Sonata Arctica - About 'A Monster Only You Can't See'

Full length album νούμερο 14 για τους Sonata Arctica. "Clear Cold Beyond" ο τίτλος και έχει προγραμματισθεί να κυκλοφορήσει στις αρχές της άνοιξης μέσω της δισκογραφικής εταιρείας Atomic Fire Records, το δελτίο τύπου της οποίας μας λέει σχετικά:

«Sonata Arctica have been many things in their storied career. Finnish power metal messiahs, relentlessly touring powerhouses, champions of sublime melody. First and foremost, however, they have been stalwarts in showcasing the magic and the enchantment flowing through heavy metal.

They have been embodying the majesty and serenity of Nordic nature since their foundation in 1995 and have been spellbinding their world with ten records, EPs and countless tours.

"Clear Cold Beyond" easily is the most relentless Sonata Arctica record to date, a spectacular resurgence of their trademark, lightning fast power metal forged far, far north. "We’ve felt for a while now that we’d need to get heavier again after some unintentionally softer albums", Tony says.

With production duties handles by your truly Mikko Karmila, key figure of their early days, "Clear Cold Beyond" sounds massive, heavy and hungry and takes a bow to their early work when everything was shrouded in a profound sense of magic and mystery.

This magic is back now - only with a band that’s 25 years down the road and nothing less than an experienced beast urging to go mental like they never did before.»

Ο τραγουδιστής της μπάντας, Tony Kakko, κάνει λόγο για βαρύτερο δίσκο σε σχέση με τους προκατόχους του (καθώς είχαν προηγηθεί δύο ακουστικά albums το 2022):

«We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel - good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer.

We’re getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start, and the new songs have been so much fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing along to.

We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.»

Band: Sonata Arctica
Country of origin: Finland
Location: Kemi, Lappi
Formed in: 1999
Genre: Power Metal
Lyrical themes: Fantasy metaphors, Love, Relationships, Life
Years active: 1996-1999 (as Tricky Beans), 1999 (as Tricky Means), 1999-present

Video: About "A Monster Only You Can't See"
Album: "Clear Cold Beyond"
Type: Full length
Release date: March 8th, 2024
Label: Atomic Fire Records
Format: CD, Vinyl, Digital

Track listing:
01. First In Line
02. California
03. Shah Mat
04. Dark Empath
05. Cure For Everything
06. A Monster Only You Can’t See
07. Teardrops
08. Angel Defiled
09. The Best Things
10. Clear Cold Beyond
Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only!):
11. A Ballad For The Broken
12. Toy Soldiers (Martika Cover)

Band members:
Tony Kakko - Vocals, Keyboard
Elias Viljanen - Guitar
Pasi Kauppinen - Bass
Tommy Portimo - Drums
Henrik Klingenberg - Keyboard

Miscellaneous staff:
Mikko Karmila - Mixing
Svante Forsbäck - Mastering
Niko Anttila - Cover art