Wintersun to Release New Album That is Still Not Time II

Wintersun, the much-revered Finnish project that is slightly more prolific than Tool, released Time I in 2012. They were supposed to release its sequel, Time II, the following year, but then that didn’t happen. They said they were starting to mix that album in 2013, and then the band’s mastermind, Jari Mäenpää (ex-Ensiferum), started complaining about the band’s label, Nuclear Blast, and then he started complaining about people complaining about him complaining. At some point, Mäenpää and Nuclear Blast made-up, and Wintersun have since debuted two Time II tracks live (“The Way of Fire” and “Forest”). But then I guess Mäenpää needed another breather while he nursed a stubbed toe or something, because Time II still isn’t out.

Which brings us to now: Wintersun have announced that they’ve completed their new album… but that album ain’t Time II for some reason.

Not being a Wintersun fan, I have no idea why/if it makes any difference that the band’s next album is Time II instead of Jari’s Farts Smell Like Fresh Scones or anything else. Did Time I end on a cliffhanger or something? Are fans waiting to learn whether or not Darth Vader is really Mäenpää’s father? If not, new Wintersun is new Wintersun, right?

Regardless, this much is clear: there is some key piece of information regarding the completion of Time II that we do not have. It does not take four years to mix an album, and frankly, it’s weird that Mäenpää had time/resources to complete other Wintersun work but for some reason did not have time/resources to complete Time II. So something is amiss. We may very well hear the Gojira Sea Shepard EP before we hear Time II.

[via Metal Injection]