Wintersun is a Finnish heavy metal band that was formed in 2004 by former Ensiferum front man Jari Mäenpää. Forced to choose between studio recording time with Wintersun and a Ensiferum tour, Mäenpää decided to leave Ensiferum behind and entered the studio to record Wintersun's debut album. With a melodic death metal sound infused with elements of progressive metal, folk metal and power metal, the band recorded and released its eponymous record in 2004. Since the foundation of the band had not been solidified yet, Mäenpää ended up playing the majority of the instruments on the record including guitars, bass and keyboards in addition to all the vocals. After finally assembling a steady and fuller lineup, the band recorded and released its sophomore album Time I, in 2012 and has since continued to release material as a proper band with Mäenpää at the helm.
