Finnish frontrunners of icy Melodic Death Metal return with the musical embodiment of frigid, dark winter nights that, while terrifying and foreboding, reveal the majestic power and beauty of the natural world.
Finnish frontrunners of icy Melodic Death Metal, the unstoppable Lahti, Päijät-Häme-based Wolfheart, are preparing to unleash their latest album, Draconian Darkness, taking every aspect of the band’s trademark sound of colossal melodies, growling vocals, and driving drum rhythms to searing new levels. Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios, the follow-up to their 2022 album King of the North is the musical embodiment of frigid, dark winter nights that, while terrifying and foreboding, reveal the majestic power and beauty of the natural world, all carefully brought into being by Tuomas Saukkonen on vocals and guitars, Vageliss Karzis on lead guitars and clean vocals, Lauri Silvonen on bass and backing vocals, and Joonas Kauppinen on drums.
An imposing, epic start gradually evolves into the metallic feast Ancient Cold, with all background orchestrations adding an extra touch of epicness to the heavy and technical sounds blasted by Tuomas & Co., whereas Joonas pounds his drums in the name of Melodic Death Metal in Evenfall, with their riffs matching perfectly with the deep roars by Tuomas, or in other words, it’s a beautiful song from the North. It’s then pedal to the metal in the just as heavy and multi-layered Burning Sky, where the riffage by Tuomas and Vageliss will pierce your mind like an arrow on fire; while slowing things down but sounding just as melodic we have Death Leads the Way, presenting nice headbanging riffs complemented by the classic drums by Joonas. And in Scion of the Flame the band brings elements from Symphonic Metal to their core Melodic Death Metal, resulting in a very detailed and epic song tailored for fans of Finnish melodeath.
Back to their more vicious sonority, it’s time for the violent Grave, a metal assault showcasing harsh lyrics (“Cross breed of pure violence and virtuous flesh / Driven by the principle of wrath / Overfeed the senses / Let the cancer cells devour / Cranial nerves under profusion of information”) and endless electricity, and their razor-edged guitars will keep cutting our skin deep in Throne of Bones, while Lauri and Joonas fill out every space left in the air with their rumbling bass and drums. It’s not as exciting as the other songs, though, but still really enjoyable. Then in Trial by Fire the quartet once again delivers a high-octane, groovy and incendiary Melodic Death Metal feast where Tuomas deeply roars supported by his bandmates until the very last second. Lastly, we face The Gale, starting in a serene and soothing manner in paradox with the rest of the album, and alternating between more violent moments and pure acoustic sounds, putting a charming yet strong ending to the album.
The guys from Wolfheart are waiting to show you all the glory of the North, and you can join them by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their official YouTube channel, by streaming their music on Spotify, and of course by purchasing a copy of the excellent Draconian Darkness by clicking HERE. Melodic Death Metal will always be one of the best genres to translate the harsh yet alluring cold of the winter into music, and the unstoppable Wolfheart are offering exactly that in their powerful and enfolding new album.
Best moments of the album:Evenfall, Burning Sky and Grave.
Worst moments of the album:Throne of Bones.
Released in 2024 Reigning Phoenix Music
Track listing 1. Ancient Cold 5:37
2. Evenfall 4:03
3. Burning Sky 4:15
4. Death Leads the Way 3:22
5. Scion of the Flame 4:01
6. Grave 4:22
7. Throne of Bones 5:28
8. Trial by Fire 3:53
9. The Gale 4:28
Band members Tuomas Saukkonen – vocals, guitars
Vageliss Karzis – lead guitars, clean vocals
Lauri Silvonen – bass, backing vocals
Joonas Kauppinen – drums
A stunning album of sorrow, grief and melancholy made in Finland and Greece, dedicated to the loving memory of the grandparents of the band’s own vocalist and keyboardist Gogo Melone.
A project of Melodic Gothic and Doom Metal yet funeral and spiritual music that describes the eternal sorrow and misery above the earth, human nature and instincts under the ownership of grief and pain, Finland/Greece-based outfit Aeonian Sorrow has just unleashed upon us their sophomore full-length opus, entitled Katara. Produced, mixed and mastered by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios, and displaying a stylish and epic artwork by the band’s own vocalist, keyboardist and renowned illustrator Gogo Melone, the album was inspired by the Katara pass, a mountain pass in the Pindus mountains in northern Greece. According to the legend, Katara got its name from a despot who around 1800 set out from Ioannina to go to Trikala, but the bad weather in the area made it so difficult for him that he died on the way, and he cursed the mountain. There are more stories written about this pass; however, Katara is also dedicated to the loving memory of Gogo’s grandparents Georgia and Michail, with the album music being beautifully crafted by Gogo alongside Joel Notkonen on vocals, Taneli Jämsä and Jukka Jauhiainen on the guitars, Achilleas Papagrigoriou on drums, and guest Oskar Englund on bass.
Anemos sounds doomed, grim and pensive from the very first second, with the delicate keys by Gogo bringing a touch of finesse to the music while Achilleas dictates the song’s pace with his sluggish beats, resulting in a powerful Melodic Doom Metal aria that will darken your mind in a stunning way. The band continues their obscure, melancholic path in Elumia, where the bass by Oskar sounds menacing while Gogo embellishes the airwaves with her charming vocals, in paradox with the harsh roars by Joel; and featuring guest vocalist Alejandro Lotero of Exgenesis (and former vocalist for Aeonian Sorrow), Ashes and Death showcases another solid job done by Taneli and Jukka with their Doom Metal-infused riffs and solos. Her Torment is a massive, bold creation by the band where Achilleas crushes our souls with his heavy-as-hell drums, perfect for some slow, intense headbanging in total darkness, followed by the title-track Katara, where once again we’re treated to a gloomy, ethereal feast of Melodic Gothic and Doom Metal spearheaded by the stunning vocals by Gogo, keeping the album as melancholic and emotional as it can be. They managed to get even more doomed and somber in Forbidden Cry, with the guitars by Taneli and Jukka reverberating in great fashion accompanied by Gogo’s passionate vocal performance; whereas lastly, serene, lugubrious piano notes set the tone in Ikuinen Suru (or “eternal sorrow” from Finnish), presenting their trademark slow and steady beats, deep, touching vocal lines, and crying guitars.
“On a personal level, I’ve been through enough difficult changes in my life that it almost made it impossible to keep myself motivated to complete this album. I said several times that I don’t want to do this and I almost didn’t. What kept me going was the reason I started this band and the promise I gave to the grandmother I lost back in 2020 and said that ‘Katara’ album will be recorded in her memory and her husband’s memory too. It will be done for all the years I spent driving to those scary ‘Katara’ roads to go see them. It will be done for each song I wrote inside their empty house when they were gone, and I left to watch the walls and nothing more. On a music level, I think the band has also been through enough and faced the financial critical moments to where we had to take choices, a bit unusual for us, and find ways to make things happen without losing ourselves and our quality. The path to success is full of heavy stones and very lonely so we do what we can and continue writing music from our hearts,” commented Gogo about the album. Hence, you can feel in detail all the sorrow, grief and melancholy from Katara by streaming the album in full on YouTube and on Spotify, by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, and obviously by purchasing Katara from their own BandCamp page or webstore, from Apple Music or from Amazon, joining Gogo and the boys on their doomed path through the Pindus mountains.
Best moments of the album:Anemos and Katara.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2023 Independent
Track listing 1. Anemos 8:35
2. Elumia 7:07
3. Ashes and Death 6:55
4. Her Torment 7:39
5. Katara 9:22
6. Forbidden Cry 6:21
7. Ikuinen Suru 7:13
Band members Joel Notkonen – vocals
Gogo Melone – vocals, keyboards
Taneli Jämsä – guitars
Jukka Jauhiainen – guitars
Achilleas Papagrigoriou – drums
Guest musicians Oskar Englund – bass (session)
Alejandro Lotero – harsh vocals on “Ashes and Death”
Forged in this world… Chained to this earth… Forced to stay where I am… Evermore…
If you’re an admirer of the darkest forms of music and arts in general, I’m beyond certain you’ll have an absolute blast knowing more about our multi-talented metal lady of the month of May here on The Headbanging Moose. Not only she owns a powerful and beautiful voice, but she’s also a keyboardist, a songwriter, and an accomplished digital artist and graphic designer who has already worked with countless bands from the metal scene. I’m talking about Gogo Melone, the lead singer and composer for Aeonian Sorrow and Elyzia, and former vocalist for Luna Obscura, with guest appearances to bands such as ISON, Mercury Circle, IANAI, Ghostheart Nebula, As The Sun Falls and others, and having worked as a graphic designer for bands such as Xandria, Insomnium, Wolfheart, Omnium Gatherum and Vintersea, just to name a few. As you can see, Gogo Melone is an unstoppable force in heavy music, embellishing the airwaves with her voice while at the same time captivating our attention with her stunning graphic creations.
Born on July 17, 1985 in Ioannina (often called Yannena), the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, a region in north-western Greece, but currently residing in Helsinki, Finland, Gogo Melone began her career in music back in 2000 when she founded Greek Atmospheric/Melodic Death/Gothic Metal band Luna Obscura (Latin for “dark moon”) together with guitarist Dimitris Papachristos and vocalist Aris Potonos, inspired by the music by Draconian, Trail of Tears, Tristania, Theatre of Tragedy, Crematory, Paradise Lost, and all other bands with death and gothic elements. Gogo Melone mentioned in one of her interviews that there wasn’t any major plan to create Luna Obscura in the beginning, as it was just a musical experimentation, saying that she simply joined the band during the recordings of their demo Darcanda (released only in 2004). “The idea to have male and female vocals came easily, I guess that we all loved this combination at that time and somehow we felt it was the right direction for our music,” commented our diva, describing their sound as having atmospheric, death and gothic elements with harsh male and clean female vocals. “Our lyrics talk about death, human psychology and our transitions, the mystery, the unknown. All in combination with the music and the beautiful alternations of brutal and ethereal female vocals, create a melancholic yet strong-aggressive effect.”
Although the band was put on hold back in 2017 and has been dormant since then, and with Gogo Melone no longer being part of the band, there’s a lot to enjoy from their past releases, including the aforementioned demo Darcanda (as “Gwgw Melone”), their 2007 EP Evilyn, and their 2008 full-length opus Feltia, and you can enjoy several videos of the band on their official YouTube channel including Oronar, The Burden Of Solitude, and a live version of Dance of Forsaken Souls. Moreover, when asked about the importance of the visual part of the live performances by Luna Obscura, Gogo Melone said that all they cared about was delivering an emotional show to the crowd, focusing not only on the music, but also on the atmosphere surrounding it, as that was what their music was all about.
Fast forward to 2021, and there she is, the unrelenting Gogo Melone, starting another amazing band named Elysia (now spelled Elyzia), playing a stunning fusion of classic Black Metal and Experimental/Atmospheric Black Metal with nuances of Gothic and Doom Metal. She’s also the vocalist and keyboardist of the project, alongside vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer Jani Berney (of bands like As the Sun Falls, Tenebrae Aeternum and Chotzä, and who’s by the way engaged to Gogo Melone), having released their debut effort, the five-track EP Numinous, in August 2022. There’s an official video for the title-track Numinous, as well as official streams of the songs Veiled Fear and Onism on YouTube, and you can also find the full EP available for streaming on Spotify. Moreover, you can find more details about the band on Instagram, and purchase their music via BandCamp. Regarding the name change, switching the letter S for Z, the duo posted a short and sweet message on their Instagram explaining everything. “Some disrespectful idiots coming from the deathcore scene are spamming our social media with threats and hate because there is an old band using the name Elysia. Considering the fact that this other band has been inactive since 2008 and ever since they had no new releases or shows, it is a joke and a bit boring to have to read bullshit about a name when there are so many other names that have been used already three and five times. But let’s end this in a positive note. We are currently working on a new single and a new album which we plan to release in the next few months.”
You can also find Gogo Melone as a guest vocalist or keyboardist to several amazing underground bands, metal or non-metal, by the way. “So far I have met so many great musicians and bands and have done amazing collaborations worldwide so I guess the thing that counts the least is the genre of music. Although I would like to experiment more in Gothic Metal, Doom and Death Metal but the most important is to keep making good collaborations and gain more experience,” said our diva, who not only could be seen singing live with Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal band Clouds back in 2018, but she also recorded vocals for the songs In This Empty Room, from their 2017 EP Destin, When I’m Gone, from their 2018 album Dor, and an acoustic version of that same song, from their 2020 compilation Clouds Acoustic; the re-recorded version of Suffer in Darkness, released as a single in 2022 by Finnish Symphonic Death/Doom Metal band Depressed Mode; Underworld, from the 2005 EP Skotos, by Greek Black/Death Metal act Empathy; Ascension Pt. I Cosmic River, from the 2021 album Ascension, by Italian Melodic Doom/Death Metal band Ghostheart Nebula; Scaling the Summit, from the 2023 EP Scaling the Summit, by Greek Symphonic/Melodic Death Metal band Neperia; a partnership with Greek Gothic Metal act Sorrowful Angels in the cover version for Moonspell’s classic Scorpion Flower, from their 2012 EP Reborn: A Tribute to Moonspell; A Light Year Breath, from the 2020 album Empire of the Void, by Italian Death/Doom Metal band Tethra; and Where the Sun Turns to Grey, from the 2021 album Echoes of Winter, by Italian Progressive Doom Metal band Veil of Conspiracy.
Other guest appearances include the songs Drink the Effect, from the 2008 self-titled EP by Greek Industrial Black Metal band Rheinkaos; Scary Place, from the 2014 self-titled album by Vita Nova; and Winter Is Coming, a solo single released in 2014 by Stream of Passion’s Eric Hazebroek. There’s also a solo album that Gogo Melone mentioned she started working in the beginning of 2012, which should be called Black Silent Vision (or something like that), and she even mentioned in one of her interviews that a digital single was almost ready to be released that year in the summer, but so far nothing has been released maybe due to all her responsibilities as a graphic designer, which undoubtedly consumes a lot of her time.
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Speaking about her passion for arts in general and her work as a graphic designer and digital illustrator since 2007, Gogo Melone mentioned that her favorite styles are emotional, dark and surreal, nurturing a deep passion for red, black and white, as well as for digital art, photography, music and film. “I can’t be myself without freedom and creativity and with art you can have both at maximum. My work is a mixture of dark digital art and photography, highly influenced by films, dark and gothic fashion, fairytales, the beauty of fragile souls and dreamy places,” said our diva, who’s also worried about the future of album covers and booklets due to the vast majority of physical albums being replaced by their digital formats. She has already worked with countless bands in her career, being responsible for the artwork, design or layout of their albums, including for example the bands Xandria, Ablaze My Sorrow, Lutharo, Red Moon Architect, Stormbound, As the Sun Falls, Delusions of Reality, Eye of Solitude, Gallia, Mythodea, White Empress and Wolfheart, just to name a few, plus of course her own bands Aeonian Sorrow, Luna Obscura and Elyzia. Furthermore, inspired by her favorite types of music or bands, a good movie, a documentary, a walk in nature, her past memories, her fears and her dreams, Gogo Melone said in one of her interviews that it doesn’t matter the quality or technique behind an image if it captures the essence of the message that’s being sent. In addition, she also mentioned that although she can’t be considered a photographer, she finds it very inspiring to see the works of both classic and modern photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Philippe Halsman, Steve McCurry, Allan Amato, Tim Walker, Nicolas Guerin, Winter Kelly and Natalie Shau.
Regarding her idols and influences, she said that her introduction to the metal scene happened when she bought the Black Album by Metallica, leading her to take some basic non-professional vocal lessons, participating in her school choir, and starting to sing in different bands during her high school years. Among her favorite bands we’ll find some incredible names such as My Dying Bride, Theater of Tragedy, Katatonia, Anathema, Draconian, Novembers Doom, Daylight Dies, Trail of Tears, Swallow The Sun, Shape of Despair, Paradise Lost, Moonspell and many more, being a diehard fan of all things doom, gothic and death. She was also asked to list her top five albums of all time a few years ago, and if her taste hasn’t changed since then her list is formed of The Silent Enigma, by Anathema; The Angel And The Dark River, by My Dying Bride; Viva Emptiness, by Katatonia; Velvet Darkness They Fear, by Theater of Tragedy; and Arcane Rain Fell, by Draconian.
Although Gogo Melone might have never taken professional vocal lessons, she doesn’t encourage people to follow the same path. “Everything is better when you have technical knowledge and when you know how you can use your voice without destroying it,” she said, also mentioning that she warms up her voice with simple techniques and rest it for long periods. “I don’t smoke, I’m not a big alcohol drinker, I drink a lot of water, I work out a bit and I sleep well as much as possible. Thankfully I didn’t do any damage to my voice so far, but after some years, maybe many years, my voice will change anyway so I guess that a few professional lessons will help to maintain it.” She obviously loves to use her voice live, and being onstage is extremely important to her as a musician and as a person. For instance, her most memorable live performances happened during the European tour that Aeonian Sorrow did with Swallow The Sun and Oceans of Slumber in 2019, also saying that one of the best concerts she has ever witnessed was Anathema when they played in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2005.
When asked if she prefers focusing on her career or her family, as several female singers have already mentioned they would rather concentrate in their careers, Gogo Melone said she would never sacrifice her family for her career, saying that there’s no point in spending most of the time away from your family or having kids you won’t see growing up, complementing by saying that not having a family when you’re in your 20’s or 30’s might be fine, but definitely not when you turn 40 or 50. A member of Eve’s Apple, a community (that might not be active anymore) focused on uniting female metal and rock singers to share their experiences, get to know each other, chat about a variety of topics, and promote their music without any sort of competition, Gogo Melone believes that the metal scene is no longer a male-dominated space, with all female-fronted bands showing metalheads they are no different from men, deserving nothing but respect from the scene. Hence, when questioned about her favorite female singers of all time, she listed Vibeke Stene (Tristania), Liv Kristine (Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves Eyes), Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering), Lisa Johansson (Draconian) and Cathrine Paulsen (Trail of Tears) as her top ones, saying that list will never change for her.
Greece has always been an amazing source of metal music, but Gogo Melone believes the scene is even stronger now, with many bands having started to act more professionaly, therefore helping the local scene grow in a healthier way. “Of course the metal music industry has the normal ups and downs but people are always interested to discover new bands and artists,” she commented about the scene in Greece, also saying that due to having lost contact with her homeland in recent years she doesn’t follow a lot of Greek bands, apart of course form renowned acts such as Rotting Christ and Septicflesh, but that she knows all bands in Greece are putting a lot of effort into their music and they definitely need the support and attention from fans worldwide.
She also mentioned in one of her interviews that working as an independent artist is more in line with her goals, as she doesn’t like the standards such has “1 album every 2 years” or “you have to go live”, relying more on the online support she receives and on crowdfunding campaigns. “The internet and especially social networks are obviously the new way of bringing people together from all over the world. So, in regards to work and how you will promote it, I think it’s one of the best and most clever ways which can give you fast results. I like to use it very often, sometimes more than I should and even if it has helped me a lot…. I believe we must be very careful. It’s very easy to fool around instead of doing serious work, so be careful.” Well, we can all agree she’s been using the internet properly, as we’re all very lucky to be able to access her music and her art from anywhere in the world, bringing endless joy to our dark and gothic hearts.
“Music is an amazing way to express your emotions and have fun all the time when you don’t take things so seriously. I prefer to sing whenever I want to and enjoy it in a way that makes me feel something instead of making albums every year with amazing productions but without soul, which obviously no one will remember after.” – Gogo Melone
Let’s all admire the debut EP by a promising new name hailing from the Finnish Melodic Death Metal scene.
Formed by five friends in early 2021 in Lappeenranta, a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, Finland, the up-and-coming Melodic Death Metal squad known as Admire the Grim is set to release their debut EP, entitled Rogue Five. Recorded by Onni Lappalainen at Crane Studio, and mixed and mastered by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios, Rogue Five brings forward everything we love in the music by renowned acts the likes of Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom and Dark Tranquility, showcasing all the talent and hard work by frontwoman Katri Snellman, guitarists Jani Loikkanen and Sirja Ojaniemi, bassist Kalle Raatikainen and drummer Tommi Vante, therefore positioning the band as one of the most exciting new names of the current Finnish scene.
Electrifying from the very first second, the opening tune The Flood brings to our avid ears the classic Melodic Death Metal riffage and solos by Jani and Sirja while Kalle dictates the pace with his pounding drums and Katri alternates between her she-wolf roars and piercing clean vocals. Then speeding things up and sounding even heavier and more caustic we have Mad Queen of the Second Sun, where Katri vociferates rabidly while her bandmates generate a massive wall of sounds inspired by renowned acts such as Soilwork and Children of Bodom; whereas the song that carries the name of the band, Admire the Grim, is slower and more melodic than its predecessors, with Kalle and Tommi adding tons of groove to the music through their bass and drums, resulting in a mid-tempo song perfect for banging your head together with the band. Lastly, we’re treated to the title-track Rogue Five, bringing forward rebellious, inspiring lyrics declaimed by Katri (“No compromise, all or nothing / Nothing to lose / Like a maniac, through trouble, the strife / Off to destruction, I’ve got your back”) amidst a frantic, infuriated sonority blasted by her bandmates, with Tommi being once again on fire behind his drums, not to mention the solid guitar work by Jani and Sirja.
Such promising new name from the land of ice and snow (and of course, a land of first-class Melodic Death Metal) can be found on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and other nice to know details, and on YouTube for more of their music and behind the scenes videos. Furthermore, you will be able to purchase a copy of Rogue Five or stream it in full soon by clicking HERE, as well as on Apple Music and on Amazon. I honestly don’t think it will take long for Admire the Grim to attack us with their first full-length opus based on the quality of the music found in Rogue Five, expanding their reach and proving once again there’s no such thing as bad female-fronted Melodic Death Metal made in Scandinavia.
Best moments of the album:Mad Queen of the Second Sun and Rogue Five.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2023 Inverse Records
Track listing 1. The Flood 3:53
2. Mad Queen of the Second Sun 4:25
3. Admire the Grim 4:03
4. Rogue Five 3:59
Band members Katri Snellman – vocals
Jani Loikkanen – guitar
Sirja Ojaniemi – guitar
Kalle Raatikainen – bass
Tommi Vante – drums
The guys from Wolfheart are waiting to show you all the glory of the North, and you can join them by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their official YouTube channel, by streaming their music on Spotify, and of course by purchasing a copy of the excellent Draconian Darkness by clicking HERE. Melodic Death Metal will always be one of the best genres to translate the harsh yet alluring cold of the winter into music, and the unstoppable Wolfheart are offering exactly that in their powerful and enfolding new album.
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 