Jari has spoken about the genre of Wintersun's music, and says "Well it´s difficult to put into a certain genre, cause there’s lots of variation. But to describe it, I would say something like: Extreme Majestic Technical Epic Melodic Metal." He has also stated "But it's really not death metal. It's very difficult even for me to label it, but if somebody would put a gun on my forehead, I would probably say something like Extreme Melodic Majestic Metal."
The first Wintersun album, "Wintersun" was scheduled for recording early in 2004 a time frame which clashed with the Ensiferum European tour. Jari Mäenpää was forced to choose between his booked recording time for Wintersun, or the Ensiferum tour; he chose Wintersun and was forced to leave Ensiferum behind.
The album was released on September 13, 2004 through Nuclear Blast Records.
Wintersun's self titled album was produced solely by Jari Mäenpää himself, with only a session drummer (Kai Hahto) to perform the drums and percussion. Jari performed the vocals, bass, guitars and programmed the synth on his own. Indeed, the album was conceptualised purely as a solo project in tandem to Ensiferum (evident by the fact that the Wintersun album bears Mäenpää's name on the front).
The live Wintersun line up consists of two other players in addition to Hahto; Teemu Mäntysaari (Imperanon) plays guitars and Jukka Koskinen (Norther) plays bass. Live keyboards come from background tapes because Wintersun hasn't yet found a suitable keyboardist. This is due to the fact that there are a lot of intricate keyboard passages in Wintersun's music and Jari has stated that there would probably have to be two live keyboardists in the band to make it work.
The second Wintersun album is called "Time" and was to be released in late 2006, but the schedule was changed to a release in 2012 because of delays in recording and technical difficulties.
Wintersun:
Jari Mäenpää (vocals, guitar)
Kai Hahto (drums)
Teemu Mäntysaari (guitar)
Jukka Koskinen (bass)
Beyond the Dark Sun
Wintersun Lyrics
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... For years I have travelled in coldness,
but my heart is warm as the darkened sun above me...
Nothing can ever take away
what I've seen with these tired eyes
Face of the weeping night
The dawn will never rise again for my eyes
and I will never sleep again
I've lost my hope time after time
cause the light has vanished from the sky
Now when the darkness has become part of me
I got to let my shadows free
cause I never looked behind, I never tried to find
something that could have made me one
Now when the sorrow has taken control of me
I got to let my shadows free
cause I never looked behind, I never tried to find
something that could have made me one
something that I could reach the Sun
The lyrics of Wintersun's song "Beyond the Dark Sun" are filled with emotional depth and despair. The singer, who has been wandering in the coldness for years, finds warmth in the darkened sun above him, despite the fact that he knows it can never take away what he has seen with his tired eyes. The face of the weeping night and the shade of the fading light surround him, and the dawn will never rise again for his eyes. He has lost hope time after time because the light has vanished from the sky. Now, the darkness has become a part of him, and he feels the need to let his shadows free because he has never tried to find something that could have made him whole. He has never looked behind him or tried to find something that he could have reached for the sun.
The lyrics convey the singer's sense of helplessness and despair, as well as his struggle to find meaning in the darkness that has enveloped him. He has lost track of time and finds himself unable to move forward, trapped in the shadows that have taken control of him. He has failed to find the light that could have guided him out of the darkness and into the warmth of the sun. In the end, he realizes the need to let his shadows free, to embrace the darkness that has become a part of him and to find something that he can reach for. The lyrics are a haunting reminder of the human struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that can be dark and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
For years I have travelled in coldness,
For years I have been on a journey with no warmth or love.
but my heart is warm as the darkened sun above me...
But despite this, my heart is still full of emotion and feeling, like the sun that shines on me even when the sky is dark.
Nothing can ever take away
No matter what happens,
what I've seen with these tired eyes
I will never forget what I have seen and experienced, even though my eyes are tired and weary.
Face of the weeping night
I am faced with the sorrow and sadness of the night,
and the shade of the fading light
and the dwindling light that is slowly disappearing.
The dawn will never rise again for my eyes
I will never see the start of a new day again,
and I will never sleep again
and I will never rest or find peace.
I've lost my hope time after time
I have lost my hope for a better future many times,
cause the light has vanished from the sky
because the light that once gave me hope and guidance is gone from the sky.
Now when the darkness has become part of me
Now, I have become one with the darkness that surrounds me,
I got to let my shadows free
I must embrace my inner darkness and let it take control.
cause I never looked behind, I never tried to find
I never took the time to look back or search for something more,
something that could have made me one
something that could have brought me a sense of unity or purpose.
Now when the sorrow has taken control of me
Now that sadness and pain have taken over my being,
I got to let my shadows free
I must set my inner demons free and let go of any control I once had.
cause I never looked behind, I never tried to find
Just as before, I never sought out anything more,
something that could have made me one
something that could have united my soul and given me hope again,
something that I could reach the Sun
something that could have allowed me to reach for the light and escape the darkness.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JARI TAPANI MAEENPAEAE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind