The Sonata Arctica Thread

[Shredgirl]

I figured since we have more than a few threads going off topic into a discussion about Sonata Arctica, why not make a thread?



What is your favourite album by them? favourite song?

Lets discuss this great band.

 

[Philomelle]

I love Sonata! They're in my top three. I don't discriminate between newer/older styles.

Victoria's Secret was the first Sonata song I heard, and it blew me away, it's still one of my favorites. Along with The Cage, My Selene, and San Sebastian... I like the real speedy ones best.

 

[1928]

Absolutely love Sonata Arctica, one of the few bands that has never disappointed me, except for the 2006 version of Wolf & Raven.

Favorite Sonata album is Winterheart's Guild, but I honestly love all of them - all six of them are top notch pieces of work.

My all-time favorite song of theirs is White Pearl, Black Oceans. One of the best power metal songs ever written, I think. Though there are so many that come close.

Everybody already knows where I stand on their new sound... whether it's for the better or worse in your opinion, I don't think anybody can deny they've crafted something that's completely unique, something they can call their own. That's really hard to do, and I'm really proud that they've done that!

If I were to make a list of my favorite Sonata songs, it would honestly be about half their catalogue, and that's after eliminating some. They're one of the few bands that really doesn't have more than maybe a couple of average songs, in my opinion. I think Tony is a musical genius.

 

[Indestructible]

I like Sonata Arctica a lot as a band, but as music for personal entertainment, I'd stick to other bands.

 

[1928]

What does that mean?

 

[Shredgirl]

Absolutely love Sonata Arctica, one of the few bands that has never disappointed me, except for the 2006 version of Wolf & Raven.

You mean the 2008 remake from the Japanese remastered Silence?

I did not like that song much at first but it grew on me eventually.

Did you like the 2008 remake of Letter To Dana from the Japanese remastered Eclipitica?

Also, did you like the 2006 remakes of My Land and Replica from 'The Collection' album?

I really enjoyed them all.

 

[Indestructible]

What does that mean?

Really, I don't know how to explain it otherwise.....

 

[1928]

I actually have never heard about the remakes of Letter to Dana and Replica! I really just don't like the mood in the W&R remake, it's kind of cool in a way but at the same time I think it's really jarring and kind of hard to listen to, haha. However, I really like what they did with the intro to the My Land remake. That cool clean guitar and the drums, I love it. Too bad Tony doesn't hit the high note at the end and he mashes up the final bridge... but for a remake, not that bad!

 

[Shredgirl]

Really, I don't know how to explain it otherwise.....

I actually have never heard about the remakes of Letter to Dana and Replica! I really just don't like the mood in the W&R remake, it's kind of cool in a way but at the same time I think it's really jarring and kind of hard to listen to, haha. However, I really like what they did with the intro to the My Land remake. That cool clean guitar and the drums, I love it. Too bad Tony doesn't hit the high note at the end and he mashes up the final bridge... but for a remake, not that bad!

Really? The 2006 remake of Replica was even released as a single from 'The Collection'. I bought that first as it came out before the album did.

As for the remake of Letter To Dana, it's on the remastered Japanese release of Ecliptica like I said, I bought both remastered albums as they came out together.

I agree with you on the remake of My Land, especially the new intro! Still a great song, it's got a new feeling to it and I can listen to both versions back to back.

I also know what you mean about the W&R remake, that's how I felt at first.

 

[1928]

I'll definitely look up those remakes. Always willing to hear more Sonata material

 

[Indestructible]

hey what is sonata arctica's main genre? wikipadia says that they are more progressive on later albums. i rely on wikipadia for all information so......but anybody can hop on there and write what they want, which is why i ask you now.

 

[1928]

Don't use Wikipedia, use www.metal-archives.com, it's a bit more definitive. Sonata Arctica is power metal.

 

[Philomelle]

You'd really call current Sonata Arctica power metal?

 

[1928]

While they're still making songs like Deathaura, Flag In The Ground, The Last Amazing Grays? Yea They're getting harder to classify... maybe I'd go progpower for current Sonata, but if they keep on this path they just won't be able to be categorized, which I think is pretty cool in several ways. But I don't like to split hairs for genres, and I'm not a fan of subsubgenres either, so meh.

 

[RedFox742]

*le sigh*

You've been waiting for me to show up here, haven't you, Kysh.

Favorite Sonata album is Reckoning Night, but their first four are all amazing. After that........

Unia grew on me. Slightly. After a LONG time.

Days of Grays is unlistenable after track 4. Zzzzzzz.

(For the uninitiated, this is Kysh and my running joke; he likes new Sonata, I can't stand 'em.)

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Sonata Arctica were one of the first power metal bands I got into and it was the first band me and my gf connected over (and Iron Maiden ofc) when we first met so I will always have a special place for them. Loved every album from the first four but especially Silence. Urgh, then Unia happened and I'd rather wish it hadn't. I've said in a previous thread that Unia sounded like they'd gone in a different direction for the sake of going in a different direction. Nothing wrong with experimenting, developing the music and trying something other than the old school Sonata sound but I think they misfired with Unia there was little of redeeming value, liked Good Enough Is Good Enough though.

The Days of Grays, flying in the face of Andi's thoughts , on the other hand was a significant improvement for me. Barring the odd "Dancing on the borderline x 10" slip-up, it was a much more enjoyable return to form whilst still exploring the proggy direction. Some of the symphonic/orchestral parts are downright gorgeous. It even improves the lyrical themes and I don't usually pay a lot of attention to that side of things.

 

[Shredgirl]

While they're still making songs like Deathaura, Flag In The Ground, The Last Amazing Grays? Yea They're getting harder to classify... maybe I'd go progpower for current Sonata, but if they keep on this path they just won't be able to be categorized, which I think is pretty cool in several ways. But I don't like to split hairs for genres, and I'm not a fan of subsubgenres either, so meh.

I agree, they've still got alot of Power Metal elements in their songs and albums, like you said, Tony is a musical genius.

Days of Grays is unlistenable after track 4. Zzzzzzz.

You did not like 'In The Dark, Nothing More, In My Eyes You're A Giant, or Everything Fades To Gray (Full Version)'?

 

[1928]

*le sigh*

You've been waiting for me to show up here, haven't you, Kysh.

(For the uninitiated, this is Kysh and my running joke; he likes new Sonata, I can't stand 'em.)

I certainly have! I knew where this would end up as soon as I saw the thread, haha!

@Shredgirl - I'm glad you like In The Dark too! That's one of my most favorites from Days of Grays. Something about it, it's just really relaxing, especially that chorus and how it ends a capella. I can't get enough of it.

I also really like how the lyrics have evolved and how Tony works his way through the songs with them... very unconventional structure sometimes, very chaotic, but it works! Like most of the songs in Unia, and The Dead Skin on Days of Grays. Great metaphors, vivid descriptions, and emotional! In Black and White and The Harvest in particular have some of my favorites.

 

[Shredgirl]

@Shredgirl - I'm glad you like In The Dark too! That's one of my most favorites from Days of Grays. Something about it, it's just really relaxing, especially that chorus and how it ends a capella. I can't get enough of it.

Same here!

I also really like how the lyrics have evolved and how Tony works his way through the songs with them... very unconventional structure sometimes, very chaotic, but it works! Like most of the songs in Unia, and The Dead Skin on Days of Grays. Great metaphors, vivid descriptions, and emotional! In Black and White and The Harvest in particular have some of my favorites.

Yes, I agree.

 

[Kingface]

Haha, great idea Shredgirl! I've also noticed that this band being mentioned really gets people posting!

Generally, I really like them, my favourite album is Silence (with Ecliptica a very close second) and if I had to pick a favourite song, it would probably be False News Travel Fast (why isn't it a staple in their live sets?!).

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed this, but with a lot of Bands, there tends to be general consensus about the high quality and not so high quality albums of a Band among fans, for example a huge amount of people who take an interest in Dragonforce like the first two albums but dislike the last two, Metallica fans liking their first five albums, disliking Load - St.Anger, but liking Death Magnetic etc.

With Sonata Arctica, it appears to be that Ecliptica and Silence are the best albums, Winterheart's Guild and Reckoning Night are pretty good but not as good, but Unia and TDOG nowhere near as good as the rest of their stuff.

I don't usually follow these Consensuses to the letter, but in the case of SA, I more or less do, although I'd say Winterheart's Guild is very close to the quality of the first two albums. I still quite like the last two albums, but I guess the change of style is just not to my preference. The way I see it they've gone from being one of the best fast-paced, "light" sounding (lack of a better term) Power Metal bands around to a Darker, more Progressive style of Metal that quite a few other bands are much better at doing already.