Sonata Arctica

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BRAND SPRAGINS

Member
Apr 3, 2004
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Nashville, TN
Hello all,

I am a huge sonata arctica fan and have been sitting with their new one for a bit and am ready to post my thoughts on this one.

UNIA - wow, where to begin? I had heard that this one was in a different direction than their previous work and I have to admit that it is a little bit different from their earlier stuff. I do like the production on this disc, it is nice and loud. If i could change anything, i would like the guitars to be a little less on the bass side if that makes sense. I have no production knowledge at all, i just know what i like to hear. i think the guitars sound a little muddy. the songs on this cd are not as speedy as on their other cd's. that is okay in my book because i typically like the mid paced songs by this band. what i am really missing the most is the melodies. typically for me the melodies on a SA disc are right up front and hit you in the face. on this cd, the melodies are a little harder to find. there are songs on here that the melodies are right there but most songs you have to find the melody. Also, I am a huge fan of Tony' s vocals and i think he is great at making huge choruses. i love the way he uses his voice. on this cd he has more of a harsh tone and i am not quite sure i am digesting it. i am also a fan of jani's guitar solos, the guy is amazing but on this cd, there are not many guitar solos at all. i think this cd is a heavier SA but i don't now if it is a better SA. i do have to give them props for going out on a limb and trying something different to keep their music sounding fresh but i miss the melody and the catchiness of the older SA. is this a bad disc, not at all, just not my cup of tea. i think there will be plenty of people who love this cd, i do like it but it is not one of my favorites. I think this disc is one that you have to sit with for a bit and digest it. This one may move up with more listens but right now, it is not my favorite SA cd. Not bad, just not my taste.


Here is my ranking of the SA discs.

1. SILENCE - This was my first cd by them and to me it is there best. this cd still gets lots of spins from me. I love every song on this album. love the mix of speed, mid paced and ballads. tony's vocals are amazing, there are tons of guitar solos. I love this disc from start to finish.

2. Winterheart's Guild - To me, this is the best sounding SA disc. I love the crisp guitar sound on this one. This disc is a little bit darker and to me a bit heavier. This disc has my favorite SA song, Broken, can listen to this one over and over. Another great disc there are a couple of filler songs but for the most part a great listen.

3. Reckoning Night - This disc is a good listen for me. I am not too fond of the production on this one. To me this one sounds very muddy, very similar to Unia. There are some solid songs on this one and i love the ones that i like. There are also some songs I do not like on this one as well. The ones I don't like, i really don't like. I grab this cd a good bit b/c the songs that i do like i love em.

4. Ecliptica - Okay, i know i will be blasted for this one being ranked so low on my list. Does not mean i don't like this disc, I do. The production is pretty good for when it came out so it sounds good to me. The songs are pretty good as well. I love all of the guitar solos which there are plenty on this disc. The thing that keeps me from going overboard on this one is Tony's voice. I think he goes too high on this one. I feel like on this one, he wanted to impress and wanted people to know that he could do it and so he hit it often. When Silence came out he still hit the high notes but seemed to have more control. Does this make sense? My favorite song on this cd is Replica.

5. Unia - Just can't seem to get into this one like i can the others. Not a bad cd at all, just not for me. I hope they return to the SA of old with their next one.

Comments are always welcome. I love to see your thoughts and opinions.

Thank you,

Brand
 
I also rank Silence as my #1 CD of theirs, followed closely by Ecliptica. I put WG and RN right next to each other. I don't really favor one over the other. I enjoy both equally.

I share your feelings on the new CD. I really hope this is a one-off "try something new" kind of thing and it is not indicative of future SA.
 
Ecliptica
Silence
Reckoning Night
Unia
Winterhearts Guild

The first stuff I ever heard from them was right after they released their first ep. One of the few bands I can honestly say that I've listened to since their very very very first release (sans demos). Ecliptica was completely awesome when I first heard it and still is. Silence was a great follow up to it. WG was such a weak third release it almost made me cry. It has some good songs but overall it is a weak album. RN made me happy about SA again and Unia is awesome too. I rank Unia just slightly under RN, and WG way way below them all.

ps. Caleb on Unia is a magnificent piece of work. One of their best songs for sure.
 
Unia to me is much harder to get into than any other SA release I've heard (aside from Winterheart's Guild, which I just don't really care for). I think it has to do with it being such a different sounding album. I find myself having to almost struggle to keep up with the direction the song is heading in. However, there are definitely some winning tracks on it (Caleb and Fly With the Black Swan stand out). It's just that it's hard to compete with Ecliptica and Silence :p.
 
Unia is a very hard disc to get into but it eventually clicked for me and I like the disc. There are some really good songs on the disc, it also didnt help their cause that the disc was released close to all these other great discs.

Change your listening order for the disc start with Caleb and work your way through. I find myself skipping over Under Your Tree, good song just a little depressing.

My dreams but a drop of fuel for a nightmare (MDBADOFFAN LOL) - This has to be one of the longest song titles in recent years. The song itself is purely amazing, it almost reminds me of Queen. Its definitely the proggiest song they've ever done IMO.
 
Yet another "Silencer". I remember my reaction to hearing it for the first time. By the time I was about halfway through the disc I knew they were going to be one of my all-time favorite bands. After getting all their other full-length releases, they still are. It's hard to come up with an order but Silence remains in the top spot for me too.
 
I absolutely love these guys too!

The first song of theirs I ever heard was their cover of Still Loving You --- and I was hooked! I also remember thinking --- geez, this is way better than the original, which is something I hardly EVER think about remakes! The second tune I heard was Shy. So I snapped up all of their stuff, and here's my list - different than most, as I am a huge fan of Unia!

1. Ecliptica
2. Unia
3. Winterheart's Guild
4. Silence
5. Reckoning Night

To each his own, but SA totally rocks, and they have turned out great release after great release despite the turnover in the band!

Cheerios!
 
1. Ecliptica
2. Silence
3. Reckoning Night
4. Winterhearts Guild
5. Unia

top 5 favorite songs anyone??
1. Black Oceans, White Pearls
2. The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me (Winterheart's Guild Japanese bonus track)
3. Destruction Preventer
4. The End of this Chapter
5. Blank File
 
I have the same order as you...
Silence
Winterheart's Guild Are tied for first for me
Then Reckoning Night
Ecliptica
Then Unia

Silence and Winterhearts Guild are perfect albums in my book... SO many rippin melodic speedy songs a long with a few midtempos and beautiful full arrangements on the slower tunes. Tony's vocals are great on both....
 
TychoCelchu said:
Yet another "Silencer". I remember my reaction to hearing it for the first time. By the time I was about halfway through the disc I knew they were going to be one of my all-time favorite bands. After getting all their other full-length releases, they still are. It's hard to come up with an order but Silence remains in the top spot for me too.
Click to expand...
Silence 9.95/10 Near perfection. :worship:
 
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