Sonata Arctica - 'California' (official music video)

So, you told everyone
You're falling in love
With this wonderful guy
The kind you all have to see

Touching your soul
Reaching to your heart
Knowing your needs
Making you beautiful

Walks on the beach
Calling you
Mon chéri

Dancing tonight
Holding you close
Scanning your pains
Naming them, learning them

Feeding the love
Sent from above
You think when I claim
You are my everything

Little too much, little too soon,
You think Sometimes
Soon you will learn that my love is

A riddle, I´m a mourning dove
Turning brittle, you shall become
What I need you to feed me, love

Intimidated, weep
Love me, feed me pain so deep
While I still need to hear you
Call me your love

Stand in the rain, alone in the dark
Wait for a train you know will never come

Hip-hip hooray, you can´t wish me away
Now that I have the key
And know when you´re home alone

I have never let you know me,
My love,
Changing the locks, changing your name, I´m a

Riddle, I´m a mourning dove...

Love, always, lonely,
Feed me love, feed me pain,
Weakness you have shown me
Fills my dark, bruise-black heart
Always, only mine, you are
Perfect life
Perfect, I

HA!

You will learn how deep a bruise can be
You will learn my name, unriddle me
Once upon, guess I was made this way
Beauty, trusting love, my fuel, my prey

Tell me you're merely token,
My love
Tell me you're forever broken

Riddle, I´m a mourning dove
Turning brittle, you shall become
What I need you to feed me, love

Intimidated, weep
Love me, feed me pain so deep
Cause I still need to hear...
Still need your pain, keep feeding me, love

Full length album νούμερο 14 για τους Sonata Arctica. "Clear Cold Beyond" ο τίτλος και κυκλοφόρησε σήμερα μέσω της δισκογραφικής εταιρείας (πρώην Atomic Fire Records και νυν) Reigning Phoenix Music, 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.»

Παρακολουθούμε το μουσικό βίντεο του τραγουδιού "California", για το οποίο ο (τραγουδιστής και πληκτράς της Φινλανδικής μπάντας) Tony Kakko μας λέει:

«This is a song about persons who think that it's possible and okay to charm and have any and all people for themselves - use and lose - and who don't care about the amount of pain and broken hearts left behind.

And now you're the target, but you know better and make sure that this will not happen until 'California falls into the sea', what I've come to understand is impossible and will never happen, at least in the sense of science fiction.

Simply put: The track deals with self-protection. If you're strong enough, you can of course give such persons a serving of their own poison what can be satisfying.»

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: "California"
Music, Lyrics: Tony Kakko
Video credit: Jarkko Piipari
Additional footage by: Tony Kakko and Timo Kauppinen

Album: "Clear Cold Beyond"
Type: Full length
Release date: March 8th, 2024
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music (ex-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