When Italian metal outfit Wind Rose swept onto the music world in 2009 it is fair to say that the landscape of metal changed forever.
Playing a hybrid of power metal crossed with folk metal, it soon became apparent that Wind Rose weren't just another band looking to make a name for themselves.
The wanted to be the one and only name on your lips and would use force if necessary!
Their music was quickly dubbed Dwarf Metal - for reasons known only to those who came up with it - but Wind Rose have run with that description, incorporating dwarves and fantasy into their albums and music, taking listeners on a dark and wondrous journey with each passing release.
Which is set to continue when their new album Trollslayer is unleashed on October 4.
A powerful, epic, and captivating sonic journey through a land brought to life courtesy of Wind Rose's mischievous imaginations, Trollslayer marks yet another chapter in the continuing saga of good versus evil - with a few dwarves thrown in for good measure.
HEAVY caught up with vocalist Francesco Cavalieri to find out more.
"Trollslayer… for the ones that already know our music style is a mix between Wintersaga and Warfront," he explained when describing what to expect from the new album. "Why? Because Warfront - our previous album - didn't have any party songs and also the main characteristic of the album was to be more solid and more epic but no party songs. No light sounding. So it was different from the previous album of Wind Rose. Now we've got back the keys of the dwarf metal, and we made a new dwarf metal album, more in the style of Wintersaga but with a new vision and more experience. We created a more complete album."
In the full interview, Francesco talks more about Trollslayer and what to expect, the singles released and how they represent the album as a whole, what things they focussed on with Trollslayer, the instrumental track Of Ice & Blood that opens the album, the term dwarf metal and where it comes from, capturing the live feel and sound on a recording, their high energy live shows, the upcoming tour with Powerwolf and Hammerfall and more.