Thomas Wildelau, drummer of Hamburg, Germany-based sludge metal outfit HIGH FIGHTER, has launched his first-ever solo project under the flag of WDNHF (pronounced: Weidenhof). His upcoming debut album, entitled “Consideration”, will be self-released on September 21, 2025, and sees the multi-instrumentalist stepping onto new ground.
“Consideration” is a work of complete self-creation — written, arranged, performed, recorded, and mixed entirely by Wildelau. The result is a sonic journey that escapes rigid genre borders and opens the door to an entirely different world.
“The origin of ‚Consideration‘ — as with so many of us — goes back to the pandemic and its lockdowns in early 2020, a time that opened the door to other pursuits,“ Wildelau reveals. “During this period, I returned to my family home, partly because my mother, who had lived there for most of her life, suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away a year later.
With plenty of time, a new setting surrounded by nature, countless memories of this place, and a sense of new responsibility, I began making music. I wasn’t following any particular genre, nor did I have the plan of writing a full album. It wasn’t until 2022 that the desire arose to develop my collected ideas into something more complete. At the same time, I set myself the goal of arranging, writing, and recording the entire album on my own. The only exception is the guitar solo on ‚Time Holes‘, which didn’t come from me. Since I never set deadlines for myself, and no one else had expectations of me, the album was allowed to take its time. It simply came into being.
The music video for WDNHF’s first album single, “Future Sign”, is now premiering below:
Wildelau says about the track: “In ‘Future Sign,’ it’s about taking responsibility for oneself, but also, equally, for one’s role within their environment. ‘Signin’ The End: Future.’ and ‘Sign: In The End Future.’ are the two lines from the song that aren’t necessarily noticed when spoken. There are people who have their own lives in their hands, can guide them well, and stand firmly on the ground. And there are people who do not have their lives in their own hands. In the broadest sense, this relates to concepts such as fate, respect, responsibility, perspective, and ultimately to our society – seeing oneself as part of a greater whole.
As a graphic designer, I naturally also engage with the topic of AI. The video for ‘Future Sign’ from the album ‚Consideration‘ was created with the help of AI. Here too, the keywords mentioned serve as indicators of the future relationship between myself as a human and the ideas I visually realize through AI.”
“Consideration” track listing:
- Foggy Air
- Put Something In Its True Light Pt. 1
- Old Knots
- Time Holes
- Future Sign
- Put Something In Its True Light Pt. 2
- Autumn Leaves (Leafs)
- The Procedure
About WDNHF:
Thomas Wildelau discovered his passion for rhythm and music at an early age. He began his musical journey on the drums at the age of six, later playing parade snare in a marching band. Soon after, he took lessons in the fundamentals of organ and piano, before finding his way into the world of guitars through his brother.
In the early 1990s, Wildelau played drums in numerous bands across a wide range of genres – from heavy metal, thrash, and punk rock to soul and funk groups. This stylistic diversity left a lasting mark on his musical horizon.
In the early 2000s, he toured as drummer for Pyogenesis, and from 2010 onward became the drummer for Buffalo Hump. Out of this lineup, and together with musicians from A Million Miles, the band High Fighter was later formed. Heavy music has always been a constant companion and artistic outlet for him.
With his solo project WDNHF (Weidenhof), Wildelau is now exploring new paths. A complete album created entirely on his own – songwriting, arranging, performing, recording, and mixing. His debut album “Consideration” opens up another world, far removed from strict genre boundaries. Perhaps it has become so quiet and playful precisely because Wildelau previously devoted himself almost exclusively to heavier music. But that doesn’t mean WDNHF will always sound this way. The project defines itself as an open-ended musical experiment, refusing to fit into any stylistic box – and may well return in a completely different form in the future.
“Consideration” was created between 2020 and 2024 – a work entirely of his own making, developed over several years. The character of the album is not the result of a deliberate decision for or against a genre, but rather grew organically throughout the creative process.
The music on “Consideration” deliberately avoids easy classification. It resists being pinned down – and that is precisely the point. At present, it lives in a soundscape somewhere between singer-songwriter tradition, ambient rock, pop, and krautrock, interwoven with subtle electronic influences.
Each song follows a feeling, traces a mood, confronts an emotion, or celebrates it – reflecting everything that crosses our path in life. The result is a debut album that owes no allegiance to a fixed genre, but simply exists because it wanted to come into being exactly as it is.
All music and lyrics were written, performed, recorded and mixed by Thomas Wildelau (except the guitar solo on “Time Holes”, performed by Pitti Weidenhof – nullzwomusik.de), with a mastering by Benjamin Kapidzic.
For more info, follow WDNHF at:
http://www.wdnhf.com
http://www.instagram.com/wdn_hf
http://www.wdnhf.bandcamp.com
