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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: sonatafanica on July 09, 2009, 08:18:14 AM
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I noticed we didn't have one of these, so let's start off with the brand new announcement of their 6th studio album due for release in september!
Here's the announcement:
SONATA ARCTICA have unveiled the new artwork, track listing as well as the album title of their forthcoming album.
"THE DAYS OF GRAYS" will see a worldwide release (excluding Asia) through Nuclear Blast Records on September 18th, 2009 (September 16th in Finland and September 22nd in the USA).
Formats / track listing:
Ltd. 2CD-Digipak:
01. Everything Fades To Gray (Instrumental)
02. Deathaura
03. The Last Amazing Grays
04. Flag In The Ground
05. Breathing
06. Zeroes
07. The Dead Skin
08. Juliet
09. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (full version)
Bonus Track:
13. In The Dark
Bonus CD: track listing TBA.
CD Jewelcase:
01. Everything Fades To Gray (Instrumental)
02. Deathaura
03. The Last Amazing Grays
04. Flag In The Ground
05. Breathing
06. Zeroes
07. The Dead Skin
08. Juliet
09. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (full version)
(https://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd19/DarkWanderer666/daysofgrays.jpg)
So far this looks fantastic. The track titles are very interesting, as they don't sound like typical, or even Unia Sonata names.
And for those of you who disliked Unia, there's hope! Kakko said in a few interviews that they are not going so much in the Unia direction, but more towards their traditional sound, but in a different way. Mostly combining the prog-esque tendencies of Unia with probably more of a Reckoning Night sound.
So I'm thinking it may sound like.....power metal Mastodon-ish? I'm cool with that!
And for those of you who have never listened to Sonata Arctica before, here's a quick rundown.
They are a Finnish metal band (and the source of my username) whose debut album was very traditional Power Metal. What set them aside from the others was that they didn't write songs that dealt with swords and dragons, which is typical of the genre. Instead, real issues and emotions are dealt with, backed by powerful music, or the band's special way of setting the 'metal' instruments aside for some very soft and touching songs. Through their next 2 albums (Silence and Winterheart's Guild (WG featured Jens Johansson on keyboards, who before had auditioned for DT)) they stuck to the same sort of formula, but the style changed in a way that only they could change it, making each album distinguishable and memorable. Their 4th studio album came out with a much more 'metal' oriented sound, with a bit less power metal vibe.
Their most recent release (Unia, 2007) shocked the fanbase, as it was something completely new. They had dropped everything from the sound they were known for and went with a majority of mid-tempo but crushing metal tracks laced with progressive influences here and there. "unia" is Finnish for "dreams", which is appropriate because of the strange subject matters and sounds on the album. The album also has a bit of a turnaround, the first track being the heaviest, and the last composed of the vocalist playing piano and singing, accompanied by a small string section. Hated by some, but I personally find it to be interesting.
tl;dr
Tasteful, melodic, metal band that is sometimes soft and heartwarming, and lyrically deals with real situations and emotions.
Discuss!
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Cool! I didn't know anything about a new album release. Although I don't really like the last one, Unia. I prefer their earlier sound, pure Finnish power metal.
Favourite songs:
- 8th commandment
- Blank file
- My land
- Full moon
- Victoria's secret
- Broken
- Ain't your fairytale
- Don't say a word
:metal
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Good picks. My favorites are something like,
Shy
Mary Lou
Don't Say A Word
Black Sheep
The End of This Chapter
Caleb
and the instrumental version of My Dream's But a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare
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Nice, I really like them. Looking forward to a new album. Awesome live band, and a couple of nice albums. I especially like Silence.
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Someone on the Sonata forums was looking around and found something interesting on the label's website.
Apparently the second disc of the limited edition is orchestral versions of
Deathaura
The Last Amazing Grays
Flag In The Ground
Juliet
As If The World Wasnt Ending
The Truth Is Out There
In The Dark
But it's not confirmed yet...so I won't say anything for sure.
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Only album I have from them is Unia, which I like (I guess since it was their first album that I've bought/listened too) I tried one of their earlier albums (I dont remember which one atm), but it didnt stand out too much to me. Maybe I'll try again later.
But yeah, I'll add this upcoming album to my "buy" list
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I was looking for some news on the new album last night and didn't find anythingl, so I guess this info was released today. Thanks for posting it here! :tup
This is really gonna be a great year for music.
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I was looking for some news on the new album last night and didn't find anythingl, so I guess this info was released today. Thanks for posting it here! :tup
This is really gonna be a great year for music.
My pleasure, buddy! :tup
Yeah, I have ReminderFox open, and about 5 album releases are marked for September alone!
EDIT: Also, a single will be released on August 26th.
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I hope it beats Unia as that album didn't have anything memorable.
Favourite songs?
-Replica
-Kingdom For a Heart
-Full Moon
-Letter To Dana
(Great series of songs!!!! WOW)
-The End of This Chapter
-Black Sheep
-The Last Drops Fall
-San Sebastian
-Tallulah
-Shy
-(Their cover of) I Want Out
-The Misery
-Broken
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I like them. I'm not hard into them though... I should probably listen a bit more
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Great news! Hope it's a strong as the first half of Unia, but all the way through, and I'll be happy.
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I really like Sonata, but man - those guys gave me some hearing problems. The sound at their concert was so loud, my ears hurt for days. God is an Astronaut was even louder, but I was prepared then :p.
They were pretty awesome though. Tony is amazing, and funny.
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Glad we have some fans here!
Now it's time to discuss the new cover art.
Awesome.
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Thanks for the news; I have nearly forgotten about SA lately. I heard they were going to work on an album but I didn't know it was coming this quickly.
I know they are coming to my city on September 28, just a few days after the release! I've never seen them live before, so I hope they still play lots of older songs. I used to be waaay into them.
And they better play San Sebastian.
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Thanks for the news; I have nearly forgotten about SA lately. I heard they were going to work on an album but I didn't know it was coming this quickly.
I know they are coming to my city on September 28, just a few days after the release! I've never seen them live before, so I hope they still play lots of older songs. I used to be waaay into them.
And they better play San Sebastian.
I wouldn't worry about it, they only have five albums, and they play San Sebastian all the time! When I saw them, the only played one RN song and three Unia songs, the rest were older songs.
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Thanks for the news; I have nearly forgotten about SA lately. I heard they were going to work on an album but I didn't know it was coming this quickly.
I know they are coming to my city on September 28, just a few days after the release! I've never seen them live before, so I hope they still play lots of older songs. I used to be waaay into them.
And they better play San Sebastian.
I wouldn't worry about it, they only have five albums, and they play San Sebastian all the time! When I saw them, the only played one RN song and three Unia songs, the rest were older songs.
That was the show at the Culture Room, right? Dat shit wuz fuckin tite.
You remember this part?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUfy6V41FI
I just found that guy's videos a few days ago. Shit quality, but better than nothing. There's also a couple more from that show, but from different users.
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Thanks for the news; I have nearly forgotten about SA lately. I heard they were going to work on an album but I didn't know it was coming this quickly.
I know they are coming to my city on September 28, just a few days after the release! I've never seen them live before, so I hope they still play lots of older songs. I used to be waaay into them.
And they better play San Sebastian.
I wouldn't worry about it, they only have five albums, and they play San Sebastian all the time! When I saw them, the only played one RN song and three Unia songs, the rest were older songs.
That was the show at the Culture Room, right? Dat shit wuz fuckin tite.
You remember this part?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUfy6V41FI
I just found that guy's videos a few days ago. Shit quality, but better than nothing. There's also a couple more from that show, but from different users.
Yeah, that's the one! I loved that part of the show! Hopefully he'll come up with something similar for this coming tour. (No FL dates yet :()
Awesome setlist as well. Did you meet the band at the end of the show?
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Thanks for the news; I have nearly forgotten about SA lately. I heard they were going to work on an album but I didn't know it was coming this quickly.
I know they are coming to my city on September 28, just a few days after the release! I've never seen them live before, so I hope they still play lots of older songs. I used to be waaay into them.
And they better play San Sebastian.
I wouldn't worry about it, they only have five albums, and they play San Sebastian all the time! When I saw them, the only played one RN song and three Unia songs, the rest were older songs.
That was the show at the Culture Room, right? Dat shit wuz fuckin tite.
You remember this part?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUfy6V41FI
I just found that guy's videos a few days ago. Shit quality, but better than nothing. There's also a couple more from that show, but from different users.
Yeah, that's the one! I loved that part of the show! Hopefully he'll come up with something similar for this coming tour. (No FL dates yet :()
Awesome setlist as well. Did you meet the band at the end of the show?
No, I didn't. To this day, I kick myself in the face (metaphor) for not waiting around after the show.
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Ah, no worries. There will be other chances. And if they come back down here, we can meet up and awkwardly shake hands, and I'll say, "You don't have a mustache." and you'll say, "And You're not a wolf."
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Ah, no worries. There will be other chances. And if they come back down here, we can meet up and awkwardly shake hands, and I'll say, "You don't have a mustache." and you'll say, "And You're not a wolf."
I look forward to that. :lol
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In other news, "They Follow" is a great song.
It's a bonus track on certain editions of Unia, and it's a shame because it is waaay better than a lot of tracks on the standard album.
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That's an amazing song. In fact, I think that if it would have been included on the standard edition of Unia, it'd be the best song on the album (IMO of course).
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I know absolutely no Sonata Arctica songs. Recommend me an album. NAO. :millahhhh
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I know absolutely no Sonata Arctica songs. Recommend me an album. NAO. :millahhhh
I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME
Start with Silence. Mainly the tracks Black Sheep, The End of This Chapter (which is actually the beginning of a song story series, sort of like the 12 step suite), Wolf and Raven, Sing in Silence, and The Power of One.
Remember, their sound changes over their albums in a pretty noticeable way.
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Quick
Reckoning Night > Silence > Unia > Ecliptica > Winterheart's Guild
Their best songs are Wolf & Raven, FullMoon, Misplaced, My Selene, and Tallulah.
They're good live. D:
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I know absolutely no Sonata Arctica songs. Recommend me an album. NAO. :millahhhh
I THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD NEVER COME
Start with Silence. Mainly the tracks Black Sheep, The End of This Chapter (which is actually the beginning of a song story series, sort of like the 12 step suite), Wolf and Raven, Sing in Silence, and The Power of One.
Remember, their sound changes over their albums in a pretty noticeable way.
I second that...Silence is my favorite probably. I also really love Ecliptica (their debut), but just FYI it's very traditional-power-metal sounding...Very reminiscent of classic Stratovarius...But still awesome nonetheless.
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My favourite is their first, Ecliptica. So many great songs on that one, especially on the first half.
I have the live DVD they released a few years ago, For The Sake Of Revenge. I should watch that again some time. It's great.
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Cool news, and the album art looks like a return to their old style.
I personally liked Unia, because I'm not obsessed with bands having to be in a particular style. I didn't care that there were no super fast songs; the songs were well written and there were some great melodies.
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Yeah, that's how I saw it too.
And as fans, we should have seen Unia coming after the change in style between Winterheart's Guild and Reckoning Night.
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Finally some info!
Well, the cover certainly looks great! And I'm looking forward to hearing their new sound as well.
I personally liked Unia, because I'm not obsessed with bands having to be in a particular style. I didn't care that there were no super fast songs; the songs were well written and there were some great melodies.
Same for me, I enjoy all Sonata albums equally. They all are great in their own way, and always have their respective highs and lows.
I really like Sonata, but man - those guys gave me some hearing problems. The sound at their concert was so loud, my ears hurt for days. God is an Astronaut was even louder, but I was prepared then :p.
Tell me about it! I saw them on the Unia tour in Helsinki and forgot to take my earplugs with me. I had tome improvise some from paper, and they weren't exactly comfortable. :P
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Been a big fan for awhile now...I cannot wait for TDOG...Unia was my favorite so far. Nice and proggy
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This (https://www.nuclearblast.de/index.php?Action=showShopProductDetail&artikelnummer=162851&set_language=E) may be premature information, but it appears the single will be "The Last Amazing Grays"
Which leads me to think that the whole "Grays" thing is a play on "Grace." Pretty cool.
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Wolf and Raven is fucking amazing. I had to start learning it on guitar right after my first listen. :metal :metal :metal
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Wolf and Raven is fucking amazing. I had to start learning it on guitar right after my first listen. :metal :metal :metal
The intro is INSANE.
Jani Liimatainen was a huge Dream Theater fan. (He left the band in '07, just months before i saw them live :'()
Also, I think there will be a box set edition.
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I rediscovered SA in 2007 because of Unia. And now they are going back to their traditional sound again. What a disappointment...
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How you know this?
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Jani Liimatainen was a huge Dream Theater fan.
You know, that kind of explains 5:23 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1R_JkgOyEY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1R_JkgOyEY).
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Jani Liimatainen was a huge Dream Theater fan.
You know, that kind of explains 5:23 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1R_JkgOyEY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1R_JkgOyEY).
(https://farm1.static.flickr.com/201/458235660_1690acd0c8.jpg)
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I know absolutely no Sonata Arctica songs. Recommend me an album. NAO. :millahhhh
ECLIPTICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The new album better be better than the craptastic Unia.
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The new album better be better than the craptastic Unia.
(https://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn115/sydanyo/meatparty.jpg)
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Brian Peppers?
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Jani's new band Cain's Offering now has samples of their new album on their website www.cainsoffering.com
Edit: I just noticed a riff from one of Jani's instructional videos from a couple of years ago. I remember hearing a few on Unia also.
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I hope they don't stray too far from the Unia sound. By far my favourite record of theirs, though I do admit that it lacked some truly memorable songs.
I really like Sonata, but man - those guys gave me some hearing problems. The sound at their concert was so loud, my ears hurt for days.
I don't suppose you saw them in Utrecht last fall??
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Can't wait for the new Sonata Arctica album! I have liked all of their albums and I think they're one of the most exciting bands in metal. And I'm thrilled that they are playing in Portland in September--the only time I've seen them before was when they opened for Nightwish.
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I rediscovered SA in 2007 because of Unia. And now they are going back to their traditional sound again. What a disappointment...
Henkka said they are by no means going straight towards their traditional sound, just a different sound than Unia, while maybe having more fast paced songs. Not so much a step back as a step to the side.
Sorry if my wording in the original post was misleading.
Jani's new band Cain's Offering now has samples of their new album on their website www.cainsoffering.com
Edit: I just noticed a riff from one of Jani's instructional videos from a couple of years ago. I remember hearing a few on Unia also.
Cain's Offering seems really cool, I heard those samples a while ago. I have 3 reasons to get their album;
Jani Liimatainen - Guitarist/Backing Vocals (ex-Sonata Arctica)
Mikko Harkin - Keyboards (ex-Sonata Arctica [Silence])
Timo Kotipelto - Vocals (in Stratovarius)
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Timo Kotipelto - Vocals (in Stratovarius)
Didn't that band quit?
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Awesome!! I'll totally be looking forward to this release. I love Sonata, as Silence was one of the first metal albums I bought, listened to and loved. I, personally love Unia because, as much as I love Ecliptica, it's a powerhouse of different progressions, sounds, themes and voices (lots of crazy voices and harmonies sang by Kakko, which are hard to digest but totally worth it...they reminded me a lot to Queen).
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I hope they don't stray too far from the Unia sound. By far my favourite record of theirs, though I do admit that it lacked some truly memorable songs.
I really like Sonata, but man - those guys gave me some hearing problems. The sound at their concert was so loud, my ears hurt for days.
I don't suppose you saw them in Utrecht last fall??
Nope, Eindhoven. Almost went to the Utrecht show as well, but was out of money :(.
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Timo Kotipelto - Vocals (in Stratovarius)
Didn't that band quit?
Stratovarius? Well, the main founder and songwriter (Timo Tolkki), left the band, but the other members just got a new guitarist, and are continuing under the same banner.
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Timo Kotipelto - Vocals (in Stratovarius)
Didn't that band quit?
Stratovarius? Well, the main founder and songwriter (Timo Tolkki), left the band, but the other members just got a new guitarist, and are continuing under the same banner.
And they got a damn good guitarist too! There's a video of him doing a medley of a bunch of different songs (dream theater, steve vai, some other things). I think is name is Matias Kupiainen.
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Hell yeah Stratovarius is back and made an amazing album this year...Go check it out, The last like 4 Strato albums stunk but Polaris is one of the best of 2009.
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The last like 4 Strato albums stunk
Elements Pt. 1 and Infinite shall kill you now.
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Infinite is great. However, both "Elements" were subpar. There were a couple of good songs there (Elements, Eagleheart), but there is no memorable material on such albums.
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The last like 4 Strato albums stunk
Elements Pt. 1 and Infinite shall kill you now.
This! Probably their best two albums. But admittedly after that things fell apart because Elements Pt 2 and Stratovarius kinda sucked.
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Episode and Visions are their two best, and Infinite was their last great album. Eagleheart is the only good song on Elements Pt. 1. I don't really have any hopes that they will return to that greatness now that Tolkki is out. Their new album Polaris wasn't really that good.
But Cain's Offering is really something I look forward too, I love the few samples/songs I've heard.
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Eagleheart is just a by the numbers Stratovarius song. The great songs on that album are Elements and Soul of a Vagabond, which are just huge, epic sounding songs that try something a little new. I have to say, for a prog metal forum, it's amazing how many people seem to prefer by-the-numbers power metal to bands actually trying anything new or different.
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Eagleheart is just a by the numbers Stratovarius song. The great songs on that album are Elements and Soul of a Vagabond, which are just huge, epic sounding songs that try something a little new. I have to say, for a prog metal forum, it's amazing how many people seem to prefer by-the-numbers power metal to bands actually trying anything new or different.
Yeah, that is a bit odd.
My favorites off of Elements pt. I in order are:
Stratofortress
Soul of a Vagabond
Fantasia
Elements
Learning to Fly
...and the rest are about equal.
But back to Sonata Arctica, their label Nuclear Blast put out a teaser image for a box set, but strangely did not give any information as to what will be inside it.
(https://www.nuclearblast.de/thumb.php?pic=161806.jpg&dir=artikelbilder/161&new_w=400&new_h=400)
I certainly hope it's not final, because that little certificate says -/500.
Only 500? I mean, I would probably be one of the first in line to pre-order it, but come on! I don't stand a chance against those Finnatics they have!
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Pre orders are out at the official webshop (https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/alku.cfm?lang=en) for the following items;
The Last Amazing Grays (Single)
(https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/images/tuotekuvat/tlag-provisional-cover_small.JPG)
A special edition available only at their shop that comes with an exclusive shirt
(https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/images/tuotekuvat/Susi_Album_Bundle.jpg)
(Girl version)
(https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/images/tuotekuvat/Korppi_Album_bundle.jpg)
And of course, the regular album. No word on the box set as of yet.
Personally, I'll wait for it to go on Amazon or something. Shipping costs from Finland just aren't worth it.
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The last like 4 Strato albums stunk
Elements Pt. 1 and Infinite shall kill you now.
Besides "Hunting High and Low" what's good?
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The t-shirt designs aren't bad, but the massive wolf on the guys one is a bit lame. The girls shirt is so much better. :(
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It seems that every t-shirt with wolves on it seems to end up with reviews like these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HJ377A/192-4545645-7979009
I guess it's time for Sonata to become part of a meme.
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I'm definitely looking forward to the new album. I like their older style, and I really liked Unia, so I have high hopes for The Days of Grays.
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I'm struggling to find faith that they'll delivery after Unia... :'(
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Not so fast, faemir. The first review just came in.
https://www.terrorizer.com/content/last-weekends-amazing-haze
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Not so fast, faemir. The first review just came in.
https://www.terrorizer.com/content/last-weekends-amazing-haze
:metal
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Not so fast, faemir. The first review just came in.
https://www.terrorizer.com/content/last-weekends-amazing-haze
It sounds good, although none of it really contradicts faemir's worries as 1) she likes Unia, and 2) she seems to be the biggest SA fangirl ever. :lol
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I like the SA wolves concepts and Tony Kakko's obsession with them and everything...but WHY DO THEY HAVE TO APPEAR IN EVERY ALBUM?!
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I like the SA wolves concepts and Tony Kakko's obsession with them and everything...but WHY DO THEY HAVE TO APPEAR IN EVERY ALBUM?!
BECAUSE WOLVES ARE FUCKING AWESOME.
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I like the SA wolves concepts and Tony Kakko's obsession with them and everything...but WHY DO THEY HAVE TO APPEAR IN EVERY ALBUM?!
BECAUSE WOLVES ARE FUCKING AWESOME.
Then, he should make a darn concept album about wolves and stop the obsession. STOP THE MADNESS.
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The band shot a new music video a few days ago in Poland for one of the two singles, "Flag in the Ground."
Also,
SONATA ARCTICA - LET FANS DESIGN COVER ARTWORK
Finnish melodic metal heroes SONATA ARCTICA have launched a fan contest where people can design the cover artwork of the upcoming promotional single to the song "Flag In The Ground".
Commented mainman Tony Kakko:
"People, attention! Now here's your big chance to make an impact to the whole music
industry! Or at least all Sonata fans! Create a cover for our promotional single
and have your artwork printed on a cardboard for promotional use like radios, clubs
etc.
The Song is called "Flag In The Ground", which also going to be our video song. It's
an uplifting story about a young couple fighting their way to freedom and their own
land in North-America back in early 1800's.
Join the race, have fun, create us a cover art work and win! Do it today!
Good luck!
Best regards,
~Tony - Sonata Arctica"
The artwork chosen as the best from all participants will be the new cover of the promotional single of "Flag In The Ground". The winner will also get tickets to a Sonata Arctica show at one of the upcoming tourdates as well as to meet the band! 2nd and 3rd winners will get exclusively signed Sonata Arctica stuff!
The artwork can be sent to: SonataArctica@nuclearblast.de
Specs:
Format: JPG
Res: 300 dpi
Colours: RGB
Size: 20 x 20 cm
If you need the band logo in high res you can download it here.
https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/misc/SonataArctica_LOGO.zip
Be part of the SONATA ARCTICA family!
Deadline for this contest is August 10th, 2009!
The Song is called "Flag In The Ground", which also going to be our video song. It's
an uplifting story about a young couple fighting their way to freedom and their own
land in North-America back in early 1800's.
Hm.
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Making of the music video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm9UflZcyIk
You can also hear some snippets of the single in the background. It sounds like a cool mix of their older stuff and Unia...but it sounds a lot like an Irish kickdance song or something :lol
:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
And is it just me or is Tony getting stranger by the minute?
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Hmm. I don't really know how much I like how that sounds. I'll reserve judgement until I can hear the whole song.
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I know what you mean. It could be pretty cool, or it could just be "meh."
Either way, it doesn't sound too bad, so I'm excited!
Too bad they're not coming by here on their upcoming tour, Fuzzybuddy. :-\
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I really liked that. I can't really notice much Unia influence at all. It kinda reminds me of "Victoria's Secret".
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I really liked that. I can't really notice much Unia influence at all. It kinda reminds me of "Victoria's Secret".
The Unia influence I got was from some of his vocal stylings in the verses. I liked Henkka's solo too.
It has the Victoria's secret feel definitely. Then again, this will make probably their 3rd happy song. :lol
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Too bad they're not coming by here on their upcoming tour, Fuzzybuddy. :-\
Well that sucks :( I hope they'll stop by early next year though.
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They had better.
It's just funny to think that you've been at every concert I've ever been to :lol
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I'm very happy SA is coming here this fall...Especially because Dream Theater isn't :sadpanda:. So it's a decent substitute. :azn:
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I really REALLY hope they have another tour next year. Mostly because of who they're opening for this year, and I would want a headlining show anyway.
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They're coming to Chicago!
...with DragonForce. =P
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They're coming to Chicago!
...with DragonForce. =P
Awesome, you can boo/laugh at DF, and go crazy for SA :)
Dragonforce are coming to a local venue for me actually, we are going purely for the lulz, it better be worth it.
Also, the background music in that making of video totally restored my faith in SA :metal
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Someone recorded SA playing the first single, The Last Amazing Grays at their open air festival in their hometown.
The quality sucks, of course, but I have definitely heard worse as far as cell phone cameras go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmueZMH_FPc
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Actually, here are some higher quality videos.
So here you go, the live premiere of the two singles on the upcoming album.
The Last Amazing Grays (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnY4ld_kIco&fmt=18)
Flag in the Ground (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErmjOlgyS9k&fmt=18)
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Can't they just release the album already :sadpanda:
edit: as much as I think tommy is a shit drummer, this made me laugh lots:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Tommy.jpg/674px-Tommy.jpg)
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Tommy is a pretty uncreative drummer, I don't really like his stuff too much. But so much else is going on that I can sort of tone him out.
And that vodka shirt is at least true for their fans :lol
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Tommy is a pretty uncreative drummer
:| my friend who has drummed for ~8 months can do more than Tommy. What baffles me is why he doesn't try to improve or anything, it's lucky (as you said) that you can ignore it most of the time with all the other awesome.
To be honest it seems to me that a lot of power metal bands skimp on the drummer :(
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I think he mostly tries to focus on double bass patterns and stuff, because most of the kick stuff he does during verses is sort of cool. But other than that I think he has never really had an interesting fill of any kind.
But one thing that I love is that Henkka can always write memorable keyboard solos.
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HENKKA HAS A BLACK KEYTAR NOW!!
:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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I'm seeing these guys in October, looking forward to the new album
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HENKKA HAS A BLACK KEYTAR NOW!!
*Shitload of smileys*
He's had it since he broke his white one on the For the Sake of Revenge DVD.
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I like that live clip of the new song..It sounds like Some Unia goodness. Yeah SA has some of the most boring drumming but the keyboards/Kakko's vocals make the band. Imagine Kakko in DT today? That would be interesting.
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HENKKA HAS A BLACK KEYTAR NOW!!
*Shitload of smileys*
He's had it since he broke his white one on the For the Sake of Revenge DVD.
I remember one of the things I asked him when I met him was, "If you could, would you smash a keytar at every show?"
His response was along the lines of, "Well, on the DVD, I just sort of did that kind of out of nowheres. And no one is really making them anymores, I think I maybe have about maybe five or something. Well, it's, you never know."
*chugs jagermeister*
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New Song...If ya can't find it PM me.
It's great, sounds like Unia Meets Reckoning Night.
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I know of the new songs that were up, but I'm waiting until they're officially put on the band's page (on the 4th of Sept.) before I post them here.
In the meantime, the fan made cover art contest winner for Flag in the Ground;
(https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/gallery/e0ecc51341315465422b212b7c63b17b.jpg)
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Music video for Flag in the Ground!
https://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=62494467
(https://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8530/eviltony.jpg)
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It's not a bad song. There's just something different about his voice though.
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He's said in interviews that lately he's been choosing to sing in a voice that's more "natural" to him. And he really has been loving his own shouting choir backing vocals lately.
Like, "(please let me know) EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT"
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Cool song...It sounds like it came straight from Unia...I can see some people not liking this, It's not AMAZING but enjoyable.
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Cool song...It sounds like it came straight from Unia...
Which is weird, because that song was actually written before Ecliptica.
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Cool song...It sounds like it came straight from Unia...
Which is weird, because that song was actually written before Ecliptica.
Really? How do you know this?
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Cool song...It sounds like it came straight from Unia...
Which is weird, because that song was actually written before Ecliptica.
Really? How do you know this?
I read a few recent interviews with Tony not too long ago, and he said that they originally wrote it around the same time as the first song Tony wrote for the band, "Letter to Dana." They planned to record it as a bonus track, but later re-worked it (changing lyrics, etc.) and the label made it their music video single.
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The single "The Last Amazing Grays" has been released on iTunes and Amazon, if you're interested.
The single contains;
1. The Last Amazing Grays [single edit]
2. Flag in the Ground
3. The Last Amazing Grays [orchestral version]
You can get it in CD format from the Nuclear Blast webshop, but U.S. buyers beware that the shipping alone is $26.
EDIT: HOLY SHIT, the orchestral version of The Last Amazing Grays is EPIC
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The single "The Last Amazing Grays" has been released on iTunes and Amazon, if you're interested.
The single contains;
1. The Last Amazing Grays [single edit]
2. Flag in the Ground
3. The Last Amazing Grays [orchestral version]
You can get it in CD format from the Nuclear Blast webshop, but U.S. buyers beware that the shipping alone is $26.
EDIT: HOLY SHIT, the orchestral version of The Last Amazing Grays is EPIC
Or you can listen on Spotify :metal
Although there seems to be no sound in the second half of the single edit. ???
Sounds good though, and Flag in the Ground sounds nice, pretty straightforward SA fare really.
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Flag in the Ground chorus is awesome! :metal
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Orchestral version of The Days of Grays ftw!
And I posted it earlier so you may not know, but Flag in the Ground actually predates Ecliptica :O
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Yeah saw that, cool stuff. Orchestral version is a little overly cheesy for me, but the original sounds like it was going somewhere great, but the sound cuts out halfway through on Spotify. :(
Ah well, I'll just wait for the album.
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Yeah saw that, cool stuff. Orchestral version is a little overly cheesy for me, but the original sounds like it was going somewhere great, but the sound cuts out halfway through on Spotify. :(
Ah well, I'll just wait for the album.
wut
I think it's an especially moving song, considering it's about wolves.
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I just heard The Last Amazing Grays, and was pretty pleased. Somewhat Unia-ish, but still pretty catchy. It's not proggy like Unia but there is a lot more of a symphonic sound. There was no guitar solo, though. :sad:
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I have the new album. I am happy :)
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:tup
I have yet to order mine, mostly because I'm still sifting through all the versions to find which ones I want most. So far the ones I'm looking at are
-Webshop 2 disc version [second disc: orchestral versions of some of the songs. Bonus Track: In the Dark]
-American version [Unknown if orchestral disc may be available; bonus track: In My Eyes You're a Giant]
-Japanese 2 disc version [Second disc: Live CD of about 7 different songs on the Unia Tour]
I always end up getting at least two versions of an album to get everything, but this time they're releasing a crapload of stuff!
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So it isn't out yet? I've been listening to an insane amount of power metal recently (thanks, Stratovarius), and SA has been one of the bands I've been listening to. Looking forward to this album now
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Don't expect too much power metal from them, as they've been taking more steps toward the progressive genre with each album.
Have you seen the new music video? The single is power metal as hell.
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Don't expect too much power metal from them, as they've been taking more steps toward the progressive genre with each album.
This album is more of reckoning night meet unia.
Luckily it works, as I can't stand most of unia.
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I can't stand most of Unia.
:'(
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Well Black and White is one of their best songs, but the others are.... eurgh.
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
I've been a fan since before Reckoning Night, and I still feel that Unia is the best thing they've put out so far. New album seems like it might top Unia though.
Edit: By the way, if anyone still hasn't checked out Cain's Offering, DEW IT NAO.
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I got them in pretty much this order; Ecliptica, RN, Unia, Silence. (and the live albums at I think before RN)
And Unia is my favorite album, along with WHG which I still don't own...
Having heard Deathaura I definately will like this album, I might buy it pretty soon.
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
Mr Richard, would you be up for seeing them in london in december?
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This album sucks. I'm through with this band.
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Which album ???
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
Mr Richard, would you be up for seeing them in london in december?
Oooooh, possibly... what's the date?
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This album sucks. I'm through with this band.
NOOOOOOOO
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I forgot all about the new album. Seems to be coming next week :).
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
Mr Richard, would you be up for seeing them in london in december?
Oooooh, possibly... what's the date?
3rd dec. They seem pretty tight live from what ive seen on youtube
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They're remarkable live, but I do advise that you bring hearing protection as they do tend to get very loud.
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They're remarkable live, but I do advise that you bring hearing protection as they do tend to get very loud.
This. Only concert I experienced that was louder than Sonata was God is an Astronaut, and that is post-rock (usually pretty loud). I swear that Sonata gave me worse hearing. It might've been worth it though - they are awesome live.
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Albums in greatest/not quite as great order: Reckoning Night, Silence, Unia, Ecliptica, Winterheart's Guild.
I'll have to check out the new album. Flag To The Ground was good, but nothing special.
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
Mr Richard, would you be up for seeing them in london in december?
Oooooh, possibly... what's the date?
3rd dec. They seem pretty tight live from what ive seen on youtube
Aw shit, got two exams a few days later, and if I fail them I get fired, so no can do I'm afraid :(
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Since Unia was my first SA album and I was introduced to them through their newer "sound", I probably enjoy it more than most here. Funny because I went into their past releases and didnt enjoy them that much.
Nah I've been a fan since Silence and I think Unia is great.
Mr Richard, would you be up for seeing them in london in december?
Oooooh, possibly... what's the date?
3rd dec. They seem pretty tight live from what ive seen on youtube
Aw shit, got two exams a few days later, and if I fail them I get fired, so no can do I'm afraid :(
Bugger those sound like a proper set of exams then!
and there i was looking forward to the end of important exams once i finish uni...
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THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! :(
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Just pre-ordered. The deluxe edition was just as expensive as the normal one :/. Orchestral sounds interesting though.
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Yeah saw that, cool stuff. Orchestral version is a little overly cheesy for me, but the original sounds like it was going somewhere great, but the sound cuts out halfway through on Spotify. :(
Ah well, I'll just wait for the album.
wut
I think it's an especially moving song, considering it's about wolves.
Like everything Sonata Arctica does!
:corn
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Yeah saw that, cool stuff. Orchestral version is a little overly cheesy for me, but the original sounds like it was going somewhere great, but the sound cuts out halfway through on Spotify. :(
Ah well, I'll just wait for the album.
wut
I think it's an especially moving song, considering it's about wolves.
Like everything Sonata Arctica does!
:corn
THEY ONLY HAVE ONE SONG PER ALBUM THAT'S ABOUT WOLVES! GAH!
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That's still quite a lot over the average wolf-songs per album for other bands.
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I guess it helps if your favorite animals are wolves to begin with. ;)
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Is this album coming out on vinyl? I saw a pre-order for a vinyl edition somewhere, quite cheap. Can't find anything about it on the official site though.
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I think I've only seen a vinyl edition for The Days of Grays, but I'll keep an eye out.
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We Finns got the album today. :)
I'm liking what I hear so far. I'll wait before you guys get your hands on it before saying anything else.
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Lucky Finn-duck. I still can't decide which versions to order.
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I want a vinyl edition :(.
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I want a vinyl edition :(.
I just ordered one :D. Officially coming tommorow, but I think I'll get it somewhere next week cause I just ordered it.
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I think I might cry. SA will be playing here I think a week from today and I have no money. :'( :'( :'(
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You only have two choices now. Have intercourse with wealthy old men in exchange for monetary restitutions, or have intercourse with wealthy old men in exchange for monetary restitutions.
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They're going to be here in October, but as an opener for Dragonforce :tdwn
I hope they come back. I'd like to see them live
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How is the new album? I probably have the vinyl lying at my place, but I'm at my parent's now.
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I just got the single in the mail from Finland, and I have to say....I really like the packaging for some reason. When I first saw it, I was like, "...I think all singles should come like this." because it's good, but understated as it should be.
I need to get around to ordering the album as well.
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I just got the single in the mail from Finland, and I have to say....I really like the packaging for some reason. When I first saw it, I was like, "...I think all singles should come like this." because it's good, but understated as it should be.
I need to get around to ordering the album as well.
Of all people, you still need to get the album? :O
Either my neighbor has my vinyl edition now, or it's coming somewhere next week.
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The U.S. release date is the 22nd :sadpanda:
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Woot, that means it comes out here tomorrow!
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The U.S. release date is the 22nd :sadpanda:
I didn't know you were from the US.
The vinyl edition hasn't arrived yet. Probably tomorrow or the day after then :D.
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The U.S. release date is the 22nd :sadpanda:
I didn't know you were from the US.
The vinyl edition hasn't arrived yet. Probably tomorrow or the day after then :D.
I take pride in being the only Sonata fan in the U.S. :metal
I don't think I'll be getting the vinyl this time. It would be cool if you could take some pictures to show us, though :P (well, that's if it has cool artwork on the disc or anything)
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The U.S. release date is the 22nd :sadpanda:
I didn't know you were from the US.
The vinyl edition hasn't arrived yet. Probably tomorrow or the day after then :D.
I take pride in being the only Sonata fan in the U.S. :metal
I don't think I'll be getting the vinyl this time. It would be cool if you could take some pictures to show us, though :P (well, that's if it has cool artwork on the disc or anything)
Sure, if I actually get the vinyl. There were some problems with ordering, but I think it's fine now :p.
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Hurray, my vinyl edition just arrived. I'll make a pic of the inside artwork tonight. Going to listen to it in a min :). Haven't heard a single track from it yet.
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I still don't have it :(
hopefully tomorrow
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You only have two choices now. Have intercourse with wealthy old men in exchange for monetary restitutions, or have intercourse with wealthy old men in exchange for monetary restitutions.
:lol
So I have some money now, just enough to go to the show! Not enough to get the album though. :lol It's probably not a good idea financially, but my city isn't exactly a popular one, so they may never come back.
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Listening now on Spotify! :D
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No retailers in the U.S. have the 2 CD edition, and no stores anywhere near where I live are selling the album at all :'( I would pay to buy it from their webshop, but with shipping and everything included, it would come out to over $45 (€32 or £28.60), which I would not pay under any circumstance for just a digipak.
So guess what. Sonatafanica is going to be the last person on Earth to hear the new Sonata Arctica album.
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Ah man that sucks! Could you not just order it from amazon or something?
By the way Deathaura is definitely the most bizarre SA song ever! :lol ???
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Amazon has the 1 disc version, but I ultimately want the 2 disc, and buying the same music twice would be a waste of money. It's not like I'm low on cash, I'm just conscious about how I spend it. Also, Amazon no longer supports Paypal, which is my only way of online payment as I pay from my bank account.
I tried Amazon.co.uk, but they're not allowed to ship the album to the U.S.
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Really?! Amazon US can ship things here! ???
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Hmm, amazon US has it on "import" for $40: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Grays-Ltd-Dcd/dp/B002F1JMI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253821329&sr=1-1
Although doing it that way is probably more expensive than ordering it from Amazon UK and having it shipped to the US.
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And it's not released on their site until October 6th anyways.
The world is not working in my favor.
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What is with the lack of guitar solos :angry:
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:(
If it makes you feel any better, my Spotify keeps dying on me, so I'm not even halfway through the album yet!
Oh, and some of the lyrics are the typical lols I've come to expect from SA. One song starts with "I take my hat off" :lol
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What is with the lack of guitar solos :angry:
I'm only on Breathing and there's definitely been one so far.
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What is with the lack of guitar solos :angry:
I'm only on Breathing and there's definitely been one so far.
There are 4 guitar solos out of 12 tracks.
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They have been moving towards less guitar oriented music...
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What is with the lack of guitar solos :angry:
I'm only on Breathing and there's definitely been one so far.
There are 4 guitar solos out of 12 tracks.
And the problem is? I'd rather that than Megadeth's 50 solos in 11 songs :P
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Fuck it, I'm listening to it on Grooveshark.
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Omg Juliet is an awesome song!
What's Grooveshark?
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Spotify, but less organized and available to everyone. It's free though, and powered by advertisements, I believe.
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Ah ok, cool. The free version of spotify is funded via ads as well, although I pay for the premium version now that I'm earning as it really is a great service and I'm keen to support it. And they do have a hell of a lot of stuff!
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Oh my god.....
...I was going to comment on how detached the love related lyrics were on this album, but then I listened to In the Dark. (Which was written by Henkka, actually. The music, at least) It's so honest and gentle, and what makes it that way is it's something that you wouldn't say necessarily, but something you would feel.
Anyway, after a good listen I can safely say the orchestral arrangements are my favorite part of the album. Those alone may make this my favorite SA album.
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First listen complete. Better than the craptastic Unia, for sure, but not as good as any of the albums before that.
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Anyway, after a good listen I can safely say the orchestral arrangements are my favorite part of the album. Those alone may make this my favorite SA album.
Definitely one of my favourite things about the album as well. Gives some of the songs a really epic feel!
But how damn bizarre is Deathaura? Really strange choice for first full song of the album!
@Nick: STFU, Unia is great. :P
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I have just been all about Breathing for the past few hours. The chorus = :'(
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I have listened to the new album about 5 times now, and I think it will end up being even more polarizing than Unia. The new album demands much more patience and repeated listenings than their previous offerings. Even Unia had more variety and several catchy songs that you could love immediately, like Paid in Full and It Won't Fade. I wasn't surprised to look online and see that a huge majority of The Days of Grays reviews were negative.
"The Last Amazing Grays" is one of the best songs they have ever done and I hope it will be a crowd favorite at live shows. "Zeroes" is so much fun and reminds me of Edguy. "The Dead Skin" contains the heaviest moments on the album and some of Tony's best screams! And I think the "Everything Fades to Gray" tracks are both pleasant and interesting.
"Juliet" has such an awesome intro and hopefully I'll eventually like the rest of the song too. "Breathing" is a decent song but I'm not sure it's on the level of Sonata's other gorgeous, somewhat melancholy tracks like Last Drop Falls, Under Your Tree, Good Enough is Good Enough, and Draw Me. The other ballad on the album, "As if the World Wasn't Ending" is doing absolutely nothing for me.
I loved Unia and both of the new tracks on their Myspace profile (Last Amazing Grays and Flag in the Ground) so maybe my hopes were impossibly high. This album will definitely be a grower, but I'm much more optimistic than I was after my first listen, where I was practically in a state of shock of how indifferent I was.
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I just finished my first two listens, and I gave it my normal first listen treatment - I do something else and want to see if anything grabs my attention and makes me stop. Sadly, the first listen didn't find anything show-stopping, and I was grading lab reports so I was very susceptable to distraction; as a matter of fact the only time I did stop was because I was surprised I wasn't hearing anything that caught my ear.
Second listen - concentrating on the music - again not impressed. I'm not going to give up on it, but this certainly isn't the same band I REALLY liked when their first two albums came out. I haven't had an opinion about a band fall this much since Royal Hunt after "The Mission". IMO, Sonata's last four albums seems so...forced, formulaic, and uninspired.
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first listen did not blow hot sunny smoke up my ass....I'll spin again and see what happens.
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I'm not too impressed with it either, but I see that they're not afraid to experiment with some of the tracks.
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Ah well, Reckoning Night was a great way to go out. Guess i'll just wait for the new Rhapsody album. :sadpanda:
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Woah woah woah, were you expecting power metal? That's not what they're about anymore.
This album does have some really great moments, though. Enough to save it from mediocrity in my eyes.
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Woah woah woah, were you expecting power metal? That's not what they're about anymore.
This album does have some really great moments, though. Enough to save it from mediocrity in my eyes.
I was expecting something that was, perhaps a mixture of the old and unia I guess. I don't dig the new style at all really :-\
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The album is growing on me, but it's still not great. Soundwise it's in some weird zone halfway between (the brilliant) Unia and their old stuff. But it lacks any of the big hooks that made those albums good.
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I blame the lack of Jani Liimatainen.
I still don't get what happened with him.
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I think what attracts me to it is the experimental nature about it.
And yeah, it's between Unia and their other stuff.....but at the same time it's off to the side. Weird.
I blame the lack of Jani Liimatainen.
I still don't get what happened with him.
In case you never knew, in Finland you sort of get drafted into a civil service. You can go into the army for a while, do some other civil service, or go to jail for a while. The bottom line is that you have to act on it. What Jani did is he did nothing about it at all, so he got his passport revoked. No touring, no anything. And if he drew too much attention he would probably go to jail. Some guys in the band think it was his way of saying that he did not want to be in the band anymore.
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In case you never knew, in Finland you sort of get drafted into a civil service. You can go into the army for a while, do some other civil service, or go to jail for a while. The bottom line is that you have to act on it. What Jani did is he did nothing about it at all, so he got his passport revoked. No touring, no anything. And if he drew too much attention he would probably go to jail. Some guys in the band think it was his way of saying that he did not want to be in the band anymore.
:omg:
He was always my favourite in the band :( (especially after seeing the extras on the SA dvd of their party and the marker pen etc ;)
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I was just tried to search for these guys on Spotify to see what all the fuss is about, and I actually typed in Sonata Fanica.
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:hat
But just as a note to everyone, I meant the way my username is pronounced to be just 'sonatafanica', without the pause. It flows. If you do not say it in your mind that exact way, I'm coming to your house in a viking helmet and doing unforgivable things to your corpse.
YES, "CORPSE".
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:hat
But just as a note to everyone, I meant the way my username is pronounced to be just 'sonatafanica', without the pause. It flows. If you do not say it in your mind that exact way, I'm coming to your house in a viking helmet and doing unforgivable things to your corpse.
YES, "CORPSE".
That means I'd have to be dead first! :o
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Update: Yep, this album is definitely a grower. I am appreciating it more with each listen (especially when pot is involved :). This one took a lot longer than most to enjoy, but that's the mysterious world of metal for you. I think my favorite songs are going to end up being "Last Amazing Grays," "Zeroes," "The Dead Skin," "Breathing," and "Everything Fades to Gray." It's never going to be as good as Silence or Unia, but I think I will listen to it as often. And the album cover is just perfect!
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Zeroes is awesome.
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Zeroes is just so......"What the hell is going on?!?!?" :lol
It's really not a bad album. As of right now, I'd say....
1. Winterheart's Guild
2. Silence
3. Reckoning Night
4. The Days of Grays
5. Unia
6. Ecliptica
....but mind you that I love their first 5 albums very much. And I'll never understand why people don't enjoy Winterheart's Guild.
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My rankings right now:
1. Reckoning Night
2. Silence
3. Unia
4. The Days of Grays
5. Ecliptica
6. Winterheart's Guild
TDOG is great, but it's not quite as good as Unia, and is almost barren of power metal.
And I'll never understand why people don't enjoy Winterheart's Guild.
Well, as far as WG goes, I only like The Cage. That's it, really. =/
inb4 hippie
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And I'll never understand why people don't enjoy Winterheart's Guild.
Well, as far as WG goes, I only like The Cage. That's it, really. =/
WHAT ABOUT VICTORIAS SECRET AND BROKEN
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I just listened to The Days of Grays intensively for the first time. And what can I say? I'm SO HAPPY that it's one step closer to Reckoning Night. Because Unia was such a disappointment to me.
Zeroes is my favourite song so far, but i've only heard the album three times in total, so don't take that too seriously.
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OK, my favorite tracks so far:
1. The Last Amazing Grays :metal
2. The Dead Skin
3. Flag In The Ground
4. Zeroes
And my new album rankings:
1. Reckoning Night
2. Silence
3. Unia
4. Winterheart's Guild & The Days Of Greys
6. Ecliptica
2, 3 and 4 are terribly close though. :P
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Deathaura is awesome.
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So I just saw SA tonight. It was of course awesome, but somewhat disappointing simply because they only had time to play a few songs. I can't remember exactly, but I think the set went something like:
1. In Black And White
2. Flag In The Ground
3. Last Drop Falls
4. 8th Commandment
5. Full Moon
6. Don't Say A Word
Plus: "Vodka" ;D
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OK, my favorite tracks so far:
1. The Last Amazing Grays :metal
2. The Dead Skin
3. Flag In The Ground
4. Zeroes
And my new album rankings:
1. Reckoning Night
2. Silence
3. Unia
4. Winterheart's Guild & The Days Of Greys
6. Ecliptica
2, 3 and 4 are terribly close though. :P
I never thought I'd live to see a Sonata fan rank Ecliptica last...
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Ecliptica is the last on my list too, but it's still an incredible album.
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Yeah it's definitely their least good album, although it does have a couple of really really fun songs.
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OK, my favorite tracks so far:
1. The Last Amazing Grays :metal
2. The Dead Skin
3. Flag In The Ground
4. Zeroes
And my new album rankings:
1. Reckoning Night
2. Silence
3. Unia
4. Winterheart's Guild & The Days Of Greys
6. Ecliptica
2, 3 and 4 are terribly close though. :P
I never thought I'd live to see a Sonata fan rank Ecliptica last...
Yeah really. It's probably my favorite one.
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Speaking of which, I just listened to Blank File for the first time in a while, and I must say, the "wooooooooooaaaahh!!" etc etc part towards the end around 3:44 has to be one of my favorite parts of any song, ever.
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It is pretty great. Especially Tommy's drum intro, if only because it was, sadly, the last time he did anything creative until TDoG.
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I never thought I'd live to see a Sonata fan rank Ecliptica last...
It's not bad at all, but some songs drag it down a bit (namely Unopened and Picturing the past).
The first 4 song are amongst my favorites though.
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I just bought the most awesome shirt that ever existed.
(https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/images/tuotekuvat/SA_TTIOT_TS.jpg)
(https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/images/tuotekuvat/lisakuvat/SA_TTIOT_TS_2.jpg)
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:omg:
MUST.BUY.THAT.SHIRT.
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I didn't care how much it was going to cost, I just knew that I had to have it.
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OMG, a blend between Sonata Arctica and X-Files? Absolutely wonderfulness!
I really love Sonata Arctica. I only have Ecliptica and The Days of Grays though. What is a good album to get next? Obviously you all have different opinions, but I think I could probably like anything these guys do, so what is a general consensus as to what their better albums are?
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Well, I'm a bit biased :lol
But I think most would agree that you should go for Silence next, then Reckoning Night. I personally am in love with the album Winterheart's Guild. Some would say you should not get Unia, but I think you might like it as it's just a tad different from The Days of Grays.
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Silence!
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Silence!
Seconded.
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Ok, I guess I am going for Silence. I have high hopes for this album!
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Alright, I've given the new album a couple of spins and I've got to say The Dead Skin is, aside from being the best song in the album, one of SA's best songs ever. It's very experimental, the chord progressions are amazing, Tony's screams are stellar and the chorus is catchy as hell. I really didn't know what to think of Deathaura at first (When I first listened to it I was like HOLY CRAP, LOADS OF LYRICS! But then I realized it was modern SA we were talking about... :D)
This album is far more experimental than Unia ever was, but there were some pleasant surprises found in here. Zeroes was pretty fun, As if the World wasn't Ending and Breathing are a couple of cute and gorgeous tracks and Deathaura is just insane.
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I'm going to have to scour some sites so I can find the 2 disc version for under $40.
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SONATA ARCTICA are returning to North America for a headliner tour through the US and Canada in April and May 2010. They will be supported by MUTINY WITHIN and POWERGLOVE.
See the tour dates below:
02.04.2010 (USA) Philadelphia, PA / Trocadero
03.04.2010 (USA) Worcester, MA / Palladium
05.04.2010 (USA) New York, NY / Gramercy Theater
06.04.2010 (CAN) Québec City, QC / Imperial
07.04.2010 (CAN) Montréal, QC / Club Soda
09.04.2010 (CAN) Toronto, ON / Opera House
10.04.2010 (USA) Detroit, MI / Blondie's
11.04.2010 (USA) Chicago, IL / House of Blues
12.04.2010 (USA) St Paul, MN / Station 4
13.04.2010 (CAN) Winnipeg, MB / WECC
15.04.2010 (CAN) Calgary, AB / Warehouse
16.04.2010 (CAN) Edmonton, AB / Starlite Room
18.04.2010 (CAN) Vancouver, BC / Venue
19.04.2010 (USA) Seattle, WA / El Corazon
20.04.2010 (USA) Portland, OR / Peter's Room
22.04.2010 (USA) San Francisco, CA / Slim's
23.04.2010 (USA) Santa Ana, CA / Galaxy Theatre
24.04.2010 (USA) West Hollywood, CA / House of Blues
25.04.2010 (USA) Mesa, AZ / U.B.'s
27.04.2010 (USA) Austin, TX / Emo's
28.04.2010 (USA) Houston, TX / Meridian
30.04.2010 (USA) Atlanta, GA / Masquerade
01.05.2010 (USA) Raleigh, NC / Volume 11
02.05.2010 (USA) Springfield, VA / Jaxx
No Florida dates? Oh man...
-
[quote*tour dates not including Florida*
No Florida dates? Oh man...
I are :sadpanda:
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I just saw them do their own headline show in CT about a month ago, if they came back I wouldn't even hesitate to go. They are one of the few bands that I realllly love to see. Such a great fun band live.
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Woooo Philly is the first stop :metal
Sucks about Florida though :(
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I might hit the Philly show. I would like to go partly because it's the first show and that would be cool.
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I'd just like to say that the instrumental section of The Last Amazing Grays is one of the greatest things ever written. Ever
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It's definitely awesome. I think the orchestral version of that song is one of the best things I have ever heard in my whole life.
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there's an orchestral version?
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Yeah! It's on the second disc on the 2 CD version.
Wait....can I send you the song to sample over the Zune social? I've only ever shared within range of other Zunes.
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ooooh I just have the standard version :(
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You must acquire that track, it's absolutely beautiful. And epic.
-
It all has ended, the clock's rewinded.
We don't mean anything to me. You think?
I killed this silence for you to end the night
The words are loaded
Unprotected, one torso, no head
One valid reason, the life's suspended
If love's the neck that kept us together, and apart...
Now it's broken...
There's no cast, no real solution
When it is broken, it will stay that way
Believe me when I say this
I would not if I did not care
I fucking love that song. :metal :metal
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Hey Fanica, the link you tried to send didn't work, but thanks anyway, because I got it elsewhere.
And it's awesome
And yes, The Dead Skin is pretty awesome
I think The Last Amazing Grays and Zeroes are tied for first for me, followed by Deathaura, Flag in the Ground, Juliet, As If the World Wasn't Ending, and Everything Fades to Gray (both, but I think I prefer the Instrumental one)
Can't wait to get SA tickets :metal
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WOAH! I get to see Sonata Arctica in Portland, Oregon on 4/20?! That's amazing!!!
I'm so happy that I finally get to see them on a headlining tour.
The new album took awhile to grow on me but now I'm absolutely hooked on it. I especially love the songs The Last Amazing Grays, The Dead Skin, Zeroes, No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart, Everything Fades to Gray, and Juliet.
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I can't stop listening to this album....
It's like a sickness :P
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I'm going to go to the Worcester show... but
I have never heard anything by this band before, but I heard they are awesome. So it is the job of you guys to get me into them! Where do I start?
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Most will tell you to start with the album "silence". Listen to them.
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I'm more of a prog fan than a power metal fan, should I still start with the earlier albums (Silence) or should I get the latter albums when they were more "proggy"?
-
If you want an excellent mixture of power and prog, go for Reckoning Night. You could easily find a video of the single "Don't Say a Word", which is fairly progressive metal.
They only really start getting prog from Reckoning Night on. Some more recommendations: Caleb, Deathaura, The Last Amazing Grays, My Dream's But a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare, Misplaced, White Pearl, Black Oceans
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I'm going to go to the Worcester show...
Have you bought tickets yet?
-
Nope I haven't got tickets yet. I looked on the Palladium's website but it isn't up yet.
I just watched "Don't Say A Word". Really cool song, love the chorus/vocals overall. The keyboardist's "stage presence" kind of scared me a bit though. :lol
I'll check out some more of the recommendations tomorrow. One of my friends is a big Sonata fan so I'll be going with him
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I still haven't picked up the new album. Otherwise, I have all of them besides Winterheart's Guild (most because people say The Cage and Victoria's Secret are the best songs from it and I don't like either of them. At all). But great band, and if the new one delves further in the direction Unia was headed I'm sure I'll love it (Unia was brilliant... Black & White, Caleb, The Harvest...).
How are they live?
-
I still haven't picked up the new album. Otherwise, I have all of them besides Winterheart's Guild (most because people say The Cage and Victoria's Secret are the best songs from it and I don't like either of them. At all). But great band, and if the new one delves further in the direction Unia was headed I'm sure I'll love it (Unia was brilliant... Black & White, Caleb, The Harvest...).
How are they live?
amazing!
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Tickets for most shows still aren't on sale yet. This is very curious
-
For anyone interested, Sonata are Reissuing their EP Takatalvi for less than you can get the original for, and with more rare tracks.
https://www.fanzone.fi/sonataarctica/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=202832&lang=en&shop=1
It is worth getting if only for DREAM THIEVES :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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Is that a cover of DWYBO I see?
-
Hell yeah :hat
-
hmmmm
Interesting
I'd get this if I werent saving my money for SA tickets. Which still have not gone on sale on Ticketbastard for Philly yet
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Bump
Got my tickets earlier this week.
Also, Tony said that they'll be bringing out Deathaura this tour. Sweet. Hope they follow it up with TLAG :metal
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Nice! They better come to FL on this tour eventually.
-
Nice! They better come to FL on this tour eventually.
I hope so, but doubt it.
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New Sonata Arctica fan.
I heard the song I Want Out on Pandora and I know it's a Helloween cover (although I never heard the original), I really enjoyed it. I've had Unia for awhile, but it really took a long time to grow on me. I am anticipating some good music to listen to from this band in the future.
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Is Unia the only album you have? I really like it, but it's different from their other stuff by miles.
-
Get Ecliptica and Days of Grays
DO IT
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As possibility the biggest Sonata Arctica fan on these forums, I thought I'd appear long enough to say the the new album (I use the word "new" loosely) is fantastic. Deathaura and Zeros ftw
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As possibility the biggest Sonata Arctica fan on these forums
Sonatafanica would like to have a word with you :P
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Unia is the only album that I have. I've listened to the others, and I honestly dont really like them (including their latest). Unia I like for the most part though.
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I absolutely cannot stop listening to 'Flag In The Ground.' I put it on a progressive metal compilation for my car, and now I just play it all the time -- to the detriment of much of the rest of the cd.
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My step-brother's band toured with them a lot, but I can't seem to get into them. Maybe I haven't listened to stuff deep enough int their catalog, but it's too power-metallish for me (yes I know they're power metal).
-
The past two albums have not been that power metal, actually. They're getting more progressive, if anything.
And never discredit a band because of generalizations of the genre. I typically dislike power metal, but I really like Sonata Arctica.
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The past two albums have not been that power metal, actually. They're getting more progressive, if anything.
And never discredit a band because of generalizations of the genre. I typically dislike power metal, but I really like Sonata Arctica.
I listened to a good chunk of their stuff and couldn't get into it, I didn't just say "They're power metal, I don't like them." I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me. Too bad my step-brother's band broke up because I would be able to go backstage and meet them and stuff.
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I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me.
wut
-
I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me.
wut
???
-
I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me.
wut
???
I'm just messing with you, man. In my opinion all of those bands are more over the top than Sonata.
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I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me.
wut
???
I'm just messing with you, man. In my opinion all of those bands are more over the top than Sonata.
:lol Oh well, hold on, Imma give them another listen now and tell you what I think.
EDIT: Upon listening to bits and pieces of a bunch of their songs, I came to the conclusion that the guy's voice is what's throwing me. I just don't really like it (just like most other power metal bands).
-
Well, there's no band that's for everyone I guess.
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I like some power metal like Iced Earth and Sacred Oath, and then kinda enjoy DragonForce and Stratovarius, and Sonata Arctica seems to over-the-top for me.
wut
???
I'm just messing with you, man. In my opinion all of those bands are more over the top than Sonata.
:lol Oh well, hold on, Imma give them another listen now and tell you what I think.
EDIT: Upon listening to bits and pieces of a bunch of their songs, I came to the conclusion that the guy's voice is what's throwing me. I just don't really like it (just like most other power metal bands).
I actually really like the singers voice. One of the reasons I started listening to them is because of the song that Tony sings with Epica. I don't liek the song that much, but I really like Tony's vocals.
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Bump.
Tour starts today and I will be at the show tonight :D
Pics/setlist will follow :biggrin:
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Nice! It looks like they're not coming by here on this tour, so seeing a setlist would be cool :tup
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I listened to some old songs from them eariler today, and I remembered why they are so great.
-
Powerglove is on right now and oh my god they are cheesy
-
Did you expect otherwise?
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Ok now that I'm not tired as all hell.... Concert was awesome. The band has excellent chemistry and Tony and everyone else was spot on. Apart from some missed lyrics in Juliet and a briefly dead keytar, everything was damn near perfect.
Here's the set:
1. Everything Fades To Gray (Intro)
2. Flag in the Ground
3. The Last Amazing Grays
4. Paid In Full
5. 8th Commandment
6. As If The World Wasn't Ending
7. Fullmoon
8. Juliet
9. Black Sheep
10. Broken
11. The Dead Skin
12. Henrik key solo/Elias guitar solo
13. The Cage
Encore:
14. In Black and White
15. Don't Say A Word
16. Hava Nagila/Everything Fades To Gray
Badass
I'll post some pictures when I get home from work
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I've noticed over the past 3 or 4 years that they don't play anything off of Reckoning Night except for Don't Say A Word.
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My friend is going to the show tonight.... wanted to go but I just have way too many shows to pay for.
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It's a good song.
But yeah I was surprised at the lack of Reckoning Night
I was expecting Deathaura because Tony said they were gonna play it but I guess they skipped that this time around. The Dead Skin was great though :metal
Tony is a pretty funny guy. He kept trying to talk to us about some random shit and it was awesome :lol
Pics are busy uploading to Photobucket right now. It'll be a few minutes :P
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Here's a link to my photo album: https://s473.photobucket.com/albums/rr99/PlaysLikeMyung/Sonata%20Arctica%204-2-2010/
hope it works
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You're at a good distance from the stage. Close enough to see everything.
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I absolutely love that venue. It's extremely intimate and there is NO bad position. I saw Symphony X there back in 2008 and had the same experience. Also, the guy who works the sound booth is really good at what he does. The mix was near perfect and it wasn't destroying my ear drums :tup
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Any new setlists?
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I don't know if this is a regular complaint against Sonata Arctica, and I'm not saying this to get a reaction, and I respect that people like them, but...
They just seem very cheesy. The music's great, but the vocals and lyrics just put me off a bit because they seem cheesy almost to the point of parody. Again, I apologise if this is said a lot, and I'm not saying they suck or anything.
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While I disagree, I can see where you're coming from maybe in some instances. But to say they're cheesy on the whole is just wrong.
I don't see how the vocals are cheesy. Tony has a great voice and does not just wail in falsetto all day, he sings melodious lines. The lyrics for the most part are above average if anything. Not amazing, but certainly not all that embarrassing. Sometimes they have funny lyrics, but then you have to remember that they're a fun loving band that started out with the name Tricky Beans.
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That seems like a fair enough counterargument. I'm only really basing my accusation on about six or seven tracks, so I can't really fairly judge their entire discography. I'll check them out again at some point and know what to expect more.
-
Listen to The Cage
-
I'm in a similar place to Marvellous G, I've listened to a few songs and find them a bit too cheesy for my liking. I actually really like the singer, it's the music itself that's a bit cheesy. I'm not meaning to bash them or anything it's just my initial impression. I'll keep listening to give them a fair chance :D
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If you're talking about Letter to Dana and that shit, yeah, but I don't find the later stuff (last 2 albums particularly) that cheesy.
After seeing them in concert for a second time now (last night), I'd have to say Full Moon is one of the best live songs in existence.
RUN AWAY
RUN AWAY
RUN AWAY
-
Full moon is on the sky and
HEEEEEEEE'S NOT A MAAAAAAN ANYMORE!
-
:metal
One of their best songs, and a killer live song.
-
Truth :metal
Do you have a full set Scurv?
-
Yeah, definitely their definitive live song if I had to pick one.
-
I just looked at this thread and read it as:
sonatafanica thread [spring tour dates announced!]
and immediately went, "Where the fuck do I get tickets?!"
-
:hat
-
SONATA ARCTICA are extremely excited to announce their upcoming recording of their second DVD which will take place at the ALCATRAZ in Milan, Italy on September 30th, 2010.
SONATA ARCTICA will perform a pretty unique show of at least 120 minutes. Next to songs of their latest albums “The Days Of Grays” and “Unia” they also will perform some of the older songs from previous albums plus some very rare songs they didn’t play live during the last years. For sure this will be an unforgettable event and a journey from the beginning of their career as one of the most popular Finish metal bands until now - you definitely shouldn’t miss it.
The DVD will be released in spring 2011 (tba) thru Nuclear Blast records and Marquee Inc. in Japan and will, next to the show in Milan, contain another show, recorded 2009 during the SONATA ARCTICA Open Air Festival in their hometown Kemi, Finland. And of course there will be massive bonus material such as “The Making Of”, interviews, and plenty of video footage the band recorded the last few years during their career on tour.
-
goddammit why Italy?
-
Hey, at least you got to see them on this tour.
-
Hopefully they'll come back...
I'd like to petition for some more Reckoning Night/Silence
-
If you're talking about Letter to Dana and that shit, yeah, but I don't find the later stuff (last 2 albums particularly) that cheesy.
After seeing them in concert for a second time now (last night), I'd have to say Full Moon is one of the best live songs in existence.
RUN AWAY
RUN AWAY
RUN AWAY
Yup Letter to Dana is one of the few songs I've listened to by them :lol
-
SONATA ARCTICA are extremely excited to announce their upcoming recording of their second DVD which will take place at the ALCATRAZ in Milan, Italy on September 30th, 2010.
SONATA ARCTICA will perform a pretty unique show of at least 120 minutes. Next to songs of their latest albums “The Days Of Grays” and “Unia” they also will perform some of the older songs from previous albums plus some very rare songs they didn’t play live during the last years. For sure this will be an unforgettable event and a journey from the beginning of their career as one of the most popular Finish metal bands until now - you definitely shouldn’t miss it.
The DVD will be released in spring 2011 (tba) thru Nuclear Blast records and Marquee Inc. in Japan and will, next to the show in Milan, contain another show, recorded 2009 during the SONATA ARCTICA Open Air Festival in their hometown Kemi, Finland. And of course there will be massive bonus material such as “The Making Of”, interviews, and plenty of video footage the band recorded the last few years during their career on tour.
Hell yeah!
Oh, and by the way, they already played Deathaura, The Dead Skin and No Dream can Heal a Broken Heart in their US tour. HELL YEAH :metal :metal :metal
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:metal :metal :metal :metal
-
:metal :metal :metal :metal
Indeed
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This thread deserves to be bumped! Sonata Arctica is a really good band! I've seen them live once and they were amazing! My favourite album from them is probably The Days of Grays.
-
I was just listening to Reckoning Night yesterday
Such a :metal album
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You know, I didn't think so for a long time, but every time I think about Unia I seem to hold it in my mind as their best album. I may listen to it again soon. It is definitely a unique album.
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You know, I didn't think so for a long time, but every time I think about Unia I seem to hold it in my mind as their best album. I may listen to it again soon. It is definitely a unique album.
(https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/thumbs/8/81/Darth%20Vader%20Nooooo.jpg/600x800px-LL-Darth%20Vader%20Nooooo.jpg)
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unia is a really good album. I dont think ill ever see why so many people hate on it
-
unia is a really good album. I dont think ill ever see why so many people hate on it
Unia > tDoG (imo)
It isn't really as comparable to their other records though, but still, one of their best efforts.
-
Honestly, that album was such a shock to the fanbase. Ever since even Winterheart's Guild you could find traces of progressive styles in their music. Reckoning Night made it more obvious, but Unia is a whole world of music within itself.
-
Unia is fucking great. There's some few songs I don't like (For The Sake Of Revenge, Good Enough Was Good Enough), but there's some great, under-appreciated songs (The Harvest, The Vice, Caleb)
-
unia is a really good album. I dont think ill ever see why so many people hate on it
-
unia is a really good album. I dont think ill ever see why so many people hate on it
Unia > tDoG (imo)
It isn't really as comparable to their other records though, but still, one of their best efforts.
The Days of Grays punched Unia in the face and stole its wallet.
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unia is a really good album. I dont think ill ever see why so many people hate on it
Unia > tDoG (imo)
It isn't really as comparable to their other records though, but still, one of their best efforts.
The Days of Grays punched Unia in the face and stole its wallet.
The Days of Grays was extremely underwhelming. It grew on me a bit but Unia was just much better.
-
Anyone interested in running a Sonata Arctica survivor?
-
Not sure enough people listen to the band here to run one, but I'd participate. You might ask Sonatafanica if he wants to run it :P
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I have no experience in running those things, so one of you guys can start it up. You have my permission.
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In Black and White is a great song, but the rest is booooring.
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I have no experience in running those things, so one of you guys can start it up. You have my permission.
It's not hard, I'm sure you can figure it out :) I'd participate in a SA survivor - I own all the albums.
BTW, can you drop the "spring tour dates announced" part of your original post, so it looks like THE SA thread, and not a tour thread...might get more traffic to the thread.
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Done. I usually update the title to include the latest news, if there is any.
-
Reckoning Night > others
amirite?
-
Reckoning Night > others
amirite?
rite
-
Also, I'd be up for running the survivor if I weren't currently doing the Genesis one. And after that I'm starting the Symphony X one. Anyone else interested in running it?
-
The Days of Grays > others
amirite?
rite
Fix'd.
Also, I'd be up for running the survivor if I weren't currently doing the Genesis one. And after that I'm starting the Symphony X one. Anyone else interested in running it?
I could run it if I had more experience. It isn't probably difficult but I think I should leave it to someone who's better at running survivors.
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It's not difficult. Just look at the ones currently running and follow the model.
-
It's not difficult. Just look at the ones currently running and follow the model.
Well, I can run it. I'll start it in August.
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Sounds great!
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I'm a big fan of Sonata. Silence was one of my first power metal albums, I love it. My least favourite album is the horrible Days of Grays. That didn't click with me at all. Unia on the other hand is an absolute gem!! Damn fine album!!
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I'm a big fan of Sonata. Silence was one of my first power metal albums, I love it. My least favourite album is the horrible Days of Grays. That didn't click with me at all. Unia on the other hand is an absolute gem!! Damn fine album!!
All of this.
-
Would it be worth checking out Unia?
-
Would it be worth checking out Unia?
Absolutely
-
Would it be worth checking out Unia?
I think every track from Under Your Tree on is some of their the most creative work ever. The first four tracks are o.k., and In Black and White is pretty :metal
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Cool, I'll try and get on that tomorrow. Figured I'd give 'em a listen because I liked their "Die With Your Boots On" cover.
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If it's your first experience with them, it will be strange to listen to that album. It is definitely their most progressive work, and my personal favorite, but most people start with either Silence or Reckoning Night.
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I'm a big fan of Sonata. Silence was one of my first power metal albums, I love it. My least favourite album is the horrible Days of Grays. That didn't click with me at all. Unia on the other hand is an absolute gem!! Damn fine album!!
All of this.
:metal
-
Cool, I'll try and get on that tomorrow. Figured I'd give 'em a listen because I liked their "Die With Your Boots On" cover.
If this cover is your only experience with the band, check out Silence, Ecliptica and Reckoning Night first then work on to Unia, it's really like nothing they've ever done before, so it's not really an album to start with.
-
Ecliptica is my favourite by them - straight up power metal.
-
I don't get people saying SA are cheesy. Of all the big-name POwer metal bands, they might be the least cheesy imo. The lyrics are full of irony, humor and tongue-in-cheek. And I love Tony Kakko's voice.
-
have you heard letter to dana? :P
-
Listening to Caleb from Unia right now.
It's pretty cool, sounds like Redemption in a way.
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OK, the song just did a crazy shift in style, no more Redemption likeness.
Fake edit: OK. I like this junk, yo.
Real edit: Now there was some sort of Ayreon soundalike.
I like this music, though.
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:tup
-
Paid In Full is a good track
Actually pretty much all of Unia is win.
Have we ranked Sonata Arctica albums yet? :neverusethis:
Reckoning Night
The Days of Grays
Unia
Silence
Ecliptica
Winterheart's Guild
They're all phenomenal though :metal
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Silence/Unia
Ecliptica
Winterheat's Guild
Reckoning Night
The Days of Grays
-
Unia
Winterheart's Guild
Reckoning Night
Silence
The Days of Grays
Ecliptica
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Unia
Winterheart's Guild
Reckoning Night
Silence
The Days of Grays
Ecliptica
Ecliptica>>>>>>>>Days of Gays
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There was a time when I would have thought that too. But now I just don't know what to think of those albums. TDoG is not a consistently great album, and Wcliptica is not as inspired as their other albums.
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There was a time when I would have thought that too. But now I just don't know what to think of those albums. TDoG is not a consistently great album, and Wcliptica is not as inspired as their other albums.
I look at it this way. Ecliptica was the debut and they were very young, and an incredible debut it is. Days of Grays just seemed liked the band wanted to try and continue pushing the style they did on Unia on purpose, but really, it's too much. Unia is special, the band will never ever recreate something like that. Days of Gray was a very poor imitation.
Also, Elias really hasn't helped their sound. Jani wasn't the best guitar player in the world, but he really formed the bands sound. That presence really is lost on the new one. Elias is a great player, but just hasn't filled the void yet.
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I really really like The Days of Grays.
There's a great mix of sounds on the album that makes it awesome to listen to
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Silence
Unia
Winterheart Guild
The Days of Grays
Ecliptica
Reckoning Night
This is a very consistently satisfying band, as all of their albums have been really good. And I feel they still have lots of tricks up their sleeve.
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Unia
Winterheart / Reckoning / Grays
Ecliptica / Silence
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The Days of Grays
Unia
Silence
Ecliptica
Winterheart's Guild
Reckoning Night
This was very tough as each album is great! Ecliptica used to be my favorite but nowadays I rank it the 4th.
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reckoning night last!? That one is far and away my favourite SA album.
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reckoning night last!? That one is far and away my favourite SA album.
RN is overrated.
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reckoning night last!? That one is far and away my favourite SA album.
RN is overrated.
I don't think it's overrated but it just has less highlights than the other albums.
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I only have their most recent album, and my favorite song on it is "Flag In The Ground." I get the sense from reading about the new album that that song has a little more of their "old school" sound, i.e. traditional power metal. One, I was wondering if this assumption is correct, and two, if so, which of their previous albums have a similar sound.
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First, you should kno that the song Flag in the Ground is actually one of the first songs they wrote. It was intended to be a special bonus track for the fans, but the label decided it would make for a good single.
Ecliptica and Silence are the closest to that style. Silence is more focused, though.
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My general ranking is like this...
Pre Unia > Days of Grays >>>>>> Unia
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Yeah, but you're Nick.
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You see, the problem with that opinion is that Unia was awesome.
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You see, the problem with that opinion is that Unia was awesome.
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First, you should kno that the song Flag in the Ground is actually one of the first songs they wrote. It was intended to be a special bonus track for the fans, but the label decided it would make for a good single.
Ecliptica and Silence are the closest to that style. Silence is more focused, though.
Thanks for the info. I'll check those out :tup
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My general ranking is like this...
Pre Unia > Days of Grays >>>>>> Unia
your ranking = fail
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My general ranking is like this...
Pre Unia > Days of Grays >>>>>> Unia
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZjuKgHSJHmM/S8hyHAX7TCI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/NCadP9oO03w/s1600/i+agree+with+nick.jpg)
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My general ranking is like this...
Pre Unia > Days of Grays >>>>>> Unia
your ranking = fail
As usual
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I only have Unia, and I enjoy it enough. I listened to their latest and a few of their older songs, but I just cant really get into them.
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There really is no other music like Unia. Ever.
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There really is no other music like Unia. Ever.
I'd agree, it's really that unique.
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I just started the SA survivor. Hopefully there'll be as many voters as possible!
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I just started the SA survivor. Hopefully there'll be as many voters as possible!
Sweet
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The DVD show has been postponed for this tour :omg:
SONATA ARCTICA regret to inform their Italian fans that the announced show in Milan at the Alcatraz on September 30th, 2010 needs to be postponed.
Reason: while doing his daily exercise routine Elias Viljanen (guitar) broke his right hand. Due to this accident he will not be able to play guitar for the next 5 or 6 weeks.
The new date for the show will be now Sunday, February 27th, 2011 also at the Alcatraz. Of course all tickets for the show September 30th remain valid for the new date.
Sonata Arctica comment:
"It was pretty shocking to hear from Elias about his accident. We are really sorry we need to postpone the show to a later date and want to excuse for any inconveniences this might cause to our fans in Italy and to all fans who had made travel plans from around the world. We really hope to see you all again in February at the Alcatraz".
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I like Elias, but I really think they have lost a lot of their flair since Jani has left. His absence really is felt IMO, a certain flair isn't there any more. Still love them though.
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The DVD show has been postponed for this tour :omg:
SONATA ARCTICA regret to inform their Italian fans that the announced show in Milan at the Alcatraz on September 30th, 2010 needs to be postponed.
Reason: while doing his daily exercise routine Elias Viljanen (guitar) broke his right hand. Due to this accident he will not be able to play guitar for the next 5 or 6 weeks.
The new date for the show will be now Sunday, February 27th, 2011 also at the Alcatraz. Of course all tickets for the show September 30th remain valid for the new date.
Sonata Arctica comment:
"It was pretty shocking to hear from Elias about his accident. We are really sorry we need to postpone the show to a later date and want to excuse for any inconveniences this might cause to our fans in Italy and to all fans who had made travel plans from around the world. We really hope to see you all again in February at the Alcatraz".
NOOO!! Hopefully Elias gets well soon!
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Sucks for those people who already planned to travel there.
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I like Elias, but I really think they have lost a lot of their flair since Jani has left. His absence really is felt IMO, a certain flair isn't there any more. Still love them though.
I agree 100%.
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Hell yeah! I'm seeing SA live in October, bitches. *Laughs and runs*
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I like Elias, but I really think they have lost a lot of their flair since Jani has left. His absence really is felt IMO, a certain flair isn't there any more. Still love them though.
I agree 100%.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I was actually watching their DVD last night and Jani really was a pleasure to watch, an amazing, energetic performer. Elias doesn't even come close.
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I haven't seen SA live with Jani (I only have For the Sake of Revenge DVD) but I've seen them with Elias and he's a great replacement. He had a solo spot at one point and he really did play well!
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I haven't seen SA live with Jani (I only have For the Sake of Revenge DVD) but I've seen them with Elias and he's a great replacement. He had a solo spot at one point and he really did play well!
I am not saying anything about his guitar playing, he's an amazing guitar player, he just doesn't have that spark that Jani had IMO.
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I haven't seen SA live with Jani (I only have For the Sake of Revenge DVD) but I've seen them with Elias and he's a great replacement. He had a solo spot at one point and he really did play well!
I am not saying anything about his guitar playing, he's an amazing guitar player, he just doesn't have that spark that Jani had IMO.
Well, I understand why someone may prefer Jani to Elias. Jani played with SA on 5 albums and sometimes contributed to the songwriting so he was an important member. But I think Elias is equally good. I don't understand why some people blame him for the "suckiness" of TDOG, Tony wrote all those songs, he has always written 99 % of their music.
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Silence is the best them.
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I haven't seen SA live with Jani (I only have For the Sake of Revenge DVD) but I've seen them with Elias and he's a great replacement. He had a solo spot at one point and he really did play well!
I am not saying anything about his guitar playing, he's an amazing guitar player, he just doesn't have that spark that Jani had IMO.
Well, I understand why someone may prefer Jani to Elias. Jani played with SA on 5 albums and sometimes contributed to the songwriting so he was an important member. But I think Elias is equally good. I don't understand why some people blame him for the "suckiness" of TDOG, Tony wrote all those songs, he has always written 99 % of their music.
I don't think it's because Jani was on 5 albums, I just think he was an extra personality that really gave the band a stronger image, he just has a louder personality than Elias.
And yes I blame Tony 100% for The Days of Gays, horrible album. He found perfection with Unia but then it seems he wasn't satisfied with the direction and changed it even more for the worse.
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Silence is the best them.
I have the Silence reissue on order at the moment!!
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I haven't listened to these guys in ages. I have Days of Grays on vinyl but I think I only listened to it twice or maybe three times. I remember deathaura being awesome though.
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And yes I blame Tony 100% for The Days of Gays, horrible album. He found perfection with Unia but then it seems he wasn't satisfied with the direction and changed it even more for the worse.
I prefer they keep making something different to them making Unia all over again, amazing album as it may be.
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And yes I blame Tony 100% for The Days of Gays, horrible album. He found perfection with Unia but then it seems he wasn't satisfied with the direction and changed it even more for the worse.
I prefer they keep making something different to them making Unia all over again, amazing album as it may be.
I am all for that but sometimes it doesn't work i.e. Days of Grays
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Unia was great, especially after a few listens, but tDoG has stayed pretty mediocre in my eyes since I first listened to it.
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Unia was great, especially after a few listens, but tDoG has stayed pretty mediocre in my eyes since I first listened to it.
Yep.
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Time for Caleb saga and wolf song rankings!
Caleb saga:
Caleb
The End of This Chapter
Don't Say a Word
Juliet
Wolf songs:
It Won't Fade
The Last Amazing Grays
Fullmoon
The Cage
Ain't Your Fairytale
Wolf & Raven
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Caleb;
1. Don't Say a Word
2. Caleb
3. End of This Chapter
4. Juliet
Wolf;
1. Wolf and Raven
2. The Cage
3. Fullmoon
4. It Won't Fade
5. Ain't Your Fairytale
6. The Last Amazing Grays
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Caleb
1. Caleb
2. Don't Say a Word
3. End of This Chapter
4. Juliet
Wolf
1. The Cage
2. Fullmoon
3. Wolf and Raven
4. It Won't Fade
5. The Last Amazing Grays
6. Ain't Your Fairytale
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Caleb
1. Caleb
2. Don't Say a Word
3. The End of this Chapter
4. Juliet
Wolfy
1.The Last Amazing Grays
2. The Cage
3. Wolf and Raven
4. Fullmoon
5. It Won't Fade
6. Ain't Your Fairytale
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Considering our variations in album rankings, I'm surprised at these rankings, they are different, but generally consistent.
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Caleb:
1. Don't Say A Word
2. Juliet
3. Caleb
4. The End of This Chapter
Wolf:
1. The Last Amazing Grays
2. The Cage
3. It Won't Fade
4. Fullmoon
5. Ain't Your Fairytale
6. Wolf and Raven
LOLCONTROVERSY
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Dude, your opinion is cool, but I am confused for your love for The Days of Gays.
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I think there are a few good songs on The Days of Grays, but overall it's really dull.
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You're really dull
I don't understand what's not to like about TDOG. The Last Amazing Grays ended up being my favorite song of 2009. SO GOOD
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That song and Deathaura are pretty good, no doubts there.
Everything else just doesn't really stand out, and the songs don't speak to each other.
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the songs don't speak to each other.
Definitely agreed, this is my main problem with the album.
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Oh come on. Juliet, The Dead Skin, Zeroes, As If The World Wasn't Ending, and Everything Fades To Gray aren't good? Seriously. And the bonus track is really good too
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You're really dull
I don't understand what's not to like about TDOG. The Last Amazing Grays ended up being my favorite song of 2009. SO GOOD
TDOG would have been my biggest dissapointment of that year.
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Nah the biggest disappointment of 2009 was definitely Stratovarius' new album
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Nah the biggest disappointment of 2009 was definitely Stratovarius' new album
Does not compute.
tDoG was certainly my least favorite album SA has produced, I hope for their next release they backtrack to their Unia-style sound.
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Looks like people really love TDOG or really hate it!
Oh come on. Juliet, The Dead Skin, Zeroes, As If The World Wasn't Ending, and Everything Fades To Gray aren't good? Seriously. And the bonus track is really good too
Don't forget Deathaura! If you mean In the Dark by the bonus track, I have to say it's quite dull. But Nothing More and In My Eyes You're a Giant are great, especially the former!
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Nah the biggest disappointment of 2009 was definitely Stratovarius' new album
That was quite an okay album IMO, nothing mindblowing but some good songs nevertheless.
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tDoG was certainly my least favorite album SA has produced, I hope for their next release they backtrack to their Unia-style sound.
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Looks like people really love TDOG or really hate it!
Oh come on. Juliet, The Dead Skin, Zeroes, As If The World Wasn't Ending, and Everything Fades To Gray aren't good? Seriously. And the bonus track is really good too
Don't forget Deathaura! If you mean In the Dark by the bonus track, I have to say it's quite dull. But Nothing More and In My Eyes You're a Giant are great, especially the former!
I meant In My Eyes You're A Giant. I didn't know the other ones existed
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Looks like people really love TDOG or really hate it!
Oh come on. Juliet, The Dead Skin, Zeroes, As If The World Wasn't Ending, and Everything Fades To Gray aren't good? Seriously. And the bonus track is really good too
Don't forget Deathaura! If you mean In the Dark by the bonus track, I have to say it's quite dull. But Nothing More and In My Eyes You're a Giant are great, especially the former!
I meant In My Eyes You're A Giant. I didn't know the other ones existed
In the Dark is the bonus track for the digipak. It's an ok ballady song but nothing special. Nothing More is the bonus track for Japan; it's a double-bass song like Flag in the Ground but much darker.
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I'm gonna have to find those somehow
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Sonata used to be one of my favourite bands.
Unia was a big disappointment, initially, but has grown on me a little.
TDoG is more of the same, too many vocals and lyrics, too many layers of Tony's vocals.
Not enough room for the music to, for a better word, 'breathe', for me.
The vocals seem to suffocate everything else.
I bought the Japanese version (as I always buy everything Sonata have done) a year ago and probably
have only managed to listen to it a few times, it is getting better, but it will never be in my essential Sonata listening.
Actually the two Jap bonus tracks, are among the most interesting for me, as they have some decent riffs and less of Tony.
I'll always love the first 4 albums and regard them as some of the finest of the power metal genre.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IePDTJKDq4
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I saw that. It looks good
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SONATA ARCTICA will be touring Finland again in April 2011 for the second part of the "Days of Grays Finland" tour.
Tickets will be on sale on December 10th.
06.04. Tampere / Pakkahuone
07.04. Helsinki / Tavastia
08.04. Helsinki / Tavastia
09.04. Lahti / Finlandia-Klubi
15.04. Oulu / Club Teatria
16.04. Tornio / Umpitunneli
21.04. Pori / Bar Kino
22.04. Seinäjoki / Rytmikorjaamo
23.04. Turku / Klubi
24.04. Turku / Klubi
27.04. Helsinki / Nosturi
28.04. Jyväskylä / Lutakko
29.04. Kuopio / Puikkari
30.04. Joensuu / Kerubi
:metal
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Sweet! Gonna have to get some tickets.
Also: Unia is the best of the best.
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Also: Unia is the best of the best.
Agreed.
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I have been LOVING them lately. Just listened to Black Sheep and Aint Your Fairytale. :metal
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I have been LOVING them lately. Just listened to Black Sheep and Aint Your Fairytale. :metal
"Ain't Your Fairytale" has been in near constant rotation for me lately. I can't get enough of it. :metal
EDIT: playing it now. So good.
IT TOOK SO MANY YEARS TO TEACH THEM
HOW TO CRY WOLF!!!
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My favourite songs are:
Power of One
Caleb
The End of This Chapter
White Pearl Black Oceans
In Black and White
And so on..
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THREAD REVIVAL!
I'll just leave these here....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avum9MPdOy8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avum9MPdOy8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGJa6Y69s4&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGJa6Y69s4&feature=related)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUQPTjoyQ5g&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUQPTjoyQ5g&feature=related)
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I'll just leave these here....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avum9MPdOy8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avum9MPdOy8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGJa6Y69s4&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGJa6Y69s4&feature=related)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUQPTjoyQ5g&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUQPTjoyQ5g&feature=related)
Holy demos batman! :o
Lol @ the ending of Apartment 54 though.
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I had heard those already. It's funny how much Flag in the Ground has changed from the original demo version!
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I want info about the new album, NOW!
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I don't think a new album will be released soon, they have quite many tour dates coming up and the gap between 2 albums has lately been about 2½ years, so I think it'll remain the same.
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More Tricky Beans demos have been uploaded to Youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXTmvm0bdn0 Friend Till the End
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMz4Pf_shw4 Letter to Dana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2SMW0HKn9Q A Bit Lost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaSh3oeReZ0 Peacemaker
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Call me crazy but i really wouldn't mind if Sonata would go back to a pop rock-ish style.
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At least Tony is a much better vocalist and lyricist nowadays! :lol I wouldn't probably listen to them if they had kept the Tricky Beans name and the old style!
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I agree on the lyric part, the lyrics in Unia and TDoG are wonderful.
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The Days of Grays is a great album. No Dream can Heal a Broken Heart has become a big favorite of mine. :D
EDIT: Reading through the thread, I came across the idea of running a Sonata Arctica survivor. Anyone up to this?
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The Days of Grays is a great album. No Dream can Heal a Broken Heart has become a big favorite of mine. :D
EDIT: Reading through the thread, I came across the idea of running a Sonata Arctica survivor. Anyone up to this?
We just finished one a month or so ago :P
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:facepalm:
Alright, carry on. :lol
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Yeah, I ran the SA survivor! It ended in December, if I remember correctly, and The End of This Chapter was the winner.
BTW, looks like they have finally noticed the fans' complaints about not changing setlists, as Blank File and The Misery have returned to the set!
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I'm okay with The Misery but never really cared for Blank File.
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They should play It Won't Fade next tour
Love that song
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I'm okay with The Misery but never really cared for Blank File.
???
Blank File is amazing! It's great to see how it came back.
I'm really hoping White Pearl, Black Ocean makes it to the new DVD release.
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I heard they filmed the Sonata Open Air '09 show in Finland as the bonus show for the next DVD (the main show will be filmed in April) and they played WPBO there, so it'll probably be on the DVD!
I'm okay with The Misery but never really cared for Blank File.
For me it's the other way round! :lol I've actually grown to like The Misery recently, though. Blank File is quite impossible to sing, so they've transposed it down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnETlv6SAO4
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:omg: The song sounds WAY better when Tony doesn't reach for super high notes! Seriously..
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I heard they filmed the Sonata Open Air '09 show in Finland as the bonus show for the next DVD (the main show will be filmed in April) and they played WPBO there, so it'll probably be on the DVD!
I'm okay with The Misery but never really cared for Blank File.
For me it's the other way round! :lol I've actually grown to like The Misery recently, though. Blank File is quite impossible to sing, so they've transposed it down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnETlv6SAO4
Amazing live performance and amazing news.
God, I love this band.
By the way, this is the setlist of the Milano show.
Everything Fades To Gray (Intro)
Flag In The Ground
The Last Amazing Grays
Juliet
Replica
Blank File
As If The World Wasn't Ending
Paid in Full
Victoria's Secret
Instrumental
The Misery
FullMoon
In Black and White
Encore:
Runaway
(Del Shannon cover) (acoustic)
Mary-Lou
(acoustic)
Shy
(acoustic)
Letter to Dana
(acoustic)
Encore 2:
Caleb
Don't Say A Word
Vodka (Hava Nagila)
Everything Fades To Gray (Outro)
:heart
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I agree with Kosmo, the vocal melodies in the studio version are way too high for Tony, in the live version his singing sounds much more natural and comfortable. San Sebastian, Weballergy and Wolf & Raven have been played transposed too, and I think this live version sounds much better than the studio version of W&R: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JaXzfHOL3o
Letter to Dana, Mary-Lou and Shy... now those are rare live songs! I wish they'd play at least one of those songs in Finland...
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I really like that set list. Glad they're doing Mary Lou as an acustic since it's better then the normal version.
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Check the other videos from that Blank File guy. He's got almost the whole concert on tape. Good stuff. :metal
EDIT: Tony's performance on The Misery is breathtaking. I really hope that makes it to the DVD.
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The oldest SA live video I've found! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdGXGHeaKic
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Tony without a beard.. :biggrin:
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Damn, I want them to play The Truth is Out There. I fucking love that song.
There's something incredibly epic about 2:18, I can't even put my finger on it.
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Epic sax solo. :metal
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Erm, isn't it cello? Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica) is credited for playing cello on some songs on TDOG and TTIOT is one of them.
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Damn, I want them to play The Truth is Out There. I fucking love that song.
There's something incredibly epic about 2:18, I can't even put my finger on it.
It is such an underrated song.
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Erm, isn't it cello? Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica) is credited for playing cello on some songs on TDOG and TTIOT is one of them.
That's true. I could be wrong but it sounds rather like a soprano saxophone than a cello though.
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It does sound like a cello.
Either way, the whole song is awesome.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adQhFOMqFxE :puke:
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This band, ew. EW.
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This band, ew. EW.
You, ew. EW.
:censored
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This band, ew. EW.
You, ew. EW.
:censored
I hope he meant that cover band and not SA! If not... :censored
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SA filmed the last Friday's gig for their next DVD! This was the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2011/club-teatria-oulu-finland-7bd3aab8.html
I've heard that the Sonata Open Air show from '09 will be included as bons material and the setlist there was this: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2009/sonata-open-air-kemi-finland-7bd7b6fc.html
Many good song choices IMO! :) I wish they had included Gravenimage, It Won't Fade and The Dead Skin too, though.
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Okay setlists, the one from last week is nothing special but the 09 one was okay.
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I hope the rhythm guitar is in stereo now, unlike For the Sake of Revenge.
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Another small complaint I have is that they could have left Replica and Victoria's Secret away from the new DVD setlist, 'cause those are on FTSOR already. Fullmoon and Don't Say a Word are too, but those 2 are just fan-favorites that they kinda have to play at every gig.
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Fuck yeah Caleb. :metal
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White Pearl, Black Oceans is there. I really hope it makes it to the DVD extras (It makes sense, considering several of the songs played in the 09 show were played in Oulu)
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Didn't even notice that and WPBO is my favorite SA song. ::)
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I saw SA live last week! :metal The setlist was the same as the one that'll be on the DVD, but without Tallulah and (obviously) the acoustic set. Tony is such a great frontman, he's almost as good comedian as Mikael Åkerfeldt IMO.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0)
Uhh..Wha...Well fuck.
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:rollin :rollin :rollin
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Wow, Chris, I had no idea you were such a huge fan of Sonata Arctica :neverusethis:
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I hate rap, but at least that rapper has a good taste! :lol
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Bumping this thread for a good reason: on this very day 10 years ago Silence was released in Japan! I think I'll listen to the album to celebrate...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0)
Uhh..Wha...Well fuck.
(https://5starstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mother-of-god-super-troopers.jpg)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0)
Uhh..Wha...Well fuck.
WOAH!
Also, I'm willing to check out this band.. which album should I check out first.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEjsP-Qs0B0)
Uhh..Wha...Well fuck.
WOAH!
Also, I'm willing to check out this band.. which album should I check out first.
Probably Ecliptica for the power metal era and Unia for the "new era", I guess. I like to think that Reckoning Night is somewhere in between
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Which "era" is better then?
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eh i dunno. By "new era" I meant more proggy-epic type era. I'd rather listen to the new stuff, but a few years ago I'd have said the opposite.
Every album they've done is great really. The newest album kinda drags on a bit I think, and Winterheart's Guild I'm not too fond of, but you'll find plenty of people that will say the opposite, so it's somethin you gotta check out yourself I suppose
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Which "era" is better then?
Well Unia is my favorite album but as a close second comes Silence which is the older era so I don't really know. I started with the power metal stuff.
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Which "era" is better then?
Well Unia is my favorite album but as a close second comes Silence which is the older era so I don't really know. I started with the power metal stuff.
Pretty much this.
I'd start with Silence though.
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Also, I'm willing to check out this band.. which album should I check out first.
So..Did you choose yet? :caffeine:
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My first album was Unia and it was love at first listen! If you prefer prog to power metal, get it first. If you want something between those two styles, I recommend Reckoning Night; it's a kind of transition album. That said, RN is my personal least favorite album! :lol I agree that Silence is the best power metal album they did. I don't get the hate for The Days of Grays, I think it's a top 3 album for them.
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Reckoning Night is good, it contains my favorite song White Pearl Black Oceans but as a whole Unia is my absolute favorite.
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Reckoning Night was a huge letdown. Only had 3 or 4 really good tracks, the rest were just meh.
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I think the problem with Reckoning Night is that the fast songs aren't as good as they were on the first three, and the proggy pieces don't reach the quality of those on Unia and The Days of Grays. Even Tony himself said in some interview that he doesn't like the double-bass songs on RN, as they were forced: he wrote them for the sake of having some power metal tracks to please the fans.
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I'm with Kosmo, I liked Reckoning Night. Wildfire is easily one of my favorite songs they ever did!
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I think the problem with Reckoning Night is that the fast songs aren't as good as they were on the first three, and the proggy pieces don't reach the quality of those on Unia and The Days of Grays. Even Tony himself said in some interview that he doesn't like the double-bass songs on RN, as they were forced: he wrote them for the sake of having some power metal tracks to please the fans.
Yeah, pretty much. They just didn't deliver and have the killer hooks that we all loved on the earlier albums. It's like the band were just going through the motions on that album.
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I wonder if there's going to be some album news soon. TDOG came out in 2009 so it's starting to be that time.
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Listening to Unia. Liking it so far, I will def check out their earlier material too.
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I wonder if there's going to be some album news soon. TDOG came out in 2009 so it's starting to be that time.
They're doing some festivals in August and after that Tony will start writing new stuff. I guess (and hope) the news about the DVD will arrive earlier.
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I loved the earlier, more power metal CDs that Sonata Arctica did-Silence is a masterpiece in that regard-and honestly, when I saw the band moving in a more progressive direction on Reckoning Night, I was excited to hear where they were going next. But neither Unia or TDOG really clicked with me, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps they deserve another listen now, but I dunno-I don't think they ever made a better CD than Silence, which is totally freaking brilliant, and maybe I never will.
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Unia is by far their best album, TDOG is easily their worst.
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SA used to be among my favorites. When I liked them, it was all about Silence and Ecliptica. Reckoning Night was okay. Unia was terrible. I hated the harmonizing effect on the vocals. It was such a departure from Tony's usual clean sound.
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https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=166&n_xID=166&ntop=0
Finnish Metal wolves SONATA ARCTICA are howling again - namely in the form of a new live DVD! "Live In Finland" shows the full concert which was played on the 15th of April 2011 in Club Teatria in Oulu, Finland. Apart from timeless classics à la 'Full Moon' or 'Letter To Dana', various tracks of the current album "The Days Of Grays" have found their way into the setlist, thus on the DVD as well. This heady mixture of old and new compositions of SONATA ARCTICA is supplemented by a bonus DVD on which four recorded tracks of the very own SONATA ARCTICA festival can be found that took place on the 8th of August 2009 in Kemi. Furthermore, the viewer can enjoy the music videos of 'Don't Say A Word', 'Paid In Full' and 'Flag In The Ground' as well as a photo gallery and some making-ofs that document the DVD's creation. The enclosed bonus CD with eight audio recordings of the festival concert gives the final touch to this release so that "Live In Finland" will make each and every SONATA ARCTICA fan cry tears of joy.
Keyboarder Henrik Klingenberg states: "It's been a very hot summer here in Finland, and while most people headed to the beach, we've been working ourasses off editing and compiling our new DVD. This time around we wanted to give you a show from our homecountry Finland. The main show was filmed at the Teatria club in Oulu, Finland, last April. It showcases Sonata Arctica towards the end of the Days of Grays World Tour which started back in 2009. We played a total of over 180 shows in almost 40 countries during the tour. This will be a 2-DVD release with lots of bonuses, we'll have tour documentaries, making-ofs as well as music videos and bonus songs from our very own Sonata Arctica Open Air festival, held in our hometown Kemi in August 2009. Whether you missed us or checked us out during this world tour, this DVD will be the complete guide to what we've been up to these past two years. I'm sure you all will enjoy watching this DVD as much as we've enjoyed making it. The Days of Grays World Tour has been absolutely fantastic and I'm very happy that we've managed to capture all the ups and downs on film. You'll know what I'm talking about when we get this monsterpackage out!"
Convince yourselves! Cutoff date is the 28th of October, 2011. Autumn will be colorful - thanks to SONATA ARCTICA!
Hmm... I hope those 4 songs from the open air gig are White Pearl, Black Oceans and Draw Me plus 2 songs that weren't played on the main show.
I hated the harmonizing effect on the vocals. It was such a departure from Tony's usual clean sound.
There have always been vocal harmonies in SA's music, the amount of backing vocal tracks has just increased over the years.
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BUMP.
Last night I listened to the orchestral version of DTOG and, while I LOVE every album SA has done, I think this is the greatest thing they've done. It's very dramatic, epic, and it gives off a very soundtrack-ish feel. I recommend everyone check it out. I'm hoping it helps to get me into the full album at some point.
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I like the orchestral versions too! :tup I listen to them rarely but when I do, I'm always amazed at them.
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I think the problem with Reckoning Night is that the fast songs aren't as good as they were on the first three, and the proggy pieces don't reach the quality of those on Unia and The Days of Grays. Even Tony himself said in some interview that he doesn't like the double-bass songs on RN, as they were forced: he wrote them for the sake of having some power metal tracks to please the fans.
RN does come across as a bit of a transition album, although my two favorite tracks are on there. Don't Say a Word is fantastic and White Pearls, Black Oceans is EPIC :metal. By far my favorite SA song.
I remember hating Unia on my first listen, but it quickly grew to be my favorite. Strange how that is... and then Days of Grays was released and I loved it even more. I still like the old material, but the change was needed and came at a good time. The lyrics are still a bit cheesy, but that's always been their charm. It's an acquired taste, but once you're hooked, its delicious.
"Walking in the cool night air without underwear". Classic! :rollin
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Full DVD details and cover art announced (https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=167&n_xID=167&ntop=0)
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Full DVD details and cover art announced (https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=167&n_xID=167&ntop=0)
Neat.
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Looks like they didn't include Tallulah on the DVD, despite playing it in the main set... Well, it's not one of my favorites so I think only the teen-age girl fans are disappointed! :lol
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I like Unia, although it doesn't seem too popular amongst the band's older fans.
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Looks like they didn't include Tallulah on the DVD, despite playing it in the main set... Well, it's not one of my favorites so I think only the teen-age girl fans are disappointed! :lol
Tallulah is probably the worst ballad from Sonata anyway.
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FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
New DVD looks amazing.
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DVD teaser (Last Amazing Grays) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXdMR1MKjw0&feature=feedu)
BTW, I've read that Live in Finland will also be released on Bluray!
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:omg: Someone uploaded a video of Destruction Preventer from their first gig under the name Sonata Arctica!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi4l8suVCqM
Tony couldn't really hit those highest notes... And what an enthusiastic crowd! ::)
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So the next album will be less epic and more simple than Unia and The Days of Grays:
https://www.metalfromfinland.com/news/2011-10-28_10:21/sonata_arcticas_henrik_klingenberg_talks_next_album__this_one_will_be_a_bit_different_from_anything_weve_done_before
https://www.spaziorock.it/intervista.php?&id=406&eng=1
Unia and TDOG are the peak of their creativity IMO but it's good that they're trying new things.
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Yeah that seems like the right thing to do. I'm glad that they're not going back to the speedy style, even though I love the earlier albums I can see it being dull if they did it again after such things as Unia and TDoG.
This is new, and new is good.
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Unia was golden, Days of Grays was crap. Good decision to try something different.
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Unia is literally the worst album that I have bought in about 20 years.
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I didn't really like their latest two albums, and I wouldn't mind if they did something closer to their earlier stuff.
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Unia is literally the worst album that I have bought in about 20 years.
Dude, you are one of my fav posters and our tastes are so similar, so I apologize, but seriously, WTF?!!!?
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Tony also revealed in a Finnish rock magazine that one of the songs has the word "shit" in its work title, other working titles include Wildfire II and Wildfire III.
Unia is literally the worst album that I have bought in about 20 years.
:huh:
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Unia is literally the worst album that I have bought in about 20 years.
Dude, you are one of my fav posters and our tastes are so similar, so I apologize, but seriously, WTF?!!!?
Thanks, but I was so diappointed with it. Now let me say up front that I am not really a SA fan. Not because I don't like them, but I've never really taken the time to explore their stuff (so many bands, so little time). I bought For The Sake Of Revenge to try them out. It's pretty good.n So I figured I'd buy something else, and with a new album out, I grabbed Unia. Wow..was this the same band?
Anyway, Wolf, I have some work to do around the house today, so I have time to play some music. Give me the two best tracks on Unia and I'll give them a dedicated listen.
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I can understand TAC's sentiment about Unia... it's the antithesis of what Sonata Arctica had been doing up to that point. Just a very inaccessible album (at least for SA). That said, it might be the best album they've ever done.
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Yeah I was very confused the day Unia was released, but now it's one of my favorite albums ever.
edit: Wildfire II and III? Cool beans.
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Unia is literally the worst album that I have bought in about 20 years.
Dude, you are one of my fav posters and our tastes are so similar, so I apologize, but seriously, WTF?!!!?
Thanks, but I was so diappointed with it. Now let me say up front that I am not really a SA fan. Not because I don't like them, but I've never really taken the time to explore their stuff (so many bands, so little time). I bought For The Sake Of Revenge to try them out. It's pretty good.n So I figured I'd buy something else, and with a new album out, I grabbed Unia. Wow..was this the same band?
Anyway, Wolf, I have some work to do around the house today, so I have time to play some music. Give me the two best tracks on Unia and I'll give them a dedicated listen.
That's cool, it took many listens for me to appreciate it too. Check In Black and White, It Won't Fade, Caleb and the title track (sorry couldn't keep it it 2)
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That's cool, it took many listens for me to appreciate it too.
Yeah, Unia isn't an album that you like after one listen already.
Check In Black and White, It Won't Fade, Caleb and the title track (sorry couldn't keep it it 2)
Erm... Unia doesn't actually have a title track. My Dream's But a Drop... has the word dream (uni) in it, but I guess you didn't mean that one? However, the other 3 are good recommendations! :tup
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So who has seen the DVD/Bluray already? My short "review":
+ Very good setlist, only a few songs that were on FTSOR already and the acoustic mini-set is cool
+ The band plays very well, but they don't give a "routine performance" impression
+ The mix is good, except that Tony's vocals are maybe a bit too loud
+ Tour documentaries aren't in the typical "watch us, we're drunk!" fashion
+ All in all, it feels like they've put some effort into this and it doesn't feel rushed
- Most of Tony's speeches have been edited out, he said some funny things at the show I went to and I'm sure he said those same things in Oulu too - they could've used subtitles
- I wish the full Kemi show was on both the DVD and CD, now there's just 8 songs on CD and 4 on DVD, the crowd seemed very enthusiastic there
- On the main show, when it's mostly dark there's some kind of "shroud" or sth like that on the screen, it doesn't disrupt me that much, though
Some people have complained that the audience on the Oulu show doesn't seem energetic, but I think it's a pretty typical Finnish crowd - we're not the kind of folk who sings along loudly and jumps around all the time.
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That's cool, it took many listens for me to appreciate it too.
Yeah, Unia isn't an album that you like after one listen already.
Check In Black and White, It Won't Fade, Caleb and the title track (sorry couldn't keep it it 2)
Erm... Unia doesn't actually have a title track. My Dream's But a Drop... has the word dream (uni) in it, but I guess you didn't mean that one? However, the other 3 are good recommendations! :tup
Whoops, meant For the Sake of Revenge. All the live album talk had me confused there for a second! :lol
I didn't realise the DVD was out already, I'll definitely pick it up. I'm hoping it will give me a bit more appreciation for TDOG songs.
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Juliet is IMO one of the highlights of the DVD and I've read comments from people who used to dislike that song started to love it after seeing it live so maybe you'll appreciate it more too, not sure about the rest of DoG (:lol) stuff.
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New album announced. Stones Grow Her Name
Discuss
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I havent bought anything after Winterhearts Guild.. does it have a release date tho?
EDIT: May 4th it seems xD
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And the tracklisting is:
01. Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)
02. Shitload of Money
03. Losing My Insanity
04. Somewhere Close To You
05. I Have A Right
06. Alone In Heaven
07. The Day
08. Cinderblox
09. Don't Be Mean
10. Wildfire II
11. Wildfire III
So they kept the working titles... Henrik said the new stuff is more hard rock-oriented and the song titles give me that impression too.
It also looks like they've recorded a new version of Losing My Insanity, which is a song Tony wrote for Finnish Idols winner Ari Koivunen - his version sounds like this. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-SKr90VU5k)
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Shitload Of Money ;D
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This better be better than Days of Gays.
Also, I picked up the DVD, but very disappointed with it. The mix is terrible, the music sounds so thin and Tony is so high in the mix, not much power from the mixing side of things. Also, I am still not a fan of Elias, he is boring and his leads or uninspiring and bland. Love the band, just my honest opinion.
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EDIT: May 4th it seems xD
It's actually May 18th.
I'm already slightly worried that SGHN might not end up among the stronger SA albums - it's hard to top Unia and TDOG, some song titles are pretty weird and looks like the album consists mostly of simple songs. There's nothing wrong with simple songs but I fear this album might not stand the test of time as well as the latest few have. I also think including an old song written for another artist is not a great idea.
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Sorry for the double post but I feel this Finnish listening session report (https://www.inferno.fi/inferno-kuunteli-uuden-sonata-arctica-levyn-tahan-mennessa-raskainta-ja-keskitempoisinta-6713/) deserves its own post.
According to Inferno the new album is SA's heaviest and most mid-tempo release. Many songs are guitar-driven and the guitars are kinda "dirty" sounding. The journalists also provided some background "hey!" shouts to Shitload of Money, which was the only (recording-wise) incomplete song on the record - there's even some cowbell(!) on SOM. Somewhere Close to You is the heaviest Sonata song ever while I Have a Right is a hard rock song where Henrik's keys get a lot of space. The journalist says he finds the latter half of SGHN more interesting than the first one - Alone in Heaven is arrangement-wise pretty simple but towards the end of the song there's more variety between heavy and soft. The Day is more reminiscent of Unia and DoG than any other song on the album and Cinderblox is a surprising "bluegrass metal" piece including banjo. Don't Be Mean is a semi-acoustic traditional metal tune with some violin and Wildfire II and III are a complex and epic closing duo.
I'm sure Cinderblox will either be an excellent song or pure crap - the banjo could save or destroy the song! :lol
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This better be better than Days of Gays.
tdog was amazing
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I'm excited for this, I'd rather have something different and a bit odd than something similar to what they've already done.
Shitload Of Money ;D
A song title I didn't expect, but knowing what Tony is like it's not so strange.
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This better be better than Days of Gays.
tdog was amazing
No.
From the titles and descriptions, I'm getting a vibe that they are going into a direction that Edguy did on their last two albums, and that wasn't very good either.
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New album teaser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KYRf5o3q68)
This made my expectations higher! :tup
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Just bought Ecliptica, Silence and Unia. Liking it so far!!
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New album teaser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KYRf5o3q68)
This made my expectations higher! :tup
My expectations were already skyrocketing and judging from those samples I'm going to love it, the slower songs were the only ones that felt weak.
But then again those are samples so it's hard to say anything, really.
Oh and also Tony singing Trance: https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit (https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit)
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Just bought Ecliptica, Silence and Unia. Liking it so far!!
Then get the rest of their stuff too - you probably won't be disappointed!
My expectations were already skyrocketing and judging from those samples I'm going to love it, the slower songs were the only ones that felt weak.
But then again those are samples so it's hard to say anything, really.
Oh and also Tony singing Trance: https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit (https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit)
The samples sound promising indeed, although the vocal melody at 0.31 reminds me of some Jenni Vartiainen song (can't remember which)! :lol Trance isn't my cup of tea but it's always interesting to hear musicians go outside their comfort zone and try something new.
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I had a chance to go see these guys live last year, and I missed it. I am really kicking myself now... My favorite album is Unia! Looking forward to the new one...
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I'm not juding anything by those samples, hard to get a good grasp on any of the tunes. I'm still hoping it's better than The Days of Gays.
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Just bought Ecliptica, Silence and Unia. Liking it so far!!
Then get the rest of their stuff too - you probably won't be disappointed!
My expectations were already skyrocketing and judging from those samples I'm going to love it, the slower songs were the only ones that felt weak.
But then again those are samples so it's hard to say anything, really.
Oh and also Tony singing Trance: https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit (https://soundcloud.com/primetimefin/skylight-devil-down-edit)
The samples sound promising indeed, although the vocal melody at 0.31 reminds me of some Jenni Vartiainen song (can't remember which)! :lol Trance isn't my cup of tea but it's always interesting to hear musicians go outside their comfort zone and try something new.
Will do! :)
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A neat little making of- type of thing of the new album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2MZVfVNTXs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2MZVfVNTXs)
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New songs! (played live)
I Have A Right - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZHzUf_6K0o&feature=related (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZHzUf_6K0o&feature=related)
Only the Broken Hearts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0STSJwcSz0&feature=relmfu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0STSJwcSz0&feature=relmfu) (Lower quality)
Losing My Insanity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3bMf3IkcTM&feature=relmfu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3bMf3IkcTM&feature=relmfu)
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Neat. I'll listen a bit later
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The studio version of I Have a Right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ueZNqRgIM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ueZNqRgIM)
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...and the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nc2upc_erQ)
IHAR is ok but it relies too much on the chorus which makes it pretty repetitive. When it comes to SA, singles have never been among the best songs on their respective albums IMO (Don't Say a Word being the only exception that comes to mind) and that's probably the case with this song too. Maybe it's just the bad quality of the live video, but I didn't find Only the Broken Hearts that impressive either - I'm still looking forward to hearing the heavier and more complex pieces.
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I finally got my For the Sake of Revenge live CD/DVD a week ago. To be honest, I'm not very impressed with the live audio quality for the CD.
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After a few days of listening to I Have a Right once in a while I must say that it isn't really up to par with Sonata's other singles. Too repetitive is the first thing that comes to mind, I like the chorus but when the chorus takes over half of the song it's not as special.
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samples are up https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stones-Grow-Her-Name/dp/B007WPNA9Y/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335410918&sr=301-1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stones-Grow-Her-Name/dp/B007WPNA9Y/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335410918&sr=301-1)
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I don't really dig the new single at all. Not having high hopes for the album at all. Will listen to the samples tonight.
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That would fit right on my local modern rock station. Didn't like that one bit. That chorus is cringeworthy.
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Somewhere Close to You, The Day, Cinderblox and the two Wildfires sounded the best from those samples.
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The whole album is pretty much leaked now, gonna to listen to it soon.
edit: Okay, finished it. It's good, going to be in heavy rotation for the next few weeks.
Quick recap:
Absolute favorites: Wildfire Part III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0, The Day
Great: Wildfire Part II - One with the Mountain, Cinderblox, Somewhere Close to You, Only The Broken Hearts
Okay songs: Shitload of Money, Losing My Insanity, Alone In Heaven
Meh: I Have a Right, Don't Be Mean, Tonight I Dance Alone (European & North American bonus track)
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Listening shortly
I can't wait for their tour this time around (PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY PICK POWERGLOVE AS OPENER AGAIN)
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I feel like an idiot for missing these guys the last time they came through my city. Hopefully they will be back...
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On first listen, I have to say the album is pretty good. Not TDoG or Unia good, but I've only listened once.
And yes, see these guys live if you can. They put on a great show. Tony is full of energy
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On first listen, I have to say the album is pretty good. Not TDoG or Unia good, but I've only listened once.
Exactly my thoughts too. And this is definitely a grower, so keep listening.
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Should receive my copy next week.
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I've heard the album once and I think it's good - not sure if it's on par with Unia and TDOG but time will show. The hard rock songs are better than I expected and I Have a Right is easily one of the weakest songs on the album. I was most impressed by the Wildfire sequels, Somewhere Close to You and Alone in Heaven.
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Just heard the new album for the first time and I was very impressed for the most part. I'm not sure yet if it will ultimately rank up there with Unia and The Days of Grays, two albums I absolutely love, but it still has so much to offer. Whoever is selecting the singles for SA albums is doing a really lousy job--first "Flag in the Ground" made Sonata fans underwhelmed and nervous about The Days of Grays, but fortunately it was one of the weakest tracks on the album. The same thing has happened with "I Have a Right," one of the blandest tracks they've ever written. "Losing My Insanity," "Cinderblox," "The Day," or "Somewhere Close To You" would have been much better choices.
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I bet the single choices are done depending on the song's catchiness and radio-friendliness - The Day is too proggy to be a single, SCTY is too heavy and Cinderblox might be a weird choice due to the banjo. But you're right - Paid in Full, Flag in the Ground and I Have a Right aren't very representive of their respective albums.
Anyway, I have listened to the album more and it's growing on me immensely - the songs are freaking catchy! :metal My only gripe is that I would've put Tonight I Dance Alone on the album instead of Don't Be Mean. My current ranking for the new songs ATM is this:
Wildfire 2 & 3
Somewhere Close to You
Alone in Heaven
Cinderblox
The Day
Shitload of Money
Only the Broken Hearts
Losing My Insanity
I Have a Right
Don't Be Mean
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Song rankings now after listening to the album A LOT these past few days:
Wildfire III
Wildfire II
Cinderblox
The Day
Somewhere Close To You
Shitload of Money
Only the Broken Hearts
Alone In Heaven
Losing My Insanity
Don't Be Mean
I Have a Right
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Has anyone else noticed that the thunder sample in the intro of Wildfire II is the same as the one used in A Nightmare to Remember by DT? I also noticed another subtle thing which, however, is pretty annoying: the piano in the second verse of Shitload of Money is out of sync. Can't be unheard... :(
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Here is how I would rank the new songs:
1: Wildfire II
2. Somewhere Close to You
3. Wildfire III
4. The Day
5. Losing My Insanity
6. Alone in Heaven
7. Cinderblox
8. Shitload of Money
9. Only the Broken Hearts
10. I Have a Right
11. Don't Be Mean
I love love freakin LOVE tracks 1-7!!! :metal But the other 4 have yet to grow on me and I don't think they ever will, which is why this album as a whole isn't as satisfying as Unia or Days of Grays.
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4th favorite band :tup
Album Ranking:
1. Silence
2. Ecliptica
3. Winterheart's Guild
4. Reckoning Night
5. The Days of Grays
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. Unia
Unia is the album I don't like by them. Every other one is at least 8/10.
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1. Ecliptica
2. Silence
3. Winterheart's Guild
4. Reckoning Night
5. The Days of Grays
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. Unia
Wow, we are very close in our rankings.
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1. Unia
2. Silence
3. Ecliptica
4. Winterheart's Guild
5. Reckoning Night
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. The Days of Gays
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1. Unia
We are not a match. :p
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1. Unia
We are not a match. :p
I saw that. :lol
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1. Unia
We are not a match. :p
I saw that. :lol
Haha :laugh:
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This was far less easy than I thought:
1. Unia
2. Silence
3. Stones Grow Her Name
4. Days of Grays
5. Ecliptica
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Reckoning Night
Yep, I don't like DOG as much as I used to. After listening to the new album I just realized that DOG is missing something... maybe it's energy, memorable melodies or something else. Anyway, SGHN has these elements that were missing on DOG. Obviously SGHN has the newness factor but right now I feel it's a pretty strong album (that might change, though). Ecliptica could be higher if I hadn't listened to it too much. Unia is my favorite because it feels just as fresh and interesting as it did 4½ years ago when I bought it as my first SA album.
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(Sorry for double posting but this isn't related to the album ranking)
Does anybody else think To Create a Warlike Feel is one of the best SA songs? Unia is already a masterpiece in my eyes but it would be even better if TCAWF was on the album. I love the intro and the climax of the song (right before and/or including the solo) is awesome! :metal Having both Finnish and English lyrics at one part at the same time is also a unique idea IMO and Jarkko Martikainen's low voice creates nice contrast to Tony's singing. The Finnish lyrics are probably some of the most poetic stuff Tony has ever written and it'd be interesting to hear a full SA song completely in Finnish if the lyrics were as great as in TCAWF.
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Yeah, I always felt like it should be on the album. They Follow is also easily the strongest slow song on the album and could have easily replaced Under Your Tree or Good Enough is Good Enough.
edit: In My Eyes You're A Giant and Nothing More are also really fucking good, majority of Sonata's bonus tracks should be on the normal albums. :P
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They Follow is beautiful indeed and easily better than GEIGE. Come to think of it, many Sonata B-sides are great tunes: Wrecking the Sphere, Respect the Wilderness, In My Eyes You're a Giant... The bonus tracks for SGHN aren't that great, though. Tonight I Dance Alone is ok and could've replaced Don't Be Mean and many people seem to like One-Two-Free-Fall but I don't see the appeal.
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Does anybody else think To Create a Warlike Feel is one of the best SA songs? Unia is already a masterpiece in my eyes but it would be even better if TCAWF was on the album.
Yes, absolutely!
Here's an album rating from an SA fan of six years:
1. Unia
2. Reckoning Night
3. Winterheart's Guild
4. The Days Of Grays
5. Silence
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. Ecliptica.
the first two and the last two spots pretty interchargeable.
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Shitload of Money video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5uepWrCgdU)
I would've preferred some storyline based on the lyrics but IMO this video isn't nearly as bad as a lot of people say it is. The only thing that actually bothers me is the editing of the song, it's not smooth enough and sounds like it was done very quickly - hopefully Alone in Heaven won't be ruined in the same way when the video for that song comes out.
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I'm just gonna come right out and say it after seeing that video: Sonata Arctica doesn't seem to want to make the kind of music that I like from them anymore. Guess I'll stick to the older stuff :lol
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They still make some music I like. Aaaaaaaaaaaand some I don't :'( if only the new album were a bit better.
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I'm just gonna come right out and say it after seeing that video: Sonata Arctica doesn't seem to want to make the kind of music that I like from them anymore. Guess I'll stick to the older stuff :lol
Me too, I prefer their older stuff (especially the debut) from the kind of stuff they do nowadays.
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Well, you can't really call Shitload of Money one of the highlights of the new album! :lol The new album has some great stuff like Somewhere Close to You and Wildfires II and III but it can't beat Unia.
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Well, you can't really call Shitload of Money one of the highlights of the new album! :lol The new album has some great stuff like Somewhere Close to You and Wildfires II and III but it can't beat Unia.
Hi. You're my friend now whether you like it or not.
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But what if you thought Unia sucked? :lol
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First 4 Sonata albums I love to death.
Last 3 have been more miss than hit for me and I'll probably not be buying anything else from them :censored
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Well, you can't really call Shitload of Money one of the highlights of the new album! :lol The new album has some great stuff like Somewhere Close to You and Wildfires II and III but it can't beat Unia.
Hi. You're my friend now whether you like it or not.
There can never be too many friends :smiley:
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Not digging this new one at all. I mean, it's a step up from Days of Gays but it's still not that memorable at all. A shame, last great album was Unia.
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Saw SA live last night and they were great! :metal The band was on fire, you could clearly see how much fun they were having. The setlist for those interested:
1. Only the Broken Hearts
2. Black Sheep
3. Alone in Heaven
4. Losing My Insanity
5. Broken
6. The Gun
7. The Day
8. I Have a Right
9. Tallulah (acoustic)
10. The Dead Skin (acoustic)
11. Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi cover, acoustic)
12. Paid in Full
13. Shitload of Money
14. Replica
15. Fullmoon
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16. Cinderblox
17. Don't Say a Word
The new songs work really well live, with the exception of The Day, which didn't get an enthusiastic response and feels more like a studio song. While I Have a Right and Shitload of Money aren't my favorites on SGHN, they are excellent live songs and I could see them and Cinderblox becoming setlist staples. I only wish they had played Somewhere Close to You, but maybe I'll hear that song next time (Wildfire II and III will probably never be played live, unfortunately).
The acoustic set was nice, basically everyone was singing along to Tallulah - in the introduction of the song Tony revealed that it's #3 on the list of the most popular karaoke songs with lyrics in English here in Finland. The new arrangement of The Dead Skin was interesting but people didn't seem to recognise the song and to be honest I would've preferred to hear it in its original form.
All in all, an excellent gig and even the songs I've heard a few times live already, like Fullmoon, Replica and Don't Say a Word still sound great. Fullmoon sounds better now that it has been transposed down 2 semitones - when they played it last time I thought he was struggling a bit in the chorus. The Gun rocked, hopefully they'll play more B-sides live in the future.
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I didn't realize so many people were down on Days of Gray, I actually really enjoyed it.
1. Reckoning Night
2. Unia
3. The Days of Grays
4. Winterheart Guild
5. Silence
6. Ecliptica
7. Stones Grow Her Name
I was very disappointed in their latest effort. It was so bad they cashed in all the goodwill I had for them. I'll still check out whatever they do next, but it's by no means an auto-purchase.
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I'll still check out anything they put out, but the last thing I enjoyed from them was Unia. Didn't even bother getting the last two.
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Dropped by to post the samples of the acoustic songs that will end up on the tour edition of SGHN: https://www.goear.com/listen/9ddf4c9/samples-acusticos-sgh-tour-edition-sonata-arctica
Somewhere Close To You is fucking priceless. That's the Sonata I love, right there.
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Dropped by to post the samples of the acoustic songs that will end up on the tour edition of SGHN: https://www.goear.com/listen/9ddf4c9/samples-acusticos-sgh-tour-edition-sonata-arctica
Somewhere Close To You is fucking priceless. That's the Sonata I love, right there.
Very awesome. Thank you for sharing.
Couldn't agree more about Somewhere Close to You.
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Dropped by to post the samples of the acoustic songs that will end up on the tour edition of SGHN: https://www.goear.com/listen/9ddf4c9/samples-acusticos-sgh-tour-edition-sonata-arctica
Somewhere Close To You is fucking priceless. That's the Sonata I love, right there.
Very awesome. Thank you for sharing.
Couldn't agree more about Somewhere Close to You.
A pleasure :)
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Days of Grays is a great album. Shame they played The Dead skin acoustic, that's a song to be blasted full-on.
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Shame they played The Dead skin acoustic, that's a song to be blasted full-on.
How I wish I heard it. But I was one of the lucky people who got White Pearl, Black Oceans so I can't complain. Not bad for my second big concert ever :biggrin:
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This thread brings back old memories long buried beneath the surface. I used to like songs like The End Of This Chapter, Last Drops Falls, Tallulah and some others, about 5 years ago. It definitely feels like a lifetime has passed since that time. They were good, I believe, to my ears, back then. :)
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Shame they played The Dead skin acoustic, that's a song to be blasted full-on.
Yeah, it was an interesting version, but the aggressive part of the song is its peak IMO and they skipped it so I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully Somewhere Close to You won't have the same fate, although the clip sounds funny - I'll get frustrated if they play all their greatest heavy songs acoustically when I see them live! :lol
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My ranking...
1. Silence
2. Ecliptica
3. Winterheart Guild
4. Reckoning Night
.....
..The rest.
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Shame they played The Dead skin acoustic, that's a song to be blasted full-on.
How I wish I heard it. But I was one of the lucky people who got White Pearl, Black Oceans so I can't complain. Not bad for my second big concert ever :biggrin:
Crap, you got to see White Pearl live? *is very jealous*
I couldn't catch them on their Days of Grays tour, but I saw them twice during the Unia tour (album which I love dearly)
Shame they played The Dead skin acoustic, that's a song to be blasted full-on.
Yeah, it was an interesting version, but the aggressive part of the song is its peak IMO and they skipped it so I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully Somewhere Close to You won't have the same fate, although the clip sounds funny - I'll get frustrated if they play all their greatest heavy songs acoustically when I see them live! :lol
Yeah, I just saw a youtube clip of that. It's an interesting arrangement, but it doesn't have the same impact of other acoustic counterparts, like Letter to Dana or Replica.
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Crap, you got to see White Pearl live? *is very jealous*
I couldn't catch them on their Days of Grays tour, but I saw them twice during the Unia tour (album which I love dearly)
Yeah, I did. My date was the night before Tony got really sick and fucked his voice up for a couple months after, and I don't think they've played WPBO after it, at least not until the end of the tour or something. So I was really lucky.
Kudos for loving Unia, it's my favorite :heart
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My date was the night before Tony got really sick and fucked his voice up for a couple months after, and I don't think they've played WPBO after it, at least not until the end of the tour or something. So I was really lucky.
Damn, the only times SA played WPBO in Finland were on a couple of festivals in 2009 and my first time seeing them was in February 2010, after they had already dropped it! :sad: Well, at least I've heard Blank File, The Misery and The Gun live and it's not like those songs are setlist staples ;D
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Damn, the only times SA played WPBO in Finland were on a couple of festivals in 2009 and my first time seeing them was in February 2010, after they had already dropped it! :sad: Well, at least I've heard Blank File, The Misery and The Gun live and it's not like those songs are setlist staples ;D
I think we're really spoiled by being Dream Theater fans, but I don't see WHY they wouldn't mix their setlists up a bit more and play those epic songs like WPBO or the new Wildfires. There's nothing really difficult in it, they're only 8 or so minutes long. The only worry is that vocally they're demanding because the singing goes on throughout the whole song, but Tony's been in such an amazing and consistent shape vocally for the past several years, he completely blew us away during WPBO and translated every bit of the studio feel in it. If JLB can do Surrounded for an entire leg of the tour and get it nailed perfectly towards the end, as well as either Metropolis or PMU every night, at almost 50 years of age, I don't see why Tony can't do WPBO, The Power Of One and similar.
Did you go to the show where they were shooting the DVD?
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Did you go to the show where they were shooting the DVD?
No, I've only gone to the shows in my hometown (Seinäjoki).
I think the reason they're not playing songs like Deathaura and the Wildfires is that they suppose the crowd reaction wouldn't be enthusiastic enough and that's understandable - DT dropped The Great Debate for the same reason last year. I find songs like The Power of One and WPBO vastly superior to, say, I Have a Right and Black Sheep, but the latter 2 will obviously get a better reaction from the audiences and that's why they stay in the setlist. However, SA are pretty popular here in Finland (each album has been certified Gold and they get played on the radio) and I think there are lots of diehard fans who would probably go crazy if they heard a song like Drop of Fuel or The Boy Who Wanted... live.
Even if the epics never get played, I hope they'll include more obscure songs into the setlist - they've definitely taken a step in the right direction by playing The Misery last year and The Gun on this tour. Perhaps we'll hear Peacemaker (I could see this one fitting with the new album's style), Champagne Bath or Fly with the Black Swan some day? At least it's good to know that they (according to an interview with Tony) won't play Wolf & Raven, The Cage, 8th Commandment or other basic power metal songs anymore - I didn't miss any of them at last week's show and I've started to grow out of that style, although I do still love many of the fast songs.
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I think the reason they're not playing songs like Deathaura and the Wildfires is that they suppose the crowd reaction wouldn't be enthusiastic enough and that's understandable - DT dropped The Great Debate for the same reason last year. I find songs like The Power of One and WPBO vastly superior to, say, I Have a Right and Black Sheep, but the latter 2 will obviously get a better reaction from the audiences and that's why they stay in the setlist. However, SA are pretty popular here in Finland (each album has been certified Gold and they get played on the radio) and I think there are lots of diehard fans who would probably go crazy if they heard a song like Drop of Fuel or The Boy Who Wanted... live.
Even if the epics never get played, I hope they'll include more obscure songs into the setlist - they've definitely taken a step in the right direction by playing The Misery last year and The Gun on this tour. Perhaps we'll hear Peacemaker (I could see this one fitting with the new album's style), Champagne Bath or Fly with the Black Swan some day? At least it's good to know that they (according to an interview with Tony) won't play Wolf & Raven, The Cage, 8th Commandment or other basic power metal songs anymore - I didn't miss any of them at last week's show and I've started to grow out of that style, although I do still love many of the fast songs.
I completely agree with you. A lot of their tracks could really work live, even the obscure songs and the epics, and I'd like to see as much of them as possible. The crowd response for 8th Commandment in Belgrade was overwhelming - so overwhelming Tony knelt before us and let us sing the chorus. But I'm sure a lot of the people that were there would lose their marbles equally as much if they heard any of those songs you mentioned as possible choices.
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Damn, the only times SA played WPBO in Finland were on a couple of festivals in 2009 and my first time seeing them was in February 2010, after they had already dropped it! :sad: Well, at least I've heard Blank File, The Misery and The Gun live and it's not like those songs are setlist staples ;D
I think we're really spoiled by being Dream Theater fans, but I don't see WHY they wouldn't mix their setlists up a bit more and play those epic songs like WPBO or the new Wildfires. There's nothing really difficult in it, they're only 8 or so minutes long. The only worry is that vocally they're demanding because the singing goes on throughout the whole song, but Tony's been in such an amazing and consistent shape vocally for the past several years, he completely blew us away during WPBO and translated every bit of the studio feel in it. If JLB can do Surrounded for an entire leg of the tour and get it nailed perfectly towards the end, as well as either Metropolis or PMU every night, at almost 50 years of age, I don't see why Tony can't do WPBO, The Power Of One and similar.
Did you go to the show where they were shooting the DVD?
Totally. Just putting out a couple of points here, Tony began taking vocal lessons during the Winterheart's Guild or the Recoking Night days, I think (according to some interview). Before that, his voice live was pretty much hit-and-miss. The Songs of Silence CD contains some really mediocre vocal performances by him, and that's a shame considering that's the only place to find songs like The Power of One and Respect the Wilderness live. :( Well, nevermind. I think Tony's strengths as a vocalist lie in his expression. He's one of the most expressive vocalists I've ever heard and that's what got me hooked with SA either way, and I can forget his not-hitting-some-notes just with him being as expressive as he can. With the not-hitting-notes thing, I think it's kinda a shame because we'll never get to hear some Ecliptica songs live as they were originally concieved (I don't think Tony's ever hit the My Land high note...never take awAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! or Blank File in its original key) but hey, again as Mora said, that's my spoiled Dream Theater fan opinion (considering they've never transposed down their songs, which is a big compliment to LaBrie).
On the subject of The Power of One, it hurts me that they won't play that live anymore. It's one of my absolute faves by SA, just behind White Pearl and The End of this Chapter (my favorite SA song).
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Just putting out a couple of points here, Tony began taking vocal lessons during the Winterheart's Guild or the Recoking Night days, I think (according to some interview). Before that, his voice live was pretty much hit-and-miss. The Songs of Silence CD contains some really mediocre vocal performances by him, and that's a shame considering that's the only place to find songs like The Power of One and Respect the Wilderness live. :( Well, nevermind. I think Tony's strengths as a vocalist lie in his expression. He's one of the most expressive vocalists I've ever heard and that's what got me hooked with SA either way, and I can forget his not-hitting-some-notes just with him being as expressive as he can. With the not-hitting-notes thing, I think it's kinda a shame because we'll never get to hear some Ecliptica songs live as they were originally concieved (I don't think Tony's ever hit the My Land high note...never take awAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! or Blank File in its original key) but hey, again as Mora said, that's my spoiled Dream Theater fan opinion (considering they've never transposed down their songs, which is a big compliment to LaBrie).
To Tony's defense, he had a cold during the Japanese tour in 2001. However, I have the South American edition of Successor (which is pretty rare!) with 7 live tracks from 2000 and he doesn't sound much better on those. He does hit the notes, but he has to push himself to the limit and it makes the tone of his voice pretty bad. Those recordings sound amateurish overall as the songs are played so fast, like some punk versions! :lol For example, Tommy starts My Land pretty fast, but he has to slow down in the parts with double bass to be able to play them.
I didn't know Tony took singing lessons, I remember hearing he was self-taught. He did get some advice with pronunciation before the recording of Unia, though, and that's a great thing - it was about time he improved it! :lol He still has a bit of an accent, but it's not as distinct as his Finglish in early songs like Shy and Unopened. Anyway, even if Tony hasn't taken any singing lessons, I agree that he controls his voice MUCH better than he did 10 years ago. He knows his limits and is wise enough to sing lower or have the band transpose the songs if he's unable to reach the original notes. He sounded much more comfortable singing the chorus of Fullmoon last week than he did on the previous 2 times I'd seen SA live, so lowering the key definitely helped.
On the subject of The Power of One, it hurts me that they won't play that live anymore. It's one of my absolute faves by SA, just behind White Pearl and The End of this Chapter (my favorite SA song).
Agreed, I would love to hear TPOO live. Both Henrik and Marko mention it as their favorite song on Silence on the official website, so I guess the band likes it, but thinks it's too long. They could at least bring back the medley they played on Reckoning Night tour (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW_es_qhNfY), which included snippets of TPOO, as well as other rarely played songs, like Destruction Preventer, Land of the Free and The Ruins of My Life.
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Tony couldn't really reach those high notes without going overboard on the, uhm, squeakiness in the studio either, so I'm glad they do not attempt to do those live, it sounds a lot better. His accent and singing in general really started improving on WHG - that was when he started going for his "natural" voice more often than not and I love that about him. I also agree on his expressiveness being his strongest trait - for example, his performance on Draw Me on the bonus part of the latest DVD isn't perfect, but it brings me to tears, the way he does it.
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Tony couldn't really reach those high notes without going overboard on the, uhm, squeakiness in the studio either, so I'm glad they do not attempt to do those live, it sounds a lot better.
Yeah, for example the chorus in the studio version of Blank File is pretty cringeworthy.
His accent and singing in general really started improving on WHG - that was when he started going for his "natural" voice more often than not and I love that about him.
Totally agreed, on the first 2 albums he was basically doing an impression of Timo Kotipelto and had a terrible accent (well, Timo is known for his Finglish as well! :lol), but on WHG he found his natural singing voice and started to get better at pronunciation, culminating in Unia.
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Yeah, Blank File was the main example in my head of a song that works much better transposed - I absolutely loved it on the DVD.
And what a sweet, sweet culmination it was :heart
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Check out the pictures in one of Henkka's recent tour blog entries: https://stonesgrowhernameworldtour.blogspot.fi/2012/11/european-tour-in-belgium-811.html
:heart you'll know it when you see it.
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Good one! :tup Progresja also seems to have a nice selection of gigs with SA, Paradise Lost and Katatonia.
I have to confess: I dislike the original version of Wolf & Raven with a passion. I know I'll get crucified by some of you, but I think the main riff is generic shredding, Tony sings way too fast and high and I find the lyrics cheesy - it's like a combination of the worst elements of power metal. I :heart the remake, though: the vocal melodies get to shine and overall it sounds unique instead of being just another fast power metal tune.
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Good one! :tup Progresja also seems to have a nice selection of gigs with SA, Paradise Lost and Katatonia.
I have to confess: I dislike the original version of Wolf & Raven with a passion. I know I'll get crucified by some of you, but I think the main riff is generic shredding, Tony sings way too fast and high and I find the lyrics cheesy - it's like a combination of the worst elements of power metal. I :heart the remake, though: the vocal melodies get to shine and overall it sounds unique instead of being just another fast power metal tune.
I thought I was the only person in the fandom that hated the song!
:hug: I felt ostracized and denied before this moment :lol
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:hug: I felt the same, everyone seems to love that song, but it got old to me pretty quickly. Good to see I'm not alone! :)
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Also, if you're having problems with drums, here's (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTqLd8_pPHQ&feature=share) an idea what to do onstage while they're being fixed instead of throwing cymbals around and rapping :lol
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A great interview with Tony (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY6ZOEGSubk)
Nice to hear that they consider bringing My Land back into the setlist, I haven't heard them play that one live - of course it used to be a staple, but I became a fan after they dropped it.
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A great interview with Tony (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY6ZOEGSubk)
Nice to hear that they consider bringing My Land back into the setlist, I haven't heard them play that one live - of course it used to be a staple, but I became a fan after they dropped it.
Am I the only one who doesn't get the point with Tony's solo album? I mean, the guy composes all the music for Sonata Arctica, he is the frontman of the band and his vocals are definitely a big part of their music. He really doesn't need a solo record just to express his creativity. I'd suppose he would want to do the solo record to make some stuff that's completely different to the Sonata Arctica style but then again he said some of his solo tracks have become Sonata Arctica tracks, so that isn't the case either. Well, if he was going to make a real solo album on which he would be the only musician playing, that would be really interesting. I highly doubt that though... He is a nice guy and everything, but to me it seems like he's doing a solo album only to get some money and fame. Well, I have nothing against that, it just seems a bit weird.
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Tony's comments on the solo album's style have been slightly contradictory - in one interview he said he'll stay in the rock/metal area, but in another one he said he'll explore some styles that wouldn't be possible within Sonata and he has lots of mellow stuff written. My guess is that it'll be something between those two: some rock/metal songs that don't fit SA and something completely different. Somewhere Close to You was originally meant to be on the solo record, but the other guys liked it so much that it was recorded for SGHN. In the Finnish magazine Soundi Tony mentioned that he'll probably only sing and play the keyboards, the rest of the instruments will be played by some hired musicians, because he isn't a great guitarist and can't play drums.
Initially I was surprised to hear about his plans for a solo album, as he writes basically all the music for Sonata, but I realized that he has such a diverse taste in music (he even likes reggae!) that maybe not all his ideas would be suitable for SA. It reminds me of the Steven Wilson situation: despite being the chief songwriter for Porcupine Tree, he has lots of ideas that the whole band wouldn't stand behind, so that's why he makes solo albums.
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I've been hearing of him planning a solo album for years now already. What bothers me about that is that there really is no need to keep a separate Sonata folder and TK folder in his head since, whatever he comes up with, the whole band has stood behind it. They've engaged in crazy genre jumping for, like, ten years now and the whole band stood behind every drastically different album. Just look at the jump from Reckoning Night to Unia! And even if it weren't for that, the fact the songs written for his solo stuff keep appearing on Sonata albums shows how much the band likes everything he writes.
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Who knows, maybe the other guys have certain limitations to their taste? Maybe they're not ready to execute all Tony's ideas - I mean, we don't know what kind of material he has come up with. Besides, even some of the songs that ended up being SA pieces were changed: Tony said Somewhere Close to You was "softened" a little to fit the Sonata mould.
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Who knows, maybe the other guys have certain limitations to their taste? Maybe they're not ready to execute all Tony's ideas - I mean, we don't know what kind of material he has come up with. Besides, even some of the songs that ended up being SA pieces were changed: Tony said Somewhere Close to You was "softened" a little to fit the Sonata mould.
Yeah, you're right, we shouldn't judge until we see what's up with that. Either way I'll be really happy to hear whatever he comes up with!
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I've been hearing of him planning a solo album for years now already. What bothers me about that is that there really is no need to keep a separate Sonata folder and TK folder in his head since, whatever he comes up with, the whole band has stood behind it. They've engaged in crazy genre jumping for, like, ten years now and the whole band stood behind every drastically different album. Just look at the jump from Reckoning Night to Unia! And even if it weren't for that, the fact the songs written for his solo stuff keep appearing on Sonata albums shows how much the band likes everything he writes.
This is exactly what I was thinking about. But yeah, I hope that his solo album would consist of as many different styles as possible, I certainly don't want it to basically be a Sonata Arctica album with different musicians. But yeah, time will show what will become of it. And if the heaviest Sonata Arctica song ever (imo) was really born as a song for Tony's album and then 'softened' to fit the SA style, this solo album could really be something worth looking forward to. :metal
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This video made my day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ3ZNw3jXZ4)
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This video made my day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ3ZNw3jXZ4)
I saw it like 10 minutes ago and was thinking of posting.
I wish Tony would knock it off with the cowboy thing already, but whatever floats his boat :lol
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Well, aside from the... ahem... questionable music, the idea was carried out quite creatively :tup
Also, he kinda looks like a football player we have here :omg:
(https://img.skysports.com/08/11/218x298/AmauriJuventus_1511444.jpg)
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For me the last 3 SA albums have been almost like Tony K solo albums. His multi layered vocals now dominate the sound.
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Also, he kinda looks like a football player we have here :omg:
(https://img.skysports.com/08/11/218x298/AmauriJuventus_1511444.jpg)
Hmm... They look similar indeed!
BTW, this blues tune reminded me of the video game song he's been playing in the acoustic set lately: Increased Chances (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Bvbsa8N8o)
And while I'm at it, here's (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv9Tmq_BcLU) the acoustic version of Tallulah from the gig I went to - you can even spot me in the audience at one point :biggrin:
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A blast from the past - a full gig from Portugal (2000) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtIBLUFt-A&list=WL77322FA8BEE75275)
The quality isn't too great, but the historical value is high. Also, Tony actually sings that superhigh part in Destruction Preventer! :omg: (without the "EEEEEEEEEND!" but it's still impressive)
For me the last 3 SA albums have been almost like Tony K solo albums. His multi layered vocals now dominate the sound.
SA have always been pretty vocal-oriented IMO, and I'd say Reckoning Night already had a huge amount of vocal layers (see: chorus of Don't Say a Word) so it was not an overnight transition.
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OMG that is the first time I hear Destruction Preventer live :heart
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OMG that is the first time I hear Destruction Preventer live :heart
Second one for me, as I've already seen this video from their first gig under the Sonata Arctica name (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUfOJK6weSs).
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Wow, Reckoning Night has truly grown on me! It's funny how it used to be my least favorite album... Right now I'd rank the SA discography like this:
1. Unia
2. Reckoning Night
3. Silence
4. The Days of Grays
5. Ecliptica
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Stones Grow Her Name
Yeah, the new album's appeal didn't last that long. It's not bad by any means, but some songs just drag it down. Don't Be Mean simply screams "filler!", I don't like how half the length of I Have a Right is just the chorus getting repeated over and over again and Losing My Insanity never felt fresh because I had known the song for 5 years. Only the Broken Hearts is good, but gets a tad repetitive towards the end and the "thank you for all the pain" section gives me the impression that Tony was running out of lyrical ideas. Shitload of Money was awesome live, but the studio version doesn't manage to capture that energy, which is why I listen to it rarely. The rest of the album is really good though.
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Yeah, now we're in the same place with it.
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1. Unia
2. Silence
3. Ecliptica
4. Reckoning Night
5. Winterheat's Guild
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. The Days of Gays
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Yeah, now we're in the same place with it.
Once again we can agree! :hug:
My taste seems to be pretty studio-oriented - their most "live"-sounding album is my least favorite, while a lot of Unia and TDOG songs are too complex to be played live and they lost (most of) the backing tracks for RN before the Unia tour. WHY CAN NONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES GET PLAYED LIVE? :sadpanda:
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1. The Days of Grays
2. Unia
3. Silence
4. Ecliptica
5. Reckoning Night
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Stones Grow Her Name
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1. Unia
2. Reckoning Night
3. Silence
4. The Days of Grays
5. Ecliptica
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Stones Grow Her Name
That's about how I'd rank them too. Stones Grow Her Name is crap. I am almost embarrassed for them. It's so bad, I've nearly given up on them, but I will give them one more chance. Hopefully it was just a bump on the road and not a new direction.
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I don't think SGHN is crap - it's a good album, but Sonata should be able to make an album better than just 'good'. Tony has said that the whole band is so happy with the new direction that they'll probably continue with the same style on the next record. I'm ok with them keeping a more straightforward sound, but I hope there will be less repetitive songs next time.
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SA have really struggled since Jani IMO. Elias just does not do anything for this band IMO, I'm not a fan of him at all.
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I think Elias is a phenomenal guitarist (and a great personality as well), it's just that Sonata themselves have moved away from the speedy duelling solos-scene and people couldn't care less to check out his solo stuff or Elias' live takes on Jani's solos to see what he can do when he really goes for it.
Make no mistakes, my two favorite albums (Unia and RN) were released with Jani in the band, and I love him dearly and I followed his post-Sonata career with maximum attention, down to the Sydanpuu/Dream Asylum/whichever else demos he did shortly before leaving and vids of his acoustic gigs with Timo and what not, it's just that I prefer Elias and I think he fits the band perfectly. The Days Of Grays is a cool album, and both Elias and Henkka have great performances on SGHN, my main problem with SGHN (and I never thought I'd say this about SA) is Tony's repetitive, and I dare say lazy songwriting.
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I am fully aware of Elias and his ability his solo work is damn good. I don't know I guess it's not his fault, it's Tony's style shifting, but I don't think he adds that something that Jani did, just my opinion.
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Yeah, I get what you mean and why you mean it. Jani has a great tone, lots of fire, an amazing feel for pop melodies (to quote a fellow fan, he had Timo Kotipelto sing "temptress in lace and leather, you make me lose control" over an essentially dance metal tune, the dude is camp as fuck in the best possible way) and I just love the way he fit into old Sonata, my preference is based on the fact Elias fits, by his playing style and writing style, into both old and new Sonata, and Jani is not as diverse.
What is rarely discussed is how Sonata lost an awesome backing vocalist with Jani. And he's a great lead vocalist too:
https://www.mikseri.net/artists/sydanpuu/kahleet/123743/
https://www.mikseri.net/artists/sydanpuu/hautaa-minut-tanaan/123748/
(don't worry mods, official links, uploaded by the man himself)
What I also thought I'd never say is that perhaps we need someone as stubborn as Jani in the band to steer Tony from the course when he attempts something not Sonatastic. I thought Henkka could be that person, I mean, he is a huge proghead/metalhead and he's the first to encourage Tony to truly let all his weirdness and multi-layered melodies and twists and turns into Sonata music. But he apparently has no problems with the "keep it simple, don't add any more sections, when in doubt just repeat the chorus another 15 times"-approach.
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Elias isn't any worse than Jani as a player - the only complaint I could give about him is his tone on TDOG and SGHN. But then again, it's hard to beat the excellent guitar sound of Unia :hefdaddy
I don't know I guess it's not his fault, it's Tony's style shifting, but I don't think he adds that something that Jani did, just my opinion.
As Milena said, there's not that much room for soloing in the modern SA style, so the lack of leads may make his playing look a little boring, but that's Tony's "fault" because he writes the songs. Even if Jani did come back (which won't happen - he's moved on), I don't think it would make much of a difference, because Tony's writing has changed.
Oh, and no offense to Jani, but I find Sydänpuu lyrics a little cheesy! :lol
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Oh, and no offense to Jani, but I find Sydänpuu lyrics a little cheesy! :lol
Aren't they supposed to be cheesy? :lol
In line with "you can't beat Unia's guitar tone", can we talk about how Unia was the first and last SA album with actually audible and prominent bass lines? :'(
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Unia is simply a piece of magic that Tony will never recreate. It is head and shoulders above every other SA album. To be honest, he shouldn't even bother trying, he's created a timeless masterpiece. Pity it's so underrated and frowned upon by the douche bags.
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Unia is simply a piece of magic that Tony will never recreate. It is head and shoulders above every other SA album. To be honest, he shouldn't even bother trying, he's created a timeless masterpiece. Pity it's so underrated and frowned upon by the douche bags.
:hefdaddy
The album is completely phenomenal, layered, interesting, FULL of hooks, awesome lyrics and an almost post-apocalyptic feel to some of the songs and lyrics, some choking sadness that hasn't been repeated since. Even the bonus songs are better than a lot of their regular album songs.
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Oh, and no offense to Jani, but I find Sydänpuu lyrics a little cheesy! :lol
Aren't they supposed to be cheesy? :lol
Maybe they are :lol
In line with "you can't beat Unia's guitar tone", can we talk about how Unia was the first and last SA album with actually audible and prominent bass lines? :'(
Yes, it's nice to actually be able to hear Marko - too bad that probably won't happen again :sad:
Unia is simply a piece of magic that Tony will never recreate. It is head and shoulders above every other SA album. To be honest, he shouldn't even bother trying, he's created a timeless masterpiece. Pity it's so underrated and frowned upon by the douche bags.
:hefdaddy
The album is completely phenomenal, layered, interesting, FULL of hooks, awesome lyrics and an almost post-apocalyptic feel to some of the songs and lyrics, some choking sadness that hasn't been repeated since. Even the bonus songs are better than a lot of their regular album songs.
Yeah, all the pieces were in their right places when they were making Unia, even though Henkka considers that recording session a dark time because of the situation with Jani. This actually makes me think about Awake - sometimes a little bit of tension in the studio can actually be a good thing and result in something amazing. Speaking of Jani's exit; I'm not the biggest fan of military service and I'm glad I've been relieved from it, but he should've done it when Sonata weren't too popular yet - Tommy went into the army before the recording of Silence, why couldn't he have too? If you have some responsibilities, you should fulfill them in time.
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Yeah, people are different, Jani seemed like a bit of an opinionated person IMO so I think he just thought he didn't need to do it. Even though I miss him, the band did the right thing regarding him.
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Speaking of Jani, apparently he's doing Sydanpuu again?
https://janihatesyouall.blogspot.com/2013/03/still-alive-not-feeling-fine.html
Also he talked about how he recently met up with Henkka and Marko, and how he must get the new DT DVD, and all sorts of stuff, recently. I really dig reading his blog... when we take his "I fucking hate all people and I like getting drunk" statements aside, he's a cool guy.
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Yeah, people are different, Jani seemed like a bit of an opinionated person IMO so I think he just thought he didn't need to do it. Even though I miss him, the band did the right thing regarding him.
He would've had to face the situation sooner or later, so I think it was pointless for him to delay it again and again. The guys made the right decision indeed.
I really dig reading his blog... when we take his "I fucking hate all people and I like getting drunk" statements aside, he's a cool guy.
Agreed, I read his blog occasionally and all those posts about drinking are pretty pathetic, but it's nice to read when he talks about music, like stuff that he's been listening to. I didn't know he liked Adam Lambert! :o I've heard the Anssi Kela song he linked (well, it's hard to avoid hits) and it's freaking catchy indeed, although I'm not a fan :D
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Well, now that we're talking about old-school SA and about Jani, I might as well post some pictures :lol
pre-beard Tony
(https://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbfm8dIWqN1rwcel1o4_500.jpg)
pre-red hair Jani
(https://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5zxixSAnu1rt7zyuo1_500.jpg)
Henkka in a skirt because fuck gender roles seriously:
(https://morawintersoul.tumblr.com/image/26088296916)
Weird as fuck Ecliptica promo:
(https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxflzrXyzT1r65b6ao1_400.jpg)
And some adorability:
(https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdmy34SPLJ1rrgmwlo4_500.jpg)
(https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7qed9cKaE1rxb7guo5_1280.jpg)
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pre-beard Tony
(https://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbfm8dIWqN1rwcel1o4_500.jpg)
Maybe he looks so amazed because of his lack of beard? :lol
Weird as fuck Ecliptica promo:
(https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxflzrXyzT1r65b6ao1_400.jpg)
It's actually pre-Ecliptica, according to the booklet of The Collection (don't have a copy myself, but I once borrowed it from the library) it's 97 or 98 (I think) ;) Another similar photo:
(https://47.img.v4.skyrock.net/9335/15499335/pics/456161244.jpg)
Reminds me of some Majesty-era DT pics - why do all young bands have to pose with their instruments? :lol
EDIT: Wait a minute, it says 1997 on the instrument photo - it has to be 98 though, since Janne is there.
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Because you need to know who's who :laugh: nothing beats KM casually holding a keyboard though :metal
I don't think Janne Kivilahti joined until '99, late '98 at the very earliest so I don't know whether that '97 date in the bottom of the oldest picture is legit.
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I remember reading in some interview that he joined in late '98. Speaking of inties and Janne, here's one with him - have you read it? https://www.truemetal.org/sonataarctica/haast-janne-eng.html
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I remember reading in some interview that he joined in late '98. Speaking of inties and Janne, here's one with him - have you read it? https://www.truemetal.org/sonataarctica/haast-janne-eng.html
No I haven't :o
*reads*
He liked In Flames and Dream Theater :metal I wonder what is he doing now. I also hate how Mikko Harkin went almost completely under the radar, I think he's doing something with Timo Tolkki now and I think that, besides Cain's Offering, the only project he was involved in that actually generated some buzz was Solution.45?
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Well, Tony looks considerably better with the beard :tup
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Janne had a good taste in music! :metal He got a regular job after quitting Sonata: https://www.metalkings.ru/reviews/interviews-sonata_arctica.htm
MetalKings.com: What is your former bass player Janne Kivilahti doing at present? Is he playing in any band or has he quit music?
TK: I think he's working in a local papermill or something. Haven't seen him in a while. He's not playing bass anymore that I know.
I also hate how Mikko Harkin went almost completely under the radar, I think he's doing something with Timo Tolkki now and I think that, besides Cain's Offering, the only project he was involved in that actually generated some buzz was Solution.45?
Mikko was involved in a Christian metal band called Wingdom, but they only recorded one album in 2005. The Tolkki project you're referring to, Symfonia, also got buried after just one album, so I have no idea what else he's been up to. Tony said (https://www.metalmania-magazin.eu/2012/06/14/interview-with-tony-kakko-from-sonata-arctica-dated-12th-6-2012/) that Mikko "got into some religious charade making us look bad with his talks, so I think it’s best to keep the distance in the future too."
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When I said Tolkki project, I meant the new one, Avalon:
https://www.metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=19474
Derek is also there, which I find really awesome :metal
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Oh, I forgot that Mikko is involved in that project too! :facepalm: Now I also remember that he was announced as the touring keyboardist for Luca Turilli's Rhapsody (https://www.ltrhapsody.com/31-the-finnish-keyboard-prodigy-mikko-haerkin-on-tour-with-rhapsody).
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The most baffling guest spot on that album has got to be Jens' though :lol
Glad things are picking up for Mikko.
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It has been interesting to read this discussion about Jani. I used to be quite a big Sonata Arctica fan when Unia was released, and I really liked that album. When they announced that Jani would be leaving, I didn't really care - I thought Sonata Arctica was 'Tony's band' and they weren't a very guitar based one, so how could the change of guitar players be a problem? Well, The Days of Grays was a slight disappointment to me - I still liked quite many songs on it, but I felt like the others were just fillers. Then came Stones Grow Her Name, which is like the perfect example of what I wouldn't like Sonata Arctica to do. I mean, I like prog, I like power metal (even though I never really liked Sonata Arctica's straightforward power metal songs that much) and I also like symphonic elements. Then they decide to ditch all that and start playing hard rock. Yeah, you guessed it, I don't like hard rock. To be honest, SGHN was a bit better than I expected, but it's not what I'd want to hear from the band that made cool albums like Reckoning Night and Unia.
When Sonata Arctica made two disappointing records, Jani released Gather the Faithful, one of my favourite power metal albums ever, the great acoustic Blackoustic album and took part in writing two awesome songs for the latest Stratovarius album. It may all very well be just a weird coincidence, but it has really started to make me wonder whether Jani's influence to the Sonata Arctica sound that I used to love was much bigger than I had thought.
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The most baffling guest spot on that album has got to be Jens' though :lol
Glad things are picking up for Mikko.
Jens said he wants to help Tolkki get back on track, which is a very kind move from him.
I found an old Finnish interview with Mikko (https://www.uusitie.com/fin/etusivu/uusin_lehti/?id=20&selectedNumber=48&selNews=438) - he talks about his Christianity and says that his teenage years were pretty rough and he felt empty until he found God. Getting to tour the world with Sonata was basically a dream come true, but he didn't have enough time to pray and the rock'n'roll lifestyle was too much for him, which is why he left.
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Tony was interviewed after the latest gig in Finland: https://www.soundi.fi/uutiset/sonata-arctican-keikkatauko-paattyi-katso-kuvat-ja-lue-haastattelu-uutisia-uudesta
He says they plan on entering the studio in September and try to get the album done by Christmas, so that it could be released in early April. Tony has written 50(!) songs and one of them is a 10-minute epic. According to him the new album will be heavier than SGHN.
The mention about the epic is promising, because Wildfire II and III were my favorites on the last album (I'm not expecting a new Power of One though) and hopefully this means that the new album will be at least a bit proggier. SGHN was awesome at first, but after multiple listens the songs started to get a little stale.
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Sounds good to me!
Although, I only have Ecliptica. I need to get some of their other albums.
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One bit of the interview made some Finnish power metal fans dissatisfied:
Some [of these songs] will surely fit Sonata, at least the slower and more mellow stuff. Back in the day I ended up "raping" some songs, because we needed more fast tunes with double kicks, which is something I regret in hindsight, but that's life.
(the last phrase may sound weird in the context of the intie, but I didn't know any other appropriate way to translate it)
Although, I only have Ecliptica. I need to get some of their other albums.
Get Unia. Right now.
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I shall endeavor to do so. Unfortunately, I don't get to a music store very often.
I could order from Amazon, I guess.... brb
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Unia is pretty different from Ecliptica, being proggier and more unique. It can take some time to grow, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it :)
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Wacken 2013 show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vpY6IEmls4)
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Marko leaves the band (https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=253&n_xID=253&ntop=0)
Marko never looked very enthusiastic on stage, but I thought he was Sonata's JMX and it was natural for him, so I didn't really expect this. However, I had thought that if someone left SA it would probably be Marko. Incidentally, I listened to the Live in Finland CDs yesterday after a period of not listening to Sonata!
Pasi has played together with Henkka and worked with the band before, so I bet he'll fit in nicely. We'll see if his prog metal background has any influence on the bass work and/or the songs on the next album...
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I hope it does have influence.
I saw Winterborn open for Sonata on TDoG tour and Pasi was totally awesome; very energetic, smiling and engaging all the time; he filmed us and threw CD singles and tiny merch items into the crowd after the show. So even though I'm a little sad, I've totally accepted this (could be the fact that I don't care so terribly much for Sonata as opposed to a few years ago, so this isn't tough to handle).
Interestingly, when Jani left, the only other dude (besides Elias) they were considering was the lead Winterborn guitarist (forgot the name whoops).
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Interestingly, when Jani left, the only other dude (besides Elias) they were considering was the lead Winterborn guitarist (forgot the name whoops).
Yeah, I remember reading about that. It's better they picked Elias so that they didn't end up stealing 2 members from Winterborn :D
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Alone in Heaven (official video) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1RxUyzSLvs&feature=youtu.be)
Basic performance video, but better than Shitload of Money :P It actually reminds me of 80s power ballad videos and seeing Tony with an acoustic guitar makes that vibe even stronger :lol
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New album Pariah's Child out on March 28 (https://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=261&n_xID=261&ntop=0)
Too bad they went back to the old logo; I like the 2007 one more :-\ I'm not overly excited about power metal elements coming back, either, but hopefully the new album won't lose its edge as quickly as SGHN did.
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I welcome the power metal sound. The last two were terrible. Hopefully, they can come back with something special, they are capable.
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I welcome the power metal sound too, but don't agree about the last two. Stones were admittedly pretty meh, but TDOG over the years has become one of my favourite outputs of theirs.
And I hope they'll announce Russian tour date soon.
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I welcome the power metal sound. The last two were terrible. Hopefully, they can come back with something special, they are capable.
I only regularly listen to the first 4 albums.
Last three have been a massive disappointment to say the least.
Since Janne left Tony has strangled the SA sound with way too many layers of vocals not many guitar solo's and too much pomp and prog.
Hopefully the return of the old logo means we will get some old school Sonata back :metal
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Reminds me of the Opeth thread...
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Reminds me of the Opeth thread...
It's not as bad as on some other forums :lol
I only regularly listen to the first 4 albums.
Last three have been a massive disappointment to say the least.
Since Janne left Tony has strangled the SA sound with way too many layers of vocals not many guitar solo's and too much pomp and prog.
Then why do you like Silence, WHG and Reckoning Night? :neverusethis:
Unia will always be my #1 Sonata album - of course there's a bit of nostalgia involved as it was my introduction to them, but I feel it's their most unique album and the songs are full of interesting layers. I do like the earlier albums as well, but the Stratovarius influence is really obvious and I rarely find the urge to listen to the faster songs nowadays.
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Personally, I prefer SA's power metal sound, but they clearly aren't into that anymore. I think they should make whatever kind of music they want.
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Unia will always be my #1 Sonata album
Me too. It's just a special and perfect piece. The band will never recreate it and they should never have tried.
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To this very day Unia is hard for me to listen to and stomach.
After 4 fast power metal albums, it was almost a different band for me.
I was a fan from the first time I heard the FullMoon demo.
I remember pimping the crap out of them at the time, and through a good friend of mine,
and much to my shock, when I got the Ecliptica CD, I nearly fell over when I saw my name in the booklet in the 'thank you's'.
I dunno I will listen to those 3 again, just to see if I am missing anything :yarr
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Trailer #1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0WTxiNlVHU&feature=youtu.be) and tracklist revealed
01. The Wolves Die Young
02. Running Lights
03. Take One Breath
04. Cloud Factory
05. Blood
06. What Did You Do In The War, Dad?
07. Half A Marathon man
08. X Marks The Spot
09. Love
10. Larger Than Life
Track #6 is the most cringeworthy Sonata song title ever IMO - yes, despite the existence of Shitload of Money :lol But hey, I won't judge the music itself until I've heard the album.
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Personally, I prefer SA's power metal sound, but they clearly aren't into that anymore.
Yeah their first albums are what I prefer. Especially the debut and Reckoning Night. They kind of lost me after that.
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I guess I'll be seeing these guys in October, but I'm mainly going for Delain.
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'old Sonata meaning more power metal style elements' Tony Kakko
Now I am pretty happy and looking forward to this.
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That sample in the trailer actually sounds quite promising.
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I Spotified "Live in Finland" to see if I was really, truly sure about whether I'd want to miss the band live or not. Good god, everything about that guitar player sounds awful. He's sloppy, his tone stinks, etc.
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Elias is just as good as Jani (if not better), but his tone is pretty lacking - I guess that makes him SA's Mangini :lol Live in Finland also suffers from a flawed mix overall and doesn't give a good representation of their actual live sound.
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Yeah, Live in Finland has pretty terrible production I think.
I'm very excited about the new album now and preordered it already. Those track titles, though. Blood? Love? Seriously? I thought Shitload of Money was the worst Tony can come up with, but there are strong contenders on this one.
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Blood is not a bad title, because OSI have used it :D
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I'm not a fan of Elias at all. He's a good guitar player, his solo stuff is pretty good, but he just doesn't do it for me in SA. Also, the production of that live DVD didn't help. The production absolutely ruined it.
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I saw SA the last time they came to the US and I think his guitar tone isn't really good live in general, especially on Don't Say A Word. Speaking of Live in Finland I thought the 2nd CD of that release was better than the main show both production wise and performance wise.
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Yeah, I wish the full open air show would've been included on the DVD, because the mix is better and the atmosphere seems great. Maybe the fact that Elias' guitar wasn't working on Tallulah (the solo is overdubbed on the CD) had something to do with the lack of material from that show...
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I'm not a fan of Ellias at all either. For me the band went backwards when he joined.
A lot of the magic that the band had with Janne on guitar, left with him.
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Looking at the tour dates for their US leg of the tour, I find it quite surreal that the first US show is literally at the next town away from me...unfortunately it seems as if this show's not an all ages show. Oh well, looks like I'll see them in NYC instead.
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For me the band went backwards when he joined.
A lot of the magic that the band had with Janne on guitar, left with him.
This is like me talking. Agree 1000%.
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Looking at the tour dates for their US leg of the tour, I find it quite surreal that the first US show is literally at the next town away from me...unfortunately it seems as if this show's not an all ages show. Oh well, looks like I'll see them in NYC instead.
Mexicali Live Isn't all ages? Hmm I thought it was. I saw Alestorm there recently and I thought that show was all ages. But I shall be there if you end up being able to go.
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Looking at the tour dates for their US leg of the tour, I find it quite surreal that the first US show is literally at the next town away from me...unfortunately it seems as if this show's not an all ages show. Oh well, looks like I'll see them in NYC instead.
Mexicali Live Isn't all ages? Hmm I thought it was. I saw Alestorm there recently and I thought that show was all ages. But I shall be there if you end up being able to go.
To be honest, I'm not sure if it isn't, but it's one of the few shows on the link to SA's pre-sale tickets that doesn't have the disclaimer that says it's an all ages show.
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preview for "The Wolves Die Young" https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-wolves-die-young-single/id799416824 (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-wolves-die-young-single/id799416824)
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This 30 second sample isn't exactly bestowing with confidence that the new album is going to be any good :xbones
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Meh, I don't have iTunes... Screw Apple :loser:
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iTunes is an abomination. I hate it with every fiber of my being. My insides burn with all the rage of hell and it's host just when I hear the cursed name of "iTunes".
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Yup okay, and exactly why do you hate iTunes so much?
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I'm mostly kidding. :lol
If you're speaking about for downloads and stuff, I have no idea, since I've never used it for that. As a music player/browser/container though, it leaves a lot to be desired. Things often don't sort right, and iTunes is determined to "help" you, which means "do everything for you the way you don't want it done", and frankly it gets on my nerves.
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I like iTunes, but I have an iMac, it works for me :metal
At least it's nowhere near as bad as Windows Media Player, I hated that when I had a Windows machine.
The only bad thing I see in iTunes, is the prices, at least in Australia are a rip off and in many cases nearly as much or more than an actual CD.
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The sample can be found on YT now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-UFB-ZoR4
To be brutally honest I don't like this at all :-X It sounds like a Christmas song and I hate Christmas music with a passion :lol
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The sample can be found on YT now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-UFB-ZoR4
To be brutally honest I don't like this at all :-X It sounds like a Christmas song and I hate Christmas music with a passion :lol
If you took a random sample from Deathaura it woulda sounded similar so have a little faith :)
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Yeah, but Deathaura has like a million different parts and this one isn't exactly a prog epic :P
The first(?) listening session report has been posted (in Finnish): https://kaaoszine.fi/sonata-arctica-pariahs-child/
A short summary of all the songs:
The Wolves Die Young: Strong single candidate, catchy chorus and melodic guitar solos
Running Lights: Major key-driven song with flashy solos, but not very fast
Take One Breath: Begins with a piano intro, relatively straightforward despite not having a traditional structure
Cloud Factory: Another cheerful song; the interlude features acoustic guitars and clapping
Blood: Very melancholy compared to the previous song; one of the proggiest on the album
What Did You Do in the War, Dad?: One of the most diverse songs, includes many tempo changes yet doesn't fall apart
Half a Marathon Man: Sounds like hard rock, begins and ends with the same acoustic theme
X Marks the Spot: Fast song (yet not old-Sonata-fast) with interesting vocals
Love: The only ballad
Larger Than Life: A bombastic epic with string arrangements and mood changes; the writer thinks it's on par with The Power of One
According to the summary at the end, the album isn't as "back-to-roots" as you may expect, as even the more power metalish songs include tempo changes and in a few tunes like X Marks the Spot Tony and co. go outside their comfort zone. Nevertheless, the writer expects old-school fans to like this more than the previous albums.
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So what is Half a Marathon Man about? Some fan on Sonata's forum suggested it's about the man who ran a marathon but gave up after the half of it. Doesn't sound convincing at all! Maybe it's about a marathon runner, probably in medieval times, who has been chopped in half with battle axe? Any ideas?
I didn't really like vocal melodies in samples' verse, maybe they'll grow on me when I listen to the full song in context of the album.
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So what is Half a Marathon Man about? Some fan on Sonata's forum suggested it's about the man who ran a marathon but gave up after the half of it. Doesn't sound convincing at all! Maybe it's about a marathon runner, probably in medieval times, who has been chopped in half with battle axe? Any ideas?
No idea, but it'll probably make sense when the album is released and you get to hear the song and read the lyrics.
I forgot to comment on the report... I have to say I'm not crazy about happy songs, but it seems that this time there's more proggy stuff than on SGHN and that pleases me :tup I do listen to a lot of straightforward music, but IMO Tony's writing is at its best when he doesn't take the most conventional road.
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The first thing in my head when I read "half a marathon man" was sexual innuendo, so... :biggrin:
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You pervert...
Seriously though, the theory that it's about someone who takes on a challenging task (i.e. a marathon) yet has no power/desire to finish it sounds most plausible.
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You pervert...
Seriously though, the theory that it's about someone who takes on a challenging task (i.e. a marathon) yet has no power/desire to finish it sounds most plausible.
Yes, probably. But it's so damn boring. :)
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The sample can be found on YT now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-UFB-ZoR4
To be brutally honest I don't like this at all :-X It sounds like a Christmas song and I hate Christmas music with a passion :lol
I actually think it's quite okay. Sounds like RN.
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The sample can be found on YT now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-UFB-ZoR4
To be brutally honest I don't like this at all :-X It sounds like a Christmas song and I hate Christmas music with a passion :lol
I actually think it's quite okay. Sounds like RN.
It does! If you gave it to me as an unreleased bonus track from the RN-era, I would have totally fallen for it, and I know my Sonata.
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But it's so damn boring. :)
Well, this is the band that wrote I Have a Right :neverusethis:
I'm being too harsh :lol
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The only part of I Have A Right that I liked was the part where Tony screamed "I'M NOT YOU!". That was awesome. I can do without the rest of it.
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I tried to like the last album, and there was a few decent songs but I never went back to it at all.
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Well, this is the band that wrote I Have a Right :neverusethis:
Forget about I Have A Right, how about that Shitload of Money! :lol
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But it's so damn boring. :)
Well, this is the band that wrote I Have a Right :neverusethis:
I'm being too harsh :lol
Sadly you're not :biggrin: guys we love you and all but please never again
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But it's so damn boring. :)
Well, this is the band that wrote I Have a Right :neverusethis:
I'm being too harsh :lol
The only part of I Have A Right that I liked was the part where Tony screamed "I'M NOT YOU!". That was awesome. I can do without the rest of it.
:lol
Well, the verses in I Have a Right are decent.
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For the record, I like the lyrics and the message of that song, but musically it's a snoozefest thanks to the chorus that's repeated five million times.
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They just announced Russian dates. Gonna get my ticket to Moscow concert next week.
Oh and I participated in this facebook lottery they're doing, though I'm sure I'm not gonna win. :lol
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For the record, I like the lyrics and the message of that song, but musically it's a snoozefest thanks to the chorus that's repeated five million times.
The lyrics may be all right, but the spoken bit was horrific. :lol
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For the record, I like the lyrics and the message of that song, but musically it's a snoozefest thanks to the chorus that's repeated five million times.
The lyrics may be all right, but the spoken bit was horrific. :lol
The little girl who speaks there is so cute that I don't mind it :D
(She appeared in one of the "making of SGHN" videos, probably the final one)
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I saw Sonata live last night at the local concert hall :metal The performance was great, the band was having a great time and we got 2 hours of music. Pasi was headbanging, interacting with his bandmates and was overall way more energetic on stage than Marko ever was. Tony's banter was comedy gold: for example, he started the introduction to Flag in the Ground saying "In the late 1800s... *drinks water* ...Tony was thirsty" :lol He also acknowledged the screens at the venue's entrance that said the performance would last 1 hour and 15 minutes - "hahaha, we won't let you out that quickly!" I can't remember much about The Wolves Die Young, but you can watch a live video from Helsinki (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVirTsnMEXs) and judge by yourselves. I thought it was a weird idea to open with a song nobody had heard (in full) before.
The setlist (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/tampere-talo-tampere-finland-bc5cd92.html) included a lot of stuff I hadn't seen them play before (White Pearl, Black Oceans :heart) and In the Dark was a pleasant surprise, but I had expected more obscure song picks. This would've been the perfect opportunity to play longer songs like The Power of One and Deathaura... Also, I knew the focus would be on the first few albums, but playing only ONE song from Unia in a 20-song setlist is a big WTF :huh: It was a nice setlist overall, but could've been even better.
The audience was pretty dead until people finally started standing up towards the end of the show - I guess most of them had never been to a seated metal concert before, and I have to admit I was a bit confused as well :lol The sound wasn't exactly great (at least where I was sitting) during the first few songs, but it got better. Henkka was having some trouble with his keytar and it was mute for most of his solo in Full Moon.
I took a couple of photos, but my seat was pretty far from the stage and the lights and zooming made them crap. All in all, the show was definitely worth the 34€ I paid, but I realized that a concert hall isn't exactly the ideal venue for metal concerts, except maybe if there are some extra visual elements.
E: I found a video of In the Dark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxRQtDh9-A8
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The setlist is great I think. If they'll keep White Pearls, Black Oceans in for the album tour, I'll be very happy.
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It was 3 months ago when I started to listen to this band.
I don't know why I never tried, but I decided to give them a chance cos they are from KEMI which is pretty close to where I was born.
Of course I had already heard all the "radio-songs".
So, I was going to take a road trip with my Mercedes Benz and Decided to get some new CD's for the ride.. I bought Winterhearts guild..
And boy, did it kick ass.. Amazing vocal melodies, beautiful shit... I was suprised!
Abandoned, Please, Brainwashed, Exploited Was my favourite song.. solid fucking gold from start to finish
I decided to get more Sonata albums!!! Reckoning night and Unia !
I liked both, but Unia was a little bit hard album to get into! But yeah, Unia has pretty good song too.
Finally , not long ago I bought the new album, Stones Grow Her name.... What a shitfest.. I really don't like it very much ._.
But, funny thing is that even how bad it is, it just might include my fav. Sonata song ever, Cinderblox! what a great song!! good chorus and Funny bluegrassy feeling!
I'm waiting the new album pretty anxiously!!! I'm sure it is going to be a great ride, even though the 1min30sec clip of the the wolves die young doesn't sound very promising... Good chorus but pretty fucking weird verse. haha
In couple of weeks I'm gonna see them live here at Seinäjoki.. It is some kind of "15th anniversary tour" or sumthing... I hope to hear those old songs, and cindefuckingblox ! Its gonna be sweet.. Maybe sweeter than my lil sister haha... wut????? o.o
Sorry for this post... I'm drinking beer and getting kinda drunk.. Yeah, rock on !
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Well, I don't really like Stones Grow Her Name.
The Days of Grays, on the other hand... could be my favourite album along with Reckoning Night. I know some people there don't like it at all, but TDOG for me is a real masterpiece where Sonata managed to get their strange ideas work. Bloody brilliant from the first second to the last one (except Zeroes).
Oh, and I could never get into Unia.
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...One day I'm going to get another SA album (all I have is Ecliptica). :lol
Though I have heard other songs.
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I say buy Reckoning Night, it's amazing. Or if you really like Eclipcita, try Silence.
But actually, buy them all, maybe you'll like Unia or SGHN, who knows.
I'm thinking about starting SA survivor after Avantasia one will end. Admittedly, it's two months away, but still.
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I'm definitely interested in a SA survivor (having run one myself a few years ago) - bring it on! :metal
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SA survivor would be neat. I think my opinions on the band are pretty uncommon so it should be interesting, just as an example I think that Ecliptica is the band's weakest album by far. :P
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Yeah, I'd join the survivor again.
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Well, I'll do it then after Avantasia survivor will end, as I said. By this time, Pariah's Child would be just out I guess, and while we'll be voting out earlier albums, there'll be a lot of time for the new record to sink in.
I might need a couple of advises about it, so I'll ask away when the time will come.
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I'll be happy if they keep Kingdom For A Heart for the US leg, that's the one song from Ecliptica that I'd love to see live. Other than that, I love the fact that they've brought out a lot of songs from Silence since that's my favorite SA album.
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I'll be happy if they keep Kingdom For A Heart for the US leg, that's the one song from Ecliptica that I'd love to see live. Other than that, I love the fact that they've brought out a lot of songs from Silence since that's my favorite SA album.
They didn't play KFAH in full, as it was segued into Wolf & Raven after the second chorus (no Letter to Dana lyrics). W&R was a huge surprise for me, because Tony has said he dislikes that song and wishes he hadn't written it. I'm not crazy about it either, but it was played in a much lower key and Tony's vocals sounded more pleasant than on the album. On a side note, Victoria's Secret has been transposed two semitones down from the original key and listening to the final chorus made it clear that it was a clever thing to do.
I find it pretty ironic that when I saw SA on the second Euro leg of the TDOG tour they didn't play anything from Silence, but now a quarter of the anniversary setlist is stuff from that album :D
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I'm watching the live clip of the new song...I like it a lot, at least I like it more than anything off of SGHN.
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I ordered a band-signed single, so I'll just wait till it arrives and listen to the new song then. :D
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Studio version is out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEu4v-xX-Q4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEu4v-xX-Q4)
It's catchy and fun and I really like the lyrics. Just a solid single.
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It was hard to judge the song after hearing it live, because the sound was kind of crappy at the beginning of the show, but now I can hear all the details and stuff. I still haven't warmed up to the overhappy verse, but the chorus is catchy and on the whole this sounds better than the low points of SGHN.
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Must resist and not listen.
I've read on Sonata forum the album sounds like a happier version of TDOG. I'm not sure I'll be fine with it, because I love TDOG exactly for it's bleakness and dark, gloomy mood.
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Studio version is out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Xmwaf_Tog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Xmwaf_Tog)
It's catchy and fun and I really like the lyrics. Just a solid single.
Sounds like a mix of Unia and RN, I like it a lot.
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Good song.
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Studio version is out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Xmwaf_Tog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Xmwaf_Tog)
It's catchy and fun and I really like the lyrics. Just a solid single.
Sounds like a mix of Unia and RN, I like it a lot.
My thoughts exactly! I actually thought it also had a little bit of Silence in there as well. I really dig this song, and I think Pasi's little bass riff in the beginning was cool.
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Album is shaping up nicely. I had written them off after the travesty of SGHN, but I'll give them another chance here. Anything even remotely in the vein of early SA would be welcome.
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Wow.. I might actually be buying the new album. :metal
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I was gonna see them later this year anyway regardless of how the album was gonna turn out for me, but listening to the single for the past few days makes me even more excited to see them. I might actually buy the album on the day of release. :metal
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Official video for The Wolves Die Young (https://www.radiorock.fi/#!/post/52faf45e5fb2990200000002)
The performance scenes look good, but whoever decided that the conceptual footage should be 100% based on the lyrics could've used more imagination :P I don't find the acting too great, either :mehlin I mean, it's just a music video but still...
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My single shipped only yesterday despite the pre-order, so like another 10 days of waiting. :lol
Also, no tickets for Russian dates yet. I know it's only in November, but I like to have all the things fixed so this annoys me a bit. :D
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Patrick Ullaeus is pretty rubbish; that's actually one of his better videos.
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To be honest, I've always thought that the conceptual footage for their music videos were never really great to begin with. Even Pull Me Under's conceptual footage despite it's irrelevance to the lyrics was better than the one in The Wolves Die Young IMO. However, I liked the performance footage of the band and they should've done a performance only music video instead. It would've be great for the fans to see more of Pasi if they've never seen him play before.
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It's not Shitload of Money, but I'm going to need to hear the rest of the album before I buy it. I am resigning myself to the fact that I'm just not going to like anything after Reckoning Night, though.
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It would've be great for the fans to see more of Pasi if they've never seen him play before.
it's hard to see anything with that damn backlighting though :lol
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Furthermore, SONATA ARCTICA will release the second digital single from »Pariah’s Child« called ‘Cloud Factory’ on February 28, 2014.
Commented vocalist &keyboardist Tony Kakko: “It has some kind of an ear-worm factor. It's not a bad thing to have in a single. A story about how dad already sees his young son going to work in the same factory he still goes and where his dad and dad's dad went before him, and how that pleasantly vicious circle never ends.”
EDIT: Something hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRY43jH2OtU
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You can hear a sample of Cloud Factory here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IJWOIYK/ref=sr_1_8_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B00IJWOJJ4&qid=1393074465&sr=1-8%3C/a%3E
I know it's just a 30-second clip, but I already like it more than The Wolves Die Young :D
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Will there be a music video for Cloud Factory? Cause if so, I hope the conceptual footage shows factories inside clouds :lol
Seriously though, sounds like it's gonna be another good song.
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Henkka responded to some comment in his blog and said the second music video will be Love, but there may be a lyric video for Cloud Factory.
(the blog can be found here: https://thegreathankhunt.blogspot.com )
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I liked Wolves Die Young, even though it doesn't really feel like a groundbreaking song or a future classic. However, the Cloud Factory sample felt pretty boring if I'm honest, I hope it'll sound better as a whole song.
Still not completely sure what to expect from this album. In my opinion both of the songs we've heard so far sound like they're from Stones Grow Her Name with some elements from Ecliptica and Silence. Basically that's combining the albums that I don't like so much and ignoring the ones I love. :lol Of course we'll have to wait for the whole thing to come out before making any conclusions though.
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I actually got more like RN vibe from those. Only listened to Cloud Factory sample once, but got a feeling its similar to Aint Your Fairytale. Wont listen more till album arrives.
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You can hear a sample of Cloud Factory here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IJWOIYK/ref=sr_1_8_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B00IJWOJJ4&qid=1393074465&sr=1-8%3C/a%3E
I know it's just a 30-second clip, but I already like it more than The Wolves Die Young :D
Sounds pretty good. Again, it gives me the same vibe as wolves, Unia meets RN.
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I wish I could get the same vibe as you guys, that sounds so much better. :-\
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I'm getting no vibes at all, in fact it will be the first Sonata that I will not be buying, and coming from someone who owns 55 Sonata Arctica CD's.
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55?
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Have you bought 55 Stones Grow Her Name CDs?
Sorry, couldn't help.
I don't know, this album sounds great so far. But your choice anyway.
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Actually Stones Grow, is the only Sonata album that I have just the one version of.
All the others I have multiple versions, all the singles, promo's etc.
But the rarest item in my Sonata collection is not a CD, record or promo.
I was lucky enough to be given a few years back, the master mini disc of a live concert that was used for the Successor EP.
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I'm getting no vibes at all, in fact it will be the first Sonata that I will not be buying, and coming from someone who owns 55 Sonata Arctica CD's.
Reading back at this comment, I think you will quickly cave and purchase the album. Especially considering you collection.
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Snippets from X Marks the Spot and Larger Than Life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpYx5g_2pb8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpYx5g_2pb8)
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So the first signed single is finally arrived to my door (not the best idea to sign it upon the S letter on logo, guys) and I did a couple of proper listens to the song. Not too keen on the verses vocal melodies, but the bridge and chorus are totally awesome. Also liked the solo, but it was somewhat too short. Overall it's solid, would be in top5 on SGHN for me, but as my expectations for this one are quite high, I expect other songs will be even better.
Usually it doesn't do me any good, but still.
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Cloud Factory!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5FPHFI6sI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO5FPHFI6sI)
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I expect I'll be in the minority but I thought that was awful!
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I expect I'll be in the minority but I thought that was awful!
That's understandable, it's an odd song. I think it's rough around the edges but I like it.
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Wow, that's a lot better than I expected. The 30-second sample made it sound dull, but as a whole it's actually a stellar power metal song. And I like my Sonata Arctica with some goofiness, so I'm glad we have some of that here. :metal
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I liked the song.
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Not an extremely exciting song, but better than The Wolves IMO. Sonata's singles rarely are the best songs on their respective albums, so I'm expecting to hear better stuff on the album.
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I liked the song.
I did too. Quite nice and catchy.
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I expect I'll be in the minority but I thought that was awful!
That's pretty understandable.
I wouldn't go that far, but it's certainly nothing special. It still gives me the RN mixed with Unia feel, but SA usually need quite a few listens, especially with songs like this one.
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https://heavylaw.com/interview320-Sonata-Arctica.html
If Google's translation isn't totally off, it says that SA's Japanese label asked them to re-record Ecliptica and they'll do it later this year. I don't find re-recording old songs necessary, but I'm curious to hear the final result, because I like the 2006 remakes of My Land and Replica. Also, if this means that Destruction Preventer may return to the setlist, I'm stoked! :caffeine:
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If Tony has better accent on it, and it comes in something different than jewel case, I'll buy it. :biggrin:
And if I thought The Wolves Die Young was mediocre-maybe-good, Cloud Factory is downright awesome.
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https://heavylaw.com/interview320-Sonata-Arctica.html
If Google's translation isn't totally off, it says that SA's Japanese label asked them to re-record Ecliptica and they'll do it later this year. I don't find re-recording old songs necessary, but I'm curious to hear the final result, because I like the 2006 remakes of My Land and Replica. Also, if this means that Destruction Preventer may return to the setlist, I'm stoked! :caffeine:
If this is true, I wonder why out of all of their labels, their Japanese one is the one to ask them to re-record the entire Ecliptica album. :lol
A new version of Kingdom For A Heart would be nice, cause the one off Ecliptica sounds like I'm playing some intense arcade style shoot 'em up :rollin
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https://heavylaw.com/interview320-Sonata-Arctica.html
If Google's translation isn't totally off, it says that SA's Japanese label asked them to re-record Ecliptica and they'll do it later this year. I don't find re-recording old songs necessary, but I'm curious to hear the final result, because I like the 2006 remakes of My Land and Replica. Also, if this means that Destruction Preventer may return to the setlist, I'm stoked! :caffeine:
If this is true, I wonder why out of all of their labels, their Japanese one is the one to ask them to re-record the entire Ecliptica album. :lol
A new version of Kingdom For A Heart would be nice, cause the one off Ecliptica sounds like I'm playing some intense arcade style shoot 'em up...in a good way! :rollin
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If Tony has better accent on it, and it comes in something different than jewel case, I'll buy it. :biggrin:
Oh yes, that's gonna be the biggest improvement :lol Maybe he'll also rework the vocal melodies to fit his natural range - his vocals are pretty squeaky in some songs :P There would also be more consistent tempos, as Tommy has said that he recorded the drums for Ecliptica without a click. Wow, I just realized how many good reasons there are for re-recording this album! :D I love the original album for nostalgia reasons, but an update won't make it any worse.
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This shouldn't be done with Jani in the band IMO.
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If Tony has better accent on it, and it comes in something different than jewel case, I'll buy it. :biggrin:
Oh yes, that's gonna be the biggest improvement :lol Maybe he'll also rework the vocal melodies to fit his natural range - his vocals are pretty squeaky in some songs :P There would also be more consistent tempos, as Tommy has said that he recorded the drums for Ecliptica without a click. Wow, I just realized how many good reasons there are for re-recording this album! :D I love the original album for nostalgia reasons, but an update won't make it any worse.
I didn't even know the tempos were sloppy on the original to begin with :lol
Tony was right about the original Ecliptica, it sounds outdated. F**k, even Stratovarius' earlier albums sounds "newer" compared to it, and that reason alone is good enough reason for me the album deserves to be re-recorded.
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Ecliptica is amazing, and needs no improvement.
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Ecliptica is amazing, and needs no improvement.
Yes, yes and fucking YES.
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I didn't even know the tempos were sloppy on the original to begin with :lol
It isn't noticeable in the fast songs, but for example in My Land the intro is pretty slow until the drums come in and the final chorus is clearly faster than the previous ones.
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It was a very young band recording their first album and it's not prefect.
I've never noticed anything wrong with the drums or anything else.
Still sounds great to me, I played it on vinyl last month and I love everything about it.
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Pariah's Child track-by-track, part 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MNTu3AImwM&feature=youtu.be)
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Track-by-track video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmA-Nv050fQ I thought WDYDITWD? was an awful title when the tracklist was announced, but after hearing the guys' comments on it, I think it may become one of my favorites.
BTW, Sonata just premiered Cloud Factory and played San Sebastian for the first time in 6 years: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/teatro-rival-petrobras-rua-alvaro-alvim-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-23c23c17.html
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Track-by-track video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmA-Nv050fQ I thought WDYDITWD?
I thought that was an extreme surprise expression from the first glance. :lol
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album samples: https://us.7digital.com/artist/sonata-arctica/release/pariahs-child-2 (https://us.7digital.com/artist/sonata-arctica/release/pariahs-child-2)
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I'm pretty happy at first listen with every song, to be honest. Even WDYDITWDSADLFJALSDJA sounds really good. In fact, the title, when sang in context in the song, fits quite well.
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The samples sound pretty good - a lot of songs sound better than the two singles and I'm convinced this album will be better than SGHN. However, the songs don't seem to be very speedy and I can already imagine the power metal fans crying "boohoo, this isn't old-school enough!" :lol
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I agree, samples are nice, my expectations for this album is very high now. The song I'm excited about the most are Blood, War-dad and the epic of course.
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Sounds promising...will think about buying the album at some point this year, probably when I go see them in September.
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''a Sonata song about cars and drifting, really?''
lol wut?
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In some video interview Tony was asked which SA song could be suitable for a video game and he said Running Lights would fit a game like Need for Speed, because it's about driving (fast!).
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lol, oh Tony. :facepalm:
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Some news in Finnish, regarding Ecliptica 2.0 and an official biography written by Marko "Mape" Ollila - both are coming out in the fall: https://www.soundi.fi/uutiset/raskas-suomalaisbandi-nauhoittaa-maineikkaan-debyyttinsa-uudelleen-myos-kirja-luvassa
Tony's comment on the re-recording of Ecliptica, translated by me:
"The idea of re-recording the album came from the Japanese label and after a moment of pondering I nodded approvingly. At the time Ecliptica turned out a little demoish in many ways and my vocals didn't completely work out in the best possible way", says Sonata frontman Tony Kakko.
"Due to these few factors I consider our sophomore record Silence the actual debut - I mean, as a showcase of what we are truly capable of. We did release the song Wolf & Raven from Silence in 2008 as a strongly rearranged version, but for Ecliptica there's not going to be a whole lot of actual arrangement work. Instead, the songs are going to be played in the spirit of the originals, albeit executed better in every way."
Regarding the book:
"We've done lots of interviews and other work regarding the book. We may not be the band whose closet is full of undisclosed skeletons, but the book will probably include numerous juicy stories."
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Ooh, nice to have some definite confirmation on the Ecliptica re-recording. I don't suppose the book might be in English? I'd love to be able to read it.
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I do not really like the new album as a whole package. But some songs are absolutely awesome and make me smile (for the lack of a better description). Tony Kakko really shines on this album imo. Love seems to break down my testosterone, I do not like it. And I do like a lot of SA's ballads.
And I am hyped for that re-recording. I never listen to Ecliptica as I think it sounds crappy overall and the vocals are sometimes annoying. But the songs itself are really good (I do listen to some live renditions often). Nice to hear they don't take the Wolf Raven remake approach but just aim to give some good songs a worthy recording.
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I don't like the idea of re-recording it with the current lineup.
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The new album sounds like Sonata Arctica wrote the soundtrack to a Pixar Movie.
I haven't figured out if that's a good or a bad thing yet.
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Ooh, nice to have some definite confirmation on the Ecliptica re-recording. I don't suppose the book might be in English? I'd love to be able to read it.
Probably just in Finnish, at least for now, but the same author has written a book on Nightwish that got published in both Finnish and English, so there may be a translation for this later.
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I just checked out Pariah's Child on Spotify... I know I need to listen to it more, but my first impression is that after the solid first half the album goes downhill. Blood stood out the most (despite the unnecessary speech synthesizer bit) and could potentially become one of my all-time favorites. Take One Breath, Running Lights and What Did You Do... are good as well, but Half a Marathon Man is incredibly irritating, X Marks the Spot is kind of funny yet WTF-worthy and annoying at the same time, Love is pretty meh and Larger than Life sounds epic for the sake of being epic.
"A happier version of TDOG" is a pretty good description of the musical style - Running Lights is definitely power metal and there are faster sections in some songs, but I think this album has much more in common with the last three records than the first four (I don't mind, though). I'm glad they got rid of the "let's repeat the chorus 500 times" syndrome that plagued SGHN and brought back the more adventurous song structures, but I doubt this album will become a classic in my books. On the other hand, I loved Stones at first, but a year after its release I started to find it boring, so I'm sure PC will age better.
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I really like the melody in Marathon Man but other than that it falls kind of flat. X is actually among my favorites on the album and Love went from being average to an instant skip for me, it's so boring. Larger than Life is alright but unnecessarily long.
I have the album spinning in the background a lot and it's starting to feel a lot like Stones in a way that I like it, but it's not that engaging. Blood is definitely the top dog on this thing.
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A sample of the Japanese bonus track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4tfbwiHij8 I'd love to hear this song in full :o
The biography will be published in September (only in Finnish) and the cover looks pretty cool:
(https://www.imperiumi.net/images/Sonata_Arctica.jpg)
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That sample sounds pretty interesting. I kind of hate it when bands make the bonus tracks some of the most interesting stuff.
Especially Stones Grow Her Name had this. I like Tonight I Dance Alone, One Two Free Fall was awesome (and actually has, unlike Pariah's Child, a classic SA vibe) and I absolutely love the acoustic version of Somewhere Close To you. The other acoustic bonus tracks were also pretty solid.
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I hope they'll realize what they're missing not releasing it in English. I, and I'm sure many others, would buy this book in a heartbeat if it was in English. And this cover looks thrilling.
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I'd be shocked if the book wasn't released in English at some point, because the fan stories they were collecting a while ago will most likely appear in it. Maybe next year?
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I'm sure it will be released in English at some stage.
It's not just merely a question of 'releasing it'.
Your first need to get the book translated and then find a publisher.
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Also, even if the book doesn't get published in English, I can share some juicy bits once I've read it :lol
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The full version of No Pain is on YT now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcTx9L6ZeXI
It's a pretty depressive song by Sonata standards, but that's not a bad thing in my books :D
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Half A Marathon Man is one of my favorite Sonata songs ever. P'sC is somewhere mid-tier, but as a fan of eight years, I am satisfied overall.
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Okay, after listening to PC a lot last weekend, I have to say it grew on me a bit after initially not really digging it.
Great tracks (some of the best SA tracks):
-Cloud Factory
-What Did You Do in the War Dad
-Take One Breath
-X Marks The Spot
Good tracks:
-Half A Marathon Man (could do without that useless intro though)
-Wolves Die Young
-Running Lights
-Blood
Bad tracks:
-Love (I like some of the verses, but the lyrics and overall sweetness ruin it)
-Larger Than Life (If like 5 minutes were cut, it would probably a pretty good song)
No Pain sounds like a track that will be under "good" for me.
Overall, A pretty solid album. Tony's vocals are his best yet I think and there are some nice proggy parts in the songs here and there. The album is pretty varied and covers a lot of themes (both silly and serious and both done well for most songs). Too bad the ballad and epic are not that good (things SA can be very good at). Running Lights and Wolves Die Young could benefit from a different mix though. I like the tunes, but I feel there could be a little more power in the instrumental department.
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Good tracks:
-Half A Marathon Man (could do without that useless intro though)
The intro is actually the only part I like; without it HAAM would be the worst Sonata song ever IMO :P
The album isn't on Spotify anymore and I have to wait a while until I get my hands on the CD :-\
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Good tracks:
-Half A Marathon Man (could do without that useless intro though)
The intro is actually the only part I like; without it HAAM would be the worst Sonata song ever IMO :P
fight me
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FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
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The new album has finally started to grow on me. After my first couple of listens, I was worried that this would be the first Sonata Arctica album I wasn't even going to buy, but now there are only a couple tracks that do nothing for me: Love (ugh, I cannot believe this sapfest is going to be the next single, and nobody appreciates ballads more than me!) and Take One Breath.
For the most part, this seems to be a lighter, weirder, and happier side of Sonata, and there isn't a single moment that reaches the heaviness of "Somewhere Close to You" or "Losing My Insanity" from the last album.
At the moment, my favorite tracks are: Cloud Factory (a perfect choice for a single--so melodic and catchy), Half a Marathon Man, Running Lights, X Marks the Spot, and Larger than Life (it took about 5-6 tries until I realized how beautiful it is).
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After 2 listens, this is my least favorite SA effort. Hopefully, it'll grow.
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Setlist for the first night of the European tour: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/effenaar-eindhoven-netherlands-4bc39fb6.html
I'm surprised there are only 4 songs from the new album, but great to see Blood there. HAMM sucks IMO, but I guess it works well live like the SGHN stuff :P The lack of Unia is sad, but I expected it when Tony said Paid in Full would be dropped in some interview. Henkka mentioned in his blog that they rehearsed almost 30 songs for the anniversary dates and the PC tour, so there'll probably be some rotation. I bet San Sebastian will be played on the next Finnish tour, because it wasn't brought back until recently.
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Yeah, we had like what, 7 songs from SGHN?
Actually, they can rotate whatever they want as long as WPBO stays.
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Just listened to this for the first time, and my first impressions are not good. Will definitely give it time though.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBACRtmu0VQ
I actually like the video, but I don't know whether that's because it's actually beautiful, or because it's not as generic as 90% of metal videos or as horrible as The Wolves... :lol Unfortunately the song is way too syrupy for my taste - I like In the Dark, but in general Tony is better at writing sad ballads. I might feel differently if I was in love with somebody, but at the moment I agree with what Tony said in the FB post: "happiness is boring" :P
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Overall the new album's good, but not as good I expected based on the two singles.
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I agree. Unlike on Stones Grow Her Name, where the first two singles released were the two worst songs on the album, they were very wise in choosing Cloud Factory and The Wolves Die Young.
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I also agree. But I do think I will keep coming back to the good/great songs for a long time. Overall I am pretty happy with the album after my initial dissapointment. But I still feel it could have been better (especially Love, as SA has some really great ballads).
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Jesus, this album is terrible.
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Jesus, this album is terrible.
Just listened for the first time and I strongly disagree with this statement. The only thing is terrible in this album is the mix, in my opinion. The mix is really bland and uninspiring and dull and downright awful. If only this album had SGHN mix, it would've been much more amazing.
The songwriting, on the other hand, became much better in comparison with their previous effort. My favourite songs now are Cloud Factory, Blood and Half a Marathon Man; WHDDHYDHTDH is good but the lack of proper ending doesn't help at all. The best song I think is Blood, I'm really glad they're playing it live, can't wait to hear it.
Larger than Life ended up pretty underwhelming, hope it's a grower, because from the first listen I found it dragging and unmemorable for an epic. Some people said it's trying to be the second WPBO, well, I don't have this impression, and this song is nowhere near the perfection WPBO has.
The worst song is probably Running Lights, followed close by Love. Other songs are quite good, despite X Marks the Spot being a big WTF with all that preacher stuff. :) Also, the booklet in digibook has a few jarring typos, the one that stood out for me was "There will blood!". They really should've checked that stuff, I think.
Overall, the album lands somewhere in the middle of SA discography. It's certainly better than SGHN, I like it more than Unia (yeah, I'm not a fan of Unia, I'm sorry), WHG and Silence, but it doesn't have enough balls and epicness and atmosphere to beat Ecliptica, RN and TDOG for me. Still, an admirable effort and I'm sure I'll keep returning back to it in the next days/months.
We shall see what you guys think about all this songs in upcoming Sonata Arctica survivor, starting out right after the Avantasia one will end. We will need 5 people or more, so I urge everyone who's reading/writing in this thread to take part in it. I would appreciate help in the "bonus songs/demo tracks" department, if anyone have a list (?, looking at you there) I would gladly see it. :)
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I would appreciate help in the "bonus songs/demo tracks" department, if anyone have a list (?, looking at you there) I would gladly see it. :)
As you wish :)
Mary-Lou
Shy
PeaceMaker
Respect the Wilderness
The Gun
Dream Thieves
The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me
Wrecking the Sphere
To Create a Warlike Feel
They Follow
In the Dark
Nothing More
In My Eyes You're a Giant
Tonight I Dance Alone
One-Two-Free-Fall
No Pain
That's all, I guess - I didn't count cover songs, alternate versions (acoustic/orchestral/instrumental) or the Tricky Beans stuff.
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Thank you, much appreciated. :)
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So, as I happen to like PC more after each listening and their setlist of 11th of April seemed pretty good to me, I decided to attend the concert in Amsterdam this evening (I live like 15 min. away from the venue).
There were not a lot of people (sunday evening and a performance just 2 days ago at Eindhoven, so I already expected that) and it took the band some time to get the audience loose, but they succeeded! They played one of my favourite power metal songs of all time (White Pearl, Black Oceans) and mixed up some other killer tracks from their early years with more recent songs. As for the new material: they played The Wolves Die Young, Blood and The Cloud Factory and they all sounded very good in a live setting. Especially Blood was a nice surprise and makes me like the studio version more. Kind of surprised (but not dissapointed!) they did not play Love. Maybe they realise it totally sucks and that they are better off playing the classic Tallulah (which they did, offcourse).
Tony sounded great but had some vocal problems in his speaking range (you could hear he had a soar throat when he was talking). But he nailed most of the songs regardless of that. He totally nailed White Pearl, Black Oceans and was jumping around while making weird gestures as usual. :P
Overall I liked their show in 013 during the SHN tour better (in large part due to the audience of the south of the Netherlands almost always being more involved and enthousiastic), but it was a nice concert. This show was a bit more power metal oriented. I had the feeling the show was a tad too short though. But yeah, I am probably still a bit spoiled by DT's awesome 3 hour show in Amsterdam two months ago ;D :metal
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Poor Tony, he always seems to get a cold on Euro tours :sad: Hopefully they won't have to shorten or cancel shows.
Nice to hear you had fun :) I checked setlist.fm and apparently they replaced In the Dark and Victoria's Secret with Sing in Silence and Paid in Full, so my prediction about rotating setlists was right. The lack of Love is surprising indeed, but they may premiere it soon.
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We shall see what you guys think about all this songs in upcoming Sonata Arctica survivor, starting out right after the Avantasia one will end.
I just noticed that the Transatlantic survivor is about to end, so maybe the SA survivor could start after that already?
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I'm fine with that. I think they are going to do an album survivor too, but as TA doesn't have a lot of albums, I don't think it's a big deal.
We can start right after the winner in TA survivor will be determined. I'll write about it in ongoing survivors thread then.
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We shall see what you guys think about all this songs in upcoming Sonata Arctica survivor, starting out right after the Avantasia one will end.
I just noticed that the Transatlantic survivor is about to end, so maybe the SA survivor could start after that already?
Do it!
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Looks like Half a Marathon Man got ditched from the setlist (thank god!) and they're only playing 3 songs from the new album now:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/markthalle-hamburg-germany-1bc385f4.html
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/meier-music-hall-braunschweig-germany-53c3ff2d.html
Kind of weird after the overdose of SGHN songs on the last tour :P Henkka said they'll premiere WDYDITWD? soon, though.
I'm fine with that. I think they are going to do an album survivor too, but as TA doesn't have a lot of albums, I don't think it's a big deal.
We can start right after the winner in TA survivor will be determined. I'll write about it in ongoing survivors thread then.
Great! :tup
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Well, I hope they'll get HAMM back at the setlist, and I hope they'll have War-Dad in Moscow too. Both songs are amazing.
We're off with the main topic for the survivor. I'll start Ecliptica right after TA survivor will end, let me know it you want to do it with two albums at once, like Chad did with Avantasia. I'm down for both options.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41328.0
Oh, and of course I urge everyone who listens to this band to take part in the survivor! Don't ignore it only because it's in "Polls/Survivors" thread, pay attention and it may very well be a lot of fun.
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So, the new album is slightly better than SGHN, but that isn't saying much. It's a shame, I liked their first four albums a lot, Unia and Greys somewhat, but I'm not sure I like what this band has become.
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Slightly?
Well, in my opinion SGHN was a wreck and total failure. The new album is much better, like a lot much.
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I think SA got better over the years. From the older albums I like most songs, but I also grow tired of them pretty quickly (and will not listen to them for several years). This is in contrast to their newer albums, were there are always some pretty shitty songs but I cannot get enough of the good/excellent songs, which will be frequently played on my audioplayers for many years to come. There are enough powermetal bands to make up for the loss of the old SA. The exeption is Reckoning Night, which is the ultimate SA album and one of the best power metal albums ever for me.
Funny thing I realised when seeing them live last week is that some of the songs I hate, like I Have a Right, work pretty good live. I absolutely loathe the studio version of that song but liked it in a live setting.
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I came aboard in the Unia era and that album is still my favorite. I'm not a power metal fan anymore, but I still like the first four albums because Tony had a fantastic sense of melody and the lyrics were good. For a long time RN was my least favorite, but it has grown on me in the past couple of years. TDOG is not as good as Unia, but it has a special place in my heart because I bought the album on its release date and saw them twice on the tour. I liked Stones initially, but the excitement wore off and now it's my least favorite album. PC is an improvement, but unfortunately there are some weak songs. My ranking:
1. Unia
2. Silence
3. Days of Grays
4. Reckoning Night
5. Ecliptica/WHG
7. Pariah's Child
8. Stones Grow Her Name
Funny thing I realised when seeing them live last week is that some of the songs I hate, like I Have a Right, work pretty good live. I absolutely loathe the studio version of that song but liked it in a live setting.
I hate to admit this, but it was during that song that I finally stood up at the concert hall gig :blush However, it had more to do with the fact that it was at the end of the main set and not because I like the song :lol
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For me they have got worse over the years, specially after Jani left.
The first 4 albums I can listen to again and again.
The following 3 (Unia, TDoG, SGHN) I can't even get half way through.
The most recent, PC I am not even buying or listening, SA are done for me.
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New album is still terrible IMO.
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New album is still terrible IMO.
Can I ask what exactly you don't like? Don't answer "everything" please, I'm seriously interested because I find this record quite decent.
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Since Days of Grays the band has simply lost it's way, and PC shows Tony has just lost something that made his songwriting special. I find the songs just lack melody or structure and they simply go nowhere. Unia is their best album IMO, and from there Tony seems to be flogging a dead horse. He made something unique and special and I feel has tried staying in the same vein when they should have moved on. Unia was something magical and the band will never create what they did on that. The certain atmosphere and presence that made Sonata Arctica special is simply gone. They sound tired, and lost.
I think the natural progression of what the band was doing has gone backwards. I know Jani had nothing to do with the songwriting (minus My Selene), but a lot of the band's magic left with him. Also, they don't sound like a band anymore, just Tony's musicians for what sounds like a side project.
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Well, out of that I can only agree that Tony writes all the stuff, I would've loved to hear the other guys' ideas on the albums. Feels kind of underwhelming that one guy writes all the songs and other four guys are just playing it.
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If I look at albums as a whole it would be something like this for me:
1: Reckoning Night
2: Days of Grays
3: Unia
4: Winterhearts Guild
5: Pariah's Child
6: Stones Grow Her Name (yes, I like quite some songs on it and the bonus songs and acoustic versions were good)
7: Silence
8: Ecliptica (I do like live renditions but I hate the way this album sounds and I find it to be pretty repetive. And some of the vocal parts are very annoying and sound quite unnatural for Tony. This is why I am looking forward to the rerecording)
I do agree the band could benefit of some more influence of the instrumentalists. But that part of the band has never been a highlight for me (unlike a lot of other power metal bands, actually).
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So, the guys apparently premiered War-Dad on their last show.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/c-club-berlin-germany-73c3f63d.html
And they moved Cloud Factory to the main set, with Blood being an encore. Not sure about that, CF works better as an encore in my opinion. I'm still kinda sad about the absence of HAMM, but as they're playing my two most favourite songs from PC, I'm fine. Though if they ditched I Have a Right and played anything instead of it (except Cinderblox and Shitload of Money) I would be glad.
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If I look at albums as a whole it would be something like this for me:
1: Reckoning Night
2: Days of Grays
3: Unia
4: Winterhearts Guild
5: Pariah's Child
6: Stones Grow Her Name (yes, I like quite some songs on it and the bonus songs and acoustic versions were good)
7: Silence
8: Ecliptica (I do like live renditions but I hate the way this album sounds and I find it to be pretty repetive. And some of the vocal parts are very annoying and sound quite unnatural for Tony. This is why I am looking forward to the rerecording)
I do agree the band could benefit of some more influence of the instrumentalists. But that part of the band has never been a highlight for me (unlike a lot of other power metal bands, actually).
Ecliptica, of course Tony's voice sounds different, he was still learning to sing and get around the accent.
How can it sound unnatural for a first album???
On later albums his singing would develop and he would have a vocal coach to help him with his pronunciations and phrasings.
I love Eclipitca and they are re-recording it? Well they shouldn't be messing with history.
It's the prefect snap shot of a young band, learning their craft and developing there sound.
That said I do prefer the demo versions found on the Fullmoon demo (Unopened, Full Moon, Mary Lou and 8th Commandment).
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I agree, the Ecliptica re-recording is uneccesary, especially with this lineup.
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If I look at albums as a whole it would be something like this for me:
1: Reckoning Night
2: Days of Grays
3: Unia
4: Winterhearts Guild
5: Pariah's Child
6: Stones Grow Her Name (yes, I like quite some songs on it and the bonus songs and acoustic versions were good)
7: Silence
8: Ecliptica (I do like live renditions but I hate the way this album sounds and I find it to be pretty repetive. And some of the vocal parts are very annoying and sound quite unnatural for Tony. This is why I am looking forward to the rerecording)
I do agree the band could benefit of some more influence of the instrumentalists. But that part of the band has never been a highlight for me (unlike a lot of other power metal bands, actually).
Ecliptica, of course Tony's voice sounds different, he was still learning to sing and get around the accent.
How can it sound unnatural for a first album???
On later albums his singing would develop and he would have a vocal coach to help him with his pronunciations and phrasings.
I love Eclipitca and they are re-recording it? Well they shouldn't be messing with history.
It's the prefect snap shot of a young band, learning their craft and developing there sound.
That said I do prefer the demo versions found on the Fullmoon demo (Unopened, Full Moon, Mary Lou and 8th Commandment).
We probably have different definitions of "natural" but I'll try to make myself clear. Tony uses his voice in ways that, to my hearing, do not fit his natural reach. He forces high notes that do not sound good to my ears. He has stated many times that during the early days of SA, he kind of tried replicating the vocals of Timo Kotipelto. In fact, this is a quote from an interview with Tony:
" I’ve been pushing my voice way too much. I was trying to be something I’m not. Especially on Ecliptica, I was trying to mimic Timo Kotipelto from Stratovarius. It was what I wanted to do and tried to do, but it was not natural."
And this is also what I hear, especially on Ecpliptica. I think the vocals often sound forced and unnatural. A lot of (power) metal vocalists tend to do this though.
Furthermore, I am not very fond of accents and bad articulation in music so that also contributes to the album being my least favourite. And the overall mix sounds pretty sloppy as well. I understand that it is their first effort and that artists need time to develop. Therefore, I will not say it was a bad debut album. In fact, It's actually a good debut. But that should never be an argument for the sound of an album, as something sounds as is. It is a fact that he had a accent and it is my opinion that the vocals and the mix/mastering do not sound good. I get why this is the case, but that doesn't change the sound of the album whatsoever and thus not my opinion upon hearing it.
If they can make it sound better, I am all in for the re recording. For the people that do not mind it sounding like this there is always the original version.
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Kotipelto himself was forced in many Stratovarius songs to sing in a key a lot higher than his natural range and Kakko copied this?
Ah well, what's done is done and I'll reiterate, Ecliptica is a representation of a young band and that line up at that time.
If it needs a fresh up, then a remix/master would suffice.
A full re-record with the current line up it total unnecessary and IMO a bit an insult to the departed members who played on that album.
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I like everything about Ecliptica, and see no need for a rerecording. But I guess it's cool for the people who don't care for the original.
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Kotipelto himself was forced in many Stratovarius songs to sing in a key a lot higher than his natural range and Kakko copied this?
Ah well, what's done is done and I'll reiterate, Ecliptica is a representation of a young band and that line up at that time.
If it needs a fresh up, then a remix/master would suffice.
A full re-record with the current line up it total unnecessary and IMO a bit an insult to the departed members who played on that album.
I agree with everything here.
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Though if they ditched I Have a Right and played anything instead of it (except Cinderblox and Shitload of Money) I would be glad.
Unfortunately I read a recent interview where Tony said I Have a Right will stay in the setlist forever :-\ If it was up to me, the only SGHN song that should be played at every show would be Cinderblox.
I agree with erHaO regarding Tony's vocals on Ecliptica; the studio version of Blank File suffers because of the ridiculously high vocals and they sound really unnatural for his voice. I don't see any problem with the re-recording - you don't have to buy it if you're happy with the original album, but those who think it could've been better can get this updated version.
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I'm fine with the rerecording. I mean, my old disc isn't going anywhere, and I'm curious how the new version will turn out.
Meanwhile, the survivor is up and running. Check my signature and vote. :)
Unfortunately I read a recent interview where Tony said I Have a Right will stay in the setlist forever :-\
That's a shame.
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Oh Tony... :lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAwU1LcSSUs
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I like everything about Ecliptica, and see no need for a rerecording. But I guess it's cool for the people who don't care for the original.
I agree. My favorite SA album.
I just scoured the net a bit and apparently they really are rerecording it! While I love the original I still wouldn't mind hearing a more "modern" version out of curiosity.
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Oh Tony... :lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAwU1LcSSUs
Hehe, I like how he handles fuck ups. In Amsterdam his voice cracked during an audience game. So instead of letting the audience sing a certain note, he let us cough like him :laugh:
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So yeah... this is a ranking of the albums that I have, because THIS IS DTF AND WE RANK EVERYTHING OKAY
Also with favourite track(s) from every album.
1. Reckoning Night (Blinded No More, The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet)
2. Unia (The Harvest, My Dream's But a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare)
3. Silence (Black Sheep, The Power of One)
4. Ecliptica (Replica, Destruction Preventer)
5. The Days of Grays (Deathaura, The Dead Skin)
6. Winterheart's Guild (Gravenimage, Draw Me)
7. Pariah's Child (The Wolves Die Young, What Did You Do In War, Dad?)
Though even Pariah's Child has some great stuff on it, like the two aforementioned tracks, Blood or X Marks the Spot, it just runs together a little for me - though, to be fair, I have only listened to it like 3 times or something.
EDIT: Just got two more albums, only missing SGHN now. Pariah's Child is definitely the weakest, though it has some great songs, but also some really dodgy ones - Love is boring, Larger Than Life drags on unnecessarily, Half a Marathon Man is silly... I could go on, but you get the idea. Still, the good tracks are great.
Winterheart's Guild and The Days of Grays are pretty equal, actually, but today I like TDOG better, though I feel that the highs on WG are definetly higher. Gravenimage is one of my favourite Sonata Arctica songs.
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So I've been binging Sonata Arctica pretty hard lately, and to celebrate that, I have a new desktop background.
(https://st.gdefon.com/wallpapers_original/wallpapers/470885_noch_derevo_lico_ogon_siyanie_reka_1680x1050_(www.GdeFon.ru).jpg)
Yeah, it's not my favourite album, but the cover is completely gorgeous.
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Yup, definitely their coolest cover :metal
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1. Unia
2. Reckoning Night
3. Silence
4. Ecliptica
5. Winterheart's Guild
6. Stones
7. Days of Grays
8. Pariah's Child
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I am officially hooked on Pariah's Child--not a day has gone by since its release that I haven't listened to it. In my opinion, Cloud Factory, X Marks the Spot (goddamn that chorus is amazing!), Larger than Life, Running Lights, and The Wolves Die Young rank among their finest material ever. I just wish it could have had at least one truly heavy song.
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I am officially hooked on Pariah's Child--not a day has gone by since its release that I haven't listened to it. In my opinion, Cloud Factory, X Marks the Spot (goddamn that chorus is amazing!), Larger than Life, Running Lights, and The Wolves Die Young rank among their finest material ever. I just wish it could have had at least one truly heavy song.
You've picked two of my three least favourite songs from PC (X Marks the Spot and Larger than Life, the third being Love), but otherwise I agree, the album grows on me quite fast. The 4th-7th song sequence is among the best they've put out, in my opinion.
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So I finally got Stones Grow Her Name, and it's a lot better than I thought it would be. Yeah, some dreck there (Shitload of Money, The Day), but most of it is pretty okay (I Have a Right, Only the Broken Hearts), with some standouts, which I would call top-tier Sonata - four, in fact: Losing My Insanity, Somewhere Close to You, Cinderblox, Wildfire, Part: II - One With the Mountain - as well as the Japanese bonus track Tonight I Dance Alone (thanks YT). Yeah, some of it ranks among their worst ever, but alone for those tracks it doesn't deserve the scorn it seems to get, imho.
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the Japanese bonus track Tonight I Dance Alone (thanks YT).
That's the digibook bonus - Japan got One-Two-Free-Fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSnsGkRCF6o).
SGHN isn't a bad album, but it didn't age too well for me and I think it's a pretty huge quality drop from the greatness of Unia and TDOG. The songs worked well live when I saw them on tour, but I think Tony went too far with the "keep it simple" and "we must be able to play these songs when we're 60" mentality, because a lot of the songs are pretty repetitive and samey. I agree with you on the standout tracks, with the exception of Losing My Insanity, which never felt that fresh to me because I'd known the original song for 5 years - I like Wildfire III much more. Don't Be Mean, on the other hand, is an almost embarrassingly bad song coming from a guy who used to write beautiful ballads like The Misery and Draw Me.
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Don't Be Mean, on the other hand, is an almost embarrassingly bad song coming from a guy who used to write beautiful ballads like The Misery and Draw Me.
He also used to write Letter to Dana. There has been no overall quality drop in my opinion, if anything the band are more quirky and interesting now, but they've always been a bit inconsistent in my opinion.
I really like Stone Grow, and honestly hadn't even realised that it wasn't popular.
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Don't Be Mean, on the other hand, is an almost embarrassingly bad song coming from a guy who used to write beautiful ballads like The Misery and Draw Me.
He also used to write Letter to Dana.
Ok, there are some cheesy lines about filthy magazines, long-haired drummers and walking without underwear in the earlier ballads, but I still like them more than Don't Be Mean :lol
I really like Stone Grow, and honestly hadn't even realised that it wasn't popular.
Judging by the ratings of Rateyourmusic (https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/sonata_arctica), Sputnikmusic (https://www.sputnikmusic.com/bands/Sonata-Arctica/469/) and Metal Storm (https://www.metalstorm.net/bands/band.php?band_id=166&bandname=Sonata+Arctica), it looks like it's widely considered their weakest album.
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Re-listening WG, and man, it's definitely one of their worst releases. Gravenimage and Draw Me are great, The Misery and Broken are good, but most of the faster tracks just sound generic - something that SA are rarely, in my opinion. The only "fast" track that I like is The Cage, and even that's sorta middle of the pack for me, to be honest.
Glad they stepped their game up on the following two releases is all I can say. :metal
EDIT: The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me is pretty cool too, I guess, but I stand by my point.
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I always liked WG. Great atmosphere and some great songs to boot. APBE is one of their most underrated. Cage, Victoria and Broken are classic.
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On Reckoning Night now - goddammit the vocals on Don't Say a Word are amazing. How did I never notice them before?
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WG is atmospheric indeed, and it features the best ballads of SA (followed by TDOG and Unia), but there are still few tracks that do nothing for me, like Silver Tongue, Champagne Bath and (don't kill me) Broken. I love APBE though, awesome track.
Don't Say a Word is a cool song, but in fact I grew tired of it in last few years. I really think they should play something else at the encore. It Won't Fade would be a good pick I think.
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WHG is pretty good, but I've never been crazy about Silver Tongue and Champagne Bath, and The Cage is so repetitive that I've grown bored of it. On the other hand, this album probably has Sonata's best ballads and I also really like APBE and The Ruins of My Life.
Reckoning Night used to be my least favorite album for a long time, but it has grown on me in the past few years. Tony has admitted that he wrote the fast songs on autopilot just to please the power metal fans, and while those songs aren't among Sonata's best IMO (except Misplaced), the proggier stuff like Real Puppet and WPBO is really awesome. I'm not bored of Don't Say a Word - it's an awesome closing song and Tony always nails it. I love the crazy vocals he does in the bridge in the Live in Finland version :lol
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On Reckoning Night now - goddammit the vocals on Don't Say a Word are amazing. How did I never notice them before?
This is probably my fav SA song, it's perfect.
WG is atmospheric indeed, and it features the best ballads of SA (followed by TDOG and Unia), but there are still few tracks that do nothing for me, like Silver Tongue, Champagne Bath and (don't kill me) Broken. I love APBE though, awesome track.
I really like Broken, but I could see how it doesn't do much for others.
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WHG is pretty good, but I've never been crazy about Silver Tongue and Champagne Bath, and The Cage is so repetitive that I've grown bored of it. On the other hand, this album probably has Sonata's best ballads and I also really like APBE and The Ruins of My Life.
Reckoning Night used to be my least favorite album for a long time, but it has grown on me in the past few years. Tony has admitted that he wrote the fast songs on autopilot just to please the power metal fans
Interesting, I didn't know that. I don't find RN especially exciting though, so that doesn't surprise me.
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Sonata by request: https://www.kivenlahtirock.com/14/sonata-arctica/
I find it weird that even those not going to the show can vote, but I bet the setlist will be dominated by the likes of FullMoon and Tallulah anyway. I wonder if any newer songs make the list :P Some fans have criticized the limited number of songs in the poll, but it's natural that they're only including the songs they've been playing this year, especially knowing the fact that there's a new member who hasn't learned the whole catalogue yet.
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...and the results are in: https://www.kivenlahtirock.com/14/sonata-arctica/
I wonder how the band feels about the fact that there are no post-Unia songs in the setlist :P Nice to see WPBO in there, though.
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They only offered one Unia song in the poll in the first place. Maybe two or three TDoG songs, I can't remember.
It's fine if they wanna gloss over those albums for now, but man, not forever.
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They must be pretty worn out of their pre-Unia material, but well it seems that's gonna be regarded as Sonata's golden era forever and ever.
Also, Larger than Life is easily the best post-Unia song. I fell in love completely with that tune.
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I would say that's Blood or The Dead Skin. Larger Than Life actually still haven't clicked with me, and I was listening to PC a lot.
I extensively listened to Unia before I started the survivor and I actually would love to see more Unia songs live (especially since I haven't seen them live on tour when Unia was released), namely In Black and White, It Won't Fade and The Vice. Always playing Paid in Full is dull.
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Yeah, The Dead Skin and Blood are probably the best post-Unia songs.
I saw Sonata live twice on TDOG tour, so in addition to Paid in Full I got to hear IB&W and Caleb. I'd love to hear some other songs from that album too (obviously, since it's my favorite!), but Tony has said that most of the material on Unia (as well as RN and TDOG) doesn't translate well into a live setting. They played It Won't Fade quite a lot after the album was released, but I'm not sure if they'd feel comfortable bringing it back due to the subject matter of the lyrics. However, The Harvest would deserve some live play IMO, as it's pretty fast and intense, and would sit comfortably in the set alongside older songs.
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I don't even like The Harvest that much, but seeing it live must be quite crazy and hilarious.
Yep, I missed them on TDOG tour as well, wasn't in Moscow when they played there, that's a pity.
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Question for all the SA experts: I read on SongMeanings.com that the songs Caleb, The End of This Chapter and Don't Say a Word form a loose trilogy, in that chronological order - Caleb being about the childhood, The End of This Chapter about his love and the problems that come with it, and in Don't Say a Word he kills his wife. Now I can see that, sort of, and it makes sense, but is there anything official supporting that or is that just some fans reading too much into it?
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I saw this mentioned at few sites, including official SA board (and there's also a speculation Juliet can be a part of that story too) but I've never bothered to find out if it was confirmed.
It's cool though how this three songs are nearly the best from their respective albums.
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Yeah, Tony has confirmed that the songs are related and Juliet is the fourth and final part of the saga. In a Days of Grays track-by-track breakdown he said he'd like to perform the story in full someday. As someone who loves all the four songs I wouldn't mind seeing a show like that, even though TEOTC is the only one I haven't heard live.
BTW, in some old interview Tony said he toyed around with the idea of writing a full concept album revolved around the Caleb story, but in the end he thought it'd be too restricting.
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I think they weren't ever married - he was just stalking her and being delusional. It's pretty fucking creepy, Tony must have watched a shitload of scarring movies during those years :biggrin:
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The SA book is available for pre-ordering now and the description says that Tony debuts as an author, as the book includes a short story written by him. Can't wait to read it (or the whole book)!
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It's still in Finnish I guess?
I hope you'll spoil us some interesting stuff when you get your hands on it.
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It's still in Finnish I guess?
I hope you'll spoil us some interesting stuff when you get your hands on it.
Yup, but the author said an English version is in the works.
And yes, I'll share some juicy bits! :biggrin: I bet at least the split with Jani will be explained in greater detail.
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Ecliptica Revisited will be released on October 24, with the Genesis cover they recorded in the SGHN sessions as a bonus track: https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd-digi/sonata-arctica-ecliptica-revisited-15th-anniversary-edition.html
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Nice. I'm buying it for sure.
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I'm not sure if I'll get this, already got the UK re-release a couple years ago and a few others too.
Maybe they should have included the original FullMoon demo songs (UnOpened, FullMoon, 8th Commandment and Mary-Lou) on this version?
Those versions absolutely smoke the album version.
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I probably won't get this.
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I probably won't get this.
That weight really messed you up good, eh?
Is the debut really that bad that they needed to re-record it? Like Symphony X debut bad?
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No. I honestly don't see any need to rerecord it at all.
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I probably won't get this.
That weight really messed you up good, eh?
Is the debut really that bad that they needed to re-record it? Like Symphony X debut bad?
:lol I was messed up enough before the weight. Basically;
No. I honestly don't see any need to rerecord it at all.
This.
It's great how it is.
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Oh so this new Revisited version is newly recorded by the current line up?
If so I really don't see the point.
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Oh so this new Revisited version is newly recorded by the current line up?
If so I really don't see the point.
Yes.
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Well I really can't see the point, yes Ecliptica does sound little dated and sure they were still learning their craft.
But it's got character and still holds it's own in the SA catalogue.
I've got way too many versions already of this, but I still will be a little curious...
Decided to pull out the 2012 Japanese remaster and this sounds really good, much better than I remember :metal
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A remix and remaster would have been fine, a re-record is unneccesary. I don't care for Elias doing Jani's parts.
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Cover art (from https://murasame-g.seesaa.net/article/404097245.html ):
(https://murasame-g.up.n.seesaa.net/murasame-g/image/2014082001.jpg?d=a1)
Looks like I'm Haunted (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkOuxdQe6aY) is the Japanese bonus track.
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I really like that cover, tbh.
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Incredible cover. :tup
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I really like that cover, tbh.
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Sonata's original label Spinefarm posted the slowed down version of UnOpened from the infamous mispressed single: https://soundcloud.com/spinefarmer/sonata-arctica-unopened-single-mispress/s-wwqzB
Back in 1999, Sonata Arctica released their 'Ecliptica' album. The first 200 records were mispressed with a version of "UnOpened" that was slowed down by 1 minute. Check out that s-l-o-w version right now and let us know what you think!
BTW, you guys should check out the FB page for the SA book, because most of the updates are in English and there are plenty of old photos: https://www.facebook.com/SonataArcticaKirja?fref=ts The boss of Spinefarm even commented on one of the pics, saying Sonata weren't signed based on the band photos. :lol
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A sample of the new version of Kingdom for a Heart (the single comes out next week): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W7OGeiMbqk
The production sounds pretty similar to Pariah's Child, probably because Pasi was mixing. Tony's vocals are awesome and Elias adds his own flavor to the guitar parts. Unsurprisingly it sounds close to the live version they've been playing, but since they were in the studio, I wish Tony would've sung the overlapping words in the lyrics that he can't do live ("moment of my time", "treasures and crowns").
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Yeah. "Just for a moment of my." :lol That's borderline ridiculous for the studio version, in my opinion. Apparently they didn't have time for that, or what?
I'm not too big on the mix, but then, I wasn't too big on the Pariah's Child mix too, so small surprise here.
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How can you gauge anything by this awful quality sample?
It sounds shit, like AM radio with a pillow over the speaker recorded on a D-90 cassette :o
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It's an iTunes sample, so the CD and vinyl should sound much better.
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I like the small vocal touches Tony adds, so the rerecordings will be an interesting listen for me. I like the sample, alltough the sound is indeed crap. Looking forward to this ;D
Still listening to PC frequently btw, I really like that album.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnhNPM1A4t8
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I like the arrangement a lot, but the keyboards are a little too quiet in the mix, while the vocals are pretty loud. Hopefully there's a better balance on the rest of the release.
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I'll stick with the original.
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It's just... not very different. Don't really see what the point of re-recording was.
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Yeah, I don't really see why this happened. Can he even sing most of the high notes anymore?
I mean, it's not bad, but just... why?
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The Japanese label asked them to do it, probably because Ecliptica was a successful album back in the day and Sonata's popularity in Japan has faded since they moved away from power metal. I guess the point is to present the songs with modern production and the current line-up's playing style, although Tony said they'd stay true to the originals. I don't know if he was discouraged by the angry power metal fans' reactions to the 2008 remakes of Letter to Dana and Wolf & Raven. :P
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I know it's a youtube clip, but the production doesn't sound very good. It's very muddy. Plus, I don't like the change to that soft bridge chorus section.
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I'll stick with the original.
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I like it, but the production is not that great (the same with PC). I think the original is better, but I always like to listen to alternate versions to mix things up. The original is one of the few songs were I do not have a problem with the old production/vocals/performance, so I am looking forward to the rest.
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Rerecorded Ecliptica digipack finally appeared in official SA shop (the Mad Supply one). Ordered it along with Amorphis - Skyforger to take another attempt to listen to growly music. I heard it's pretty good and the cover is awesome, so whatever. :lol
Overall, I'm excited to hear the new versions of Picturing the Past, UnOpened, Destruction Preventer, and also Replica.
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I prefer the remakes of Replica and My Land from The Collection to the originals. Judging by Kingdom for a Heart, I don't see these new remakes being an improvement over the other remakes.
Iced Arctica. Sonata Earth.
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Ordered it along with Amorphis - Skyforger to take another attempt to listen to growly music.
That's a great album for that purpose! :D
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A tribute album is coming soon: https://www.facebook.com/OuerghRecords/photos/a.524465184279122.1073741828.508115232580784/770482379677400/?type=1&theater
Also, Letter to Dana is back in the setlist, presumably as the electric version from Ecliptica, which hasn't been played since 2001: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/the-starlite-room-edmonton-ab-canada-43cf2fa3.html No live videos can be found yet, but I hope they'll play it on the Finnish dates in December!
EDIT: Just got an email that the book's release date has been delayed due to some printing hassle and it won't arrive until October 17...
(https://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120616003315/random-ness/images/9/9f/Darth_vader_no.gif)
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Would be cool to get Letter to Dana in Moscow in November.
I didn't follow those setlists, but when did they ditch WPBO? I was so looking forward to hear it. I guess there's still hope, but I'm starting to worry about it.
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WPBO was last played at the festival show where fans picked the setlist. Too bad it was dropped, but maybe the band thought it was eating up too much set time and wanted to have more room for rotation. That said, the current selection of songs is great despite the lack of WPBO, and your live experience will most likely be pretty different from the last time you saw them.
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Ecliptica Revisited samples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctSMtiCkx9g
Most of these sound better than KFAH, so I'm looking forward to this release. Unsurprisingly plenty of songs have been transposed down. I don't usually care for covers, but the I Can't Dance clip sounds pretty awesome. :D
And for something totally different, here's a video of Tony singing tango in Finnish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLb_D1NKSbw
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I Can't Dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stwxrna2nSg#t=30s)
They've managed to "sonatize" the song without losing the fun vibe of the original song - me likey! :D
Also, another video with samples has been uploaded, this time including I'm Haunted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DgbSheatiM
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I thought that cover was absolute shit.
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I'm Haunted sounds great (it is full on YT now). Nice old school SA song. But offcourse it is a bonus for the Japanese version, so it will not be on my copy......
Oh, and the I can't dance cover is rad as well. I like it a lot.
Looking forward to hearing the whole thing.
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The album is up on Spotify and I've been listening to it. I find it ironic that the production and mix aren't as good as on the original album, because most album re-recordings are done due to the poor sound of the original versions. It sounds better than DT12, though... The performances are great and Elias shines, although Jani fanboys will still complain about his playing. :P Tony may sound a little bored on a few songs (who wouldn't after performing them hundreds of times?), but he's amazing on 8th Commandment (that scream at the end! :o), and he nails the high parts in Blank File and Destruction Preventer, although both songs have been transposed down.
I only wish the new versions wouldn't emulate the original ones so closely - the live versions often have some cool little changes, but here the quiet intros, song endings and even some keyboard patches and solos sound pretty much the same as on the 1999 album. I prefer the 2006 remakes of Replica and My Land to the versions on this release, because they had some additional backing vocals, different solos and guitar work, etc., but on the whole I'm happy with the album.
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Look at Tony's comment on Replica: https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_002_zps2fe99f3f.jpg.html :)
One of the special moments he's referencing is the concert in Belgrade five years ago, when almost the entire concert hall knelt down on the start of the second verse (it's not visible in the video clearly but you can sense the change in his voice and see him kneeling down at the end of the strophe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArLAd2X-f7w the sound is pretty good for a vid from 2009 and the performance is amazing so if you needed a dose of Sonata today there you go :)
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^According to the book the same thing first happened in 2008 when they played the song in Slovenia and the whole audience sat down and listened quietly.
Speaking of the book, I finished reading it yesterday and it was a great read! However, whoever proofread the book should be ashamed, because there are several typos like wrong verb forms, Janne being called Jani etc. It's not a huge distraction, but slightly irritating. Hopefully the translation will include less mistakes.
Anyway, I like how openly they talk about the line-up changes and the things that led to them - there's been a lot more tension behind the scenes than I'd expected. Reading about the demo days was also highly interesting. I can share a few random (fun) facts from the book:
-According to Marko the real story behind the Tricky Beans name is that at one rehearsal Tony was twiddling his nipples with his thumb and index finger, and he called them "tricky beans" :lol
-Timo Tolkki was supposed to produce Ecliptica and the band had thought about asking Tarja Turunen to make a guest appearance on My Land. It was just speculation and nothing ever materialized, but the guys had already revealed these plans to a local newspaper, and when some of their friends met Tarja after a Nightwish show and told her "it's so cool that you're appearing on our buddies' album", she was like "whaaat?"
-Before Ecliptica came out, the people at Spinefarm were afraid the guys didn't look "metal" enough or have any street cred. The Sonata boys were taken to a rock clothing store in Helsinki, but they refused to buy anything, because they thought they'd get beaten up in Kemi if they were wearing those kind of clothes there. Once it was time for the first photo shoot, Tony even refused to take off his fanny pack - in hindsight he wishes he hadn't been so stubborn.
-Janne Kivilahti had started dating two weeks before the band went on a 7-week tour with Stratovarius, and he called his gf so often that his total phone bill after the trip was over 7800 FIM (1300 € or 1650$).
-False News Travel Fast is a remake of a Tricky Beans song called Rosepetals Know, which had only been played live and never recorded for a demo.
-If you make an abbreviation out of the capitalized words in the first chorus of Sing in Silence ("Haven of Emotion...") in the Silence booklet, it spells "HEMOHES", which was a reference to a recent doping scandal in Finland.
-The other keyboardist candidate besides Henrik who got to meet the band and jam with them in 2002 was Vili Ollila, who has later worked with Tony on the Northern Kings project and some Finnish metal Christmas albums.
-The rumbling canon sounds in The Ruins of My Life were created by hitting a screwdriver through a styrofoam box Tommy's BBQ meal had been in. The sound was then slowed down and the pitch was lowered to make it sound like a huge boom.
-The Last Amazing Grays was meant to include a guitar solo, and Elias had recorded and emailed it to the studio where TDOG was mixed, but for some reason the file was never received.
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These are pretty cool facts there. :tup
Seeing these guys in Moscow in a few hours. Really hope they'll put WPBO back in the setlist!
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Well, concert just ended and sadly no WPBO, but it was damn awesome anyway. Once again I was reminded why SA is one of my favourite bands.
SETLIST SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE (just in case)
Setlist was as follows:
The Wolves Die Young
Losing My Insanity
My Land
In The Dark
Cloud Factory
Black Sheep
Letter to Dana
Paid in Full
I Have a Right
X Marks the Spot
Love
FullMoon
Kingdom for a Heart
San Sebastian
Blood
Wolf and Raven
Don't Say a Word (with Vodka outro)
The concert was, once again, outstanding. First we had some mediocre Russian prog-metal band for warm-up, well, they were alright. The venue was great, the very same Gamma Rayplayed in March, quite small and intimate. We didn't put a lot of effort getting in a front row, and we ended like in fifth instead. But since the venue is small, the view was great. The merchandise was quite poor, the only things with the new album cover were the jewel-case CDs themselves (no digibooks), T-shirts and mugs. Magnets, hats and other stuff were all either with TDOG or SGHN cover on them. I hoped I would find digipack TDOG version there, no such luck of course. Anyone wants to sell it? :)
Wolves is a fine opener, got the crowd pumped alright. LMI held the crowd ready, but didn't get them excited a lot. Tony then had a little speech about Ecliptica anniversary and announced My Land, that's when the stuff hit the fan. Everyone went crazy. What a great live song, with "oooh" singalong part and all this epic stuff.
The next crowd pumper was Black Sheep, as always. It seems they've started to play it in original tempo again, which is awesome. Letter to Dana was received positively too, even more than Sheep. Seems Moscow folk really likes Ecliptica.
X Marks The Spot was incredibly chaotic. I think not a lot of people heard the new record, so there were a lot of confused guys standing around. "Everybody say heyo" part worked nicely, though. Love was a real buzzkiller, no idea why they kept it in.
The ending was truly insane. So much fast, fan-favourite songs in a row. I nearly passed out jumping and singing Blood, WR and DSAW in a row, but wow, I just couldn't stand still.
Tony really improved his English, like a lot. My friends complained they can't even understand what he's talking about now, he speaks fast. He was funny as always, with his banter and weird faces and stuff.
Could be my concert of the year, along with DT show.
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Pretty rubbish setlist.
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Well, given your dislike of their recent material, I expected something like that. :) I thought it was a nice blend of old and new songs. The complaints from me are the inclusion of Love, lack of WPBO and What Did You Do In The War, Dad?, but you can't have everything. Song selection from Ecliptica is neat (four songs, mind you), and hearing In The Dark was interesting too.
This was much better setlist than they played on SGHN tour, in my opinion. That one was filled with mid-tempo rockers and had seven songs from SGHN, what the hell.
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^According to the book the same thing first happened in 2008 when they played the song in Slovenia and the whole audience sat down and listened quietly.
Yeah, the (mostly) Serbs who started it in Slovenia were here too, but I wasn't sure about the date of that gig :)
damn we need an English version of that book.
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If I could have one SA setlist wish fulfilled, I'd wish for the return of Destruction Preventer.
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It's so cool they played In the Dark. I love that song and always thought it was very underrated.
Also,Look at Tony's comment on Replica: https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_002_zps2fe99f3f.jpg.html :)
One of the special moments he's referencing is the concert in Belgrade five years ago, when almost the entire concert hall knelt down on the start of the second verse (it's not visible in the video clearly but you can sense the change in his voice and see him kneeling down at the end of the strophe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArLAd2X-f7w the sound is pretty good for a vid from 2009 and the performance is amazing so if you needed a dose of Sonata today there you go :)
Is there a chance you can upload the images for all the songs? I'd love to read it all :D
If I could have one SA setlist wish fulfilled, I'd wish for the return of Destruction Preventer.
That seems more of a possibility nowadays, given the re-recording the song had. It now sounds much more appropriate (in terms of range for Tony, of course) to be played and sang live.
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Is there a chance you can upload the images for all the songs? I'd love to read it all :D
In fact, they're uploaded on SA official forum, here are all the three links
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_001_zpseed28cca.jpg.html (Tony comments on the whole revisit thing)
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_002_zps2fe99f3f.jpg.html (the first part of comments for songs, linked above)
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_003_zpsf4df5db5.jpg.html (the second part of comments)
To be clear, I've already ordered the Ecliptica Revisited edition (still no sign of it in my mailbox though), so I hope I'm not violating any rules here.
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Awesome. It's really cool to read their comments on these songs.
I really, really hope they bring out some of the more obscure Ecliptica songs live in the following years like Destruction Preventer, Unopened or even Kingdom for a Heart.
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Awesome. It's really cool to read their comments on these songs.
I really, really hope they bring out some of the more obscure Ecliptica songs live in the following years like Destruction Preventer, Unopened or even Kingdom for a Heart.
They've played Kingdom for a Heart almost on every night at this tour. You probably meant something else. ;)
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Oh, I didn't see it on the setlist. Awesome! I was probably speaking out of a whim because off the 3 times I've seen them live they've never played Kingdom for a Heart and it's one of my favorites :D
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If I could have one SA setlist wish fulfilled, I'd wish for the return of Destruction Preventer.
According to the book the band is planning full Ecliptica shows for next summer, so your wish is most likely going to be fulfilled then. ;)
Is there a chance you can upload the images for all the songs? I'd love to read it all :D
In fact, they're uploaded on SA official forum, here are all the three links
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_001_zpseed28cca.jpg.html (Tony comments on the whole revisit thing)
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_002_zps2fe99f3f.jpg.html (the first part of comments for songs, linked above)
https://s223.photobucket.com/user/Ihaa_2007/media/WP_20141030_003_zpsf4df5db5.jpg.html (the second part of comments)
Tony and Tommy's comments on 8th Commandment make me think they'll bring it back for the Finnish shows next month, as it wasn't played on the anniversary tour. It would also be cool if Tommy got them to bust out Unopened - I didn't care for the song that much before, but hearing the remake made me appreciate it more. I know Tony once said he dislikes that song, but he's said the same about Wolf & Raven, yet they've played it at almost every show this year. :P
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According to the book the band is planning full Ecliptica shows for next summer, so your wish is most likely going to be fulfilled then. ;)
Wow, they have to come to Russia with this one! I would give a lot of money to see Ecliptica in full. Wow. Damn, you got me excited now.
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Unfortunately I think it's just going to be a bunch of festivals, as they rarely play headlining shows in the summer, and a lot of metal festivals use full album performances as a way to attract more visitors these days. It would be really cool to see one of those events, though!
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Sonata and Children of Bodom are supporting Nightwish at stadium shows in Finland next year:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10708781_10154836740935068_2424009172197389677_o.jpg)
If Sonata gets to play for one hour, I wonder if they'll play Ecliptica in full... I may buy a ticket for the Tampere show if they don't sell out right away.
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That's awesome, I'd love to see one of those shows.
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Official video for I Can't Dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nukof-nzdXA) :lol
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So, there is this kickstarter tribute album. Normally I do not care for those, as for artists like these most are sucky bands with terrible production values. But this seems like a solid effort and somewhat official. Pasi of Sonata is involved and the bands Van Canto, Stream of Passion and Xandria are in (and other bands like Arven seem pretty solid too).
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouerghrecords/a-tribute-to-sonata-arctica-album-release (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouerghrecords/a-tribute-to-sonata-arctica-album-release)
Official video for I Can't Dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nukof-nzdXA) :lol
Hehe, I like it. Love the having fun / happy side of Sonata, something Pariah's Child also had plenty of.
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The Sonata book is now available in English as a digital version: https://paasilinna.pikakirjakauppa.fi/tuoteryhma/e_kirjat/1831#!product_id=9789522990754
Also, 8th Commandment is back in the set (as expected): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2QI8Guey8 Henkka's backing vocals rock! :metal
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Man, that crowd.... But good live song. The best version is the one from Live in Finland. His vocals there are better than both studio versions.
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The Sonata book is now available in English as a digital version: https://paasilinna.pikakirjakauppa.fi/tuoteryhma/e_kirjat/1831#!product_id=9789522990754
Well, I'm not buying digital version anyway, will be waiting for a hardbook edition if there will be any.
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Man, that crowd....
It's a typical Finnish audience - not a lot of action. :P
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The Sonata book is now available in English as a digital version: https://paasilinna.pikakirjakauppa.fi/tuoteryhma/e_kirjat/1831#!product_id=9789522990754
Well, I'm not buying digital version anyway, will be waiting for a hardbook edition if there will be any.
According to the official website (https://sonataarctica.info/news/2014-12-05-the-sonata-arctica-book-is-now-available-in-english) there'll be no physical book in English, but at the SA forum someone said the search for an international publisher is still going on. Dunno who you should trust here. :dunno:
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Last night's show in Tampere was great! :hefdaddy This was the setlist (not drastically different from the one Evermind posted):
The Wolves Die Young
Losing My Insanity
My Land
What Did You Do in the War, Dad?
Cloud Factory
Black Sheep
Letter to Dana
Paid in Full
I Have a Right
X Marks the Spot
Love
FullMoon
Kingdom for a Heart
San Sebastian
Blood
8th Commandment
Don't Say a Word (w/ Vodka outro)
Compared to the last year's concert hall show (the second one of the anniversary tour and with the new line-up) this performance was tighter and the band seemed more relaxed. The audience was also more energetic (well, as energetic as a Finnish crowd can be :lol) now that there were no seats. Last year we got only The Wolves (which hadn't even been released yet) from PC, but this time they played 6 songs from that album. Love was a bit of a mood killer, although I saw several lighters in the air during that song, but the rest of the new songs went down pretty well. Too bad people didn't seem to recognize X Marks the Spot, because the "hey-oh" bit just screams for audience participation. The rest of the setlist was pleasing, including three songs I didn't hear on the anniversary tour. Letter to Dana was beautiful, and San Sebastian and 8th Commandment kicked ass. Paid in Full never gets old, although I wish they would play some other songs from Unia sometimes. While I don't like I Have a Right all that much, Tommy breathed some life into that song with tasty fills, and the audience seemed to respond well to the song.
Pasi has settled into the band really well, and he joined Tony and Elias for the synchronized headbanging during the solo in Paid in Full, and he also sang some backing vocals in the chorus. I remember reading an interview where he said it's one of his favorite songs, so it makes sense. :D When Tony was introducing Letter to Dana, he was interrupted by some people wishing him a happy name day (it was Toni's day in the Finnish calendar). He was a litte confused, explaining that he thought it had been the previous day and he had already celebrated it on the cruise where they had just played. There were also some funny moments, like when Tony screwed up the mellow chorus in Kingdom for a Heart, forcing him and Henrik to start it over. He also imitated the Finnish hip hop artist Cheek during the intro to FullMoon, and changed some of the lyrics in San Sebastian: "I wasted all my childhood dreams by playing my fucking old PlayStation One". :lol
In recent years (TDOG and SGHN tours) the band has been criticized for playing some songs in plodding tempos, but this time there was no sign of that at all - Black Sheep was played even faster than on the album (short and crap quality clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5O8llvUnM), and Kingdom for a Heart and 8th Commandment were at least as fast as the studio versions. Tommy must've been practising a lot, because a year and a half ago Black Sheep sounded like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLAnThtwH6s)!
At the end of the show there was a cool surprise: I was starting to head for the exit when I heard the X Marks the Spot preacher's voice. I thought it was just a tape, just like the intro, but I turned to look and he was on stage! Tampere is Elias' hometown, and he was the one who knew the actor guy who was hired for the song, so that explains this appearance.
There was some cheap merch available, but I own a SA hoodie and a couple of T-shirts already, and I had a bus to catch so I didn't buy anything. Anyway, I came to the realization that although I like having the option to sit down at a concert, some bands just belong on club stages, and Sonata is one of them. I've seen them live 5 times, yet this was probably the best show so far, as I've never seen them so energetic.
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Anyway, I came to the realization that although I like having the option to sit down at a concert, some bands just belong on club stages, and Sonata is one of them.
Totally agree with you.
Also, you lucky bastards! Got War-Dad instead of In The Dark (not a big deal) and 8th Commandment instead of Wolf and Raven (big deal).
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Also, you lucky bastards! Got War-Dad instead of In The Dark (not a big deal) and 8th Commandment instead of Wolf and Raven (big deal).
I hadn't heard 8C live since my first Sonata gig in 2010 and I also prefer it to W&R, so I was happy they played it. Judging by the performance and recent live videos, re-recording Ecliptica has helped a lot, because now the band plays it in the album tempo, and Elias plays the main riff with a better technique:
2009 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcP9A9k9ewI)
2014 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-14wwYLUp4#t=44s)
Also, during War Dad Tony made us wave our hands in a kind of mechanical and disconnected way instead of the usual waving you see during ballads. I thought it was amusing yet cool :D I was glad they played the song, because it's one of my faves on PC. I wish they had also played Take One Breath, but luckily Half a Marathon Man wasn't in the setlist. :lol
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Sonata has been digging up even more oldies recently: they played Shamandalie acoustically (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6STvhmngIf0) at the opening ceremony of the Ice Castle in their hometown Kemi, and the original full band arrangement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q5FIVu1JQ0) was played in Kuopio. Last week in Brazil Unopened (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRmDXoeoHBM) was played for the first time since 2003. On top of that, at the hometown gig they played WPBO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx7wKpHL1YE) for the first time with the full outro and the prayer at the end, and according to Henkka's blog this version also includes new orchestral backing tracks.
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Setlist from the yesterday's show in France:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2015/le-splendid-lille-france-43c8cbd3.html
What I'd give to see this show live.
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The only songs I haven't seen live are the last 3 on Ecliptica and Mary-Lou, but hearing Ecliptica front to back would be awesome, especially Destruction Preventer. Hopefully they'll continue playing at least some of these obscure tracks on the next tour!
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Holy shit Destruction Preventer :metal :metal :metal
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Yeah, that setlist is great. While Ecliptica is far from my favourite album (both renditions), those songs are killer live and as a setlists it works. I hate how most SA live recordings fail to capture the band in a great shape (including stuff like Wacken). Judging from the last two shows I attended (2012 and 2014) and some recent yt bootlegvids, they kick ass now. I see that they are in my country tomorrow, unfortunately I cannot make that (but they seem to visit us often, so I am not worried).
I still frequently spin some Pariah's Child songs btw. Some killer songs that do not wear fast for me.
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You're missing Ecliptica played live in full and you're not worried? Something is probably wrong with you. :biggrin:
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Setlist from the yesterday's show in France:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2015/le-splendid-lille-france-43c8cbd3.html
What I'd give to see this show live.
I'm a little bit sad that no Days of Grays songs made the cut.
But then I see Destruction Preventer and I don't care. I don't care at all. :omg:
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Well, when 10/15 of the set (11 if you count Mary-Lou) is dedicated to one album, it's impossible to make room for every record in the catalog, especially when DSAW is a staple and PC is still a relatively new album. WPBO is a pretty surprising choice for an opener IMO, it's always felt more like a closer to me.
BTW, I just realized I Have a Right isn't there... that's another reason I'd love to see this tour! :lol Hopefully this means it won't be played at every single show until the end of time like Tony swore.
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I wrote a report of Sonata's epic 2.5-hour tour finale, where they played all of Ecliptica and a bunch of acoustic songs: https://www.musicalypse.net/reports/sonata-arctica-tampere-2015.php
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I'm still sad they didn't extend their Ecliptica Anniversary tour to Russia. That was the best setlist they had in years.
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Tony performed with Kemi City Orchestra yesterday: https://www.pohjolansanomat.fi/vapaalla/katso-kesarin-konsertti-taalta/ The set includes songs like Fields of Gold, Live and Let Die and Bohemian Rhapsody - is there anything this dude can't sing? :D
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So about that tribute album, I just saw the SA covers by Stream of Passion and Xandria.
I Have A Right is superiour to SA's version by a mile to my ears, love it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubJ-F8Df79E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubJ-F8Df79E)
Not really fond of Stream of Passion's music, but Marcela is an awesome vocalist.
Don't Say A Word by Xandria is interesting, but SA's version is a personal classic of mine. It is quite different due to classical female vocals, a bit Nightwish-esque:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM2LOrsCkxQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM2LOrsCkxQ)
Full tribute album trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAKg2qJACJA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAKg2qJACJA)
I am interested in hearing Van Canto's cover of Victoria's secret, should be nice. And the powerglove instrumental is probably awesome as well.
And boy, please keep Pasi (SA member) away from the mixingboard. Love their music and all, but after Pariah's Child, Ecliptica Revisited and these tribute songs I think we can say his mixing is just utter crap.
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Just checked out both covers. I Have A Right is indeed much better than SA version, though I have no idea why the omitted the second verse, since the verses are by far the best thing this song has (well, the part at 2:40 in this video is glorious too). Other than that, it's awesome, much better than the original. Marcela does a great job.
I didn't like DSAW cover. The vocals don't fit into the song at all.
From the trailer video, I really liked Replica with female vocals. 8th Commandment is very wtf though. :lol
And boy, please keep Pasi (SA member) away from the mixingboard. Love their music and all, but after Pariah's Child, Ecliptica Revisited and these tribute songs I think we can say his mixing is just utter crap.
Yes.
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Another thing, Tony Kakko sang with Nightwish on Rock in Rio (see Nightwish thread). Aside from the softer parts with no bombastic music, he is hardly audible though.
Just checked out both covers. I Have A Right is indeed much better than SA version, though I have no idea why the omitted the second verse, since the verses are by far the best thing this song has (well, the part at 2:40 in this video is glorious too). Other than that, it's awesome, much better than the original. Marcela does a great job.
I didn't like DSAW cover. The vocals don't fit into the song at all.
From the trailer video, I really liked Replica with female vocals. 8th Commandment is very wtf though. :lol
And boy, please keep Pasi (SA member) away from the mixingboard. Love their music and all, but after Pariah's Child, Ecliptica Revisited and these tribute songs I think we can say his mixing is just utter crap.
Yes.
I agree. DSAW feels a bit off. Too bad Xandria didn't do a different song, as they are very capable and their current singer is great.
And my guess is that 8th commandment is a punk rendition or something...? Don't know :lol At least there is a bit of quality to be found on this tribute. I once listened to the Blind Guardian tribute CD and I felt sonically violated. Embarrasing, I hope the guys of BG never had to hear a single minute of that disc.
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Can we take a few minutes and just talk about how awful their Christmas single "Christmas Spirits" is? My god it was bad. The "la la la's" are creepy. Why SA? Why?
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Can we take a few minutes and just talk about how awful their Christmas single "Christmas Spirits" is? My god it was bad. The "la la la's" are creepy. Why SA? Why?
I consider myself a SA fan and I didn't even bother to check it out. :lol
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Honestly it cracks me up, it is definitely the weird SA here :lol
Here is the link for those who dare: https://soundcloud.com/nuclearblastrecords/sonata-arctica-christmas-spirits (https://soundcloud.com/nuclearblastrecords/sonata-arctica-christmas-spirits)
Apparently the song stems from the Unia period (they have written it ten years ago), so yeah, it sounds weird and creepy. I can hear why people deem it utter crap and wouldn't recommend the track, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it, haha. Also a bit of opera-esque vocals of Tony that I find interesting.
My favorite weird/creepy power metal Christmas story, however, remains Wynter Fever by Theocracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA)
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Um, I gave it a listen and I actually quite liked it. Lalalas were fine! The whole song is fine as long as I don't take it too seriously. :lol
My favorite weird/creepy power metal Christmas story, however, remains Wynter Fever by Theocracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA)
Wow, this was great! Weird and great. :lol I remember Scorp sending me Theocracy song (Laying the Demon to Rest) in my roulette - and he actually lost to you with that song in the elimination tiebreaker, because I didn't like it that much - but this one grabbed me from get-go. I've gotta check out some Theocracy I guess.
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Yeah I like it just fine, I like that quirky side of SA's music. :lol
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I'm a fan of SA's weird side, but I dislike Christmas music, so I've got mixed feelings... :lol
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That tune kind of reminds me of Deathaura.
I like that song just fine, but this is one is strange indeed. My reaction was this:
(https://ci.memecdn.com/836/5262836.jpg)
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Ok, that was really weird. Not sure if I like it, but they definitely aren't afraid of embracing their weird side, so that's a good thing.
My favorite weird/creepy power metal Christmas story, however, remains Wynter Fever by Theocracy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwHLsKsiCA)
Holy shit, that is awesome. How have I never heard that? Fucking hilarious.
"Son, you'd better stay away from that little ho ho ho" :lol :lol :lol
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I'm just now getting into this band and I have to say that Deathaura is an amazing song!
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I'm just now getting into this band and I have to say that Deathaura is an amazing song!
That album seems to get its fair share of criticism among the fans but I personally love it. It's full of nice melodies and cool orchestral arrangements!
And I agree, Deathaura is one of my favorites!
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How come no one wrote about this one yet? It's like I'm the only fan of this band or something!
(https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13775973_10154284665727969_1047552757684082395_n.jpg?oh=cd8fa161f83c397dce3de23a890ed40a&oe=582C90C5)
SONATA ARCTICA announce new album "The Ninth Hour"
Only two years after the release of »Pariah's Child« and a massive world tour, the Finnish Melodic Metal quintet SONATA ARCTICA are already back for more – their ninth masterpiece entitled »The Ninth Hour« will see the light of day on October 7th.
Once again, the album was produced by SONATA ARCTICA themselves and mixed by Pasi Kauppinen, to create a typical yet refreshing sound that defines the spirit of the band in the year 2016.
“The studio work for the new record started seriously in mid-April 2016 in several home studios around Finland," singer Tony Kakko explains. “But the main recording and mixing took place at the Studio57 in Alaveteli, Finland. It functions as a kind of centre point and all work finally ends up there. We aimed to create another melodic, beautiful, surprising SONATA ARCTICA album… Did it turn out that way? I surely think so. But maybe I should leave that for you to decide!”
After a North American tour with their friends from NIGHTWISH plus many headline shows around the globe, the band was once again able to take a look at the entire world as it is at the moment – on the edge of a possible armageddon. This spirit is reflected in the new artwork of "The Ninth Hour".
“The artwork of our ninth studio album »The Ninth Hour« depicts a future utopian landscape on the background. Nature and human technologies are in balance. In the middle we have an hour glass contraption with a knob for us to meddle with. The right-hand side cup represents the nature side with no humans left, on the left we have the human dystopia after we have destroyed Nature. The idea I had was, that turning the knob will tilt the hour glass in one direction or another, and the other cup will slowly empty and that future will be erased. Biblically we are expected to repent and sacrifice on "The Ninth Hour"…to dive right back to a more mundane reality, it’s a fact that we are currently living in critical, historical times. Our decisions will define the future. Not only ours as a race, but the future of this entire planet. We need to make sacrifices and in many cases we will repent our already made choices.”
Right after the summer festival season and the release of their anticipated record, the band will embark on a European tour together with their label mates TWILIGHT FORCE to present the new songs to their fans. Here are the dates:
SONATA ARCTICA
Special Guests: TWILIGHT FORCE
presented by: Metal Hammer, Musix, Blast, Rock it + Powermetal.de & Dragon Productions
07.10.16 NOR - Trondheim, Byscenen
08.10.16 SE - Borlänge, Liljan
09.10.16 SE - Huskvarna, Folkets Park
11.10.16 DK - Copenhagen, Pumpehuset
12.10.16 DE - Hamburg, Markthalle
13.10.16 NL - Haarlem, Patronaat
14.10.16 NL - Tilburg, 013
15.10.16 UK - London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
16.10.16 FR - Paris, La Machine du Moulin Rouge
18.10.16 FR - Strasbourg, La Laiterie
19.10.16 CH - Pratteln, Konzertfabrik Z7
20.10.16 IT - Milan, Alcatraz
21.10.16 DE - Mannheim, Alte Seilerei
22.10.16 DE - Bochum, Zeche
Or catch the band on their US tour with LEAVES' EYES and OMNIUM GATHERUM:
06.11. USA Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
07.11. USA Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
08.11. USA Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
09.11. USA Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
11.11. USA Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
12.11. USA Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
13.11. CDN Montreal, QC - Club Soda
14.11. CDN Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
16.11. CDN Kitchener, ON - Dallas
17.11. USA Columbus, OH - Park Street Saloon
18.11. USA Westland, MI - Token Lounge
19.11. USA Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
21.11. USA Milwaukee, WI - Rave
22.11. USA Minneapolis, MN - Mill City Nights
24.11. CDN Regina, SK - The Exchange
25.11. CDN Calgary, AB - Dickens
26.11. CDN Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
28.11. CDN Vancouver, BC - The Venue
29.11. USA Seattle, WA - El Corazon
30.11. USA Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
02.12. USA San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
03.12. USA San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
04.12. USA Anaheim, CA - The Grove
05.12. USA Tempe, AZ - Club Red
06.12. USA El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
08.12. USA Englewood, CO - Gothic Theater
09.12. USA Lawrence, KS - Granada
10.12. USA Dallas, TX - Trees
11.12. USA McAllen, TX - Cine El Rey
13.12. USA San Antonio, TX - Alamo Music Hall
14.12. USA Houston, TX - Scout Bar
16.12 USA Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues
17.12. USA Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
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Yay! I really like the cover of this one, let's hope that that bodes well for the songs - I wasn't the biggest fan of Pariah's Child, sadly, even though it some good songs. Still keeping my expectations low though, they haven't been able to impress me as much as they used to after Unia, which is the last of their albums that I would call great.
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Yay! I really like the cover of this one, let's hope that that bodes well for the songs - I wasn't the biggest fan of Pariah's Child, sadly, even though it some good songs. Still keeping my expectations low though, they haven't been able to impress me as much as they used to after Unia, which is the last of their albums that I would call great.
I kind of agree even though I would change Unia to The Days of Grays in your post, I really like TDOG (in fact, I listened to it today on my way to work - great album, in my opinion). I don't remember when I listened to either SGHN or Pariah's Child last time. I liked PC on release but I just never came back to it.
My expectations are low for this one, but still I will probably buy it on release day.
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Low expectations for me as well, but I hope I will be proven wrong.
I loved the absolutely crazy, unbalanced and unchecked unpredictability of Unia, full of so many wonderful, weird, wacky and WTF songs, and then each album after that I liked it a bit less than the previous.
Pariah's Child is probably my least favorite of them, so I hope the next one won't follow the downward spiral. I don't care for power metal songs in the vein of Ecliptica and Silence, I just want the great songs that Tony Kakko can write regardless of the actual style.
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PC was to put it bluntly, bloody awful.
First Sonata CD I didn't buy, and I'm a fan since the demo days.
So I am hoping this new one is at least solid.
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I'm apparently unusual (once again) as the last two albums are among my favourites, easily. Looking forward to this!
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Was such a fan of this band back in the day but now they have just gone so downhill. The last album was shit, I don't have high expectations for this at all.
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I was a fan of their first couple of albums, when they did catchy power metal, but they lost me with Unia. I haven't bothered with their recent albums, aside from a few tracks here and there.
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They still do some good stuff but PC was just so far from what I liked about SA to start with. Really hoping for a come back to the creative awesomeness that is Unia :)
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I've always had mixed feelings about this band, but for me, Unia was their peak.
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I've always had mixed feelings about this band, but for me, Unia was their peak.
Unia is my fav also, but have never liked the direction they went in after that.
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Unlike most people (at least from what I have gathered), I think Stones Grow Her Name is my favourite of their last three albums. It has some pretty bad tracks (I Have a Right, The Day), but at least it takes some risks and has some more experimental stuff (Cinderblox, Wildfire II, Wildfire III).
Honestly, if Shitload of Money, I Have a Right, The Day and Don't Be Mean were cut and replaced by One, Two, Free Fall and Tonight I Dance Alone, Stones Grow Her Name would be battling Unia for the top spot (it would end up a pretty short album at only around 45 minutes, but eh).
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Pariah's Child was a step up from Stones, which is easily Sonata's weakest album, but it feels like it lacks cohesion and direction. Hopefully the new one is a more focused effort - at least the cover art and its concept are pretty cool.
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I'm so behind with SA. I only have 4 albums, Ecliptica, Reckoning Night, Silence and Winterheart's Guild. Ecliptica and Silence are the two I really love. Any recommendations on where to start catching up?
Loving that new album art :coolio really cool stuff!!
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I've always had mixed feelings about this band, but for me, Unia was their peak.
Unia is my fav also, but have never liked the direction they went in after that.
While I don't hate the albums that came after Unia, I thought the album was a watershed moment that was going to propel the band to greater things. Sadly that didn't quite happen.
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I've always had mixed feelings about this band, but for me, Unia was their peak.
Unia is my fav also, but have never liked the direction they went in after that.
While I don't hate the albums that came after Unia, I thought the album was a watershed moment that was going to propel the band to greater things. Sadly that didn't quite happen.
Fair statement.
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Pre-orders for the album are up on Madsupply. I'll probably get the digipack, the album art is cool but I don't really need another SA shirt, or I'll just grab one when they come to tour here I guess.
Only two years after the release of »Pariah's Child« and a massive world tour, the Finnish Melodic Metal quintet SONATA ARCTICA are already back for more – their ninth masterpiece entitled »The Ninth Hour« will see the light of day on October 7th.
Once again, the album was produced by SONATA ARCTICA themselves and mixed by Pasi Kauppinen, to create a typical yet refreshing sound that defines the spirit of the band in the year 2016.
“The studio work for the new record started seriously in mid-April 2016 in several home studios around Finland," singer Tony Kakko explains. “But the main recording and mixing took place at the Studio57 in Alaveteli, Finland. It functions as a kind of centre point and all work finally ends up there. We aimed to create another melodic, beautiful, surprising SONATA ARCTICA album… Did it turn out that way? I surely think so. But maybe I should leave that for you to decide!”
Tracklist:
01. Closer To An Animal
02. Life
03. Fairytale
04. We Are What We Are
05. Till Death’s Done Us Apart
06. Among The Shooting Stars
07. Rise A Night
08. Fly, Navigate, Communicate
09. Candle Lawns
10. White Pearl, Black Oceans Part II – “By The Grace Of The Ocean”
11. On The Faultline (Closure To An Animal)
Bonus:
12. Run To You
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Pre-orders for the album are up on Madsupply. I'll probably get the digipack, the album art is cool but I don't really need another SA shirt, or I'll just grab one when they come to tour here I guess.
Only two years after the release of »Pariah's Child« and a massive world tour, the Finnish Melodic Metal quintet SONATA ARCTICA are already back for more – their ninth masterpiece entitled »The Ninth Hour« will see the light of day on October 7th.
Once again, the album was produced by SONATA ARCTICA themselves and mixed by Pasi Kauppinen, to create a typical yet refreshing sound that defines the spirit of the band in the year 2016.
“The studio work for the new record started seriously in mid-April 2016 in several home studios around Finland," singer Tony Kakko explains. “But the main recording and mixing took place at the Studio57 in Alaveteli, Finland. It functions as a kind of centre point and all work finally ends up there. We aimed to create another melodic, beautiful, surprising SONATA ARCTICA album… Did it turn out that way? I surely think so. But maybe I should leave that for you to decide!”
Tracklist:
01. Closer To An Animal
02. Life
03. Fairytale
04. We Are What We Are
05. Till Death’s Done Us Apart
06. Among The Shooting Stars
07. Rise A Night
08. Fly, Navigate, Communicate
09. Candle Lawns
10. White Pearl, Black Oceans Part II – “By The Grace Of The Ocean”
11. On The Faultline (Closure To An Animal)
Bonus:
12. Run To You
White Pearl II :metal
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Interesting titles! very curious about the WPBO sequel, the Wildfire one(s) wasn't that bad.
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Closer to an Animal is out on Spotify. It has decent ideas but the execution comes off as a bit half-assed.
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New song is ok on first listen, but nothing special. It just doesn't sound like a good album opener to me. I do like that the bass groove is clearly audible (some times even almost at the forefront), which is a rare thing in this genre.
I keep coming back to Pariah's Child, I really think that is a good album only marred by its shit production and a few weaker/out of place songs/elements. So I am looking forward to this for sure!
Pre-orders for the album are up on Madsupply. I'll probably get the digipack, the album art is cool but I don't really need another SA shirt, or I'll just grab one when they come to tour here I guess.
Only two years after the release of »Pariah's Child« and a massive world tour, the Finnish Melodic Metal quintet SONATA ARCTICA are already back for more – their ninth masterpiece entitled »The Ninth Hour« will see the light of day on October 7th.
Once again, the album was produced by SONATA ARCTICA themselves and mixed by Pasi Kauppinen, to create a typical yet refreshing sound that defines the spirit of the band in the year 2016.
“The studio work for the new record started seriously in mid-April 2016 in several home studios around Finland," singer Tony Kakko explains. “But the main recording and mixing took place at the Studio57 in Alaveteli, Finland. It functions as a kind of centre point and all work finally ends up there. We aimed to create another melodic, beautiful, surprising SONATA ARCTICA album… Did it turn out that way? I surely think so. But maybe I should leave that for you to decide!”
Tracklist:
01. Closer To An Animal
02. Life
03. Fairytale
04. We Are What We Are
05. Till Death’s Done Us Apart
06. Among The Shooting Stars
07. Rise A Night
08. Fly, Navigate, Communicate
09. Candle Lawns
10. White Pearl, Black Oceans Part II – “By The Grace Of The Ocean”
11. On The Faultline (Closure To An Animal)
Bonus:
12. Run To You
White Pearl II :metal
I am cautiously hyped for that. The Wildfire sequels were very dissapointing to me(in fact, I liked most of the other songs on SHN better). And their last epic had many awesome pieces, but just didn't come together that well (Larger Than Life).
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I don't agree with that at all - the two Wildfire sequels are really good in my opinion, and added some very welcome elements of experimentation that I would love to see on a WPBO sequel, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that one.
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Yeah, I liked two Wildfire sequels. The third one is intense is hell.
You didn't come in peace, wore a flower in your hair
Didn't mean to harm anyone of us in here
You need what you take like a candle needs a snowflake
:metal
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The Wildfire sequels were better than the original IMO.
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Checked out Closer to an Animal and after my first listen, I didn't like it. There are some good parts, but overall it's probably worse than anything on Pariah's Child except Love. Maybe it will grow on me when I get the full album.
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Hmmm.......after one listen of this song, this band continues to disappoint for me. Probably will be the first album I don't purchase from these guys.
The song kinda reminds me of Unia and parts of Reckoning Night, like Puppet or something, but Tony just sounds bored and weak and the chorus is horrible.
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Extremely disappointing to say the least.
I didn't buy the last album and I won't be buying this one based on that load of old rubbish.
Sonata are officially done for me.
First four albums are killer, the rest I can live without.
Thankful for Cain's Offering, with Jani keeping the old style of Sonata alive and well and truly kicking.
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wow i wonder what that song was about
the lyrics were too subtle for me
(Also a pretty boring song. I'll check out the album when it's out, but I'll do that before I buy it. If the rest isn't radically better, I'll skip this one. :( )
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Extremely disappointing to say the least.
I didn't buy the last album and I won't be buying this one based on that load of old rubbish.
Sonata are officially done for me.
First four albums are killer, the rest I can live without.
Thankful for Cain's Offering, with Jani keeping the old style of Sonata alive and well and truly kicking.
Even though Tony is the sole songwriter, this band turned to complete shit once Jani left for some reason. Unia is still my fav, but everything else after that is just not great at all IMO.
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While I don't agree entirely (I think if I made an album that had the best halves of TDoG and SGHN on it, it might even rival Unia in quality), but the decline has been steep. Oh well, their first five albums were really good, that's more than most power metal bands can say about themselves.
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And I really enjoy TDOG too, more than Silence and WHG, so the real drop in quality for me began with SGHN.
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I would say that Jani had a lot more input and involvement than he actually got credit for.
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I would say that Jani had a lot more input and involvement than he actually got credit for.
Sure seems that way.
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Closer to an Animal sounds alright... It's got a bit of a Paid in Full vibe, which I like, and I prefer it to the first singles from the last couple of albums, but it lacks catchiness and hence doesn't really sound like a single. Also, they seriously need to get Mikko Karmila back to mix their stuff, because I dislike the plastic drum sound they've had since Pasi started mixing their studio releases.
The Wildfire sequels were the best thing about SGHN, so even if the rest of the album doesn't end up sounding too great, at least I have WPBO2 to look forward to.
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Closer to an Animal sounds meh and exactly like everything they've done in the past 5 years. The last truly interesting album they put out was Days of Grays in my opinion (with the exception of bright moments like Larger than Life from Pariah's Child)-
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You guys is crazy, their last two have been their best so far IMO.
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You guys is crazy, their last two have been their best so far IMO.
(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/67613515.jpg)
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I am. Their last two have been my favourites so far. Definitely more my style.
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I am. Their last two have been my favourites so far. Definitely more my style.
When did you become a fan?
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I am. Their last two have been my favourites so far. Definitely more my style.
When did you become a fan?
Silence era - discovered them with the Songs of Silence live album.
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I am. Their last two have been my favourites so far. Definitely more my style.
It's weird because one of the things I liked the most about Sonata Arctica in the Unia period is that they already had explored the power metal territory with a lot of class, and I really liked Unia because it felt like it was time of trying something different; but then they kinda slipped and began losing direction and focus. I do think there are some amazing moments throughout their last two albums, but there is some stuff that feels pretty filler and weird to me. Even when they try to revisit their old power metal sound it doesn't come close to the greatness that is Ecliptica/Silence, I think; and maybe that's why I liked Larger than Life so much. That song feels like something they're never gonna do again and that kinda makes it special in my book.
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For me they've always had a bit of filler on their albums, but that doesn't bother me too much. And I always found Ecliptica a little meh. Good, but not very exciting. Silence and Winterheart's Guild were very strong power metal albums, but then they lost me a little. Reckoning Night just didn't excite me, and then I appreciated the way they were trying something different but it didn't always work for me. It's only been with the last two that they've really found a balance that suits my tastes - a great blend of quirky and melodic, fun and serious.
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I am. Their last two have been my favourites so far. Definitely more my style.
When did you become a fan?
Silence era - discovered them with the Songs of Silence live album.
Wow. fair enough then.
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I got into Sonata through Unia, but I find the latest two albums their weakest. Anyway, it's a cool thing that not everyone has the exact same opinions on everything. :laugh:
Btw, there's a longer version of the album press release with some extra details: https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/discography/details/4387761.71005.the-ninth-hour.html Apparently the Caleb saga continues with another song as well. :o
„The album itself is not particularly gloomy, I think. Our music has mostly been happy sing-a-long stuff, but the lyrics never really fit that mould. If you are familiar with my lyrics in the past, I'd say we swim in similar oceans. I deal with my worries about the state of this planet, human greed, love, relationships, tragedy, death, but also war and politics in semi-tongue in cheek fashion (I feel the US elections are an endless chest of unbelievable wonders…). Our ‘murder-ballad-saga’ continues AND an old, epic lighthouse related tragedy now has a second part…”
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I don't know how I feel about them making sequels to old songs lol. The whole The End of This Chapter saga was awesome, but I think it already said what it wanted to say (I dunno, I could be proven wrong of rcourse), but making a White Pearl, Black Oceans sequel?
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I think it's safe to assume that "'Til Death's Done Us Apart" is the continuation of the Caleb saga.
I've lost the plot of that saga btw, Don't Say a Word is the obvious sequel - "Unlike the last time here (The End of this Chapter) I now have the means and a will sincere", and at the end he kills her: "I promise you the end before the first light arrives".
Caleb was a prequel, the backstory and Juliet, which is btw among the very best songs of SA and probably, along with Deathaura, the best at all for me after Unia, is... well, the girl waking up at the last moment and saving herself by tricking Caleb into poisoninh himself? so if Caleb died what's the point of a sequel?
Looking forward to it anyway! hope Closer to an Animal won't be a red flag of the blandess of the record.
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I got my digital promo of the album yesterday and have listened to it only twice, but I'd already say it beats Stones and Pariah pretty easily. Rise a Night is the only blatantly power metal song, but there are more solos than on any album since Reckoning Night, and the ballads are their best in ages. There's no comic relief song like X Marks the Spot, Cinderblox or Zeroes, and Tony's doing less of his harsh screams.
I know every time they put out a new album they say it's the missing link between RN and the new sound, but this is probably the closest they've come to actually doing that. I still need more time to let the album sink in before I (co)write a review, but my first impression is fairly positive overall.
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Good to know! It doesn't take that much to beath Pariah but the overal direction sounds quite good.
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Teaser of the song Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHliwUXsHpM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHliwUXsHpM)
The full version is/was on yt as well (unofficial channel), so I gave it a listen. Closer to an Animal grew on me and I think it is a decent track, but this song is much better, I really like it! This song definitely gives me the vibe member ? describes about it being inbetween classic and modern Sonata.
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I got my digital promo of the album yesterday and have listened to it only twice, but I'd already say it beats Stones and Pariah pretty easily. Rise a Night is the only blatantly power metal song, but there are more solos than on any album since Reckoning Night, and the ballads are their best in ages. There's no comic relief song like X Marks the Spot, Cinderblox or Zeroes, and Tony's doing less of his harsh screams.
I know every time they put out a new album they say it's the missing link between RN and the new sound, but this is probably the closest they've come to actually doing that. I still need more time to let the album sink in before I (co)write a review, but my first impression is fairly positive overall.
At least it seems like a step in the right direction. Might have to give it a chance then.
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The review I co-wrote is online! (https://www.musicalypse.net/2016-sonata-arctica-the-ninth-hour/)
While you're at it, you might want to check out the interview (https://www.musicalypse.net/sonata-arctica-tony-henrik-helsinki-2016/) on our site as well.
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Since you guys have very similar opinions on past Sonata releases, I'm actually catiously optimistic after reading that review. I doubt it'll come close to the top of my 2016 list, there's been so much good music this year, but I'd be more than happy if I ended up liking it as much you guys did. :tup
Also, not matter how the music ends up sounding, the cover is easily my favourite SA cover art. Supremely gorgeous.
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I hope to agree with the reviewer(s), it would be a sad day if Sonata Arctica's music would no longer interest me!
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Since you guys have very similar opinions on past Sonata releases, I'm actually catiously optimistic after reading that review. I doubt it'll come close to the top of my 2016 list, there's been so much good music this year, but I'd be more than happy if I ended up liking it as much you guys did. :tup
Also, not matter how the music ends up sounding, the cover is easily my favourite SA cover art. Supremely gorgeous.
Yeah, it's not an AOTY contestant, but very enjoyable, and that's the main thing. I also agree on the cover art - the vinyl version probably looks amazing. :hefdaddy
I hope to agree with the reviewer(s), it would be a sad day if Sonata Arctica's music would no longer interest me!
My expectations weren't extremely high after the last two albums, but I had a feeling Sonata would release another solid album sooner or later, and I'm glad it happened now already.
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This is actually not bad;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzoGtRxo_JE
This certainly does seem like a step in the right direction. I'll definitely give this album a chance now.
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Closer to an Animal is growing on me. I actually don't get all the complaints about the chorus, I think it's pretty good and the second part of the song is excellent. What turns me off still is those dull, uninspired choruses.
Life is very good, I enjoyed it a lot. Finally there are some solos in the instrumental part, that's what I missed. Sounds like this album will be way better than both Stones and Pariah's Child. I think it's probably going to be close to The Days of Grays for me with maybe a bit happier sound, which is fantastic, since I love The Days of Grays. Already preordered it this album and can't wait for it.
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I think it's probably going to be close to The Days of Grays for me with maybe a bit happier sound, which is fantastic, since I love The Days of Grays.
To me the album sounds like something you'd get if you put Reckoning, Grays and Pariah in a blender, with a little bit of WHG thrown in - it's brighter than TDOG, but more serious than PC.
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I didn't like Grays at all, but I hear more of a Unia, RN sound on these songs so I'm definitely interested.
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A radio rip of Rise a Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc_QyTu-DuI
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Just listened to new album. Sound good, maybe will grow a bit. I think the production recently hasn't been that good, and this album sadly seems to continue that tradition. A bit to cold imo and just a bit sterile. Always wanted that warm feeling.
However I always like the epics and after first listen White Pearl is the most intersting. First White Pearl was great so was excited when I found there was a sequel! I think what I lack the most is the crazy melody-bonanza albums like Unia have.
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Gave it a spin, can't comment on the album's quality yet as modern SA albums (Unia and everything that followed) tend to be quite the growers for me. First impression is really solid. So far, I love Fairytale and Till Death's Done Us Apart a lot, I listened to those many times already.
Also, the sound is pretty bad to me, but that is no surprise. Pasi mixing his sideproject stuff or a tribute album, ok, but why the guy is allowed near the sound engineering for their studio albums room is beyond me. I can't put my finger on it, as I can hear every element of the music (even the bass grooves are often very audible) very clearly, which usually is a good sign, yet everything sounds off.
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Haha just need to show this. Searched for lyrics for White Pearl Part 2 and found:
https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Sonata-Arctica/White-Pearl-Black-Oceans-Pt-II-by-the-Grace-of-the-Ocean
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Even if those aren't the real lyrics, I desperately want them to be.
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I am really loving the new album. My favorite tracks are Fairytale, Closer to an Animal, Life, Til Death's Done Us Apart, and On the Faultline (which I think is their most beautiful ballad since Under Your Tree and Good Enough is Good Enough from Unia). White Pearl Black Oceans II is a grower, but even though I'm liking it more each time, I don't think it's nearly as strong as their last epic, Larger than Life.
I agree that the production is a headache-inducing mess, and it surprises me that Tony would work so hard on these fantastic songs but not assure they'd be mixed well on the album.
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I am really loving the new album. My favorite tracks are Fairytale, Closer to an Animal, Life, Til Death's Done Us Apart, and On the Faultline (which I think is their most beautiful ballad since Under Your Tree and Good Enough is Good Enough from Unia). White Pearl Black Oceans II is a grower, but even though I'm liking it more each time, I don't think it's nearly as strong as their last epic, Larger than Life.
I agree that the production is a headache-inducing mess, and it surprises me that Tony would work so hard on these fantastic songs but not assure they'd be mixed well on the album.
It's funny because to me WPBO2 is like a vastly improved version of what they attempted with LTL. The production isn't great indeed, but maybe my ears are used to Pasi's mixing style now, because it doesn't sound as horrible as PC or the Ecliptica remake. It seems they're aiming for a WHG kind of sound, but not quite achieving it.
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I am really loving the new album. My favorite tracks are Fairytale, Closer to an Animal, Life, Til Death's Done Us Apart, and On the Faultline (which I think is their most beautiful ballad since Under Your Tree and Good Enough is Good Enough from Unia). White Pearl Black Oceans II is a grower, but even though I'm liking it more each time, I don't think it's nearly as strong as their last epic, Larger than Life.
I agree that the production is a headache-inducing mess, and it surprises me that Tony would work so hard on these fantastic songs but not assure they'd be mixed well on the album.
It's funny because to me WPBO2 is like a vastly improved version of what they attempted with LTL. The production isn't great indeed, but maybe my ears are used to Pasi's mixing style now, because it doesn't sound as horrible as PC or the Ecliptica remake. It seems they're aiming for a WHG kind of sound, but not quite achieving it.
This! WPBO2 is a really successful sequel imo. Builds on same feelings and melodies as part 1 in a great way.
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Heard it twice on Spotify so far.
I'm afraid it's gonna be a rather forgettable thing like Pariah's Child was, but I hope this is just an early and undeveloped opion. Life is catchy and gets stuck in your head, We Are What We Are is a great ballad and 'til Death's Done Us Part will probably be the highlight of the album, with its wonderful and creepy melodies. Sure, it seems inspired by Juliet, but damn this song is so good!
Completely not sold on White Pearl 2... yet. I hope it'll change. Also Candle Lawns potentially starts like their best ballad ever but becomes bland going on.
Uh well, I will dedicate more listenings to it, I hope to turn around on the songs that still don't convince me!
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3 songs in and I'm really surprised, I'm actually liking it.
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Yeah, this is a grower. Really starting to like the other songs more now. WPBO is becoming an obsession even! Love when this happens :tup
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I'm quite liking it too. Fairytale is an early favourite.
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I'm really keen to give this new one a spin.
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Definitely better than Pariah's Child and Winterheart's Guild (which are my two least favourite SA albums), and about on par with TDOG and Stones from my first impression. Not an amazing album by any stretch, but solid all the way through. On first listen, I especially like 'Til Death's Done Us Apart, WPBO 2, Candle Lawns and On the Faultline, which is an amazing closer and really quite different from anything that Sonata has done in the past.
Tentative album rankings:
Unia
Reckoning Night
Silence
Ecliptica
The Days of Grays
The Ninth Hour
Stones Grow Her Name
Winterheart's Guild
Pariah's Child
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Good to see someone else rank Unia at number 1, my fav album from them too by far. Actually I'd agree with your top 3 Scorp. WG would be a lot higher though, probably 4th or 5th.
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I dunno, I just always found Winterheart's Guild to be incredibly by-the-numbers power metal. Even though albums like Ecliptica and Silence are undoubtedly power metal, they have a lot more of their own identity than WG has to me. The ballads are pretty good - I actually really like Gravenimage, and Broken and The Misery are pretty decent too, but once they go balls-to-the-wall power metal, it's just boring.
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Even though I really like it, I can see why some wouldn't think too much of it.
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Good to see someone else rank Unia at number 1, my fav album from them too by far.
Probably I would still pick Silence as my favorite album from them... but I really, really, REALLY love Unia. Awesome crazy, quirky, wacky and unpredictable album.
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Unia is my all time favorite with RN and WHG up close. Unia is such bomb of fantastic melodies. Feels like it must be a creative high for Tony to create that many different but amazing songs.
Regarding WHG I actually think it's a great example of how a good power metal album should be. Songs like "Rise a Night" on the new album is the generic kind I don't like. On WHG every melody is so ridiculously strong imo. The production is a bit too cold but somehow it kind of works for WHG. The whole album nearly feels like a concept album with dark winter night being the theme. The keyboard and guitar is pretty much some of the best in their career.
Btw, anyone else who loves Wildfire here? :)
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I agree! I went through the lyrics again (I do this weird thing when an interest for an old album comes up and I don't have time to actually listen to it) and man, what a string of memorable songs one after the other.
Even the "filler" ones like The Harvest or Words Forgotten seems more interesting than what is actually going on in latter SA albums. Damn, the bonus track itself, They Follow, is one of SA's most beautiful ballads ever.
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Btw, anyone else who loves Wildfire here? :)
Wildfire is amazing, but I personally prefer the two sequels. They're some of the most unpredictable and experimental songs that Sonata has ever written in my opinion and they're just tons of fun to listen to.
Damn, all this Unia talk reminds me how good that album is. Going to give that one another spin later.
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The Japanese bonus track: https://picosong.com/akid/ (https://picosong.com/akid/)
Warning: a full minute of talking inbetween the song, starting after about a minute. A shame really, as I think the song has some very strong melody hooks, I love the chorus. Thankfully there are some instrumental variations going on during the talking.
Well, at least it is not like SHN, where I found the Japanese bonus track to be one of the best tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSnsGkRCF6o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSnsGkRCF6o). And offcourse the other Japanese bonus I really would like to have on the actual album over here, I'm Haunted on the Ecliptica rerecording (for those who don't know it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSe9AdH13a0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSe9AdH13a0))
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Yeah, Sonata's bonus tracks are usually better than the weakest songs on the studio albums, but this time it's definitely not a tragedy that The Elephant didn't make the cut. No Pain, on the other hand, is a top 3 track from the PC sessions IMO, and I love its Unia vibe.
Tentative album rankings:
Unia
Reckoning Night
Silence
Ecliptica
The Days of Grays
The Ninth Hour
Stones Grow Her Name
Winterheart's Guild
Pariah's Child
Pretty much the same as my ranking, except I'd put TDOG at #2 and SGHN at the bottom.
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Been listening to the new album obsessively! Fly, Navigate, Communicate is the only one that hasn't really wowed me yet, even though it's the only time Tony showcases his impressive scream.
My album ranking would probably be:
1. Unia
2. Silence
3. The Days of Grays
4. The Ninth Hour
5. Reckoning Night
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Stones Grow Her Name
8. Pariah's Child
9. Ecliptica--it's hard to believe an album with "Blank File," "Full Moon," and "My Land" would be my least favorite, but this band is consistently amazing.
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I'm two listens in and I think I kinda share MirrorMask's opinion on this one. I'm afraid this will be as forgettable as Pariah's Child was—good songs all around, but nothing memorable except one or two songs out of the whole album. I definitely like Till Death's Done Us Apart, and my second favourite song is probably either Life or Fairytale. I also like We Are What We Are, finally a good ballad from the band.
I will keep spinning it, of course. As of now, my ranking is:
1. Ecliptica
2. Unia
3. The Days of Grays
4. Reckoning Night
5. Silence
6. Winterheart's Guild
7. Pariah's Child
8. The Ninth Hour
9. Stones Grow Her Name
I think the last four could be swapped around, depending on my mood.
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Noticed in White Pearls 2, after the intro and before the song starts to really get going, the melody of the original sneaking in... am I late to the party in this?
So far however I confirm my initial opinions... 'Til Death's Done Us Apart and We Are What we Are are the standout tracks, the rest ranges from good to somehow ok to "I will have forgotten about this a month".
Probably Sonata Arctica are at a stage of their carrer when the best songs off two albums would make a single good one.
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Currently listening to it again, and certain tracks are definitely growing on me, but there's a few songs here that I find utterly forgettable and I don't think that that's going to change.
Songs I like: Fairytale, We Are What We Are, Til Death's Done Us Apart, Candle Lawns, WPBO II, On the Faultline.
Songs that might require more listens: Life, Among the Shooting Stars
Songs that I already know that I don't care for: Closer to an Animal, Rise a Night, Fly, Navigate, Communicate
Still, all in all this is a surprisingly good album. I also listened to TDOG before it, and I'd say that the two are about equal in quality (though I've never liked that one as much as other people do). I'd also say that SGHN's highs are definitely higher than anything on TNH, but the lows are also far lower, so I'd lump those three together, ahead of Pariah's Child and Winterheart's Guild and behind the other four.
EDIT: Oh, I already posted my rankings a post ago. Yeah, that's pretty accurate, nothing much that changed there, and an 8/10 for The Ninth Hour sounds about right as well.
EDIT 2: On the Faultline has to be one of the best songs that Sonata Arctica have done since Unia. Such a great closer. :heart
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I really don't think that Sonata can pull off another brilliant album as a whole like they did with their first 5. In the past 10 years they've put out some great songs, a lot of good-ish songs and also a lot of mediocre ones. Consistency seems to be the issue here, and I think it's a shame because their first 4 (without counting Unia, which I also love dearly) are among the best power metal albums I've ever heard.
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Discard WHG from that equation, and I wholeheartedly agree. That's why I was pleasantly surprised by this album, even though it's nowhere close to the quality of Silence or Reckoning Night.
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Noticed in White Pearls 2, after the intro and before the song starts to really get going, the melody of the original sneaking in... am I late to the party in this?
Yeeees! First time I heard the song the goosebumps at that point was unbelievable! Still is 😁 still just so happy with WPBO2. Knowing that Sonata still can make such a great emotional epic means much!
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Btw, anyone else who loves Wildfire here? :)
Wildfire is amazing, but I personally prefer the two sequels. They're some of the most unpredictable and experimental songs that Sonata has ever written in my opinion and they're just tons of fun to listen to.
Damn, all this Unia talk reminds me how good that album is. Going to give that one another spin later.
Yes I was suprised by the sequels. Part 1 is my favorite, just so much good in perfect length. The sequels are suprising with great atmosphere and as you say, experimentation 😊
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Late to the party but just listened to the new one. Haven't been a fan for a long time. I've tied every now and then but just haven't clicked with anything for years.
Really enjoyed this one. I was a little worried towards the end as there were several ballady tracks all together but they were all quality.
The piano sound kind of grated on me though. I love piano in my metal but this was just too plinky plinky. Needed a bit more beef to it :biggrin:
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The Ninth Hour is growing on me, it's probably in my Top 5 SA, along with Unia, Reckoning Night, Silence and Ecliptica. It really only has one song that I don't care about, which is largely what elevates it past SGHN (which has Shitload of Money, I Have a Right, The Day and Don't Be Mean) and TDOG (which has Zeroes, The Last Amazing Grays, No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart and The Truth Is Out There), even though both of those would be ahead of TNH if those four songs were removed from each record.
Here's how I'd tier the songs at this point in time:
Amazing: Till Death Do Us Part, White Pearl, Black Oceans Pt. II, On the Faultline (Closure to an Animal)
Great: We Are What We Are, Fairytale, Life, Candle Lawns
Decent: Closer to an Animal, Among the Shooting Stars, Rise a Night
Forgettable: Fly, Navigate, Communicate
Current album ranking:
1. Unia
2. Reckoning Night
3. Silence
4. Ecliptica
5. The Ninth Hour
6. Stones Grow Her Name
7. The Days of Grays
8. Winterheart's Guild
9. Pariah's Child
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Despite what i have said previously about being done with Sonata, my curiosity got the better of me.
I got loss-less files on my phone listened through quality Bose earbuds and the sound is nowhere near as bad I had read it was.
The songs?
Not bad really, one or two stood out, but not even close to their best songs and albums.
Album ranking and this will never change:
1. Silence
2. Ecliptica
3. Reckoning Night
4. Winterheart's Guild
The rest don't even rate anywhere near those.
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I'm warming up to the album as well, it does not look so bland as it appeared on first listenings.
Closer to an Animal still hasn't gained favors with me, I think it's very weak as an opener and all around a so-so songs. With Life starts the stretch of best material that lasts until 'Til Death Do Us Part, then the quality decreases a bit... Among the Shooting Starts and Candle Lawns are good, but Rise a Night and especially Fly.... are very average. Not sold on the epic as well, even though it has good parts. The last song is nice as a weird outro, but it would have fared better in a stronger album.
The bonus track itself is not bad either, it's weird to have the voiceover about wars in the middle of the song but the way it ends with the chorus kicking in it's good, in a wacky kind of way.
So, to paraphrase Unia's last song... the album is good enough, but good enough is not good enough for me when it comes to Sonata. Still there's enough decent material to keep my interest alive in them.
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Despite me also completely writing this band off after the last album, I saw this album in store on the weekend for $20, and I couldn't help myself, I picked it up. Seems to have glimpses of Unia/RN but certainly nothing mindblowing like those two albums, but seems better than the last few. I've only heard it once but I'm intrigued to listen to it again.
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I'm still liking the new album more with every listen, and I'm glad that most of you are digging it too. It was well represented in this video I made (to mostly distract myself from post-election misery) where I played clips from my top 25 Sonata Arctica Songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYpUSZY-8Q
I'm expecting lots of "You wanker, how could you leave off Don't Say a Word?!" comments.
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Apparently they recorded (video) a show in Chile this month. So maybe a dvd incoming? (see their current tour overview on their fb, and people said there were camera's).
Setlist seems okay, but a bit short, hopefully they took a look at their fellow Fins at NW and record several shows? Yeah, unlikely, but I just love that approach. Anyways, skipping trough some yt clips, Chile seems like an awesome crowd for them, even in brand new songs like Life.
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Resurrection time! :bump:
I saw Sonata play the whole Caleb saga and both parts of White Pearl, Black Oceans live and it was cool, in spite of Tony being under the weather: https://www.musicalypse.net/sonata-arctica-w-dark-sarah-pakkahuone-tampere-21-01-2018-english/
I even recorded a couple of songs (audio only):
The End of This Chapter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPM8pLDQaCs)
Till Death's Done Us Apart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phxk-qQahRE)
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Nice! that happened so far only in my compilations ;D
Till Death's Done Us Apart is possibly the best song on the latest album.
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What the hell! I didn't go last time they visited Sweden because the setlist was just a bunch of songs I didn't like. Just Caleb saga + both White Pearl is enough to definitely go! Also, Death's Done us Apart is amazing, actually has a great Caleb saga vibe to it.
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Doesn't that song actually belongs to the saga?
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It is indeed.
Waiting for a new live release (they had a consistent part of 2 albums, live release, repeat up until recently). I hope the mix is louder and better than the one on Live In Finland. It's a cool show but sounds so sterile, lifeless, way way too heavy on vocals up front. If they can get back to the For The Sake Of Revenge sound I bet they could make a killer Blu-ray.
I wish I could like Til Death... but that whole album just sucks, frankly. I love everything up to that one and thought they could never disappoint me but 9th is just so lazy and boring...
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I think the row of songs from Life to 'til Death are quite strong. Everything else is just meh.
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It's a dumb thing to say, but the fact won't wane away :biggrin:
Honestly, I actually do love two songs on the album. Candle Lawns and Closure to an Animal (On The Faultline). Beautiful ballads. Great stuff. Everything else hurts my ears. :lol
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I still visit the last album frequently. But, like most SA albums for me personally, I only listen to about half of the songs when I do (specifically: Life, Fairytale, We Are What We Are, Till Death's Done Us Apart, Among the Shooting Stars, and On the Faultline).
The only thing that bothers me more and more about recent SA studio efforts is the way they mix their music is the audio equivalent of hot garbage. I am not even that picky when it comes to this, but jeez... It was even more obvious when Pasi mixed other artists on the SA tribute CD. Every song sounds horrible compared to the regular albums those artists put out (Xandria, Van Canto, Powerglove).
It is indeed.
Waiting for a new live release (they had a consistent part of 2 albums, live release, repeat up until recently). I hope the mix is louder and better than the one on Live In Finland. It's a cool show but sounds so sterile, lifeless, way way too heavy on vocals up front. If they can get back to the For The Sake Of Revenge sound I bet they could make a killer Blu-ray.
I wish I could like Til Death... but that whole album just sucks, frankly. I love everything up to that one and thought they could never disappoint me but 9th is just so lazy and boring...
Well, they did record a show for a dvd (it was even specified as such on their poster/facebook last tour), but I don't know what their plans are. Specifically it was this show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMtm3MRSnZQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMtm3MRSnZQ) Chile 2017. Seems like a fun, loud crowd that is also very much into the new songs. I hope they release it one way or another.
But if there is a release coming, I'd also want to see this tour recorded because I love every single minute of the Caleb saga. Most are top 10 Sonata songs for me (including Till Death). But hey, their last live release also had two concerts so who knows.
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Doesn't that song actually belongs to the saga?
Yup - I believe it's between Caleb and TEOTC in the storyline, but for some reason they played the saga in the order the songs were released in (from TEOTC to TDDUA), so we didn't get a definitive answer to that question.
It is indeed.
Waiting for a new live release (they had a consistent part of 2 albums, live release, repeat up until recently). I hope the mix is louder and better than the one on Live In Finland. It's a cool show but sounds so sterile, lifeless, way way too heavy on vocals up front. If they can get back to the For The Sake Of Revenge sound I bet they could make a killer Blu-ray.
I wish I could like Til Death... but that whole album just sucks, frankly. I love everything up to that one and thought they could never disappoint me but 9th is just so lazy and boring...
Yeah, LIF was kinda crappy and even the band admitted in the official book that it could've been a lot better. At least if they include that Chile show on the next DVD, the crowd will be better by default. :lol
I still think TNH is an improvement over the previous 2 albums, but in hindsight it lacks a bit of energy and punch. I know they had a tight schedule, but if they'd had time to record another up-tempo tune or two, it would've been more balanced.
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That's my problem though, even the speedy ones (Fairytale, Rise A Night) sound so half-baked and phoned in. Tony sounds like he'd rather have a root canal than sing with any energy beyond whimpering like a puppy. Even Pariah's Child had Half A Marathon Man!
But enough being a negative Nancy... I got new speakers for my birthday and one of the first songs I cranked loudly was Larger Than Life. Holy hell that was like a religious experience with the choirs (never heard the song on proper, quality speakers, only my crappy car and headphones). I was hoping White Pearl Pt. 2 would be more like that :facepalm: :lol
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Oh so it is part of the saga, makes sense. Not sure why I thought it didn't :\
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The only thing that bothers me more and more about recent SA studio efforts is the way they mix their music is the audio equivalent of hot garbage. I am not even that picky when it comes to this, but jeez... It was even more obvious when Pasi mixed other artists on the SA tribute CD. Every song sounds horrible compared to the regular albums those artists put out (Xandria, Van Canto, Powerglove).
It is indeed.
Waiting for a new live release (they had a consistent part of 2 albums, live release, repeat up until recently). I hope the mix is louder and better than the one on Live In Finland. It's a cool show but sounds so sterile, lifeless, way way too heavy on vocals up front. If they can get back to the For The Sake Of Revenge sound I bet they could make a killer Blu-ray.
I wish I could like Til Death... but that whole album just sucks, frankly. I love everything up to that one and thought they could never disappoint me but 9th is just so lazy and boring...
Well, they did record a show for a dvd (it was even specified as such on their poster/facebook last tour), but I don't know what their plans are. Specifically it was this show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMtm3MRSnZQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMtm3MRSnZQ) Chile 2017. Seems like a fun, loud crowd that is also very much into the new songs. I hope they release it one way or another.
But if there is a release coming, I'd also want to see this tour recorded because I love every single minute of the Caleb saga. Most are top 10 Sonata songs for me (including Till Death). But hey, their last live release also had two concerts so who knows.
Yeah, the production on the latest releases is poop compared to the previous ones, but I read an interview where Tony said they're thinking of getting an outside engineer/mixer for the next album to make Pasi's workload smaller. Everybody would win in that scenario, that's for sure. :lol
Unfortunately this was a Finland-only tour (plus they did the 70 000 Tons of Metal cruise) and there was no announcement about filming any of the dates. They've only got 3 summer festivals in the gig calendar (https://www.sonataarctica.info/tour) and they'll start working on the next record soon, so it looks pretty unlikely that they'll extend the tour to other countries.
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A new compilation came out in Japan recently - only songs from the 2007-2016 era: https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Sonata_Arctica/The_Harvests_%282007-2017%29/723612
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Yey it has In the Dark! Maybe Spotify will add the new compilation and one of the best missing Sonata songs will finally be available there!
Really never liked Sonata doing these bonus songs over all these years. Many are wonderful and outshine many songs on the actual albums. In the Dark is really one of them for me.
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Actually saw them playing In the Dark live on Pariah's Child tour, yeah, that's a good one.
I'm seeing them live in a few days, so I guess I should revisit their latest album. I have it, but I think I've only listened to it a few times and wasn't too big on it.
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In the digital age I don't see a lot of merit to compilations other than rarities (for the latter I also hope it goes up on streaming services).
Yey it has In the Dark! Maybe Spotify will add the new compilation and one of the best missing Sonata songs will finally be available there!
Really never liked Sonata doing these bonus songs over all these years. Many are wonderful and outshine many songs on the actual albums. In the Dark is really one of them for me.
Fully agreed, quite some of their bonus songs have been better than many if not most of the songs that ended up on the album.
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I wish Sonata had more songs like In The Dark. It's always been a favorite of mine, and they don't have any other songs that give off the same vibe.
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I love that song.
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Yes, such an awesome vibe to that song. Perfect ending for the album as well imo which feels like a dark winter fairytale. Personally like the symphonic version of the song the most.
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Yey it has In the Dark! Maybe Spotify will add the new compilation and one of the best missing Sonata songs will finally be available there!
I doubt it, unless it gets released worldwide, which didn't happen in the previous Japanese compilation's (https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Sonata_Arctica/The_End_of_This_Chapter/89269) case.
I love In the Dark though - it's a bit ballady, yet not a ballad, which gives it a unique vibe. I was positively surprised to hear it on the 15th anniversary tour 4 years ago.
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Just got back from SA show in Moscow, which was in support of The Ninth Hour album (which, I think, is a bit too late, given that the album was out in 2016). Unless they blow it out of the park with their next album, this was probably the last SA live show for me.
I mean, the band is still very good, Tony seems quite energetic, the performance is tight. But the setlist is just, man... I posted it on setlist.fm:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2018/red-moscow-russia-73e83a1d.html
So you're promoting your new album, The Ninth Hour. How come you have 4 (four) SGHN songs and only 3 (three) songs from the new album in the setlist? I mean I would've understood this if SGHN was such a great album which all fans adore. And even then, I know, I Have a Right is pretty much a setlist staple right now and I have no issue with this, but the other three tracks are pretty much my least favourites from SGHN. Play Wildfire sequels. Play The Day. Play a fucking Tonight I Dance Alone bonus track, it's better than half of the album.
Now, you have some great new songs on your new record and you are literally promoting it with this tour. Why the hell you only play a lead single, the second single and a ballad? Where's Till Death Done Us Apart? I mean, screw that, okay, that song may be too difficult, but how about We Are What We Are? Among the Shooting Stars? This isn't The Ninth Hour tour, this is "we play whatever we want from the last three albums, man" tour.
I have no idea why there are more SGHN songs than Pariah's Child songs, too, but at least they played Blood which is one of my favourite songs from them. Although the crowd was pretty much standing still during that, apparently no one knows that one.
One song from Ecliptica (alright, I get it, this is their first album and they aren't doing this stuff anymore). One song from Unia. One song from Winterheart's Guild. One song from The Days of Grays. No songs at all from Reckoning Night. Four songs from Stones Grow Her Name, including the fucking cover, Shitload of Money and Cinderblox.
I'm seriously done with this band, at least live performance-wise.
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That's a terrible set. I love SA, but I'm also done with the live shows.
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Whoah. Very bad selection of songs and the order is weird as well. It's like they're not even trying.
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If my memory is correct I saw them twice in 2016; once in spring and once in fall. The second time was better simply because they played Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited, but both times - especially the first - were ballad heavy. And unfortunately, although I like What Did You Do In The War, Dad?, hearing it live was a big drag and REALLY sucked the energy out of the show... especially sandwiched between Replica and I Have A Right, and Tallulah was played earlier.
'Not even trying' sounds right, which is a shame... Ninth Hour is the only album I don't like, although Pariah's Child isn't aging well with me either. Stones is still great in my book.
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That seems like a bad setlist... but Sing in Silence and The End of This Chapter would have made up for it for me, never having heard either of those live.
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That is indeed a dissapointing setlist, wouldn't like that one very much either. I love the band, but they sure make a lot of weird decisions that alienate their fans. SHN has to be their least liked album amongst fans, so picking four songs from that seems like a bad decision (they should just do I Have A Right and let that be it). Furthermore, they recently performed Till Death's Done Us Apart (as well as all those songs connected to it), so unless it was killing Tony/was a disaster live, I don't see how that song would be too difficult for them to play.
I would have loved to see that acoustic tour they did (two years back?) and that Caleb series tour they did very recently (forgot how they called it).
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According to a Finnish interview linked via Facebook, and with the help of some fans who translated, there is a new Sonata album coming... one year from now. September 2019. 2019 is looking like a solid year of releases for me already (Megadeth, Avantasia, Dream Theater, Sonata Arctica, and more - it's 2016 all over again!).
I hope the next album sounds more inspired and energetic than the last one.
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Sounds great to me. All their recent albums have a few killer tracks that have a regular spot in my playlists. I wonder if they are ever going to release that live recording they did in Chile? From some yt vids, it seemed like a good concert and a great engaged crowd.
And yeah, there are a lot of releases to anticipate. Next year will likely have Demons and Wizards and the Blind Guardian orchestral project as well.
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So you're promoting your new album, The Ninth Hour. How come you have 4 (four) SGHN songs and only 3 (three) songs from the new album in the setlist?
To be fair, the proper tour promoting TNH ended a year ago, after which they did the Caleb saga tour and these summer dates. I thought their song selection had looked interesting lately, with cool songs like Broken and The Last Amazing Grays making a comeback, but focusing that heavily on SGHN, which is possibly their least popular album, isn't very smart, and now that I look at the list, it's pretty heavy on the slow and midtempo stuff, so I can understand your disappointment. I suspect they're avoiding the Ecliptica stuff for now (besides the obvious FullMoon) because they played the whole album in 2015, but it remains to be seen whether Don't Say a Word gets retired for the next tour as well - it's been a staple for years now, so hearing something like Blinded No More from the same album instead would be refreshing.
Furthermore, they recently performed Till Death's Done Us Apart (as well as all those songs connected to it), so unless it was killing Tony/was a disaster live, I don't see how that song would be too difficult for them to play.
I would have loved to see that acoustic tour they did (two years back?) and that Caleb series tour they did very recently (forgot how they called it).
It was the Winter Chapter tour and Tony was sick on a lot of the dates, but TDDUA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phxk-qQahRE) sounded great at least at my show.
According to a Finnish interview linked via Facebook, and with the help of some fans who translated, there is a new Sonata album coming... one year from now. September 2019. 2019 is looking like a solid year of releases for me already (Megadeth, Avantasia, Dream Theater, Sonata Arctica, and more - it's 2016 all over again!).
I hope the next album sounds more inspired and energetic than the last one.
Tony did say the new material is more positive, so it's safe to assume it's gonna be more energetic as well. He also revealed that there'll be acoustic gigs next year, but didn't specify whether they'll be limited to Finland like last time.
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So you're promoting your new album, The Ninth Hour. How come you have 4 (four) SGHN songs and only 3 (three) songs from the new album in the setlist?
To be fair, the proper tour promoting TNH ended a year ago, after which they did the Caleb saga tour and these summer dates. I thought their song selection had looked interesting lately, with cool songs like Broken and The Last Amazing Grays making a comeback, but focusing that heavily on SGHN, which is possibly their least popular album, isn't very smart, and now that I look at the list, it's pretty heavy on the slow and midtempo stuff, so I can understand your disappointment. I suspect they're avoiding the Ecliptica stuff for now (besides the obvious FullMoon) because they played the whole album in 2015, but it remains to be seen whether Don't Say a Word gets retired for the next tour as well - it's been a staple for years now, so hearing something like Blinded No More from the same album instead would be refreshing.
However, these last three shows were promoted as the shows in support for The Ninth Hour, and during the show Tony explicitly said that these three shows conclude their tour for the new album.
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However, these last three shows were promoted as the shows in support for The Ninth Hour, and during the show Tony explicitly said that these three shows conclude their tour for the new album.
Right, I wasn't aware of that - I just seem to remember that a year ago they (or maybe it was Henkka in his blog) made a post saying the TNH tour was done. Either way, maybe they didn't feel the need to promote the album with more than 3 songs in the set this far into the tour cycle anymore.
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Do bands even count how many songs per albums are there? I think a band when thinking about a setlist actually thinks about stuff like:
- Which songs they think will work best
- Which songs they're most comfortable with playing
- How to have the least possible number of guitar changes *
- Avoid to have the singer choking or the drummer losing his strength because of demanding songs put back to back **
I think "Mh, we have 3 songs from this album and 2 from that, we have to rearrange the balance" is quite low on their priority.
* Mike Portnoy on a DVD, forgot which, was talking with JP's guitar tech and pointed out how he put two songs with the same tuning in a row so that there wouldn't be need for a guitar change
** Andi Deris from Helloween in a DVD said how with their setlists they didn't want to "kill the singer or the drummer"
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Do bands even count how many songs per albums are there? I think a band when thinking about a setlist actually thinks about stuff like:
- Which songs they think will work best
- Which songs they're most comfortable with playing
- How to have the least possible number of guitar changes *
- Avoid to have the singer choking or the drummer losing his strength because of demanding songs put back to back **
I think "Mh, we have 3 songs from this album and 2 from that, we have to rearrange the balance" is quite low on their priority.
* Mike Portnoy on a DVD, forgot which, was talking with JP's guitar tech and pointed out how he put two songs with the same tuning in a row so that there wouldn't be need for a guitar change
** Andi Deris from Helloween in a DVD said how with their setlists they didn't want to "kill the singer or the drummer"
It depends on the band - for example Opeth have typically played 2 or 3 new songs and 1 song from each previous album (with the exception of the debut or the first two, because there's not enough room) on their latest tours. But then Opeth's songs tend to be pretty long on average :P
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Sonata Arctica was announced as support for a special one off Kamelot show (also with Battle Beast support) in NYC one year from now. Sucks reading some of their latest live shows haven't been interesting from people here. I got my ticket for this one, but I feel SA has gone down hill since their first album for me and I haven't kept up although I did see them open for Nightwish a few years ago. They were fine, but didn't win me back over.
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I still have a 'The End of This Chapter' hoodie from 2005 when a buddy of mine saw them on the Reckoning Night tour and bought it for me. :heart
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I only saw them once, on the Unia tour in 2007. This was the set: I'm happy with the set, but would have loved one of the first 3 songs from Silence. What an incredible run.
1. In Black and White
2. Paid in Full
3. Victoria's Secret
4. Broken
5. 8th Commandment
6. Tallulah
7. FullMoon
8. Caleb
9. Black Sheep
10. It Won't Fade
11. Gravenimage
12. San Sebastian
Encore:
13. My Land
14. Don't Say a Word
15. The Cage
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I missed The Days of Grays tour because I was underage for that 18+ thing :lol Blind Guardian's At the Edge of Time tour had the same requirement and yet I went and everything was alright, so I regret not going to that particular SA show, especially since I love TDOG and the setlist was a blast on that tour.
Saw them three times then for SGHN, PC and obviously TNH. Pariah's Child tour was the best by far, one good setlist out of three.
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I've seen them 7 times altogether, first in 2010. My favorite gig was the final show of the PC tour, where they played Ecliptica in full one more time (I hadn't read Henkka's latest blog entry, so it came as a total surprise to me) and some songs acoustically. It was their longest show ever, they had the X Marks the Spot preacher on stage as a guest, and Henkka smashed his keytar at the very end, just like on For the Sake of Revenge.
The second leg of TDOG tour - a week or so after they'd filmed Live in Finland - was great too, and even the SGHN gig was fun, but that was before things turned sour with Marko. My least favorite was my first one, because their set was ridiculously short - 12 songs plus solos by Henkka and Elias and the We Will Rock You thingie by Tony - and they seemed to be going through the motions, probably because their set consisted of just 4 TDOG songs and the most overplayed staples from the earlier albums.
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:bump:
Sonata is on the Acoustic Adventures tour right now and I saw them live last night (setlist spoilers ahead!). It started out a bit slow, but the band got more relaxed and the audience really got into it in the second set. The country version of Paid in Full (with Tony singing the first verse in a mock Texas accent) and the humppa version of Flag in the Ground, on which Henkka played the melodica, were particularly entertaining :lol They've got Masi Hukari as an extra musician like on the previous acoustic tour a few years ago, and he played acoustic guitar, percussion and keyboards, as well as the flute on Letter to Dana (yay!). However, Elias played an electric guitar and a lot of the solos and fast riffs (such as Wolf & Raven) with distortion, so technically speaking this wasn't a totally unplugged show.
Some other highlights for me besides PIF, Flag and Dana were On the Faultline, Alone in Heaven and the duo version of Victoria's Secret by Tony and Elias, which sounded really pretty. Half a Marathon Man is still not one of my favorites, but it was fun enough and the transition into it from Only the Broken Hearts was cool. During the synth strings into of Among the Shooting Stars Tony was like "doesn't this sound like Walk of Life?" and started singing the melody on top. The rest of the band joined in and they played the song for like half a minute :laugh: We also sang Happy Birthday to Elias' dad, who was in the audience and whose birthday was yesterday.
I liked that they'd done some rearranging like lowering the keys to make them more singable for Tony in a stripped down setting, and that there was a lot of energy thanks to fast songs being played as well. I feel like not playing an arrangement of Wolf & Raven based on the 2008 version was a missed opportunity, but other than that I don't really have complaints. I had fun and I'd recommend seeing them on the Euro tour that's starting soon, even if you're not a big fan of the post-Reckoning Night stuff that dominates the setlist, because the vibe is a bit more spontaneous than in a normal SA gig due to the lack of backing tracks.
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The setlist is better than what they played here the last time around, and despite what I said in my previous post, I probably would've gone to see Sonata on this acoustic tour... but of course they aren't playing in my country this time. :)
Good to hear you enjoyed it though!
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New single called A Little Less Understanding is out today. The new album, called Talviyö, will be released on September 6th.
I'm on the phone so I can't copy the message from FB for some reason, but I've listened to the track and ehhh. I probably won't even bother with the album based on that.
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I'll try and listen to it, but if those are the premises.... :facepalm:
They should have made a single album with just the best stuff off the last three, something like:
01. The Wolves Die Young
02. Life
03. Only the Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)
04. Alone in Heaven
05. Fairytale
06. Till Death's Done Us Apart
07. Losing My Insanity
08. Blood
09. I Have a Right
10. What Did You Do in the War, Dad?
11. We Are What We Are
12. Wildfire, Part: II - One With the Mountain
13. Wildfire, Part: III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0
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I'm an ardent defender of the band up until The Ninth Hour, and even Pariah's Child is on shaky ground. Stones is a fantastic album and I stand by that, I'll skip almost nothing on that record. Maybe just "Don't Be Mean" - everything else rules.
Looking forward to the new record. The new single sounds like one of the Ninth Hour singles but less sedated, thankfully. Still worrying, however. Tony and the rest of the band sound bored, like they don't even want to be playing anymore, and they're just going through the motions. I recently decided their live shows just aren't worth seeing anymore and I'm hoping there's something on Talviyö to make me change my mind.
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I couldn't have been happier with The Ninth Hour and still listen to it often, but this new single isn't doing a damn thing for me unfortunately--everything about it sounds flat and uninspired. I'm still thrilled to hear that a new album is coming out soon.
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https://youtu.be/FiM94N3FnQA
I didn't mind The Ninth Hour, but this is ordinary, yet again.
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A total snooze fest once again, and as already stated sounds as though they are going through the motions...
Tony Kakko has obviously run out of ideas and the band needs an injection of something to give them what has been missing for a while now.
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I thought Closer to an Animal was average, but in fact it was kinda alright compared to this song. I liked the "champagne glass" build ups in that one. There's literally nothing I like in the new song.
They should have made a single album with just the best stuff off the last three, something like:
01. The Wolves Die Young
02. Life
03. Only the Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)
04. Alone in Heaven
05. Fairytale
06. Till Death's Done Us Apart
07. Losing My Insanity
08. Blood
09. I Have a Right
10. What Did You Do in the War, Dad?
11. We Are What We Are
12. Wildfire, Part: II - One With the Mountain
13. Wildfire, Part: III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0
Man, that would've actually been awesome. Add Tonight I Dance Alone as a bonus track and this would've been a killer album.
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The artwork is way to generic for my taste. Haven't listened to the single but barely dare from the reactions. I already thought the last 4 albums been out of ideas (with some good songs in there). Wtf happened. Sonata has so many highlights and was one of the bands I thought really released inspired and overall very creative solid albums. Maybe 4 year haitus? 😁
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The new single is essentially muzak with distorted guitars, but then SA's lead singles have rarely been among the best songs on their respective albums, so I wouldn't give up hope yet.
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Wtf happened to this once great band?
Simple really, when Jani Liimatainen was booted from Sonata he took a lot with him, that has never returned.
Although he didn't get too many songwriting credits, it's obvious that he was a massive part of the old SA sound.
As a once devoted SA fan, I no longer have any interest in them, I did check out the new single and I will not be buying anything new from them.
But Jani has given us the magnificent Cain's Offering and now The Dark Element which both leave the recent Sonata releases in the dust.
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It sounds like a typical downtime track later in an album. Feels a bit repetitive, but I don't mind the track. This, however, is not a track any band should use to promote their upcoming album. In general, I think SA has been fairly inconsistent, but many of my favourite tracks of theirs are of their modern albums. None of their recent albums sound cohesive as a whole. This is one of those bands were I make my own playlists and enjoy the hell out of it. I assume this album will have some gems for me as well.
I currently have something temporary with my ears (mixture between being clogged and an infection, totally treatable, but my hearing sucks for now), so I can't really judge the sound but assume it is bad, because their last albums all sound terrible.
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Some early album singles:
UnOpened, Wolf and Raven, Victoria's Secret, Don't Say a Word and Paid in Full.
I mean those are great, some even fantastic. Shitload of Money started the trend for me when the singles have been uninspired and really something I can't listen to.
Last albums Closer to and Animals and Life felt like strange choices when they had the Don't Say a Worf-esque Till Death do us Apart. I know Soanata always had success with the ballads like Tallulah, Shy and Last Drop Falls so maybe they are using the more standard and more ballady (but to me uninspired) songs like Life to get some of that audience.
Anyway I listen to Unia fairly often and just love the amount of creativity and melodies they achieve there and just can't understand where that spirit has gone. They can have extremely standard speedy songs that just doesn't do anything fun or creative outside of the main melody.
Let's hope the new album contains something a lot better than that (awfully blend) single. Production/mixing did sound better so that is positive! Thought Ninth Hour has some highlights but was sometimes hard to listen to because of the mix.
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Also a small shout-out to The Days of Gray's that always hits me as surprisingly fantastic! Dont hear much talk about it in general but it really is high quality from start to finish imo.
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It has some songs that never grabbed me that much, like - I know it will sounds like blasphemy - The Last Amazing Grays, and also Breathing... I can't even remember how that song goes. Also not sold on the double Everything fades to Gray combo. But Deathaura, Flag in the Ground and Juliet are among the very best songs they've ever done and there's a lot of other good songs on there... basically all the other ones I haven't mentioned I guess.
I'd say that no album after that was better than The Days of Grays.... and probably, and sadly, no one ever will.
BTW I'm team Unia - I love that crazy, wacky, insane rollercoaster ride of emotions and styles of that album. It's "anything goes" turned up to 11 and I love the hell out of it. That's what I'd personally call the album that no following release has yet topped.
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"Winterheart's Guild" through "Days of Grays" is the band's 4-album golden period in my opinion. Some of the most unique, creative, and strongest power metal songwriting of the modern era is in that run. "Stones" also has a bunch of awesome songs. Basically kicked ass nonstop for about 10 years there.
I listened to "A Little Less Understanding" a few more times this weekend. I think it's actually stronger than the singles for The Ninth Hour. I do really like the chorus in this one, even if it sounds wimpy and soft. What happened to the energetic, powerful shouting Tony? He's been sedated and especially on TNH it sounds like lately his method of writing vocal parts is to meander his way through a song, never revise it, and call it a day. Although, On the Faultline (Closure to an Animal) is stunning, so who knows...
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I'd say that no album after that was better than The Days of Grays.... and probably, and sadly, no one ever will.
BTW I'm team Unia - I love that crazy, wacky, insane rollercoaster ride of emotions and styles of that album. It's "anything goes" turned up to 11 and I love the hell out of it. That's what I'd personally call the album that no following release has yet topped.
I'm both team Unia and The Days of Grays. Both fantastic albums.
I listened to "A Little Less Understanding" a few more times this weekend. I think it's actually stronger than the singles for The Ninth Hour. I do really like the chorus in this one, even if it sounds wimpy and soft. What happened to the energetic, powerful shouting Tony? He's been sedated and especially on TNH it sounds like lately his method of writing vocal parts is to meander his way through a song, never revise it, and call it a day. Although, On the Faultline (Closure to an Animal) is stunning, so who knows...
No shit, I think you nailed it. That's exactly what it feels like.
Regarding Breathing, if it wasn't for Tonight I Dance Alone, TDOG ballads are the last good ballads this band has done. I listen at Breathing and As If the World Wasn't Ending and then I listen to Don't Be Mean and Love and ugh.
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Does The Day count as a ballad? 'cause holy f&*% I love that song SO MUCH. I just wish the intro went on longer or at least came back later in the song. My favorite songs on The Ninth Hour were actually the ballads; I think Candle Lawns and On The Faultline are sublime.
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Right, I forgot about Candle Lawns and We Are What We Are counts too I suppose. I forgot about The Ninth Hour for a moment. :facepalm:
I do not consider The Day a ballad, but it's a decent song.
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Candle Lawns are nice! Maybe even the biggest positive surprise on TNH :) The melody and overall tone is more classic Sonata to me with Tony singing very much from his heart. Not sure but it has the Sonata magic :)
Breathing is a song I do like a lot. Not sure why. It has a sound I could easily think of as boring but I guess the lyrics and meaning captures something I relate with.
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Don't know anything about these guys, but apparently Tony got stuck in a toilet stall for some reason. His post doesn't go into detail and it seems the informative one is in another language.
http://bravewords.com/news/sonata-arctica-frontman-tony-kakko-rescued-from-nuclear-blast-head-office-toilet-stall-by-volunteer-fire-department
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At first I thought this was a metaphor about his songwriting of late, but apparently it's a real thing.
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At first I thought this was a metaphor about his songwriting of late, but apparently it's a real thing.
:rollin
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Tony Kakko Trapped While Taking a Kakka :metal
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Sonata Fartica
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Don't know anything about these guys, but apparently Tony got stuck in a toilet stall for some reason. His post doesn't go into detail and it seems the informative one is in another language.
http://bravewords.com/news/sonata-arctica-frontman-tony-kakko-rescued-from-nuclear-blast-head-office-toilet-stall-by-volunteer-fire-department
"He should not lock the toilet door..." 🎶
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Black Shit
Kingdom for a Shart
Shit in Silence
Constipated No More
Explosion Preventer
Last Dop Falls
Haha didn't even have to do abything with the last one
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Tracklist for the new album, coming on the 6th of September:
01. Message From The Sun
02. Whirlwind
03. Cold
04. Storm The Armada
05. The Last Of The Lambs
06. Who Failed The Most
07. Ismo’s Got Good Reactors
08. Demon’s Cage
09. A Little Less Understanding
10. The Raven Still Flies
11. The Garden
The hell is track 7? :lol
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Probably something like Half a Marathon Man. :lol
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Tracklist for the new album, coming on the 6th of September:
01. Message From The Sun
02. Whirlwind
03. Cold
04. Storm The Armada
05. The Last Of The Lambs
06. Who Failed The Most
07. Ismo’s Got Good Reactors
08. Demon’s Cage
09. A Little Less Understanding
10. The Raven Still Flies
11. The Garden
The hell is track 7? :lol
I dig these titles a lot.
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I wonder if The Garden will be as good as The Garden.
Maybe Stadler will tend it... :)
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I wonder if The Garden will be as good as The Garden.
Maybe Stadler will tend it... :)
:lol :lol :lol
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The hell is track 7? :lol
An instrumental, according to Tony: https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/discography/details/6008010.71005.talviyoe.html I only know Ismo is a Finnish male name :lol
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I wonder if The Garden will be as good as The Garden.
Maybe Stadler will tend it... :)
:lol :lol :lol
:rollin that was good
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For better or worse I just can't get Ismo's Got Good Reactors out of my head. That is just such a weird title for any style or genre of music, instrumental or not. I can't wait to hear it. Sonata's done that before, with Shitload of Money and Half A Marathon Man, interesting titles that make the anticipation for the new album a bit more exciting.
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For better or worse I just can't get Ismo's Got Good Reactors out of my head. That is just such a weird title for any style or genre of music, instrumental or not. I can't wait to hear it. Sonata's done that before, with Shitload of Money and Half A Marathon Man, interesting titles that make the anticipation for the new album a bit more exciting.
This takes me back to anticipating The Days of Grays, reading the tracklist on Myspace (hey, my country didn't mass migrate to Facebook until 2009 anyway :P), reading the title "Deathaura" and just... losing my fucking shit, thinking it's gonna be about the Warcraft games or something :lol
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Incidentally Deathaura is one of their best songs, possibly *the* best song at all after Unia.
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Incidentally Deathaura is one of their best songs, possibly *the* best song at all after Unia.
If you love symphonic metal, probably! I just have it connected to too many amusing memories to take it seriously, the lyrics were very easy to mishear and modify :biggrin: I loved The Ninth Hour with the exception of a few songs, so I'm interested to see Tony explore this sonic space between Reckoning Night-style power metal and Unia a little more before he goes off on a comparable symphonic metal tangent again.
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Tracklist for the new album, coming on the 6th of September:
01. Message From The Sun
02. Whirlwind
03. Cold
04. Storm The Armada
05. The Last Of The Lambs
06. Who Failed The Most
07. Ismo’s Got Good Reactors
08. Demon’s Cage
09. A Little Less Understanding
10. The Raven Still Flies
11. The Garden
The hell is track 7? :lol
I like the titles!
And the placing of A Little Less Understanding seems appropriate. Didn't mind the song, but it was totally unremarkable. One of the top rated comments was to put the songs speed on 1.25 in the youtube player, and that actually made it a lot better. Shame they made it so plodding. Hopefully live they will speed it up.
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A user from the Stratovarius forum translated a Q&A for the SA subreddit. Here's some info on Ismo's Got Good Reactors. It actually has meaning:
– Continuing with “Ismo’s Got Good Reactors”, the song is an instrumental track for a change...
Elias.- It's of course a song composed by Tony and I just play it (laughs), but many things happen in this song. I think Tony had the main melody for this track since he was thirteen or fourteen years old. It's a song you can easily play with the black keys in a piano. Musically I think it takes you around the world, from central-East Europe, going through Asia and Japan or something like that. When you're listening to the album, it's like stopping down for a moment to catch a breath, relax and let the music take you. I think the album itself is very deep, and not just with its lyrics but also with its musicality. But speaking about the name of the song, I think Tony wanted to explain something…
Tony.- Yeah, thanks! (laughs). Ismo is a very common name in Finland like Tony or Elias, but Ismo here really is my friend Mikko. He died about nine years ago at age forty two and he was a very close friend to me. His name was Mikko and not Ismo, but in a way they're the same person, and there's a story behind it. When he was twenty years old he was studying to become a school teacher, and of course he had to do practices with students, in this case with disabilities. He was with some students in area near a boat in a lake and a rock. When they tried to get the boar running, the engine started sinking and it was Mikko who by grabbing it managed to pull it out, and one of his students just said "¡Oh, Ismo’s Got Good Reactors”!, like referring to his ability as a hero to react in such situations, but of course, he got both the name and expression wrong at the time (laughs). It's a wonderful story that makes me remember my friend very dearly, and that's why this song has a very special meaning for me. It's not a sad song, but a fun one like he was. The story has been with me since I was ten or thirteen years old, so I wanted to represent it now. Ever since, every time that something falls or is about to fall, I say "Ismo, where are your reactors!?" (laughs).
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Wow, that's a fantastic explanation. While I would not bother with an SA album, that song deserves a listen.
Thanks for posting that K.
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Yeah, I thought it would be about danger to the environment, the usual stuff Tony writes these days. You know, reactors and all. This sounds nice, I'll check out the song.
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A user from the Stratovarius forum translated a Q&A for the SA subreddit. Here's some info on Ismo's Got Good Reactors. It actually has meaning:
Well, I always figured there had to be a meaning, but that there could be no way to understand it unless explained it.
It's like we forumers would write a song called "This one is written in green", of course it has meaning, but how could someone outside this forum know that the green font means sarcasm?
Anyway, cool story and nice tribute from Tony to his friend!
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Our editor-in-chief interviewed Tony and Henrik about Talviyö (https://www.musicalypse.net/sonata-arctica-tony-helsinki-2019/)
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New song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imDPFtw2P4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imDPFtw2P4)
I was fine with Little Less Understanding, a bit plodding but it had some hooks. This one is suuuuper boring, unfortunately.
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Even the band looks like they're sick of it all and would rather be anywhere but there
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The first two minutes were alright and then I quickly lost interest, the second half was just a big pile of meh.
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Hmm. I actually kind of liked it.
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Wow, the two songs so far are some of the most uninspired in their career imo. Still some hope for the other songs I guess.
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Hmm. I actually kind of liked it.
Yeah I thought it was pretty good and had a nice atmosphere.
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I am starting to realize that maybe the problem is the mixing / production. It just doesn't sound very good to my ear. Listening to Winterheart's Guild (that also has a colder winter feeling) the sound is just on another level. Cold has a very hard, muddy mix and well, cold, mixing. This has been a problem for a couple of releases now for me and maybe it's a bigger issue than I expect. Still the song doesn't do much but the mixing doesn't help.
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New album out now on streaming services etc. I don't think this album will be a favorite (hope I am wrong) but at least hoping for some good moments here and there ;D
Anyway, time to spin the album a couple of times.
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I gave it a listen this morning on Spotify and yes the sound is poor (production/mix/master) but the songs themselves are even worse.
It sounds just so lifeless, lacking any kind of spark, or energy or anything remotely interesting to make me want to hear it again.
Really is unrecognisable as Sonata to me, and Tony Kakko should seriously look at this kind of stuff for a solo album.
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I'll check it out on my way home I guess, my expectations are extremely low.
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After one listen, this is sounding not very good. The production really is quite poor. Some of the songs sounded decent (I quite liked Whirlwind and there was one later on that was quite good too) but a lot of them are just really bland. I'll give it a second listen but if it's not getting any better I'll probably just ignore it.
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Yepp, they need to fix that production / mixing! What happened and how are they ok with this themselves :-[
The Last of The Lambs stands out as a ok song for me but really is faaaaaaaaar from DSAW, TEOTC, Caleb, Juliet etc. Ismo's Got Good Reactors is also a song that stood out as having fun melodies and some enjoyment. The rest still lacks spark and soul for me and as someone said, blend. Maybe it's the mixing that doesn't give life to the songs, not sure.
Also doesn't really like the singing anymore. I loved Tony's style and still do on the old albums. Now it's mainly this tired slow same style singing which just for me doesn't do much. Sigh, I really just need to stop thinking this is the band I loved so much but it's hard.
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This has been a problem for a couple of releases now for me and maybe it's a bigger issue than I expect. Still the song doesn't do much but the mixing doesn't help.
Oh I am bummed out to hear about this ahead of my first listen. They really lost it with the production after they took everything in house - I thought taking it outside and aiming for a more live feel would fix the problem, but apparently it doesn't. The Ninth Hour was okay and that's the most the production's done for me ever since The Days Of Grays :-\ would you compare it to the production on Ecliptica: Revisited, or something else?
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This has been a problem for a couple of releases now for me and maybe it's a bigger issue than I expect. Still the song doesn't do much but the mixing doesn't help.
Oh I am bummed out to hear about this ahead of my first listen. They really lost it with the production after they took everything in house - I thought taking it outside and aiming for a more live feel would fix the problem, but apparently it doesn't. The Ninth Hour was okay and that's the most the production's done for me ever since The Days Of Grays :-\ would you compare it to the production on Ecliptica: Revisited, or something else?
Purely my personal opinion, but this is probably my least favourite production I've heard from them. It's just really muddy and flat and meh.
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To really appreciate just how horrible of a mixer Pasi is, you can check out the tribute album and compare the tracks to the usual output of the artists who did the covers. I actually really think the production impacts modern SA songs quite negatively. Everything sounds thin and sterile and early early "outside of the studio" demo-ish.
I just don't get it, I know amateur bands/artist who have better sounding music and they work from home without pro equipment.
I will check out the album, as I do really like their previous couple of albums.
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To really appreciate just how horrible of a mixer Pasi is, you can check out the tribute album and compare the tracks to the usual output of the artists who did the covers. I actually really think the production impacts modern SA songs quite negatively. Everything sounds thin and sterile and early early "outside of the studio" demo-ish.
Like... yeah. Pasi is a good musician and obviously he wouldn't be able to make a living with his studio if everyone hated what he does. But Sonata fans have hated it so much in this past decade, you'd think they'd realize his sound really sucks for their albums, and shake things up. Seeing how they've shaken things up now and reviews still aren't too complimentary, maybe the band's taste in production simply sucks!
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The production is an enormous problem with Sonata recently.
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Yeah, the lousy production started with Pariah's Child and certainly hasn't improved much two albums later. It's baffling. Just finished listening to Talviyo and even though I'm also fairly disappointed, I hope we can all agree that Whirlwind and Ismo's Got Good Reactors are pretty damn good!
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There are some good songs actually, but the production kills the album for me, yeah. That and Tony sounds like he doesn't want to be there. I realize that's his singing style now apparently, but it doesn't do anything for me.
Probably won't be revisiting this album or seeing them on tour. Unless something miraculous happens, I'm done with this band.
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I like some parts, but as someone who frequently spins their last two albums and enjoyed those way more than most people seem to, this one bores me to death. And the sound somehow seems worse, though I image the song quality makes me less inclined to listen through bad production.
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And the sound somehow seems worse, though I image the song quality makes me less inclined to listen through bad production.
Agreed.
I think Milena put it well while we were discussing the album when she said Tony has boxed himself in. If you don't want to return to power metal but also want to avoid going too crazy with experimentation and alienating the fans, what are you left with? A bunch of mid-tempo songs, ballads and a song or 2 that try to be sort of semi-proggy, but never really get there. While SA has never been an overly heavy band, they used to have some dark lyrics and twisted and tortured characters in their songs, but now Tony seems to be intent on eschewing any sense of storytelling and drama in favor of harmless and inoffensive dad metal.
I like Whirlwind and Storm the Armada, and Ismo is a fun little instrumental, but on the whole this album seems to be devoid of any real passion or energy, especially in the vocal department. Hell, A Little Less Understanding, which I thought was a dull single, is one of the most upbeat songs here, and Message from the Sun, which is supposed to be the big opener and have a classic Sonata feel, sounds so apologetic, like a tired professor coming into a class after too few hours of sleep and going "sorry I'm late, let's get started". I'd heard some rumblings from fellow music journos who had heard the album beforehand that it was not good, but I tried to remain open-minded and here we are - I've been a defender of modern SA for ages (even though Stones and PC were not that great IMO), but it looks like they've finally lost me too.
On top of all that, the setlist for the opening night of the tour looks REALLY boring :-\ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2019/omalleys-sports-bar-margate-fl-639f4277.html
I am starting to realize that maybe the problem is the mixing / production. It just doesn't sound very good to my ear. Listening to Winterheart's Guild (that also has a colder winter feeling) the sound is just on another level. Cold has a very hard, muddy mix and well, cold, mixing. This has been a problem for a couple of releases now for me and maybe it's a bigger issue than I expect. Still the song doesn't do much but the mixing doesn't help.
It's funny, TNH gave me the vibe that they were trying to recapture the WHG production style, but it just ended up sounding sterile.
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And the sound somehow seems worse, though I image the song quality makes me less inclined to listen through bad production.
Agreed.
I think Milena put it well while we were discussing the album when she said Tony has boxed himself in. If you don't want to return to power metal but also want to avoid going too crazy with experimentation and alienating the fans, what are you left with? A bunch of mid-tempo songs, ballads and a song or 2 that try to be sort of semi-proggy, but never really get there. While SA has never been an overly heavy band, they used to have some dark lyrics and twisted and tortured characters in their songs, but now Tony seems to be intent on eschewing any sense of storytelling and drama in favor of harmless and inoffensive dad metal.
I like Whirlwind and Storm the Armada, and Ismo is a fun little instrumental, but on the whole this album seems to be devoid of any real passion or energy, especially in the vocal department. Hell, A Little Less Understanding, which I thought was a dull single, is one of the most upbeat songs here, and Message from the Sun, which is supposed to be the big opener and have a classic Sonata feel, sounds so apologetic, like a tired professor coming into a class after too few hours of sleep and going "sorry I'm late, let's get started". I'd heard some rumblings from fellow music journos who had heard the album beforehand that it was not good, but I tried to remain open-minded and here we are - I've been a defender of modern SA for ages (even though Stones and PC were not that great IMO), but it looks like they've finally lost me too.
On top of all that, the setlist for the opening night of the tour looks REALLY boring :-\ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2019/omalleys-sports-bar-margate-fl-639f4277.html
I am starting to realize that maybe the problem is the mixing / production. It just doesn't sound very good to my ear. Listening to Winterheart's Guild (that also has a colder winter feeling) the sound is just on another level. Cold has a very hard, muddy mix and well, cold, mixing. This has been a problem for a couple of releases now for me and maybe it's a bigger issue than I expect. Still the song doesn't do much but the mixing doesn't help.
It's funny, TNH gave me the vibe that they were trying to recapture the WHG production style, but it just ended up sounding sterile.
Pretty much agree with everything here, and just looked at the setlist. Oof. Definitely not going to the show if there's one in my country.
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That's a horrible setlist.
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Heard the album. Gosh, I think I'll give it one more try but if it's a snooze fest like it happened now, I'll definitively give up on Sonata.
Funny thing, they're playing on my birthday near me, but if that's the show and this is the album, no way I'm gonna have that concert as a birthday party.
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Holy shit, I basically like Black Sheep and The Day, rest is a compilation of the worst songs I know with Sonata. It's quite obvious for me now that the band / Tony is going away and doesn't want the old style. Well we'll I will always enjoy the earlier day material and guess that is what Sonata will remain for me.
Also a thing. All songs start in the most horrible standard way imaginable on this album. They usually had cool song intros! I am just baffled by how blend this all is.
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The setlist isn't ideal by any means but I'm glad to see they are finally closing with a song that isn't "Don't Say a Word." Closer to an Animal, Life, X Marks the Spot, and Losing My Insanity would be the highlights for me. Not happy to see The Days of Grays and Unia completely ignored!
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The setlist isn't ideal by any means but I'm glad to see they are finally closing with a song that isn't "Don't Say a Word."
While that song is great and I never had an issue with it being a set staple, I always found it weird that they kept it as the last song for year, and decided to leave the audience with the story of a deranged stalker who wants to kill his ex girlfriend. Wasn't there really any other song to close in a better way the show?
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Damn, they somehow picked the worst newer (post-Days) songs they could. As I said many times, plenty of newer songs I like/love hearing live, but this is almost like the exact collection of songs I wouldn't pick. Too bad I didn't catch them last time where they played that Juliet/Caleb series, or when they played Ecliptica.
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Damn, they somehow picked the worst newer (post-Days) songs they could. As I said many times, plenty of newer songs I like/love hearing live, but this is almost like the exact collection of songs I wouldn't pick. Too bad I didn't catch them last time where they played that Juliet/Caleb series, or when they played Ecliptica.
Whenever they did those cool setlists, they skipped my country. :lol I'm not even sure why, I don't think it's because of the promoters. Ecliptica live would gather a huge crowd here. Every time they play something off Ecliptica or Silence, hell, anything from their first four albums, the crowd goes nuts. We had a freaking moshpit during The End of This Chapter two years ago. Ecliptica live in full (and I think they also played WPBE too) would've probably been sold out. I alone know four people who would go see that setlist. How the hell they played here for The Ninth Hour tour and didn't come here with that tour is beyond me.
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I will stream the new album tomorrow. I didn't even have enough faith in them to drop 10 bucks flat for Talviyo at ProgPower. Meh
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I will stream the new album tomorrow. I didn't even have enough faith in them to drop 10 bucks flat for Talviyo at ProgPower. Meh
I kinda considered buying it just to keep up with my Sonata collection as I own all their studio albums, but I'm so unimpressed with it that I probably won't do it.
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Don't get how we went from the TNH tour (with The Power Of One, The Ruins Of My Life briefly) to this setlist.
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So I felt bad that there were only negative (me included) comments about Sonata now with the new album. A band that has been an important band for me for a long time. So I felt, time for lists!
What are your top 10 favorite Sonata songs?! I thought this was very hard actually. Would easily want a top 30 to fit all the really good ones.
1. White Pearl, Black Oceans
Damn. Damn damn. This is still amazing. I actually remember the excitement when I finally got RN and how I loved everything and then, the climax. This is their masterpiece imo.
2. Wildfire
I was reading an interview before RN came out and they said something about Queen feat "bomb grenade" which really got me excited. Such a gem from Sonata. The structure of the song makes it into a real short epic of sort. When Tony goes a bit dark crazy I just love some of the stuff he comes up with ;D Also has that cool Queen-vibe Sonata.
3. Gravenimage
One of the songs that got me into Sonata. For a long time it was the best song I knew. The atmospheric keyboards from the intro and emotional vocals is still fantastic. Also really like how much it speaks to the Winterheart artwork. It feels like a cold warming fire on a dark night.
4. The End of This Chapter
The introduction to the Caleb-saga is definitely a highlight. Immediately stands out musically and story wise in their discography.
5. Dont' Say a Word
The perfect Sonata single. Takes all the power metal stuff and keeps the energy on top the whole song. Some Queen-ish stuff in there that I just love. The spoken bridge section is really powerful build up for the final big chorus.
6. My Land
Ohhhhhh the atmosphere. When I hear the anniversary version of this song I wonder if Sonata ever understood what a beautiful song they created and why it was that? Also shows how bad the mixing has become. This song means a lot for me and I think Tony does some of the best vocal work in his career here.
7. Wolf and Raven
This song is crazy. If you lookup the definition of Power Metal this is what you get. Lyrics are cool and the insane energy really gets me.
8. The Power of One
Silence really had two amazing epics. For me this was kinda an introduction to how cool longer songs could be. Wasn't used to it but it felt kinda short and had a powerful message as well as great progression.
9. It Won't Fade
I don't think this is a fan favorite but for me it's one of their coolest head bangers. Damn that intro riff could be the best riff in Sonata's career. That shit gets me excited everytime ;D Also it has this strange harmony vocals and progression that got Unia famous (and infamous) for the fans. Awesome stuff!
10. The Last Amazing Grays
Second best single. Has all the atmospheric parts I like about Sonata together with some great symphonic instrumentation. One of the best biggest chorus in their career.
(The ones that was veeeeery close to get on the list)
11. The Gun / Broken / Caleb / Under Your Tree / For The Sake of Revenge / The Boy Who Wanted To be a Real Puppet / White Pearl Part 2
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Difficult to say. The first song that comes to mind is obviously White Pearl, then the various Caleb-saga songs (TEOTC and Juliet lead the pack - "the light and the clarity" verse might be one of my favorite Sonata verses ever), storytelling ballads like Broken and Draw Me, then the proggy tunes like Gravenimage, The Harvest, The Dead Skin and The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Real Puppet. My favorite classic power metal Sonata songs are San Sebastian and False News Travel Fast.
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Keep listing your top tens, people :D I'm familiar with first few albums but I hesitant to check the other stuff out (there's so much of it) so I find it easier to sample song by song until I'm familiar with more stuff
EDIT: BTW this is thread idea, if anyone's interested
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Holy shit, the new album is so weird. What the hell happened to the band this last decade? They’ve literally put out really subpar albums following The Days of Grays.
Production is an issue. As per usual, guitars are badly recorded/mixed (saying this not as a fan but as an audio engineer who actually makes a living out of this stuff) and I’m beginning to think it’s also an issue with E.Vil. Jani had such a better sound and musicality overall, a sound that peaked in Unia (best sounding Sonata album in my opinion). The band really lost something with his departure.
They’ve done some really cool songs in the past few years tho (Larger than Life, White Pearl Pt. II, a couple from Stones) but they’re basically swimming in a sea of lifeless and unmemorable songs these days.
It makes me sad. I used to love this band so much (well, still do), and I really try to keep an open mind with all new material I hear from any band but the decline is real. Also, what the hell with that setlist lol.
Oh well. I’ll always have Silence to cry on.
Top 10:
1) The End of This Chapter
2. The Power of One
3) White Pearl, Black Oceans
4) Letter to Dana
5) My Land
6) Caleb
7) Tallulah
8) Gravenimage
9) Wildfire
10) Deathaura (weird choice, but this is werid Sonata at their best)
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10) Deathaura (weird choice, but this is werid Sonata at their best)
Weird? it's a masterpiece and would surely make my top 10! :metal
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Yeah Deathaura is easily one of Sonata's most creative and ambitious tracks in my opinion and definitely one of the coolest. I think that song is incredible. Those dark orchestral sweeps give me chills, and I can't get enough of that swirling tornado of sonic chaos ("I hear her in the wind / the bane of our town / come with me father / I'm to expose a heathen").
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Agree Deathaura is amazing. I was planning to have it on my top 10 (forgot to put it into the neaaarly made it). It's like Tim Burton if Tim Burton was really good.
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I guess I'm a weird Sonata fan as Stones and Pariah are two of my three favourites (Silence being the third). I like the rest of their earlier power metal stuff well enough but mostly don't find it that exciting. I thought they hit a sweet spot of big melodies and a quirkier side on those two albums that really worked for me.
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Yeah, I like Stones and Pariah a great deal as well. This brand new album is the only one I've had serious issues with.
My top ten list is:
1. White Pearl, Black Ocean (love the sequel as well)
2. The End of This Chapter
3. The Last Amazing Grays
4. Last Drop Falls
5. It Won't Fade
6. On the Faultline (Closure to an Animal)
7. My Selene
8. Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited
9. Larger than Life
10. My Land
Honorable mentions: Paid in Full, Good Enough is Good Enough, Somewhere Close to You, Caleb, Wrecking the Sphere, Draw Me, Power of One, Full Moon, Cloud Factory, Life, Closer to an Animal, Among the Shooting Stars, Black Sheep, The Dead Skin, Ain't Your Fairytale
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I love Stones. I love most of Pariah. Not the production on Pariah, though. Just seems like it's been a steady decline since Days of Grays for me. I love Stones but it very rarely reaches the highs (imo) of Days of Grays, which are admittedly hard to top for my taste... Larger Than Life however is one of my favorite epics ever. Will think of a top 10 later if that's possible.
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I bought the new album at ProgPower and will give it a listen soon. A top ten would be hard... I'd like to just add the entire Unia album. :) But of course I'd be missing some great songs.
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I tried my hand at this through a process of elimination:
1. The End of This Chapter
Such a whirlwind (no pun intended) of emotions, both musically and lyrically: while there are some brief grunts and double bass drumming at the end, it also manages to maintain this melancholy, ballady feeling throughout its duration, and I've never really heard another song like it by anyone. While Caleb obviously is an obsessed and deranged person, he also comes across as human and you can't help but feel a little sad and sorry for him, so the lyrics hit a nerve that few other songs can. Goddammit Tony, stop manipulating my emotions :lol
2. The Power of One
While TPOO is not my personal #1, I would say it's the definitive SA song that sums up their whole range of styles. The lyrics are really good, speaking of which I should read the book they're based on someday.
3. White Pearl, Black Oceans
WPBO remains the peak of Tony's musical and lyrical storytelling, and it's so epic you could even imagine it as a full-length movie.
4. Caleb
A nice villain origin story, and I love how the song gets progressively heavier, until it suddenly calms down again at the end - once again the music and lyrics complement each other perfectly.
5. It Won't Fade
A kickass heavy tune that I'd love to hear live (feel free to use my idea of a show including all the wolf songs, guys!), though I doubt it'll return now that Tony and Jani are on good terms again. Nevertheless, I love the raw and real emotion in this song.
6. My Land
Such a simple but timeless melody that's fun to sing along to live, and the atmosphere is incredible. This could easily replace FullMoon as the token song from Ecliptica in the setlist IMO.
7. Replica
According to the official SA book people would sit down during Replica when they played it in some of the countries that had been through the Yugoslav Wars in the 90s, which says a lot about how much it's resonated with fans. It's dear to me as well, as it reminds me of my late grandfather, who fought in WW2 and lost his brothers there.
8. Draw Me
Another ballad that hits you right in the feels, particularly when you know the story behind the lyrics (http://www.rockunited.com/sonata2.htm). "I must have... faaaailed" is one of Tony's top vocal moments, particularly in the Live in Finland version.
9. Don't Say a Word
I know they've played it a million times live, but DSAW is such an anthem that never gets old - that chorus is just massive, and Jani's solo is one of his best.
10. To Create a Warlike Feel
I had a hard time deciding between this and The Boy..., but the bit where Tony is singing in English and Jarkko Martikainen in Finnish is so epic and "stripmine your private road to hell" is such a badass lyric that I couldn't leave this out.
I realize there's nothing from TDOG in there, even though it's one of my favorite albums, but The Truth is Out There almost made it. While making this list I noticed that I don't rate some of the quirkier and more chaotic mid-era songs like The Dead Skin and Fly with the Black Swan as highly as I used to, even though I still really like them - it's just that my taste has changed over time.
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This was pretty simple and even threw in a few lesser (b-sides) known songs
1. Destruction Preventer - last song on the first album often gets overlooked, but this was when I really knew that this band was special.
2. End Of This Chapter - what can I say about this that hasn't already been said? Very close to taking top spot.
3.8th Commandment (demo) - I always liked the demo version better, has a little more energy and acoustic guitar in the middle that wasn't on the album version.
4. The Gun - a typical killer Sonata 'b-side' that made it on to the Takatalvi EP along with another gem, Dream Thieves.
5. Wrecking The Sphere - 4th killer Japan only bonus track in the first four albums, one that should have been released world wide.
6. The Cage - killer keyboard solo's from Jens Johansson and a classic Sonata song.
7. Black Sheep - We're not Iron Maiden and were not in England, we are Sonata and we are from Finland!
8. The Power Of One - another killer last track, majestic and one of their longest songs
9. White Pearl, Black Oceans - another epic that could easily be my favourite on a different day.
10. False News Travels Fast - one of my faves from Silence.
Not one song past the first four albums, they are a handful of good tunes, but nothings compares to the quartet of greatness that the first 4 was and still are.
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I tried going through the discography in chronological order and I came up with this top 10:
Fullmoon
Black Sheep
Wolf & Raven
San Sebastian
Gravenimage
My Selene
Don't Say a Word
Caleb
Deathaura
Juliet
Songs that made the shortlist and that I cut (at this level it's really a toss which songs gets labeled a "top 10" and which don't) were Destruction Preventer, Tallulah, The Cage, Shamandalie, Flag in the Ground, 8th Commandment, Till Death's Done Us Apart and White Pearl, Black Oceans.
I picked only one song from Unia but I love the album as a whole. It's the whole experience, the whole roller coaster ride of emotions between all those weird and wacky songs that make the album so memorable. Even They Follow, a bonus track, slays most of their recent ballads.
Honorable mention for Shy, a lovely ballad from the early days, the Live in Finland version is gorgeous.
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I tried whittling it down to like a top 30 and then going from there but even that could change from day to day... so I dunno. Here's off the top of my head my top 10 in no particular order:
Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited
Gravenimage
The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Real Puppet
White Pearl, Black Oceans
Shamandalie
Deathaura
The Dead Skin
The Harvest
Fly With The Black Swan
Larger Than Life
Tony's lyrics are some of my favorite in any music. He's a really good poet, and The Dead Skin in particular has one of my favorite descriptions of a broken relationship ever, with the best parts in bold:
"It all has ended, the clock's rewinded
We don't mean anything to me, you think?
I killed this silence for you to end the night
The words are loaded, unprotected, one torso, no head
One valid reason, the life's suspended
If love's the neck that kept us together and apart, now it's broken
There's no cast, no real solution
When it is broken, it will stay that way
Believe me when I say this; I would not if I did not care
Who needs who, when, and what the hell for?
Who wants to suffer and be hardcore?
And who's strong enough to peel off the dead skin?"
Or in Larger Than Life which has basically become my mantra:
"So don't take life so seriously
Play, love, have fun, leave misery be
Regrets are built in a cold dark cage where nothing ever happens"
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Okay, honestly: is there anyone who likes Talviyö?
It is a bad album to me. And it's not bad because there is some dreadful playing, it's a bad album because it's boring and it sounds as if the band has absolutely no energy anymore. It's a midtempo slog through and through, the nods to the older days are lukewarm and half-hearted at best, the melodies lack richness and have almost no memorability, as I said elsewhere it represents the husk of a once titanic beast that never seemed to run out of creative juice. The mix is poor, the songwriting is not very impressive, the shoehorning of distorted guitar parts just for the sake of having a distorted guitar hum annoyingly underneath the rest of the band, even the lyrics aren't as strong as they used to be, and I've always considered Tony one of the best lyricists out there.
I want to like this. I really do. But it's Ninth Hour all over again, except that album at least had 2 songs I liked. I'm sad. :(
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Yeah, it's pretty bad. Sure, it's still Sonata, or better, it's still Tony singing so if you listen to it some times, you kinda go along with it, and Message from the Sun feels somehow cool and right now as I think of it the melodies of Who Failed the Most are quite decent, but overall it's a boring slogfest.
Ninth Hour was just as bad but as you said it had at least two songs worth of their name, the anthemic Life and the intense 'Til Death do us Part which was as great as Juliet if not even more, and We are What we Are is a classic Sonata ballad... but this album is sheer boredom through and through. The (yet another? how long does it have to go on?) Caleb song is so boring and uneventful, the longest song is a bore and even the final ballad is snooze inducing.
Nothing here sucks in the sense of a very bad and unlisteneable song, but it's all so boring and uninspired.
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The Last of the Lambs reminds me of The Worlds Forgotten, The Words Forbidden, if the latter didn't have any mysterious intensity or intriguing melodies and rhythm going on. It just fizzles out before it does anything interesting.
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As someone who really enjoyed most songs on Ninth Hour and loves a couple of them, I agree this one is pretty bad. The instrumental is good and I am sure it is killer live, but pretty much all the other songs bore me. And the sound production is probably their worst yet, which kills the bit of life some of these songs potentially had in them.
Anyways, my top 10 of songs I absolutely love:
1: Deathaura
2: White Pearl, Black Oceans
3: Wildfire
4: Till Death's Done Us Apart
5: Broken
6: Juliet
7: Kingdom of a Heart
8: Wolf and Raven
9: What Did You Do in the War Dad
10: Alone in Heaven
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^ Love seeing some appreciation for Alone In Heaven. Stones is an underrated album and that's a great song. I'm probably in the minority that thinks that album is excellent, but yeah, great song.
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For Kat, on this full moon
Sonata Arctica - Full Moon Live in New York City 9/14/2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrDIO1AXLTw)
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Ninth Hour was just as bad but as you said it had at least two songs worth of their name, the anthemic Life and the intense 'Til Death do us Part which was as great as Juliet if not even more, and We are What we Are is a classic Sonata ballad...
I'll challenge this a little bit: I thought that Fly, Navigate, Communicate was a far-above-average Unia-style song (and if the rest of the songs Tony has been writing for his solo album are as good as this and Somewhere Close To You, it will be one of my favorite albums), WPBO pt.2 had me surprisingly emotional even though it's a bit uneventful compared to the original, Fairytale had attitude and tempo, and On The Faultline is at the very least unique in their catalog. I like this album, obviously, and I think none of the other songs are outright bad besides the snoozefest that is Candle Lawns.
The production was bad (there's a moment in the dueling solo on WPBO2 where Henkka's keyboard just dips beneath the limits of my hearing and I can't tell the notes apart when he finishes the solo), but the ideas are good, the melodies are good, there is variety, and Tony gave a very inspired performance. He approached an operatic style for the first time and he emoted extremely well, unlike this album.
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I've been enjoying this album, alone in the world I supposed. :) Also enjoyed their live set opening for Kamelot.
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^ Love seeing some appreciation for Alone In Heaven. Stones is an underrated album and that's a great song. I'm probably in the minority that thinks that album is excellent, but yeah, great song.
Yeah, I love the song! Really good vocals by Tony too.
I've been enjoying this album, alone in the world I supposed. :) Also enjoyed their live set opening for Kamelot.
Well, glad to hear someone is digging it. Only Ismo will be in my playlists in the future.
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I've come around on the album.
Lately I've been doing a lot of Sonata listening and reminiscing and I remembered how disappointed I was with Stones Grow Her Name, their third album I got to welcome as a fan, and one I had high hopes for. It has a lot of things going for it: it's the last Sonata album with a truly good mix and master, it's eclectic, it's exploring a genre that is absolutely in their repertoire and DNA, it has some great songs, but at the same time, it is doing the absolute opposite from playing to their strengths, and it has at least four songs that I listen to and think "wow, this is the worst song on the album. no, THIS is the worst song on the album. no, this is one of their worst songs of all time! and this one is barely a Sonata song at all!"
And now, looking back, I feel like it's not a big deal at all. Like, a blip on the radar. They put out music regularly and always think of tours that are fun to follow. That one time they got to explore something and try something new and I got an album I liked better in two years. So now I can appreciate the whole SGHN cycle for what it is.
Looking at Talviyo interviews, I can pinpoint the exact decisions that lead to things that I don't like about this album, starting with the weird idea that they should make a "live sound" album. I don't understand why, most bands they like and those they have modeled their career after have also been complimented for sounding great live but never got the idea that this means they should make a live sounding album. But fair enough. Apparently this has been a thing for them since Pariah's Child, so I guess that's at least part of the reason why we hated Pasi's mixes, since that's what they've been trying to get him to do. I guess they've been reading too many 70's bands biographies and got some weird ideas :lol The weird tempos, strangely enough, can be chalked up to Pasi and Tommy recording the drum and bass parts together and having fun with it - just because the beat sounds good to them while they're playing it together (because they do have great chemistry), doesn't mean that it's the right tempo for that particular song. And finally, it's the first album where Tony had all of the songs ready before they entered the studio, which is fine, but some of his late additions to every album have been my favorite songs, so it's weird to have an album with those moments missing.
They talk a lot about how they kinda went half way between not having an outside producer at all to having their front-of-house sound guy producing them on this album, and Tony admits he'd like to have someone filling the classic producer role to come in before the mixing stage and give advice on which songs should be slower or faster or which things should be added or subtracted. But they also say they're not ready to take that step since album creation is a very intimate thing for them and they are just not comfortable bringing in someone they don't know extremely well into that process. Maybe they could benefit from someone coming in and shaking them up like Peter Tägtgren did to Amorphis on their Circle album. But I think they'd be best served by just working the way they used to before Pariah's Child, with all of them doing exactly what's in the job description, rehearsing, recording each other and themselves, carefully selecting songs, and then sending them off to get a proper Sonata Arctica sound, the one we know and love from several albums before.
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Looking back at my initial dislike (or, to put it better, lukewarm reception) of Stones Grow Her Name, I now WISH they'd do an album that had all together catchy songs like I Have a Right and Only the Broken Hearts, a great ballad like Alone in Heaven, and prog/heavy epic stuff like the two Wildifires.
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I still really like Talviyo a lot. To me it's a beautiful dreamy album and I'm very glad to have it.
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I think putting Pasi on mixing duty ranks as one of the worst decisions this band has ever made. No hyperbole - Stones was the last great album from Sonata, imo, in no small part due to the great production on it. Pariah's Child, The Ninth Hour, Talviyö, they all sound horrible, which does the songwriting no favors. TNH and Talviyö are far and away the nadir of Tony's musical career imo, and that hurts to say because Sonata has always been one of my most favorite bands ever.
(Good post, Mora - I agree with a lot of it.)
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Sonata is my favorite band, period. There's just no comparison between them and any other band (artist-wise in general, Kevin Moore rules my pantheon) for me. Even when I hate what they're doing it's still fun to watch and see if they'll pull out of it. That's why the thing that hurts me the most is when they mess with fixing things that aren't broken, like the sound and the energy. Mess with the writing instead, like in the good old days when you pissed everyone off with left turns every two years, including even getting me whining like a baby with SGHN :lol the sound is the most permanent thing on the album. The songs can always be changed, by the band live or on a special release, or by the listener putting them in a playlist or whatever. But I'll never get Cold sounding like an absolute power ballad banger that it truly is.
I still really like Talviyo a lot. To me it's a beautiful dreamy album and I'm very glad to have it.
See, the writing really is dreamy in a lot of places. The multi-layered vibes of The Garden, for example, really found their way into my heart. It's one of the best "family songs" they have, and it also hits you on a different level if you know they had garden release parties (or maybe just one, I can't remember if it was a one time thing) and you can understand and imagine and your heart just soars, because one of the things I really love about them is that they're truly a band of brothers. It's not just a thing they say. But they also gave US "the garden" :heart and it's something I feel for them, too. So I can never be too mad at them or pan them too much.
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Sonata is my favorite band, period. There's just no comparison between them and any other band (artist-wise in general, Kevin Moore rules my pantheon) for me. Even when I hate what they're doing it's still fun to watch and see if they'll pull out of it. That's why the thing that hurts me the most is when they mess with fixing things that aren't broken, like the sound and the energy. Mess with the writing instead, like in the good old days when you pissed everyone off with left turns every two years, including even getting me whining like a baby with SGHN :lol the sound is the most permanent thing on the album. The songs can always be changed, by the band live or on a special release, or by the listener putting them in a playlist or whatever. But I'll never get Cold sounding like an absolute power ballad banger that it truly is.
I still really like Talviyo a lot. To me it's a beautiful dreamy album and I'm very glad to have it.
See, the writing really is dreamy in a lot of places. The multi-layered vibes of The Garden, for example, really found their way into my heart. It's one of the best "family songs" they have, and it also hits you on a different level if you know they had garden release parties (or maybe just one, I can't remember if it was a one time thing) and you can understand and imagine and your heart just soars, because one of the things I really love about them is that they're truly a band of brothers. It's not just a thing they say. But they also gave US "the garden" :heart and it's something I feel for them, too. So I can never be too mad at them or pan them too much.
I think The Garden is a beautiful way to end the album. I get that it's not for everyone, either the song or the whole album, but I find it really captivating. Talviyo is by far my favorite since The Days of Grays. I really love Cold personally. I was quite surprised to like Cold the first time I heard it after reading the negative comments. The song only grew on me when I got the album.
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When Cold came out I thought "okay cool we are back to bad Sonata singles" (since I liked Closer To An Animal a lot, despite the mix). But the number of times I hummed "it's cold ooooh ooooohh ooooooohh" over the course of this winter kinda defeated me :metal it's a freaking earworm and I hear Queen all over it. The lyrics are also hitting me really hard at the moment.
Side note, one of my biggest metal disappointments is that not a lot of bands are flying the Queen influence flag the way SA guys do. When Tony describes the way he got into Queen, it's the exact same way I got into Queen (being a normal kid who listens to stuff recorded off the radio one day, and seeing a Queen concert on TV the next and becoming a huge fan), and at exactly the same age too. And I know a lot of people who have similar stories are musicians, so I don't know what's up with the lack of Queen influences on the scene.
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I may have given the album more of a chance but the production and mixing is just horrid.
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Yup, it's one of the worst I've heard. Literally everything about it is both objectively bad and objectively wrong for their sound.
Side note, just went through the thread to see if I whined about SGHN on DTF too (of course I did) and I found this moment:
Well, you can't really call Shitload of Money one of the highlights of the new album! :lol The new album has some great stuff like Somewhere Close to You and Wildfires II and III but it can't beat Unia.
Hi. You're my friend now whether you like it or not.
Truly the start of a wonderful friendship :lol
It was funny to go back through it and see how they made all our setlist wishes come true, especially around The Ninth Hour tour. They did do all the Caleb songs in order, did bring back WPBO, did The Power Of One (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjxSE5MdkTg) about 150 times, did Destruction Preventer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-RXz940w3k), Abandoned Pleased Brainwashed Exploited (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlxUAv_dKQ)... good years for long and rare songs.
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It was funny to go back through it and see how they made all our setlist wishes come true, especially around The Ninth Hour tour. They did do all the Caleb songs in order, did bring back WPBO, did The Power Of One (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjxSE5MdkTg) about 150 times, did Destruction Preventer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-RXz940w3k), Abandoned Pleased Brainwashed Exploited (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlxUAv_dKQ)... good years for long and rare songs.
Except all of these shows were in Europe (I think) and not on the album tours proper, so we didn't get any of that in Russia. :lol I don't know if that was due to promoters, but I can't imagine any fan in Russia skipping the Ecliptica revisited tour. Given how everyone goes nuts whenever they play anything from that album, the venue would've probably been full. Oh well.
I remember bitching about SGHN, and while I still think The Days of Grays was their last great album, I admit these days SGHN is more attractive to me than anything that came after it. I liked Pariah's Child when it came out, but now I think I'll take SGHN over it.
I may have given the album more of a chance but the production and mixing is just horrid.
Ditto. I feel Talviyo had potential but I didn't come back to the album after the first listen, the production killed it for me.
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Except all of these shows were in Europe (I think) and not on the album tours proper, so we didn't get any of that in Russia. :lol I don't know if that was due to promoters, but I can't imagine any fan in Russia skipping the Ecliptica revisited tour. Given how everyone goes nuts whenever they play anything from that album, the venue would've probably been full. Oh well.
The setlist for the TNH tour was about the same across the world (they also played Misplaced at some points but dropped it, and The Ruins Of My Life for the first time ever, which no one thought to record... literally what the fuck), I think you're one of the only countries who got a different one because it was like months later but still announced as the TNH tour, which is pretty goddamn stupid. But yeah, I also didn't get to see the Ecliptica Revisited tour because they came nowhere near me, nor the TNH tour because I was moving across Europe in that exact timeframe, so I feel for you. :heart
Was fun to follow audience recordings though. The setlist they stuck with the longest (without Misplaced and TROML) is objectively too short and I bitched about it a lot, but nowadays when I put on a full 2016 show on Youtube and the 2003 tour intro plays after the intermission (no! more! silence! bring your winter in my heaaart), I have to admit it's really rad. If I went to any of those shows you'd have to scrape me off the ceiling afterwards.
I remember bitching about SGHN, and while I still think The Days of Grays was their last great album, I admit these days SGHN is more attractive to me than anything that came after it. I liked Pariah's Child when it came out, but now I think I'll take SGHN over it.
Pariah's Child is weird. It has a few songs I love, the vibe is good, but it doesn't have any real highs (the songs they thought were real highs aren't it for me, except War), unlike The Ninth Hour which does have some misses (I never wanna hear Candle Lawns again) but the highs are high. The eclectic side that carried on from SGHN is also strongly represented with three songs, but the one I like the best (Half A Marathon Man) isn't found often in the setlists, and those I like less (Cloud Factory, X Marks The Spot) are found a little too often, especially X Marks The Spot. Cloud Factory sounds cool on those acoustic shows though.
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Time for an album ranking (for the studio albums)
Untouchable tier:
1. Winterheart's Guild
2. Reckoning Night
3. Unia
4. The Days of Grays
Great:
5. Stones Grow Her Name
6. Ecliptica
7. Silence
Aged poorly, went from great to meh:
8. Pariah's Child
Many months has done nothing for it but it's due for a fair replay I suppose:
9. Talviyö
What:
10. The Ninth Hour
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I guess this is one of those times that I'm really glad I don't care about the production. I listened to Talviyo yesterday after talking about it in this thread and still love it. But I suppose Takatalvi would be more appropriate right now given the weather. :P
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My ranking:
- ABSOLUTE FAVORITES: Silence, Unia
- COMING RIGHT BEHIND: Ecliptica, Reckoning Night
- LOTS OF GREAT STUFF: Winterheart's Guild, The Days of Grays
- WELL, AT LEAST THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE QUITE STRONG: Stones Grow Her Name
- THOSE TWO-THREE SONGS ARE GREAT, MAYBE THE NEXT ALBUM WILL BE OKAYISH: The Ninth Hour
- MEH: Pariah's Child
- OK, IT'S BEEN NICE SONATA, SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH: Talviyö
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:lol :lol
To be honest, I don't know how one can't care about production; it's as important to the listening experience as the songs themselves. Listening to the last 3 albums compared to TDOG is like comparing a 128kbs MP3 with a much higher bitrate MP3 of the same song. Same reason I can't listen to much Mangini era DT, because the production affects the sonic qualities of the music. Tastes!
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Yeah I have no issues with Mangini era DT in that regard, or later MP-era either, which I remember reading lots of complaints about as well. (Actually, I'm not sure I remember a time as a music fan on forums where people weren't complaining about the production of this or that.)
So I guess I'll consider myself lucky. But to me, it's absolutely not as important as the songs. And maybe that's the key. If something is bothering me, and I'll be honest and say l have no idea if that something is production, the mix, brickwalling, or whatever... it tends to not bother me after a while if I like the songs. Like I know there are albums where I've thought the vocals should be a little louder - so probably a mix complaint. But even though I know I've thought that before, I can't come up with an example right now. So it's something that I guess just isn't that important to me and I forget about as I'm exploring the songs.
Talviyo is a recent enough example though that I'm pretty sure I didn't even have some kind of minor issue. I was just drawn in by the songs. Or maybe production does have something to do with it but I actually like it.
I'm not suggesting that it's somehow wrong for others to have issues with the production or whatever. I don't think anyone is wrong or right in this. Just sharing my own experience since that's what's being discussed and since I do love the album.
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I kind of get being able to look past it, but fundamentally I just can't look past the production if it's noticeable enough to make the music sound muddy or flat or not beneficial to what the group is trying to accomplish. It's weird hearing albums made in bedrooms that sound better than albums made in full blown studios (Billie Eilish's debut is a great example) because the people engineering the record just aren't making the best choices. "Cold" is emblematic of everything I hate about what Sonata's doing with their sound, Pasi should be banned from the board because the rhythm section in that song is so lifeless and lacks any power imo. It's also not just me (I'm certainly no audiophile), this is definitely one of the more popular criticisms of the band in recent years. You're kind of lucky if it doesn't bother you at all, honestly.
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I can't do rankings (when you start with three albums sharing one spot at the top it only makes less sense from there) but I can do duels!
Ecliptica vs Silence: Ecliptica wins by a hair. Silence is objectively the superior album, it has my fave power metal songs (False News, San Sebastian) and it has TEOTC, but Ecliptica has more of those classic tracks that are the cornerstone of their discography.
Winterheart's Guild vs Reckoning Night: Reckoning Night wins a little more easily. When you put Misplaced and Ain't Your Fairytale against their WHG equivalents Champagne Bath and Silver Tongue, the RN tracks win by a landslide, and then everything else is progressive to some extent, which suits my tastes much more. Shoutout to WHG for having their very best ballads though. Still not sure which song is the better show closer, The Cage or Don't Say A Word. Time for me to brag I got both in one set :P
Unia vs The Days Of Grays: TDOG wins today. It hit hard when I was 17, and at 27 it hits so much harder. When I'm 37 I'll probably laugh at this assessment again :mora: But Unia might win tomorrow, who knows. These albums are basically neck and neck in my house. If you asked me to take one of them to a desert island, I'd probably just ask to take both.
Stones Grow Her Name vs Pariah's Child: Despite my faint praise for PC, it has to win here simply because it doesn't make me groan like 15 times in 50 minutes. I don't really like the "hit" tracks of SGHN - I legit forget Alone In Heaven exists sometimes, Only The Broken Hearts has the dumbest chorus, don't get me started on the other video songs, Losing My Insanity is a great song that has zero place on the main album, and I really don't understand what the single worst Sonata ballad Don't Be Mean is doing on the main album when Tonight I Dance Alone came from the same sessions.
The Ninth Hour vs Talviyo: Since I'm the resident TNH lover, my choice is clear.
"Cold" is emblematic of everything I hate about what Sonata's doing with their sound, Pasi should be banned from the board because the rhythm section in that song is so lifeless and lacks any power imo. It's also not just me (I'm certainly no audiophile), this is definitely one of the more popular criticisms of the band in recent years. You're kind of lucky if it doesn't bother you at all, honestly.
Yeah. I'm ready to cut Pasi *some* slack since it's clearly not his own vision, the rest of the guys have a lot to do with what they want of the sound and I don't think there's a way to do these bad ideas well. But yeah, now that they've chased this "different sound" ghost to its final destination, it's time to bring back just one thing from days of yore, and that's Mikko Karmila on mixing duty.
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All hail Mikko Karmila.
The only song I don't like on Stones is Don't Be Mean. Like, REALLY? :lol
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But I suppose Takatalvi would be more appropriate right now given the weather. :P
I missed this nerdy joke :biggrin: Here we're having proper spring, so the most appropriate album is... no Sonata albums!
The only song I don't like on Stones is Don't Be Mean. Like, REALLY? :lol
Just a baffling moment. That album was written using the "keep it simple, stupid" mantra, so maybe when that song was being made, the mantra short-circuited into "keep it stupid" :P
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My ranking:
1. Ecliptica
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You still haven't heard anything else???? Like at least fire up a concert or something! Or listen to Silence, it's basically Ecliptica but done by a band that actually knows what they're doing :lol
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Ecliptica > Silence
(But not by much. And The End of this Chapter was my first, and still favorite, SA song.)
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Just a baffling moment. That album was written using the "keep it simple, stupid" mantra, so maybe when that song was being made, the mantra short-circuited into "keep it stupid" :P
Like you and probably many more people, I'm absolutely baffled that shitshow of a song made it to the album while Tonight I Dance Alone (which is one of my favourite SA ballads) was left as a bonus track.
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Just a baffling moment. That album was written using the "keep it simple, stupid" mantra, so maybe when that song was being made, the mantra short-circuited into "keep it stupid" :P
Like you and probably many more people, I'm absolutely baffled that shitshow of a song made it to the album while Tonight I Dance Alone (which is one of my favourite SA ballads) was left as a bonus track.
I fully agree :heart
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You still haven't heard anything else???? Like at least fire up a concert or something! Or listen to Silence, it's basically Ecliptica but done by a band that actually knows what they're doing :lol
I'm joking a little bit. I've heard a few songs from other albums that I like, but any time I fire up a full album it fails to catch my interest. I guess I should give them another try at some point.
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I don't listen to the first two albums much these days, because I think Winterheart's Guild was where Sonata finally broke into their own truly unique sound, but my absolute favorite part of Ecliptica and Silence is the synth and keyboard parts. Those are brilliant; I cut my teeth on learning and practicing those solos all day and night as a teenager. Only one I think I can still play right now off the top of my head is Full Moon and maybe San Sebastian. Mikko really left his mark on those records. Full gamut of sounds and just the perfect amount of shimmer and warmth in the voice choices. (Also very noticeable on WG songs like Victoria's Secret)
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But I suppose Takatalvi would be more appropriate right now given the weather. :P
I missed this nerdy joke :biggrin: Here we're having proper spring, so the most appropriate album is... no Sonata albums!
;D I'll gladly listen to Sonata inappropriately if it means warmer weather. :)
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Mikko really left his mark on those records.
*Record, Tony played the entirety of Ecliptica all by himself :metal
I like the shimmery sounds but I also have a lot of love for Henkka's Hammond addiction.
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I always forget that Tony did all the keyboards on Ecliptica. On the new albums he's been stepping on Henrik's toes by getting back into the keyboard playing :lol
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I think he did that for pretty much all of the albums, or at least everything from WHG onwards. Because he records the keyboards for the demos, if something sounds good on them, Henkka will not bother with re-recording that part exactly. The way it's split goes like this: solos are all Henkka, if something demands subtlety, it's Henkka, and if it's a real-life keyboard it's Henkka, Tony is more of a software guy. The two of them always joke that together they make one good keyboard player :laugh:
I always forget Henkka didn't do anything for WHG because he joined too late to record the album. Every time I listen to The Cage I'm like "damn dude you were on fire with this opening solo", and then I remember it's because it's Jens Johansson :lol
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And then you watch Henrik try to play it live this past decade and he either can't or just doesn't give enough of a shit to try. It's totally not his style :lol
That little bit of magic Jens brings to Winterheart's Guild is actually a massive part of why I love that album so much. He's only on 4 tracks but man does he make his presence known. Best synth lead tone ever.
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I always forget Henkka didn't do anything for WHG because he joined too late to record the album. Every time I listen to The Cage I'm like "damn dude you were on fire with this opening solo", and then I remember it's because it's Jens Johansson :lol
I guess I knew going in, but it's easy IMO to tell it's Jens. Such a distinct, recognizable tone.
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Side note, just went through the thread to see if I whined about SGHN on DTF too (of course I did) and I found this moment:
Well, you can't really call Shitload of Money one of the highlights of the new album! :lol The new album has some great stuff like Somewhere Close to You and Wildfires II and III but it can't beat Unia.
Hi. You're my friend now whether you like it or not.
Truly the start of a wonderful friendship :lol
Yes indeed! :heart
After seeing all the "play this at 1.25" YT comments, I tried listening to Talviyö at that speed for fun earlier this year, and it actually made it sound less lethargic and helped Demon's Cage click with me. It makes me think they should've had an actual outside producer (I don't really count Tegelman as one, because as their sound guy he tours with them and is part of the SA family already) who - besides getting the sound right - would've told them to speed things up a bit, like Jens Bogren did with Amorphis for Under the Red Cloud. I can only speak as an amateur musician here, but a couple of times I've written a bunch of songs and haven't noticed until later that the tempos are kind of samey, because in the moment they feel perfect and you don't really question them. I guess when you're working on a dozen or so songs and for a longer period of time, it may be even harder to be objective in that regard.
I think he did that for pretty much all of the albums, or at least everything from WHG onwards.
Yeah, if you listen to the 2008 remakes of Letter to Dana and Wolf & Raven that Tony did all by himself, the synth string sounds in particular are familiar from the regular albums. I don't have the source to back this up, but I remember a WHG-era intie where Tony downplayed the impact of Mikko's departure by saying that he only played the leads, the grand piano and (I think?) the shreddy harpsichord stuff on Silence. Also if you look at the credits for Dream Thieves and The Gun, which were recorded while Mikko was still in the band, the keys are all Tony except for the solo in The Gun.
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And then you watch Henrik try to play it live this past decade and he either can't or just doesn't give enough of a shit to try. It's totally not his style :lol
See, it's such an iconic and perfect solo that just changing one note makes it worse, but playing it perfectly every night wouldn't be possible or it would be boring :lol I can't remember the last time I heard it sound actually bad though, their styles are different but I know for a fact that he has major respect for Jens. Jens and Kevin Moore invented the metal solo keyboard!
So same keyboard recording dynamics for Silence then, that's something I always wondered about but we have few English inties from that era.
It makes me think they should've had an actual outside producer (I don't really count Tegelman as one, because as their sound guy he tours with them and is part of the SA family already) who - besides getting the sound right - would've told them to speed things up a bit, like Jens Bogren did with Amorphis for Under the Red Cloud. I can only speak as an amateur musician here, but a couple of times I've written a bunch of songs and haven't noticed until later that the tempos are kind of samey, because in the moment they feel perfect and you don't really question them. I guess when you're working on a dozen or so songs and for a longer period of time, it may be even harder to be objective in that regard.
The reason why the Amo connection popped into my head is that they have the same problem Amo had with The Beginning of Times, where you can pick out the tracks you like but never listen to the album itself. SGHN had major cohesion problems, but I guess that's a part of its charm for people who do like it. Then Pariah's Child is kinda their TBOT, everyone rates it as a 6 or a 7. But they never fixed the problem like Amo did. The Ninth Hour came together to be an fairly mellow album (which I liked) and now Talviyo is slow to the point of being dull. This surprises me, because Unia and The Days Of Grays are two of the most cohesive album experiences I know. Don't know what happened there.
They're probably considering going one step further so I'd say the odds are about 50/50 that next time they'll have an outside producer. Don't know who though.
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They're probably considering going one step further so I'd say the odds are about 50/50 that next time they'll have an outside producer. Don't know who though.
Fingers crossed! Even just getting Karmila back behind the mixing board would do wonders, though of course it wouldn't solve the songwriting problem (if you want to call it that).
Oh, and forgot to mention this re: keyboards, but at least on my copy of Successor the credits list the arrangers for the songs too, and for Shy it says Kakko/Liimatainen, so it's Tony playing all the keys on that one too.
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I like "Don't Be Mean".
Carry on. :)
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I like "Don't Be Mean".
Carry on. :)
Omg we found one! :angel:
Even just getting Karmila back behind the mixing board would do wonders, though of course it wouldn't solve the songwriting problem (if you want to call it that).
Calling it that would be technically correct but album-putting-togethering would be more correct! We know Tony fucks around with the songwriting to the point where he will write two completely different versions of the same song at once just to see how that goes, and then we know the guys shoot down or ask him to re-do those demos all the time, and that they will pull songs they like from his other ongoing projects all the time (R.I.P. Tony's solo album that we've heard like six songs from already), and that those have to be re-done. So on the song level, they work a lot. But then whatever album those songs make is the album, when someone should be going through the first version of the album with fresh ears to see how it all works together. Most bands allow themselves time to take a break from working on the album and come back to it later, or they have that person helping them out, they kind of just do neither. They work all the time and they do everything themselves (much like Dream Theater since Train of Thought, whose approach I also vaguely dislike). That will hamper your ability to be objective over time.
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Don't be Mean has it's qualities, but the lyrics are just come off as... childish? Not sure how to describe it Still, Tony sings it well and I don't mind the music itself. But I agree Tonight I Dance Alone is vastly superior and they should've switched it. And the other bonus song One-Two-Three-Fall should've been on the album too.
And yes, I have said it before but they need to keep Pasi away from the mixing board, their sound production is their number one problem right now in my opinion. The last album is probably the worst offender in having a completely bland demo-ish production.
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And the other bonus song One-Two-Three-Fall should've been on the album too.
A really cool interviewer brought this song up a few months ago and Tony shared an anecdote about it that I think about every time I listen to the intro and it cracks me up (timestamp vidya here) (https://youtu.be/oUW-KEa5Aqc?t=1902).
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This inspired me to listen to One-Two-Free-Fall again, and for the first time I noticed the little "yeah" at 3:44 :o
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Since we're talking about them, what is everyone's favorite bonus track from Sonata Arctica? For me, it's In The Dark - no contest. Actually, it's among my most favorite SA songs.
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Since we're talking about them, what is everyone's favorite bonus track from Sonata Arctica? For me, it's In The Dark - no contest. Actually, it's among my most favorite SA songs.
Probably agree with you on this, either that or Tonight I Dance Alone is what I would pick. With all my complaints about SA setlists, I've got to see In the Dark live! That was awesome.
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Yes, In the Dark for me as well. And seeing it live was both surprising and great.
And the other bonus song One-Two-Three-Fall should've been on the album too.
A really cool interviewer brought this song up a few months ago and Tony shared an anecdote about it that I think about every time I listen to the intro and it cracks me up (timestamp vidya here) (https://youtu.be/oUW-KEa5Aqc?t=1902).
Heh, the first sounds indeed to sound like Children of Bodom.
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You guys got to see it live?! I didn't even know they ever played it live. I am so jealous. When I saw them right after Days of Grays released, too, my girlfriend at the time got a setlist when the show ended and they crossed off No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart and Deathaura (absolutely GUTTED by not seeing those songs; the band started late and I don't know if this is true at all or what, but after 2 songs Tony said they started late because he had to take a big shit so they cut one of the songs which appeared to be NDCHABH :lol :lol )
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You guys got to see it live?! I didn't even know they ever played it live. I am so jealous. When I saw them right after Days of Grays released, too, my girlfriend at the time got a setlist when the show ended and they crossed off No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart and Deathaura (absolutely GUTTED by not seeing those songs; the band started late and I don't know if this is true at all or what, but after 2 songs Tony said they started late because he had to take a big shit so they cut one of the songs which appeared to be NDCHABH :lol :lol )
I missed The Days of Grays tour, was 17 and the venue had a 18+ policy. I wasn't sure I would be admitted so I skipped it. Would've been my first metal show otherwise. :P
I think In the Dark was in the European Pariah's Child tour setlist, however it also was rotated with Sing in Silence. I was lucky to get this setlist (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/sonata-arctica/2014/volta-club-moscow-russia-53cc1be9.html) which is still my favourite setlist from their gigs I attended.
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Oh dude, you got X Marks the Spot :lol wow. I saw them twice in 2016; in March we got What Did You Do In The War, Dad? and White Pearl Black Oceans - and in October there was Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited which made me all kinds of excited :biggrin:
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Oh dude, you got X Marks the Spot :lol wow. I saw them twice in 2016; in March we got What Did You Do In The War, Dad? and White Pearl Black Oceans - and in October there was Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited which made me all kinds of excited :biggrin:
I'd gladly trade X Marks the Spot for WPBO or APBE, two of my favourite SA songs.
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Since we're talking about them, what is everyone's favorite bonus track from Sonata Arctica? For me, it's In The Dark - no contest. Actually, it's among my most favorite SA songs.
In the Dark, They Follow and especially Shy.
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Shy :heart
Oh yeah, The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me is right behind ITD for me. No surprise... it's a Winterheart's Guild track :biggrin:
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Literally no contest between In The Dark and all the other songs. Definitely envying all of you who got to see it live, it's a great spot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O2GW4jfl1M) for just some great vocals and subtle playing. Sometimes I wish they played it on the TDOG tour instead of As If The World Wasn't Ending, but that one was great to see too, it has one of my favorite keyboard solos of all time, and there's nothing I like more than big keyboard solos in places where you would expect a big guitar solo. Potent display of BDE right there :lol
I have to give some love to To Create A Warlike Feel too :heart that was a great fucking song.
Katt, you don't have to be sad, there's a video or two floating around of them trying out both of those songs, and the guest vocal spots are prominent enough that neither of them really works.
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Katt, you don't have to be sad, there's a video or two floating around of them trying out both of those songs, and the guest vocal spots are prominent enough that neither of them really works.
EDIT: I initially thought you were referring to X Marks the Spot and In The Dark; not NDCHABH and Deathaura :)
They should totally bring it (IDT) back live :biggrin: It would fit with what Tony said some years back about not playing super loud heavy metal when he's 60. It's got juuuust enough edge to bring some oomph to the live set, but is gentle enough to weave between most of their catalog.
I'm listening to it now for the first time in some time, and man, when that first chorus kicks in - gorgeous. This whole song just has a very peculiar, cool, beautiful vibe to it. It's different from just about everything else in their catalog. Every single time, it reminds me of the day that I heard it for the first time, late September 2009. Overcast day, not quite rainy, and strangely cold for summer. Had it playing on my iPod. Takes me back to that exact same vibe every time. And the a capella finish is beautiful.
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Just chiming in to second Kat on In the Dark. That song is beautiful.
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I'm listening to it now for the first time in some time, and man, when that first chorus kicks in - gorgeous. This whole song just has a very peculiar, cool, beautiful vibe to it. It's different from just about everything else in their catalog. Every single time, it reminds me of the day that I heard it for the first time, late September 2009. Overcast day, not quite rainy, and strangely cold for summer. Had it playing on my iPod. Takes me back to that exact same vibe every time. And the a capella finish is beautiful.
I love these one-off songs in their discog. The Worlds Forgotten..., In The Dark, On The Faultline, and others. Every time they do something that's completely unique I love it.
Have a lot of memories from every album cycle, because I listen to each album with my sister as it comes out (maybe Talviyo is cursed because by that time I moved so we couldn't do that :omg:). By the time we got to In The Dark I was moved beyond words, couldn't believe they'd do something so delicate. A real butterfly song, and very sensual, which worked pretty well on me :lol it's a sort of a young love song, and my first serious boyfriend loved Sonata too, so we played the hell out of that one on dates.
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^^ I had a bootleg copy of TDOG before the official release. About a week before that I went to an Edguy show in Illinois and went on their forum the next day and met someone who was at that show. Turns out she loved Sonata too so I took her to the SA show which was conveniently a few days after Edguy. Played the album on the way to the show, bought her the actual album at the show, would later date for a couple years. Good times. Thanks Tony :)
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Lol Tony is my ultimate wingman too. My husband never listened to anything beyond Ecliptica so he doesn't even know how many lines I used on him :hat
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Sonata Arctica will perform their Acoustic Adventures concert via stream later this month.
https://www.semilive.fi/product/gigs-and-concerts/sonata-arctica-live-stream/ (https://www.semilive.fi/product/gigs-and-concerts/sonata-arctica-live-stream/)
Or
https://www.semilive.fi/product/gigs-and-concerts/sonata-arctica-live-stream-2/ (https://www.semilive.fi/product/gigs-and-concerts/sonata-arctica-live-stream-2/)
Tickets are 8.5 euro's. Will probably give it a watch. Tony these days seems to sing lower/less rocky, but his voice does sound pleasant in that range/style (proshot Tallulah from a tv show last year, when they did the acoustic tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjdK8udBmk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjdK8udBmk)).
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I'll be watching both, they haven't done any press in English about this yet so I google translated one Finnish article where Henkka said they're preparing two slightly different setlists. They're probably not changing more than a song or two, but I'd still like to see it :heart
Tony's sounded not normal to me for a little while (since 2019), like it's not just how he sounds when he's dragging a cold or when he's tired, and it's not age lowering of his range or anything because that would be pretty sudden. I managed to find some sets on the recent tours where he sounds normal (whether normal-good or normal-tired), and during the rest he sounded like something was off. Hoping it was just overtouring fatigue and that he's back to normal, because during many 2016 and 2017 sets I checked out, he sounded pretty much better than ever, and that's a very high ceiling. He also said those were pretty difficult tours, I can imagine, the setlists were pretty demanding.
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Stream in 3 1/2 hours!
I thought they would pre-record the first show (like Amorphis is doing with both shows on semilive) so that they don't have to stay up all night playing on American time but the crazy bastards are actually starting at 3AM so we could see the sun rise behind them in the venue windows. Don't know what to say, I love them so much. :metal
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Will probably watch tomorrow. Not sure what to expect, but I will support all my favourite bands during this crisis. And I would've liked to see the acoustic tour last year, I enjoyed some of the yt vids I saw.
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Looking forward to it in just a few hours. :)
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That was nice, technical issues aside.
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Yeah, it lagged for me in a few places, but overall better realized and more unique than the other streams I've seen so far, though just as short. The setting is GORGEOUS and really them. Watching the sun rise as they were playing at 3am like a bunch of lunatics was pretty epic.
Setlist (lol semilive posted the setlist everywhere on social media so no spoiler warning necessary anymore):
The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me (always great)
Life (always preferred the acoustic version to the album one)
My Land (standardly great)
Tonight I Dance Alone (hell to the fucking yes)
I Have A Right (whatevs, I think it's shorter here at least)
Half A Marathon Man (more hell to the fucking yes, sorry Ville)
On The Faultline (when I tell you I cried like a little bitch)
Alone In Heaven (could never warm up to this song but it's better acoustic. some rough vocal spots for Tony, he still doesn't sound 100% like his normal self to me, but he sounds better than most sets this winter)
Letter To Dana (standardly great)
A Little Less Understanding (this was meh on the album, but with some actual thought put into the arrangement and these keys, bass and a banjo? it kinda slaps... I think in the next stream they might switch this for Cold, that's the only switch that comes to mind, or maybe Replica takes the place of Letter To Dana)
Paid In Full (speedy, good)
Victoria's Secret, a very lowkey Elias and Tony duo version they played on the last acoustic tour, in the morning light :heart
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I enjoyed it! Good performances overall and a nice setlist, I like these acoustic dreamy versions of songs I know and love. It sounds surprisingly good on my speakers and it kind of looks like a professional videoclip, with the sun coming in and all. Really good quality stream audiovisually and a nice choice of "venue".
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Also, Henkka completely cursed Tony with those comments about getting the lyrics wrong in the Q&A :lol And Elias trolled us when he pulled out the banjo, my chat thought they would play Cinderblox, because they talked about it as something optional and then he just played ALLU on the banjo all the way through.
They're always relaxed and just :chill but it's always nice to see that up close. To me, this is the definitive lineup of Sonata for sure.
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Ok *that* was awesome. :)
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Yeah, it lagged for me in a few places, but overall better realized and more unique than the other streams I've seen so far, though just as short. The setting is GORGEOUS and really them. Watching the sun rise as they were playing at 3am like a bunch of lunatics was pretty epic.
Setlist (lol semilive posted the setlist everywhere on social media so no spoiler warning necessary anymore):
The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me (always great)
Life (always preferred the acoustic version to the album one)
My Land (standardly great)
Tonight I Dance Alone (hell to the fucking yes)
I Have A Right (whatevs, I think it's shorter here at least)
Half A Marathon Man (more hell to the fucking yes, sorry Ville)
On The Faultline (when I tell you I cried like a little bitch)
Alone In Heaven (could never warm up to this song but it's better acoustic. some rough vocal spots for Tony, he still doesn't sound 100% like his normal self to me, but he sounds better than most sets this winter)
Letter To Dana (standardly great)
A Little Less Understanding (this was meh on the album, but with some actual thought put into the arrangement and these keys, bass and a banjo? it kinda slaps... I think in the next stream they might switch this for Cold, that's the only switch that comes to mind, or maybe Replica takes the place of Letter To Dana)
Paid In Full (speedy, good)
Victoria's Secret, a very lowkey Elias and Tony duo version they played on the last acoustic tour, in the morning light :heart
So they played in the middle of the night? AND they played The Rest of the Sun Belongs To Me?! WTF. I'm still not into watching livestreams, but that is awesome. Rest of the Sun is one of my all-time favorite Sonata songs. And this was all acoustic? Even better. Sonata sounds great doing acoustic stuff these days. Wouldn't mind if they just went completely soft rock, honestly. The Live in Finland DVD has that little acoustic break and it's my favorite part of the set (although that's also because the production plain sucks on that recording and it's less noticeable on the acoustic bits).
Sad they didn't include Candle Lawns with On the Faultline; those are the only two songs I like from The Ninth Hour, but they're both superb imo.
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I enjoyed them both but liked today's even better. Mostly the same setlist, but I was very happy today with As if the World Wasn't Ending. Also no problems with the stream at all today.
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Yesterday was an 8, today was a 9. Really good setlist changes (AITWWE is one of my fave tunes, AIH not so much; Tallulah and Letter To Dana are about evenly matched acoustically and it's nice to hear Tallulah acoustic but on a real drum kit), overall just a slightly better performance, and even though twice as many people were watching I had almost zero connection issues.
So they played in the middle of the night? AND they played The Rest of the Sun Belongs To Me?! WTF. I'm still not into watching livestreams, but that is awesome. Rest of the Sun is one of my all-time favorite Sonata songs. And this was all acoustic? Even better. Sonata sounds great doing acoustic stuff these days. Wouldn't mind if they just went completely soft rock, honestly.superb imo.
Yes!!! They're crazy. Literally, the only reason for doing that is for us to see the sunrise and sunset in the two streams. Smooth motherfuckers, the lot of them.
Also, play Live In Finland on surround sound. That fixed some of the problems for me even though I don't have a surround sound system. IDK what is up with that, maybe the video company messed it up. I don't think it's the mix because Pasi mixed the Kemi show as well, which sounds perfect.
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But they didn't play long enough to really see the sunset. :)
Really love how happy Tommy always seems to be when he's playing, electric set, acoustic set, opening act, headliner, playing at 3am, whenever. :)
Katt - the live streams are available for 48 hours. So if you want to watch one or both, I'm pretty sure you still have time. Maybe you can splurge a little with all of the energy drink money that you're saving. :)
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It set about as much as it does in the summer up there I imagine :lol
Really love how happy Tommy always seems to be when he's playing, electric set, acoustic set, opening act, headliner, playing at 3am, whenever. :)
One of my favorite things about acoustic shows is that Tommy gets to be in the front and we get to see him. Like, imagine if we never got this moment (https://youtu.be/lXp1Zy3KUEk?t=37) :lol or this one (https://youtu.be/m-2IYm8TWhA?t=239) :rollin
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Yeah I'm not gonna watch (got other things to do) but the set is definitely rad. Wish they'd play Rest of the Sun for real on tour.
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It set about as much as it does in the summer up there I imagine :lol
Really love how happy Tommy always seems to be when he's playing, electric set, acoustic set, opening act, headliner, playing at 3am, whenever. :)
One of my favorite things about acoustic shows is that Tommy gets to be in the front and we get to see him. Like, imagine if we never got this moment (https://youtu.be/lXp1Zy3KUEk?t=37) :lol or this one (https://youtu.be/m-2IYm8TWhA?t=239) :rollin
Those are some really nice moments. :)
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Yeah I'm not gonna watch (got other things to do) but the set is definitely rad. Wish they'd play Rest of the Sun for real on tour.
They did on last year's acoustic run through Europe, which was pretty cool. Before that it was only played on the Winterheart's Guild tour, because even back then they had too many straight up power metal songs vying for a spot in the setlist. I agree it's a great song, better than many of that style, guess they favored others, up until now when they could reimagine the song as a mid-tempo moody acoustic thing. But we have this video (https://youtu.be/8TgTU-YCMmw) of it from the WHG tour, which is quite nice.
I really recommend this whole bootleg where that vid is from, so you can see the exact moment Tony and Henkka become metal's finest comedy duo :metal
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Spent the last week binging the Sonata Arctica discography, from Ecliptica through Talviyö. Wrapping up Talviyö's third spin right now actually.
Ecliptica through Reckoning Night is one of the best runs of power metal the style has ever seen. Winterheart is my favorite SA album and my #3 all-time favorite record, but the rest are just fantastic. Very very little to nitpick here, as that's all I have, nitpicks, songs like Last Drop Falls and how Silence is just a bit too long, blah blah. Amazing all around.
Unia and The Days of Grays are probably my #2 and #3 Sonata albums for good having listened to so much Sonata. Like, I've heard every album countless times (except the most recent two), but this just drove home how phenomenal those albums are in my opinion. I admire the experimentation, creativity, wild and spellbinding vibe of all the songs. TDOG gets dangerously close to being too Nightwish-y with the orchestral parts in Juliet and The Last Amazing Grays, but it never goes overboard. Some of Tony's best lyrics ever are on these albums, imo.
Stones Grow Her Name is the last 'amazing' Sonata album imo. I think that album gets soooo much undeserved hate from fans. Other than Don't Be Mean, I really don't have anything to complain about. I love this album to death.
Pariah's Child hasn't aged well for me. Some songs are good, but there seems to be a scarcity of momentum of truly inspired songwriting. The return to the old logo is really misleading considering songs like Running Lights are almost completely devoid of that old power metal sound apart from some fast drums and that strong, melodic hook. Tony starts to sound like he's phoning in some of his vocals. Larger Than Life remains one of the band's best ever songs. I started to sour on the idea of listening to SA albums repeatedly at this point - this album gets tedious very fast.
The Ninth Hour - I did not enjoy revisiting this more than once, and even the first time was more than enough. I like it more than I used to, but that's not saying much. Candle Lawns and On The Faultline remain my favorites, easily. Even the faster stuff sounds phoned in and uninteresting and uninspired to me. God, the guitar work in Sonata after Jani left is just miserable, but especially after Stones. Elias has the easiest guitar job in metal next to Emppu
Talviyö - just like TNH, I enjoy it more than I did when it came out, but after hearing this a few times, I'm almost annoyed that I listened to it so much. There is such a drastic drop-off in compelling songwriting after Stones, certainly after Pariah's Child, and this album just doensn't do it for me. And the last two songs being painfully long is just the worst. I just don't really like this or The Ninth Hour, and I don't see that changing at all for a very long time, like until my musical taste does some drastic shift and I revisit these as an old man.
Just my two cents (or more...), felt like getting that out there after spending all week with the band.
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My disagreements with you about the early albums are so minor that are not worth to be spelled out in detail.
On very broad terms: yes, the first four albums are finnish power metal olympus. There's no wrong opinion about which one is the best, just favorites (Mine would be Silence).
I completely love Unia. Crazy wacky albums firing on all cylinders. Ideally my favorite, along with Silence. Unia and Days of Grays are the best example of a nice blend of innovations but still overall good quality.
Stones.... it's the before / after moment of their carrer for me. Yes, some songs are good. I'd say it's the worse until then.... and the best from that moment on.
The rest... completely forgettable save the odd good song (Wolves Die Young, 'til Death do Us Part). With the last album I just gave up. I heard it twice, maybe thrice, and then decided life was too short to go for the third time in a row through the process of tolerating an album just to endure the 2-3 songs I might like. I will eventually check out the next album, out of curiosity, but currently me and Sonata are broken up.
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Yeah, I think largely you and I are on the same page with Sonata. You're absolutely not missing anything by skipping Talviyö, especially given how you feel about TNH.
Stones for me... I just ranked their albums to a friend, but I ranked Stoned over Ecliptica and Silence because of how unique and creative it is, and not at all relying on the Strato-clone early Sonata power metal. Some of my friends are still triggered by that lol. But I love all 7 of their first albums sooo much that it doesn't really matter.
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I've heard the last album once and it was the first Sonata album I haven't bought even though I had an opportunity to.
Completely agree on Unia and TDOG with you Katt, these are stellar.
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Same, Ev. It's still the only Sonata Arctica album I don't own. I'll get it one day, it's just... yikes. Not feeling it at all.
TDOG has some of my all-time favorite songs by anyone: In The Dark, The Dead Skin, Zeroes... don't know why some fans hate the album so much. Seems like a lot have turned around on it, though, having lived through the last 3 albums :lol
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Same, Ev. It's still the only Sonata Arctica album I don't own. I'll get it one day, it's just... yikes. Not feeling it at all.
Yeah maybe when it's like $3 on sale I'll get it too. :lol
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I'd probably be semi-broken up with them if I didn't like TNH so much, despite the mix/master. I feel like it's almost an album made for me in particular, despite me skipping a track or two (hey Candle Lawns - this is why the distinguished Walrus and I will never agree on music :lol), they fulfilled a lot of my bizarrely specific desires on it.
I gotta say though, SGHN is still so. Ooooof. I re-listened to it this year with my sister because we wanted to give it another shake, and the amount of groans and "WHO AUTHORIZED THIS, WHO APPROVED THIS" and "THE CHORUS, AGAIN???? IS THIS THE SEVENTEENTH CHORUS???" and "OMG I FORGOT THAT THIS WAS A THING FOR THEM WHYYYY" was too damn high. If they ever come out with that vinyl box set they were talking about, I don't think I would even have the strength to put that one on? Go back a few pages to read me desperately trying to comb for something I like about that album, but god, I couldn't put it on right now. It's Sonata's Hot Space: it's fine with me that they did it, anyone giving them grief for just trying out something different an ass, but I don't think it actually has more than a few good songs.
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I'd probably be semi-broken up with them if I didn't like TNH so much, despite the mix/master. I feel like it's almost an album made for me in particular, despite me skipping a track or two (hey Candle Lawns - this is why the distinguished Walrus and I will never agree on music :lol), they fulfilled a lot of my bizarrely specific desires on it.
I gotta say though, SGHN is still so. Ooooof. I re-listened to it this year with my sister because we wanted to give it another shake, and the amount of groans and "WHO AUTHORIZED THIS, WHO APPROVED THIS" and "THE CHORUS, AGAIN???? IS THIS THE SEVENTEENTH CHORUS???" and "OMG I FORGOT THAT THIS WAS A THING FOR THEM WHYYYY" was too damn high. If they ever come out with that vinyl box set they were talking about, I don't think I would even have the strength to put that one on? Go back a few pages to read me desperately trying to comb for something I like about that album, but god, I couldn't put it on right now. It's Sonata's Hot Space: it's fine with me that they did it, anyone giving them grief for just trying out something different an ass, but I don't think it actually has more than a few good songs.
Yo. We are fighting now. :lol
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Sonata Arctica, the gift that keeps on giving - it's even fun to bitch about the stuff you hate and trigger others with your album rankings :lol I imagine that this is how it must have felt like to talk about Queen in the 80's or something, long after the "every album is perfect" heyday.
I'm no ~old school powre metuhl only the first two albums are tr00 methul~ fan, but if I heard this in real life
Stones for me... I just ranked their albums to a friend, but I ranked Stoned over Ecliptica and Silence because of how unique and creative it is
I might actually throw a glove in your face!!
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Catch me outside, howboudat :hat
Yeah, like, let me be clear, I think Ecliptica's highs are higher than Stones. But - BUT! - the originality, creativity, and curiosity of Stones is much more important to me. There's not a single keyboard moment on Stones I even care about learning on piano, except The Day which is one of their best keyboard moments imo, but on Ecliptica, almost every song shaped my taste and style as a keyboardist, and those are all-time classic solos and keyboard parts, no doubt. But I played Ecliptica and Silence to death in my teens, and nowadays if given the option, I'll take Only The Broken Hearts, or The Day, or the Wildfire songs, or even Cinderblox, over hearing Letter to Dana or Mary Lou - even if those are catchier. It's hard to describe. But we can, at least, agree that Full Moon is a BOP :heart
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Yeah no, if we're talking Ecliptica through Pariah's Child, then Stones is easily the weakest album in the bunch. Sorry man.
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Yeah no, if we're talking Ecliptica through Pariah's Child, then Stones is easily the weakest album in the bunch. Sorry man.
Hey, I know it's a super minority opinion, but I also do think it's way stronger and more consistent than Pariah's Child. But like I said, the highs aren't as high as, say, Ecliptica's or Silence's, in my opinion. But as a full record I think it's more consistent and interesting. I know that's waaaay unpopular to hear, but I also can't lie, hearing power metal nerds in some Facebook groups I'm in acting like Sonata's *only* worthwhile content is in the first 2-4 records has really soured me on the 'legendary' status of Ecliptica :lol
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Glad to see so much love for Unia and The Days of Grays. I think those albums are incredible. Talviyo has been around for over a year now and at this point I can probably say it's my next favorite after those two. Not so much love for that one, but it's ok. I think it's a beautiful album.
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Glad to see so much love for Unia and The Days of Grays. I think those albums are incredible. Talviyo has been around for over a year now and at this point I can probably say it's my next favorite after those two. Not so much love for that one, but it's ok. I think it's a beautiful album.
Lethean confirmed to have THE hottest take on Sonata Arctica on the planet. Your plaque is coming in the mail. :biggrin: :hug:
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I've generally felt like I was outside the "norm" of Sonata fans since I became a fan. But I do mostly like the older albums. Ecliptica is more miss than hit for me but I love Replica and My Land.
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I've generally felt like I was outside the "norm" of Sonata fans since I became a fan. But I do mostly like the older albums. Ecliptica is more miss than hit for me but I love Replica and My Land.
I can see that, knowing your taste in metal. It's actually refreshing to hear. I go out of my way to specify that I think SA's first 7 albums are all phenomenal to me but so many of my power metal friends are aghast that I don't think Ecliptica is the best thing since the refrigerator :lol
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Sonata is most likely the biggest decline of a band I've seen. That's partly because I did love their albums so much until after Days of The Gray. Winterheart is still pure magic. Can still remember the first time I heard Gravenimage 😍
Reckoning Night was an amazing release and the run from DSAW to WP,BO is amazing. Wildfire is still such an amazing banger grande and still surprised they never play it live.
Then Unia. Maybe the best. Just an explosion of creativity and for me it succeeds and proved to me how good Tony was at coming up with these amazing melodies and had a feeling for complexity as well.
DOTG is the last album with a certain magic feel to it. SGHN has some cool stuff but was already a strange release. Whatever they have been doing after is just something else. I can't understand how a person can downgrade melodies and music qualities to the degree that is Talviyö. TNH had some good stuff and I have nothing to add to the already widely discussed disastrous mixing they began with around PC. TDDUA actually sounded like DSAW except the bad mixing.
I still hope with every release that some old qualities will be brought back but it's actually going the wrong way.
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Their latest album does have some interesting things buried in it, but it has to be the most dead sounding album I have heard in years. Like, PC and TNH have similar sound issues but their latest really is next level. And with a more mellow/slower type of album overall, that becomes even more of a limiting factor. That is personally my biggest frustration and it keeps getting worse.
Though, I do kind of like how TNH sounds on my vinyl player for some reason.
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I've generally felt like I was outside the "norm" of Sonata fans since I became a fan. But I do mostly like the older albums. Ecliptica is more miss than hit for me but I love Replica and My Land.
I can see that, knowing your taste in metal. It's actually refreshing to hear. I go out of my way to specify that I think SA's first 7 albums are all phenomenal to me but so many of my power metal friends are aghast that I don't think Ecliptica is the best thing since the refrigerator :lol
:lol Well I guess they'd like my opinion even less than yours then. I do like some of the other songs off the album, and I think it's kind of impossible not to like Full Moon at least a little bit. But listening to the album from start to finish isn't something I tend to do. I'm more likely to listen to various songs from it if the mood strikes.
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I always thought TNH was really quite good. I didn't like the previous two so it was a nice surprise. The latest one was just horrid though.
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I've generally felt like I was outside the "norm" of Sonata fans since I became a fan. But I do mostly like the older albums. Ecliptica is more miss than hit for me but I love Replica and My Land.
I can see that, knowing your taste in metal. It's actually refreshing to hear. I go out of my way to specify that I think SA's first 7 albums are all phenomenal to me but so many of my power metal friends are aghast that I don't think Ecliptica is the best thing since the refrigerator :lol
I do get the general love for Ecliptica, Tony's been writing great songs right out of the gate and several of my all-time faves ended up on it. I can't understand putting it on top, or even too near the top. It's not even their best power metal era album.
Overall, there's been a weird shift in opinions over their power metal era. I got into them several months before Unia. Remember when people only went on Youtube to write negative comments? Their comment sections were all about how they weren't "true power metal", that it's all "gay shit" and that we should all go and listen to Malmsteen. Then Unia comes out and suddenly everyone's mourning this greatest power metal band ever that betrayed their fans by changing their genre. WTF guys, where were you when I was on the internet looking for someone who also liked them? ::)
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I was 16 chatting with the only guy on Earth who I also knew was a fan. I had no idea DT had a message board back then :lol
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A recent song with Tony on the lead by a band called Ancestry. I like Tony's performance here. Solid song, starts mellow and ends up heavier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUXFkgKHRbQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUXFkgKHRbQ)
Also, acoustic albums (vol 1 and 2) incoming, as well as an acoustic tour. https://www.sonataarctica.info/uncategorized/sonata-arctica-announces-acoustic-adventures-mmxxi-tour/ (https://www.sonataarctica.info/uncategorized/sonata-arctica-announces-acoustic-adventures-mmxxi-tour/)
The acoustic album(s) will be studio versions from what I can see, not the streaming shows they did last year.
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From the new acoustic album to be released January 21st
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6emYgjTkTMc
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Hrmmmmm, it's still weird with Sonata. At one point they did wonderful covers where even their own songs would get interesting new version. Wolf and Raven 2008 was an interesting take on an already perfect speed metal song. Then later they made Ecliptica revisited and somehow it only showcased how much magic goes into the mixing and presentation of a song. I love My Land. That song somehow always had a special place and I still listen to it with full admiration when it comes on. It's special and Tony's singing somehow feels emotional and real. But on Ecliptica revisited I feel nothing. The song just doesn't have anything of the magic left. It's still the same song but just done a bit different. I am not 100% sure what it is but Sonata stopped having that special magic "it" about their songs.
This new album seems to have the same problem. The Rest of the Sun Belong to Me is a great song and making it acoustic is an interesting idea. But yeah, I feel nothing. This is that song acoustic and yepp, that's it. No magic, no goosebumps. Nothing. Maybe it's the mixing / production that somehow strips the music from the special sauce. It bothers me because Sonata meant so much at one point.
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It misses livelyness. They need an outside producer if you ask me.
Talkvio..whatever actually has some good songs buried in it, I really think that, but it is one of the very rare cases where I simply cannot enjoy them because of the truly atrocious sound quality. Like, everyone was complaining about Pariah and Ninth Hours but boy did they double down on shit sound for what followed.
I saw some youtube clips of recent concerts and I thought Tony sounded much better, so at least covid seems to have given his voice some rest. I hope the acoustic album will have vocals more akin to this live performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkzuyzcCnU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkzuyzcCnU). And Tony sounded really good in the (in my opinion good) song I linked in my previous post.
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The band's music has sounded like ass for years in no small part because of Pasi producing it. They desperately need a different producer
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Hrmmmmm, it's still weird with Sonata. At one point they did wonderful covers where even their own songs would get interesting new version. Wolf and Raven 2008 was an interesting take on an already perfect speed metal song. Then later they made Ecliptica revisited and somehow it only showcased how much magic goes into the mixing and presentation of a song. I love My Land. That song somehow always had a special place and I still listen to it with full admiration when it comes on. It's special and Tony's singing somehow feels emotional and real. But on Ecliptica revisited I feel nothing. The song just doesn't have anything of the magic left. It's still the same song but just done a bit different. I am not 100% sure what it is but Sonata stopped having that special magic "it" about their songs.
This new album seems to have the same problem. The Rest of the Sun Belong to Me is a great song and making it acoustic is an interesting idea. But yeah, I feel nothing. This is that song acoustic and yepp, that's it. No magic, no goosebumps. Nothing. Maybe it's the mixing / production that somehow strips the music from the special sauce. It bothers me because Sonata meant so much at one point.
I've felt nothing for about 10 years now. Unfortunate, they were such an amazing band.
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I own a physical copy of Ecliptica Revisited and I deeply regret that. :lol
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I own a physical copy of Ecliptica Revisited and I deeply regret that. :lol
I purchased it too. Halfway through I gave myself an uppercut!
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Haha to be fair it was surprisingly blend. Based on material from an album as good as Ecliptica it's kind of surprising, but once again showed case that a good song also need good execution 😁 At least Tony does some impressive vocal lines (Destruction Preventer).
Sonata did manage to release 6 really good albums (and some nice songs here and there since) before going down the current route.
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I once read a youtube comment that some modern Sonata songs become better when you play them at 1.25 speed. That comment was actually spot on.
Take this song for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEq5oTmycGYl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEq5oTmycGYl)
Start at 30 seconds and play at 1.25 speed using youtube settings (and then compare it to the plodding original speed). I think that is so much better. More up tempo and better sound production and I would find it an enjoyable song.
So yeah, they really do need a producer, badly.
Also, I like Pariah's Child and Ninth Hour quite a bit, with the biggest caveats being the sound. But their latest was a big dissapointment to me.
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I got the digital version of Acoustic Adventures because it's out now in Japan and I have thoughts!
1) Some songs are nice to hear during a gig but idk about their inclusion here - they are different enough, but ehhh about Alone In Heaven and Tonight I Dance Alone (Mora skipping SGHN songs, who's shocked). Surprisingly maybe even my fave On The Faultline, which sounds very good here but is so perfect on the album already. Tallulah should be in this group but somehow it's justifying itself to me for now :lol
2) It's great to have an album where I would change absolutely nothing about the mix after literally 10 years. Everything sounds very clear and natural and balanced. Seeing how they recorded the instrumental tracks by having the four of them sitting down all together and recording a good continuous live take for each song and it sounds this good in the end, I hope this turns on a few lightbulbs that whatever they did with Talviyö to "get a live sound" on that album probably wasn't correct :tup
3) Don't Say A Word and Wolf & Raven are, predictably, kind of nuts. Go off kings.
4) The arrangement of The Wolves Die Young surprised me, in a really good way. The difference in this version of A Little Less Understanding isn't surprising seeing how we've heard it already, but I still don't know if I even like the song after all the effort they put into it :P
5) Faves after a few listens are Paid In Full and For The Sake Of Revenge. No, I'm not a hopeless Unia/prog era stan, why are you asking. I hope one of them is the music video.
6) Tony is really playing with his voice here, which is pretty nice. He has a few spots still where on certain vowels in certain points of his range something sounds not-really-normal, that remain from whatever we noticed was wrong with his voice around 2019ish. But the positive changes of age on his voice are really working for me here, especially when you consider how stripped down the whole thing is and how many of the songs are still in their original keys or close to them - I thought that for instance they would take The Wolves Die Young a good notch down, and you can hear in the vocal take that it would have been a decent idea, but the chorus is pretty high and he just goes for it. The smallest imperfections have nowhere to hide but the human element/dimension of this is cool.
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Very cool insight, Mora. Looking forward to this. I have a feeling this will sound much more in line with where Tony's head is at these days rather than the last couple where the rock and metal seemed incredibly forced.
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I have only heard the single release linked a while back. I gotta be honest, I think that still sounds as shit. But it has the advantage that it is acoustic music with much more openness/acoustic space than metal with symhponic elements blasting along.
I have been listening a lot of acoustic music on my new(ish) audio gear and it sticked out in a bad way still. I mean I can hear everything, but it does not in any way sound like an acoustic guitar is playing in front of me, for example. Hopefully the rest sounds better.
I really think I'd listen a lot to The Rest Belongs The Sun if it sounded better.
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After a couple listens, I'm liking this acoustic album a lot. It's relaxing, interesting, and sounds so much better than Talviyo. For some reason I thought "Don't Say a Word" was going to be a disaster in this format but it's actually one of the standout tracks, along with "For the Sake of Revenge," "Alone in Heaven," and "On the Faultline." Bring on Volume 2!
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Them making an Actually Good (not just "good for a metal band" which would have also been unexpected :lol) music video was not on my 2022 bingo card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwnCju2aHfU
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I was interested in checking this out, and it fit the mood I was after but I’ve heard better Kontakt samples than the acoustic guitar here.
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I got the digital version of Acoustic Adventures because it's out now in Japan and I have thoughts!
1) Some songs are nice to hear during a gig but idk about their inclusion here - they are different enough, but ehhh about Alone In Heaven and Tonight I Dance Alone (Mora skipping SGHN songs, who's shocked). Surprisingly maybe even my fave On The Faultline, which sounds very good here but is so perfect on the album already. Tallulah should be in this group but somehow it's justifying itself to me for now :lol
2) It's great to have an album where I would change absolutely nothing about the mix after literally 10 years. Everything sounds very clear and natural and balanced. Seeing how they recorded the instrumental tracks by having the four of them sitting down all together and recording a good continuous live take for each song and it sounds this good in the end, I hope this turns on a few lightbulbs that whatever they did with Talviyö to "get a live sound" on that album probably wasn't correct :tup
3) Don't Say A Word and Wolf & Raven are, predictably, kind of nuts. Go off kings.
4) The arrangement of The Wolves Die Young surprised me, in a really good way. The difference in this version of A Little Less Understanding isn't surprising seeing how we've heard it already, but I still don't know if I even like the song after all the effort they put into it :P
5) Faves after a few listens are Paid In Full and For The Sake Of Revenge. No, I'm not a hopeless Unia/prog era stan, why are you asking. I hope one of them is the music video.
6) Tony is really playing with his voice here, which is pretty nice. He has a few spots still where on certain vowels in certain points of his range something sounds not-really-normal, that remain from whatever we noticed was wrong with his voice around 2019ish. But the positive changes of age on his voice are really working for me here, especially when you consider how stripped down the whole thing is and how many of the songs are still in their original keys or close to them - I thought that for instance they would take The Wolves Die Young a good notch down, and you can hear in the vocal take that it would have been a decent idea, but the chorus is pretty high and he just goes for it. The smallest imperfections have nowhere to hide but the human element/dimension of this is cool.
I ended up mostly agreeing with you. And I think the sound is much better overall than The Rest Belongs to the Sun, which sounds so muffled/distant to me.
Anyways, it is a relaxing album and if this is what they play live, I would have a good time.
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This album rules. I love everything on this. Very cool to hear some stuff that reminded me of Cinderblox. Beautiful album. Tonight I Dance Alone, Don't Say A Word, and surprisingly A Little Less Understanding really stood out as special on the first couple listens.
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So I saw their acoustic concert a while ago. It was really good and the crowd was clearly into it as well. A nice cozy concert and good performance. Some songs really resonated with me. Especially Shamandalie worked really well in a lower, stripped version. And even some renditions I found boring on the studio releases (I Have A Right, for example) were nice in a live setting.
Tony sounded much better than the streaming concert and also better than both recent acoustic studio releases (which I all enjoyed).
I could not find a good clip of my night, but here is a great performance of Tonight I Dance Alone from this tour I found as an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH7ui_C5kCM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH7ui_C5kCM) :metal
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This new song is pretty damn good!
https://youtu.be/oVCXqTZ19Kk?si=p-jys72aHHuDwaBq
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This new song is pretty damn good!
https://youtu.be/oVCXqTZ19Kk?si=p-jys72aHHuDwaBq
Don't get my hopes up!
I own a physical copy of Ecliptica Revisited and I deeply regret that. :lol
I purchased it too. Halfway through I gave myself an uppercut!
Also, I just caught this amazing post :lol
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:lol :lol
I'll check out their new album. The new song sounds alright. I actually have to check out their acoustic stuff, I liked some songs from the first one and they released the second one since then.
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"First in Line" is a killer song! I loved it immediately. The new album can't come soon enough! :metal
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"First in Line" is a killer song! I loved it immediately. The new album can't come soon enough! :metal
Can't help but feel that this will be a Flag in the Ground kinda setup.
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New song from upcoming album called Dark Empath. I read that this is a direct sequel to Don't Say a Word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWxIrqvBw4o
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New song from upcoming album called Dark Empath. I read that this is a direct sequel to Don't Say a Word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWxIrqvBw4o
By now it's easier to keep track of the Fast and Furious movies series than how many songs, and in which order, are in Sonata's stalker saga.
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New song from upcoming album called Dark Empath. I read that this is a direct sequel to Don't Say a Word.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWxIrqvBw4o
By now it's easier to keep track of the Fast and Furious movies series than how many songs, and in which order, are in Sonata's stalker saga.
Hah! Honestly have no clue anymore which order or if they even make any sense 😅 Buuuuuuut I think this must be between Don't Say a Word and Juliet then? Caleb, Til Death Do us Apart, The End of This Chapter must be the prequels.
Caleb
Til Death Do us Apart
The End of This Chapter
Don't Say a Word
Dark Empath
Juliet
Can this be correct? 😅
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What about The Last of the lambs? Wasn't that a part of the whole story as well?
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What about The Last of the lambs? Wasn't that a part of the whole story as well?
Ah most likely! Last album was a rough one for me. Where would that song fit?
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Dark Empath is great. I'm so looking forward to this album!
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Video of Dark Empath;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwKBpdin0Y
Eh, not as good as the first song, but can't really complain. It's got some RN/Unia vibes.
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At the stroke of midnight (eastern time), the new album will finally be available! :metal The reviews have been very positive so far.
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Wait, hold up!! Did Sonata Arctica just release an album I actually want to revisit?! I'm hardly a super fan, but they were one of the very first Power Metal bands I discovered, and Ecliptica and Silence will always hold a special place in my heart.
Well Clear Cold Beyond is return to that early sound, so it's no surprise I enjoy this more than their previous few albums. Standouts are Dark Empath, Cure for Everything and Angel Defiled. For me, it's a welcome return to this sound.
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Huh. I'll spin it today then.
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Huh. I'll spin it today then.
It's not ground breaking or anything, but for me, in 2024, this is about as much as I could hope for in a new Sonata Arctica album.
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I started listening to them in the mid 2000s but was disappointed with the change of style starting with the Unia album, and haven't bothered since. I'll check this one out then if it's more like the first albums.
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I started listening to them in the mid 2000s but was disappointed with the change of style starting with the Unia album, and haven't bothered since. I'll check this one out then if it's more like the first albums.
Yea, my journey was basically the same dude. I was never really interested in anything after the first four albums, but I'd usually check out each new album, just on the off chance. I was always disappointed :lol
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I love the first four records, but nowadays I think Unia and The Days of Grays are the creative peak of Sonata Arctica.
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Unia is actually my personal favorite. I love how crazy, creative, wacky and all over the place is.
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Unia is actually my personal favorite. I love how crazy, creative, wacky and all over the place is.
Agreed. Unia is a special, unique album.
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Huh. I'll spin it today then.
It's not ground breaking or anything, but for me, in 2024, this is about as much as I could hope for in a new Sonata Arctica album.
Had a listen to this, it did sound solid (some songs had WHG atmosphere for sure) but I guess this kind of sound doesn't do much for me anymore. Dark Empath was interesting and I enjoyed bits of A Monster Only You Can't See. If this makes a second coming for this band I'm glad for them, but I probably won't be revisiting this.
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Unia/TDoG fans got some crumbs here, so even though it's marketed as power metal and has a shit-ton of fast songs, I really can't complain ;D This will sound like effusive praise, so keep in mind I would rank it about sixth or seventh out of eleven albums overall even though I enjoy it, that discography in order of greatness is just pretty hard to interrupt for me :heart Out of the now last four albums after they'd exited their experimental "every album is a whole different genre" era, The Ninth Hour is still my favorite "new" Sonata album for the higher highs, but it's more tiresome to listen to due to the mix, and it does have a couple of swings and misses, so there are areas where CCB rivals it, and wins.
Singles were ambitious in their structure and length, and they didn't overstay their welcome by the time the album came out, which also basically never happens - the only times I ever even liked the first single since I became a fan were Paid In Full and Closer To An Animal and a lot of the second and third singles were misses for me too :lol Other than the first three singles, my faves were Angel Defiled (the Iron Maiden of it all!) and Teardrops. I would probably put in Shah Mat or Cure For Everything in place of California as the last single. That closer really needed to go somewhere, but at least it has A Vibe.
That song order is absolute ass, it must be said. I might make an alternate album order Spotify playlist to satisfy the Jim Matheos in me.
I also heard Tony's as-of-yet minimally promoted project Himmelkraft (https://www.reddit.com/r/SonataArctica/comments/1aqh1un/a_short_interview_in_finnish_where_tony_tells/) recently through a friend who managed to trick one of those Japanese digital music retailers into thinking he's located in Japan* :angel: There's a lot of 90's industrial and similar noisy elements to distinguish it from Sonata, and the 70's spacey guitar style is unlike anything heard so far on SA albums, but when you look at the songs themselves, a lot of material on it is slightly less out there than Unia and could have been modified minimally into an SA song. The mid-tempo/ballad action is in full force there, the concept seems interesting (and very Sonata :lol), the melodies are pretty cool. I'm glad we finally got a full album of this kind of material again after The Days Of Grays and not just 2-3 weirder songs on a regular SA album.
*putting an angel emoji here when I was in the middle of doing that myself, but unsuccessfully, when he sent me the link to the album :lol
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New album sounds good from the first couple of listens. Definitely my favourite since Pariah's Child.
I never had a problem with their experimentation of deviation from traditional power metal in itself, and indeed Stones Grow and Pariah's Child are two of my top three (along with Silence), for me the biggest thing is the sound, the energy and the melodic hooks and those are where the last two albums fell down for me. But this seems a big step in the right direction. I don't even think it sounds much like the early albums, it's more quirky and varied and reminds me more of those mid-era albums.
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I also agree that Unia and The Days of Grays are when Sonata Arctica peaked, but I've found many things to appreciate about each album that followed.
I'm on my third listen of Clear Cold Beyond and while I don't know yet where it'll ultimately land on my album ranking, I'm enjoying it quite a bit. As much as I love dark and depressing Sonata, this uplifting and energetic return to power metal is really hitting the spot.
Dark Empath is probably the album's highlight for me, but if any song is going to dethrone it, it's Angel Defiled, and so I hope you guys are enjoying that one as much as I am!
My only criticism is how the album kinda ends on a whimper with the last two tracks. The Best Things is lame and the title track has some interesting moments but also a really boring ending.