Wintersun’s Time is like Chinese Democracy for metal heads that swear by lengthy solos and speedy synth work, and after 6 years of waiting the band has finally announced that it’s finally almost ready for release. Well, half of it.

Band leader Jari Mäenpää says that the album is too long to fit on a single disc, so they’ll release it on two, with Time I due out sometime this fall and Time II to follow in early 2013. This isn’t the first setback for the album, which Mäenpää once said was being delayed (again) because his computer was too slow, adding that he couldn’t finish mixing it because the right plug-ins weren’t yet available. No really, that was an actual excuse he made.

But don’t worry, when Time is finally released in full, fans can expect two “nice 40 min epic packages of fireworks.”

Wintersun released its self-titled debut way back in 2004. Time was originally expected out two years later. Head to the band’s website for a full-statement and tracklisting.