Wolfheart – Draconian Darkness II (EP)
Release Date: 19th September 2025
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Order/Stream
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Symphonic Death Metal.
FFO: Amon Amarth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Dark Tranquillity, Moonshade, Borknagar, Hell:on, Starwraith.
Review By: Malte Brigge
Wolfheart’s Draconian Darkness was my sixteenth favorite album of 2024. Attentive re-listening reveals to me it’s largely on the strength of the back half. The first couple songs call on some elements that are a little disconcerting for the potential future of the band, with emotionally clean vocals adjacent to the most obvious tropes of metalcore and a reliance on catchy hooks rather than the aggressive but melodic songwriting that defined earlier albums like Winterborn and Tyhjyys. Nevertheless, when I saw they submitted a new EP for review, Draconian Darkness II, I pounced, wolflike, to make it my own, but was immediately disappointed to find only two new songs padded by three rehashes, more like ye olde b-sides than a proper EP. Was I the fool who got fooled, or is Wolfheart hiding powerful secrets in plain sight?
Luckily, the two new songs build on the strengths that made Draconian Darkness such a strong contender and enjoyable listen. They add thoughtful, progressive musicality to their structures, which sets them apart from just being a Finnish version of Amon Amarth (which they never were, but it’s a fair comparison to their general sound). More importantly, Draconian Darkness II feels like they are experimenting in a more Fleshgod Apocalypse or even—and this is a stretch, I know, but the intent is what I mean—Ihsahn way: rather than just adding subtle symphonic backing to existing songs like they did previously, even when it started becoming more of a feature on 2022’s King of the North, they are now writing orchestral parts as integral to the song itself, and doing it well.
Draconian Darkness II shows Wolfheart stretching the limits of this sound and, particularly, their songwriting ability. A minute into Carnivore and you expect, nay, you know, that a catchy chorus is coming up, every signifier is there, but instead they drop suddenly into a lovely, quiet piano interlude under a soft operatic soprano before the full orchestra sweeps in, out of which rolls a rapid fire chorus break and high tremolo speed runs. I’m all in for this vastly more unpredictable version of Wolfheart. Both Carnivore and Forefathers are fun to hear, full of surprises and wow moments. These songs not only complement the work begun on Draconian Darkness but push it forward. They show intricacy in songwriting but also keep that trademark oomph that will charge up the pit and get the front-row fence-hangers flinging their hair. Vocally, Tuomas Saukkonen is exploring new range with his already beautiful growls, taking some very brief forays into blackened territory on Forefathers and finding extra grittiness on both songs. What cleans we get on Carnivore are choral backing vocals that give melody to the growls, more of which I gladly welcome.
The three remaining variations are interesting but unnecessary. I’ve always enjoyed out takes, alternate versions, rare live tracks, interpretations, etc. But we don’t live in a b-side world anymore, which makes the promise of a five-song EP, ⅗ of which are not new songs, a let-down. The live version of Burning Sky doesn’t do anything new except make the excellent orchestral backing much more prominent. The live mix makes me realize that Draconian Darkness is more compressed than I had noticed. I prefer this version to the original just for that pop—I’m not sure that’s a good thing. The acoustic version of The Gale, Draconian Darkness’ original closer, isn’t a radical experiment since the song was largely acoustic to begin with. At a full minute shorter, they’ve simply removed crushing tremolo attacks and, for some reason, the acoustic intro solo. The guitar tone is much warmer, the vocals are raw and go a bit flat in places, but apart from that full, live feeling, it doesn’t challenge the original. The last track is an orchestral version of The Grave, my 37th favorite song of 2024. It doesn’t simply strip the band tracks off the original backing orchestration; it’s a fresh symphonic interpretation. It’s lovely to listen to in an OST kind of way but doesn’t retain the strengths of what made “The Grave” so memorable a listen.
My score means I have mixed feelings about it. The two new songs are solid additions to any Wolfheart playlist and will surely become live centerpieces for a while. The three b-sides may be of some interest to established fans, but there is little here to compel anyone to listen to this on a regular basis.
(2.5 / 5)
