Wintersun is a Finnish melodic death metal band that originally started in 2003 as a solo project of Jari Maemper, then a member of Ensiferum. After quickly securing a contract with German major Nüclear Blast, the band released their eponymous debut album in 2004. In this album, Yari played all the parts except for the drums. 2006 saw the start of work on a second album, “Time I,” but this was interrupted the following year in 2007. Eventually, this finally saw the light of day five years later in 2012. Now, “Time II” is finally released.
The slow pace of Wintersun's activities is also a characteristic of the group, but with such a splendid lineup, this is not surprising. The aforementioned Yari is in charge of vocals, guitar, and keyboards. Drummer Kai Haft, who has been a member of the band since its first album, is also a current member of Nightwish. Former Norther bassist Jukka Koskinen is also currently a member of Nightwish. He is also known for his recent work with Crownshift. Guitarist Tame Mantusari is currently a member of Megadeth, as you may well know.
This time, too, there are only six songs on the album, three of which are very heavy, clocking in at over 10 minutes in length. There are acoustic guitars, blast beats, and even a Chinese string instrument, the erhu. And of course, it is packed with Finnish melodies. It's worth the seven-year wait. This is the best melodic death metal by the best musicians.
【Wintersun】
Jari Mäenpää (Vocals/Guitars/Computer/Programming)
Teemu Mäntysaari (Guitars)
Jukka Koskinen (Buss)
Kai Hahto (Drums)