Wind Rose

Wind Rose formed in 2009 in Pisa, Tuscany, founded by singer Francesco Cavalieri, guitarist Claudio Falconcini and keyboardist Federico Meranda. After an early demo, their debut album, Shadows Over Lothadruin, arrived in 2012 on Bakerteam Records, followed a few years later by Wardens of the West Wind, by which point bassist Cristiano Bertocchi had joined the lineup.

Their material draws heavily on dwarven imagery borrowed from Tolkien-influenced fantasy, a pairing so pronounced that the band's sound has been described as "dwarven metal," built from stomping mid-tempo rhythms, orchestral keyboards, gang vocals and choruses written to be shouted back.

Their third album, Stonehymn (2017), and its videos for "The Wolves' Call" and "To Erebor" widened the band's reach considerably. They signed to Napalm Records in 2018, and the following year released a cover of "Diggy Diggy Hole," originally by the gaming YouTubers The Yogscast, alongside the album Wintersaga, whose title track became their best-known song.

The group has toured supporting Wintersun, Finntroll and Epica, joined Eluveitie's Origins tour and Ensiferum's One Man Army tour, and later toured Japan and Europe alongside Ensiferum and Ex Deo. Warfront followed in 2022, and Trollslayer, their sixth album, in 2024.

Live, they play up the theme with matching costumes and percussion-led sing-alongs built around the shouted choruses.