Finland's Wolfheart is a Melodic Death Metal band but definitely NOT the "melodeath" that you might be thinking. Sure, their second album, Shadow World, has plenty of fast drumming, buzzsaw riffing and throat-rending vocals but the band has created moments of mood and atmosphere with some truly skillful songwriting. They use pianos, keyboards and acoustic guitars not as window dressing but as fully integrated elements in their songs and this allows them to build an emotional tension that can take you to places in your mind's eye. It all comes together on the 8:23 closer "Veri" which has a Summoning feel to it, in a Death Metal way.
Shadow World is an album that possesses a level of quality that transcends genres and should appeal to a wide range of fans but those who are into Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Wintersun and others of that ilk will be the most pleased.
