Sonata Arctica

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica at the Rockharz Open Air 2016
Sonata Arctica at the Rockharz Open Air 2016
General information
origin Kemi , Finland
Genre (s) Power Metal , Progressive Metal , Symphonic Rock
founding 1996 as Tricky Beans
Website www.sonataarctica.info
Founding members
Tony Kakko
Jani Liimatainen (until 2007)
Tommy Portimo
Marko Paasikoski (until 1999 or 2000–2013)
Electric bass
Pentti Peura (until 1999)
Current occupation
Vocals, keyboard
Tony Kakko
Electric guitar
Elias Viljanen (since 2007)
Drums
Tommy Portimo
Keyboard
Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg (since 2003)
Electric bass
Pasi Kauppinen (since 2013)
former members
Keyboard
Mikko Härkin (2000–2002)
Electric bass
Janne Kivilahti (1999-2000)

Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal - band , the influences from progressive metal , melodic rock and symphonic metal has.

history

Bassist Pasi Kauppinen and keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg at the Rockharz 2016
Sonata Arctica during The Days of Grays Tour 2011.
Singer Tony Kakko at Rockharz 2016
Guitarist Elias Viljanen at the Rockharz 2016
Drummer Tommy Portimo at Rockharz 2016

The band was founded in 1996 under the name "Tricky Beans", but changed this name in 1997 to "Tricky Means". Apparently the Finns originally made music that had nothing to do with metal . From 1999 "Tricky Means" began to play Power Metal, and got a contract with the record company Spinefarm Records . They then changed their name one more time, this time to "Sonata Arctica". In the same year her first album Ecliptica was released . Frontman Tony Kakko, who previously both played keyboard and sang, decided to focus on singing. Mikko Härkin joined in as a replacement. A short time later, the bassist left the band and was replaced by Marko Paasikoski.

In 2001 the album Silence was released . Recordings from the Japan tour resulted in the live album Songs of Silence - Live in Tokyo in 2002 . After the end of this tour, Mikko Härkin left the band, so that on the 2003 album Winterheart's Guild Tony Kakko played the keyboard again, with some of the songs being supported by " Stratovarius " keyboardist Jens Johansson . In the meantime, ex- “ Requiem ” keyboarder Henrik Klingenberg joined the band, who made his debut in February 2003 at a concert in Tornio, Finland and played the 2004 album Reckoning Night Keyboard.

On May 12, 2006, the live album For the Sake of Revenge and the live DVD of the same name were released, which includes the concerts recorded on February 4 and 5, 2005 in Tokyo .

The release of the fifth studio album Unia ( fin. "Dreams") happened worldwide on May 25, 2007. On July 11, 2007 it reached gold status in Finland. The accompanying single Paid In Full was released on April 27, 2007.

On March 2, 2007 it was announced that guitarist Jani Liimatainen could not take part in the spring 2007 performances because he had to do his community service in Finland. In August 2007, the band finally announced that they had separated from Liimatainen; The band's new guitarist was Elias Viljanen, who had been playing temporarily until then.

In the band biography published in 2015, Liimatainen's excessive alcohol consumption during the tour and the resulting indifference was taken as an opportunity to separate by mutual agreement.

The album The Days of Grays (released in Germany on September 18, 2009) was awarded gold in Finland just a few days after its release. This was followed by the "Days of Grays Tour" which took the band around the world.

In 2012 the album Stones Grow Her Name was released (release date in Germany: May 18, 2012).

On August 26, 2013, Marko Paasikoski left the band for personal reasons. He stated in a statement that he no longer had the motivation necessary to remain part of the band. He was replaced by Pasi Kauppinen (Silent Voices, ex-Requiem, Winterborn).

The eighth studio album Pariah's Child was released on March 28, 2014. According to statements by front man Tony Kakko, a return to the style of earlier albums took place.

A Scottish label released a compilation album in 2015 under the title A Tribute to Sonata Arctica . Many well-known artists took part, including Xandria , Stream of Passion , Arven and Timeless Miracle .

In December 2015, the band surprisingly released a Christmas single called Christmas Spirit , which includes three different versions of the song. The single was distributed exclusively through the music label Nuclear Blast and was limited according to their information.

On July 21, 2016, the band released the album title of the new album The Ninth Hour , which was released on October 7, 2016 by Nuclear Blast.

Their regular tenth album was released on September 6, 2019, which is called Talviyö (Finnish winter nights).

history

style

Typical for the style of the band, besides melodic keyboard passages, are the fast guitar solos, such as those shaped by Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius . Sonata Arctica were often compared to Stratovarius at the beginning of their career.

Composer and lyricist Tony Kakko attaches great importance to melody and harmonies. The keyboard solos often duel with guitar solos.

Until the third release, Winterheart's Guild , Sonata Artica could clearly be assigned to European Power Metal .

Since Reckoning Night the song structures have become more complex and progressive elements have found their way. The album Unia thus formed the band's progressive, polymetric zenith. The album was rejected by the majority of the fans because it lacked the catchiness at the time. With The Days of Grays , however, this complexity decreased and Kakko began to arrange orchestral instruments in the songs.

Tony Kakko has long since ceased to refer to the music as power metal , but rather as melodic rock music.

The vocals on the older albums were often, but not exclusively, based on the typical high- pitched falsetto vocals, as is often used in Power Metal (for example in the song Destruction Preventer from the album Ecliptica ). Since Reckoning Night the singing is more multifaceted and not so high any more. The songs have complex vocal harmonies that Kakko in the shooting by overdubbing process einsingt. Since the newer pieces are carried by vocal sets and choirs, the harmony voices are played live as playback . There are also a few growls (sung by keyboardist Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg and Screams - e.g. in Wolf & Raven and The End of this Chapter , both on the album Silence ; also The Harvest on Unia ).

What is striking is a thematically red thread of the albums. For example, every album contains at least one ballad (e.g. Letter to Dana , Tallulah , Gravenimage , Shamandalie , Good Enough Is Good Enough , Everything Fades to Gray ), a guitar-heavy ballad (e.g. Replica , Last Drop Falls , The Misery , My Selene , Under Your Tree , Juliet ) and a song that tells about wolves ( FullMoon , Wolf and Raven , The Cage , Ain't Your Fairytale , It Won't Fade , The Last Amazing Grays ). A wolf is also shown on some covers , such as that of the album For the Sake of Revenge . Besides dogs, wolves are Tony Kakko's favorite animals.

Discography

Studio albums

year Title
music label
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placementsTemplate: chart table / maintenance / without sources
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH FI FI
1999 Ecliptica
Spinefarm Records
- - - FI31
gold
gold

(4 weeks)FI
2001 Silence
Spinefarm Records
- - - FI3
gold
gold

(7 weeks)FI
2003 Winterheart's Guild
Spinefarm Records
DE88 (1 week)
DE
- - FI3
gold
gold

(12 weeks)FI
2004 Reckoning Night
Nuclear Blast
DE77 (1 week)
DE
- CH85 (2 weeks)
CH
FI2
gold
gold

(8 weeks)FI
2007 Unia
Nuclear Blast
DE35 (2 weeks)
DE
AT62 (1 week)
AT
CH40 (2 weeks)
CH
FI1
gold
gold

(22 weeks)FI
2009 The Days of Grays
Nuclear Blast
DE24 (2 weeks)
DE
AT52 (1 week)
AT
CH26 (2 weeks)
CH
FI2
gold
gold

(9 weeks)FI
2012 Stones Grow Her Name
Nuclear Blast
DE24 (2 weeks)
DE
AT29 (2 weeks)
AT
CH21 (2 weeks)
CH
FI1
gold
gold

(21 weeks)FI
2014 Pariah's Child
Nuclear Blast
DE31 (1 week)
DE
AT30 (1 week)
AT
CH13 (3 weeks)
CH
FI1 (14 weeks)
FI
Ecliptica Revisited: 15th Anniversary Edition
Nuclear Blast
- - - FI20 (1 week)
FI
Re-recording of the album Ecliptica from 1999
2016 The Ninth Hour
Nuclear Blast
DE22 (1 week)
DE
AT43 (1 week)
AT
CH18 (2 weeks)
CH
FI2 (7 weeks)
FI
2019 Talviyö
Nuclear Blast
DE26 (1 week)
DE
AT54 (1 week)
AT
CH22 (1 week)
CH
FI2 (2 weeks)
FI

Books

Web links

Commons : Sonata Arctica  - collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

  1. News on sonataarctica.info
  2. http://sonataarctica.info/news/2009-09-2009-09-17-new-album-sells-gold-in-finland
  3. http://sonataarctica.info/news/2013-08-2013-08-26-sonata-arctica-parts-ways-with-bass-player-announces-replacement
  4. Sonata Arctica: New album "Pariah's Child" comes in March, cover released. January 9, 2014, accessed December 2, 2015.