Wintersun is a melodic death metal band that originally started as a side project by the then guitarist of Ensiferum, Jari Mäenpää. Because of Jari's request to take time off from Ensiferum, the band fired him, which allowed him to work on Wintersun full-time.

After the release of Wintersun, the band found permanent members to perform shows and promote the album, although a keyboardist would never be found. In 2006, Wintersun began work on their second and third albums, Time I and Time II, which were initially intended to be released as a single album. Recording began in May of that year, but the albums would be the recipient of years-long delays for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was the complexity of each song's mix.

In 2017, they released their third studio album, The Forest Seasons. The album is a concept album featuring four tracks telling the story of a forest during all four seasons of the year.

Current lineup
Jari Mäenpää − lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar (2003–present, guitars are studio only since 2016)[30], bass (2003−2004)
Kai Hahto − drums (2003–present; on hiatus since 2017)
Teemu Mäntysaari − lead guitar, backing vocals (2004–present)
Jukka Koskinen − bass, backing vocals (2004–present)
Asim Searah − Live rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2017–present)
Heikki Saari - Live drums (2017–present)

Tracklist
1. Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring) (14:40)
2. The Forest That Weeps (Summer) (12:18)
3. Eternal Darkness (Autumn) (14:08)
4. Loneliness (Winter) (12:54)
Total length: 54:00