live shows are full of adrenaline, both on the stage and inside the crowd. Also the music carries a strong energy charge which is conveyed to the listener. Even when the music might be dark and heavy and lyrics even darker overall, metal music carries a positive energy.

8) I know you love Greece, just like the Greeks love you as a person and off course Wolfheart. What is your relationship with the Greek public and what are your feelings when you visit our country?
Tuomas: I have spent good amount of time in Athens. Besides all trips I have done for gigs I have produced one album for Among Ruins and lived in Athens during that time. I also did full pre-production for Wolfheart 2nd album in Athens 2014 and lived in the city for few months. And a bit over a year ago I was there again for several weeks and did some video shooting etc so Athens is clearly a place where I like to return. Of course Vageliss being our solo guitarist built a strong connection to Greece and Athens too. Always when I am coming to Athens I know I will meet good friends, get to eat good food and I love the historical aspect of the Greek culture. Finland is only 120 years old and our history and culture does not compare to the Greek.

9) On February 3, 2024, Wolfheart will be in Athens for a live show. What do you expect from this performance and what should the Greek public expect from the band?
Tuomas: It’s actually 14th of April. The date got moved a bit further from the original. You should not expect anything less you have seen from us before! Athens is our 2nd “home court and we will show nothing but the best Wolfheart show every time we play in Athens.

10) Where do Wolfheart feel best? In the studio or on stage?
Tuomas: I have been lucky to find such a high level line-up that I would say both. I love working in the studio but the energy on the stage match the energy I get to write into the music. I have never enjoyed being on the spotlight that much but I love the adrenaline rushing in my veins during the live show.

11) How do developments on a political, social and global level (wars, poverty), personally and creatively affect you? And if music should be a part of all this?
Tuomas: Personally it might effect a lot. Specially the Russio / Ukraine conflict at the moment. I know a lot of people from Ukraine that were my co-workers when I was working as a landscaper (2002-2022) and now they are trapped inside the borders and are facing the same reality that Finland did with Russia in the 2nd world war. But to me music is always an escape from reality and to me at least music should be just art.

12) What does freedom of expression mean to you and at what level do you think it is in 2023 in our society?
Tuomas: In Finland it is still 100% safe to express yourself freely and I have taken that very seriously also in music would never let labels / managements etc to tell me what kind of music I should write etc.

13) What is the best and worst thing in heavy metal?
Tuomas: No worst things….only good ones 🙂

14) I would like you to share with us, your future plans and those of Wolfheart.
Tuomas: At the moment I can reveal anything and some bigger news will follow soon BUT I have been very busy in the studio lately.

15) Thank you very much for the interview, we will meet in person in April 14th, 2024 in Athens. We close this interview as you want.
Tuomas: Cant wait to return to Athens !