SONATA ARCTICA – New Album "Pariah’s Child"

[HinatAArcticA]

Part two, all tracks explained:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmA-Nv050fQ

[HinatAArcticA]

One Minute Preview of All Songs

I'll be honest. I'm still to be impressed.
But samples rarely make the final product justice.

[Shogakat]

I don't know why but while hearing the samples I'd got the feeling that it's a 3-4 "good tracks" album. Kakko still has the feeling to write brilliant slow/ballad and midtempo songs but the fast ones are 'mediocre' (if you want, not as good as the others) and lower the level of the whole album a lot: It happened in Stones Grow Her Name, more or less on TDoG and probably will happen again in Pariah's Child.

When a band recycle demos from past albums where there was no place for them ( Flag In The Ground, Losing My Insanity (given to Koivunen) or Cloud Factory) and they are the best or the singles on the new albums, something is happening.

Of course it will be a good album because there is good music in it, but the band needs to go further, they need to wreck the wall that keeps the band out of the excellence always demanded.

Nevertheless really looking forward to 'What Did You Do In The War, Dad?" or "Larger Than Life". Let's see what are capable to do those finns, I want them to impress me.

PS: Tommy Portimo personal Jorg Michael's tribute on "Running Lights"

[HinatAArcticA]

Somewhat agree with you Shogakat.

I feel Kakko's finest fast tracks are on WHG and RN... I feel it's somewhat hard to struk gold more than once, let alone 4 times.

Re-listening to the samples, there's some great melodies up there, but not particullary on the faster tracks.

It has to be said that sounds much more interesting than SGHN, which has a couple weaker tracks.

Half a Marathon Man sounds much more heavy than speed metal, but unlike Shitload O' Money, this one sounds much more interesting... do I get a Rainbow-ish feel or something?...

In the SA forum I talked about duality in SA's releases. How Ecliptica and SIlence are a duality, then WHG and RN, UNIA and TDOG, and finally SGHN with PC.

I feel the second in the duality has always been better (Except maybe with UNIA), because the second in the duality expands on the ideas brought in the first one. I'm sure the band doesn't make it on purpose, but when you think about it, it's a very clear patern.

So I really know PC will be better than SGHN, and as I said, I found some really nice melodies when re-listening to the samples, but I'll wait till I listen to the full album. There's always been one or two tracks from each album (except Reckoning Night, which I love in its entirety) that I simply don't like.

Less than a week to go!

[Mr Hadder]

It wouldn't be fair to judge from the samples but to be honest i'm not liking that much what i hear, i'll wait for the album to be released to come up with a decent opinion but once again i'm not satisfied with it

[SentineLEX]

I really like the samples! They remind me a lot of The Days of Grays (especially Larger than Life and Blood) and to some extent even RN. I've always enjoyed the even-numbered Sonata albums more than the odd (although I do love all of them), so this is fine by me.

[HinatAArcticA]

Ok... I just finnished listening to the album for the first time...

With just a single listen, what I get from it is... it has some great moments. It's way better than Stones Grow Her Name, but it also has a couple boring parts... and the album (and I think this is a first time for a SA album) has an identity crisis.

It's not sure if it's a power metal album with prog elements (as they want to promote it), or if it's a prog-ish metal album with power metal elements on it.

The album has great moments. Larger than Life has a very dark cool-sounding fragment. Some solos are really fun and tracks are very catchy, but those who are expecting for a true retrun to roots won't find it here.

There's also something I wanted to mention... last time a Sonata Arctica song blew me away beyond any expectation and at the very first listen, was with Deathaura (which by the way is more straightforward and I'd dare say more power-metalish than Larger than Life). I didn't find that kind of track in Pariah's Child.

If I had it to compare it to a previous Sonata record, I'd go for UNIA, but a bit faster, and like... happier? It's also worth mentioning there are some new sounds/instruments that the band had never had before, and it's an interesting layer of sound.

With that said, I liked it a lot. It's a good album. I know it'll grow more on me the more I listen to it.

[Mr Hadder]

Well i was mistaken, the album is pretty good! My fav tracks so far are X marks the spot, Running lights, Half a marathon man, blood, what did u do in the war, dad?, cloud factory and wolves die young. the ballad 'love' is too cheesy for me, i prefered the un-lovely ballads from previous albums, i mean about pain and stuff. And larger than life has not grown on me yet, there's something about that song that i do not like, it does not have like a sense to me.

I wont be describing any song on the album but it is worth a listen and IMO better than unia and sghn but a step below TDoG

[NeverendingAbyss]

So far impressed. I'll listen to it on my new Bose headphones!

[robocop656]

Its good to here the old sonata inserted here and there in this new one. What is up with that guy on x marks the spot?

[HinatAArcticA]

What is up with that guy on x marks the spot?

I know! It's kindda weird, but I like that song's chorus! "Heaaaaaven, Heaaaaaaven (8)"

I think as of this moment, my favorite song is What did you do in the War, Dad?... it's so atmospheric, has a faster part, the melody is great, and the lyrics are so good.

[NeverendingAbyss]

The album is a mix of Winterheart's Guild, Reckoning Night, some Unia, and Sonata's modern sound.

Running Lights and DWDYDITW are one of the best, but the whole album is enjoyable.

Kakko finally did it!

[Metal Panda]

Adria9 music producer opinion about Sonata arctica 2014

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[Rebel]

Its good to here the old sonata inserted here and there in this new one. What is up with that guy on x marks the spot?

That, and that one dude explaining what blood is kinda kill the vibe at times, but this certainly feels like Tony has got a bit of his old sensibilities back. First half of the album is certainly stronger than the second.

Seriously, unless you're Keldian, don't use voiceovers. Don't talk to me through your song, it's almost always a terrible decision.

But, if you ARE Keldian...
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[SatanicSmile]

Here's my comments on every song, except the bonus track "No Pain", haven't heard that yet.


The Wolves Die Young
Gets much better towards the end. I like the chorus. Better than most of the singles from the latest albums.

Running Lights
Nice song. Nothing special at the moment I think, but at least this one doesn't have some annoying crap I find from other songs.

Take One Breath
Haven't "opened" to me yet, or something. Sounds quite boring.

Cloud Factory
Is this made for some cartoon?

Blood
I love this song, except that unnecessary part where blood is explained (taken from Wikipedia btw). That really kills the vibe, like Rebel said.

What Did You Do in the War, Dad?
My current favorite. Very good song from start to end.

Half a Marathon Man
Don't like that over minute long, boring as hell intro. For me this song really starts at 1:18. Other things that I dislike are those "It's a beautiful day" -parts. Those are kinda annoying tbh. At 4:40 I just move to next song. Otherwise this is damn good song.

X Marks the Spot
I love this song, even the spoken parts... Well, except the last two. Those I hate. Also, I'm not really fan of that chorus. It sounds cool only after that second last spoken part, cause that spoken part is one of the stupidest thing I've heard in whole SA discography.

Love
This is good, nothing bad here. Lyrics are what they are... But this time simplicity in ballad is good thing. I like the melody very much. So much better than that Don't Be Mean from previous album. Don't Be Mean is, in my opinion, one of the worst SA songs anyway.

Larger Than Life
Yeah, this is nice, I like this. Can't be compared to The Power of One or WPBO tho (good thing is of course that it's very different). I guess it's because I can't find much of band from this one. Just Tony. Reminds of goddamn Nightwish too much!



With SGHN I got bored very quickly, and ended up listening only Wildfires. It has some good songs, some very bad. Problem with The Days of Grays was that it has too many boring songs, and some of the good ones are killed with too much Nightwish stuff, and whatnot. At one point I was bit worried about Pariah's Guild, but now that I've heard it, I can say I like it more than two previous albums. It just has some odd parts, and err... "humor"...

[HinatAArcticA]

(Abridged Version of my review in the SA Forum)

The Wolves Die Young: I have to be honest on this one, I'm not a fan of this album's begining. Even SGHN had an interesting guitar sound effect+piano melody to introduce to the album. Here, the song pops as if it was a cutout of a radio station recording or something. Not a fan. The song itself it's ok. It's your typical mid-tempo Sonata song. It's catchy and easy to sing along. I have to say, works much better live. The studio version feels a bit too safe for me.

Running Lights: This song, imo, represents better what the album is about than the previous song. The intro is entirely old-school Sonata, so is the chorus. But the verse, pre-chorus and overall composition and arrangements are far more darren than anything on an old fast Sonata track. Song is catchy and very fun. The upbeat feel remains. Both guitar and keyboard solos are creative and virtuous. It's a great song.

Take One Breath: Slower than the previous track, but I'd dare say more interesting. This track has what I belive is the sound of a more modern darren power metal, not the 90's fast paced stuff Stratovarius made popular back in the day. On that same note, the song reminds me a lot of Stratovarius' Stand My Ground from the Nemesis album. Song takes risks, but remains catchy. Maybe not as fast and catch as Running Lights but also a great track.

Cloud Factory: I'm not saying this or The Wolves Die Young are bad tracks, but I'm a bit dissapointed that the band has been choosing the safest, not the best tracks for their singles. Well, at least imo. It's something I've felt has been happening since UNIA. Another typical Sonata song, with catchy simple melody and a fun solo before the song's conclution. Highlights being the solos and the chorus at 3:02. Must fun! Like it more than The Wolves Die Young

Blood: This, just like Running Lights blends old and newer styles masterfuly. Song has various different melodies that could pass for the chorus, but they all blend together in a coherent brilliant way. Chorus is fast and powerful. The solo is also straight out of an old-school Sonata song. This and Running Lights are the kind of songs I see Tony composing in the future. They have very clear power metal elements, but they are not afraid to break the traditional formula and bring in progresive slower interesting bits. There are only two things I'm not a fan of in this track. The scientific explanation of what blood is, which I feel is out of place. And second, the Doors-like sound keyboard small solo the song has. But that's because I just don't like how that organ sounds in general.

What did you do in the war, Dad?: This is my favorite track in the album. The lyrics are very powerful, and the music is a bit more on the melancholic side of things, which I enjoy more from Tony than the happier riffs. I just belive Tony is a genius when it comes to this kind of winterish sad feel to the music itself, even withouth the lyrics. The main theme is bittersweet. The song (as Gravenimage did more than 10 years ago) has faster and slower sections, and they work wonderful together. The solo is incredible, with not just a duo playing it, but Pasi joining also, only to stop to go back to that snowy heavy melody. The song closes with the main theme sang by a choir, again, beautiful. To me, this is the Somewhere Close to You of this album. It sticks out from the rest to me, as the best track in the album. I wish the album had more songs on this tone.

Half a Marathon Man: I know the guys call this a rock song, but I can't help but think of an 80's heavy metal song... and a very good one at that. Being entirely honest, this song gives me that feel much more than Stones Grow Her Name in its entirety. The heavier guitar, the mid tempo excelent drums, Tony's growly voice, the hammond organ, everything fits together wonderfuly. It reminds me a bit of Rainbow. The chorus is again amazing. Elias' solo is right on the perfect spot, and it's because of songs like this or What did you do in the war, Dad? that I wonder why those picks for the album's singles and videos, but hey... I'm just a fan. I only have one thing to say... IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAAAAAY, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL-BEAUTIFUL- Not sure if the song needs that long intro/outro.

X Marks The Spot: Ok... I don't like the spoken parts too much, or the verse... but that chorus... HEAAAVEEEEEN, HEAAAAVEN just gets me everytime... besides, the spoken parts are a risk, and an experiment I commend the band for daring to take. In the end, the song continues to grow on me everytime. It's a fun upbeat track. And I can't help but feel Tony means something with that part... "There was a period of time where I hadn't exactly lost my sould but, I didn't know where I put it. And I ended up in some very dark places"... or more like gray places?... "I was trying to fill a void in my heart". I just have to wonder if he's refering to that period of his life... or maybe it has nothing to do with it. It's just a theory
The sing along part that then leads to the chorus is again fantastic!

Love: This song has a very pretty lyric, but that's the problem. It's only pretty. Ever since In the Dark, specially the symphonic version, I've been using it as the bar to meassure Sonata love songs, more specifically, ballads. In The Dark is a very passionate-love filled song. I can feel it in the AMAZING lyrics and in the sedductive yet dark and amazing melody. Love passes only as an ok song to me, and this is more because of the lyrics than the music itself.

Larger than Live (but not more than Deathaura): Ok, sorry. I shouldn't do that, they are VERY different songs, and Deathaura is in my Top 5 Sonata songs of all time, so it's not very fair. I do bring Deathaura because Larger than Life is the song in this album which includes orchestral arrangements, and some actually remind me of Deathaura. Tony can... pull a very distinc set of sounds in some of his music, which remind me A LOT of Dany Elfman. In Deathaura, it's a repeated theme across the song, that changes everytime. The 3 chords of that particular part... "I hear Hear in the Wind... The Bane of Our Tooown!! Come with me Father!". In this new track, that flavor of dark dissonant genius music Tony can make can be found in 1:56 to 2:21, and I LOVE that part so much.

I actually have to be honest. I was very exited about this, but unfortunatelly (for me), it's the only time that that sound really comes up in the song, and the song has an effect on me I don't think it's good... it just makes me go and listen to Deathaura. With that said, the song has amazing sections. The song has two moments with a sound I had never heard in a Sonata song before... Arround 4:23, this... tum-tum-tum-tum song, gives the song a interesting feel, which I like a lot. It repeats later (arround 7:27), and it just works wonderfuly.

I appreciate the song because (unlike some reviewers say) it's not trying to be Deathaura or White Pearl, Black Oceans again. It is its own thing. It's different and it's very good. The choir parts are great too, and the song is a great closure to the album. I just wish it had had more of that dark darren orchestral fragment.

[SentineLEX]

Well my entire-Sonata-discography playlist has finally made it to Pariah's Child, and I got right up to the closing of Cloud Factory as I came home. So here are my initial thoughts on the first four songs:

1. The Wolves Die Young - I like the chorus and the verses musically, and the time signature changes are done masterfully, although there's a lot more to be desired.

2. Running Lights - I love this song's lyrics, and the music as well, especially the segments that are made to sound almost like heartbeats. Very catchy chorus while being a great song overall.

3. Take One Breath - This song kinda went over my head, but it'll definitely grow on me. It sounds like one of the Uni-esque tracks, and it takes a while to get accustomed to the 5/8 time signature on the first go.

4. Cloud Factory - I love this single! Sonata Arctica has always been great at lyrical dissonance, and this song is the textbook way to go around it. This is probably my second-favorite single of all 8 albums after Flag in the Ground.

I have high hopes for the last 6 tracks which I'll get through tomorrow

[SentineLEX]

Well I ran through the songs, here is my first impression of the final six:

5. Blood - I love this one. This is the second-longest song on the album but ends far too fast.

6. What Did You Do In The War, Dad? - My favorite song. So feelsy, and the section starting just before 2:00 sounds like it came off a ReinXeed album.

7. Half of a Marathon Man - pretty nice. Sounds like a good song to jog along to.

8. X Marks the Spot - It's almost like the Cinderblox, except you can't really do a good live performance with the preacher. But still a great song and in tune with the whole album.

9. Love - I don't know why people hate this one so much. I really like the sound, and the chorus is one of the best of any SA ballad. Probably my third-favorite after Tallulah and Good Enough is Good Enough.

10. Larger than Life - Epic. I need to give this one a lot of listens before I can really make a judgment on where I stand with this one.

Overall probably this is my second favorite Sonata album after Reckoning Night. It's nice to hear something positive sounding, and it's got a really good mix of power, emotion, and complexity. Definitely going to revisit this over and over.

[Shogakat]

In the end, it's a really good album. I really did not expect that result, though being realistic it's still out of the excellence those finns always are expected to be.

The only BIG downside of this album perhaps (of course, it's my opinion) is about the big differences in styles into only one CD. Being one by one good songs, it sound strange to relate one song with another and this does not give the feeling to be in front of a solid album (though the songs, individually, are great). In contrast with this situation we could compare it with Nemesis (Stratovarius) which gave me the sensation of being in front of a solid/consistent album.

Anyway, song by song we could find excellent melodies and excellent rock parts. I really like "What Did You Do In The War, Dad?" with these 'clave' or keyboard melodies that reminded me a lot the first albums and Blood, that has a bombastic intro and great melodies during the song. 'Half A Maraton Man' is really cool too and I love it! Simple, but effective(what rock is about)!. The singles are OK, not excellent but OK.

The lyrics are brutal (as always) in Larger Than Life, What Did You Do In the War, Dad? and Love, and I laughed a lot with X Marks The Spot and Running Lights (which is about a guy driving with the girl of his dreams there).

I am happy about 'Pariah's Child' after all because it brings a couple of fresh Power Metal songs and some kind of music I did not expect that surprised me and brought me a smile.

Positive Aspects: The songs (individually) and Tony Kakko (and his lyrics). He managed to do it properly this time.
Negative Aspects: For me it is not a Solid Album. Larger Than Life << Deathaura < White Pear... or Caleb

[HinatAArcticA]

Agreed. I think as albums, the whole package, both Elysium and Nemesis are more solid.

[SentineLEX]

Agreed. I think as albums, the whole package, both Elysium and Nemesis are more solid.

I'd have to put Pariah's Child above Elysium.

The title track on Elysium is nothing short of otherworldly, but I feel like some of the other songs (specifically Infernal Maze and Fairness Justified) are kinda weak, moreso than the ones on the Sonata album (for me it was really only Take One Breath).

[HinatAArcticA]

Agreed. I think as albums, the whole package, both Elysium and Nemesis are more solid.

I'd have to put Pariah's Child above Elysium.

The title track on Elysium is nothing short of otherworldly, but I feel like some of the other songs (specifically Infernal Maze and Fairness Justified) are kinda weak, moreso than the ones on the Sonata album (for me it was really only Take One Breath).

>Fairness Justified... ouch, true.
I guess I'm just remembering when I first listened to both, and Elysium just gave me a stronger impression as a full album. I still like Fairness Justified still, though not that much.

Oh, in case you guys haven't seen it, here's the second video for Pariah's Child

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I still don't like the song itself much, but the video made it a lot better imo, it's very pretty

[HinatAArcticA]

Figured I'd leave this I found here

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