Wintersun

Jari Mäenpää created Wintersun in 2003. He chose the name "Wintersun" from a list of names suggested by a friend, explaining that Winter reflects the cold, magical and melancholic side of his music, and Sun: the universe and space. After being contacted by Mäenpää, Kai Hahto became the band's session drummer. Together, they recorded demos for the songs Winter Madness, Beyond the Dark Sun and Death and the Healing, which they sent to Nuclear Blast. The label offered them a contract for the production of several albums, however with the constraint of producing a 3-track demo before each album. Despite obtaining the contract with Nuclear Blast, Mäenpää was keen for Wintersun to remain a side project, in order to focus on his main band Ensiferum, in which he holds the role of singer and guitarist. Three studios were used for the album Wintersun.