Sonata Arctica thread

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

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.

[Scorpion]

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.

[Pettor]

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!

[Pettor]

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 😊

[Lowdz]

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 

[Scorpion]

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

[gazinwales]

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.

[MirrorMask]

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.

[wolfking]

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.

[Dittomist]

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.

[ErHaO]

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.

[?]

Resurrection time!

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
Till Death's Done Us Apart

[MirrorMask]

Nice! that happened so far only in my compilations 

Till Death's Done Us Apart is possibly the best song on the latest album.

[Pettor]

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.

[MirrorMask]

Doesn't that song actually belongs to the saga?

[The Walrus]

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...

[MirrorMask]

I think the row of songs from Life to 'til Death are quite strong. Everything else is just meh.

[The Walrus]

It's a dumb thing to say, but the fact won't wane away   

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. 

[ErHaO]

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 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.

[?]

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.

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.

[The Walrus]

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 

[Pettor]

Oh so it is part of the saga, makes sense. Not sure why I thought it didn't   

[?]

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 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.

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 and they'll start working on the next record soon, so it looks pretty unlikely that they'll extend the tour to other countries.

[?]

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

[Pettor]

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.

[Evermind]

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.

[ErHaO]

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.

[The Walrus]

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.

[Lethean]

I love that song.

[Pettor]

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.

[?]

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 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.

[Evermind]

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.

[The Walrus]

That's a terrible set. I love SA, but I'm also done with the live shows.

[MirrorMask]

Whoah. Very bad selection of songs and the order is weird as well. It's like they're not even trying.

[The Walrus]

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.