When ‘Cold Flare Eternal’ finally dropped, Tuomas Saukkonen wasn’t basking in celebration. He was running on exhaustion and quiet satisfaction — the kind that comes only when a massive creative cycle has finally reached its end. “Now, horribly stressed out,” he admitted with a dry laugh. “This is the day when all those particles of equation come together. I’m just happy that it’s out of my hands. Now we can focus on playing the new songs live.”

That mixture of relief and drive has defined Before The Dawn’s current era. After their comeback with ‘Stormbringers’ in 2023, the band has moved fast, following one successful tour after another and diving straight into a new record. “If we push the brakes again, I don’t think we can ever come back. The momentum has to stay,” Tuomas says. It’s clear he thrives in motion, and ‘Cold Flare Eternal’ captures that urgency perfectly — melodic death metal that’s sharper, heavier, and more confident than ever before. While Tuomas remains the main composer, he insists this is no longer his solo vehicle. “Since 2003 I’ve seen this as a band. There were albums I had to make solo to keep things moving, but it wouldn’t be Before The Dawn without the guys,” he says. This time, he limited himself to rhythm guitars and drums, letting guitarist and producer Juho Räihä shape the sound and giving frontman Paavo Laapotti more creative input. “Now I knew exactly who I was composing for,” Tuomas explains. “I was writing for the band, not just the name Before The Dawn.”

The record features “As Above, So Below,” a song loosely inspired by Hermetic ideas of duality. It’s not religious, he clarifies — more about symbolism and perspective. “Sometimes I use religious or symbolic terms, but they’re my interpretation, not belief. I like using metaphors — it gives perspective, not preaching.”

Pushing himself physically became a central part of this album. Faster tempos and heavier drumming made recording more demanding than usual. “It’s always easy to come up with ideas, but executing them — that’s the challenge,” he says. Songs like “Stronghold” and “Shock Wave” even made him hesitate, thinking they might be too extreme for the fans. Instead, they became fan favourites, a sign that the band’s willingness to stretch their sound is paying off.

Before The Dawn has always been more restrained visually than Tuomas’ other projects like Wolfheart, where he can go all-in on cinematic imagery. “If I try something like that here, they’ll say ‘no way,’” he laughs. But seeing the video for “Shock Wave,” which he left entirely in the label’s hands, made him rethink those boundaries. “It made me realize how much more Before The Dawn can be. It doesn’t need to stay inside a box.”

On their European tour Tuomas was going to pull off a double duty with both Before The Dawn and Wolfheart. He jokes about “dying” from exhaustion, but insists it’s manageable. “It’s easier for me to do two shows in a row than one long Before The Dawn set.”

Asked what his younger self might think of ‘Cold Flare Eternal’, he smiles. “He would love it. The band exists because of the music I get to make and perform. If he didn’t like this album, something would’ve gone awfully wrong.” Then, with trademark understatement, he adds: “Check out the new album and see us live. We’re pretty okay in what we do.”

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