Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Talk about everything else besides Stratovarius here in English. Please try to put more serious topics here, and silly topics in the Spam section.
User avatar
Maddest Hatter
Jr. Member
Posts:28
Joined:Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:14 am
Location:Albuquerque, NM USA
Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Maddest Hatter » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:16 am

I keep hearing about this band mostly among Strato fans. While I was waiting in line before the Strato show in NYC on Wednesday, I once again heard several people raving about this band and I finally decided that I should check them out.

There seems to be more than a few posts on here about them, so I figured this would be a good forum to get some recommendations.

So, what is the best album to introduce someone to Sonata Arctica? One person at the Strato show told me Ecliptica was a good one to start with.

Opinions?

User avatar
NeverendingAbyss
Sr. Member
Posts:4840
Joined:Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:41 pm
Location:Betty White will outlive the queen.

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by NeverendingAbyss » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:22 am

:) First and foremost, I recommend you start spelling Sonata Artica as Sonata Arctica.
Secondly, listen to the Silence album.
Lastly, blow your mind with this band!
:crazy2: :D
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch?!

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:29 am

every song.

if you tell a little of your taste i can give more specific recommendations.

User avatar
Stealth
Sr. Member
Posts:2067
Joined:Sat Jan 17, 2004 8:56 am
Location:Blah

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Stealth » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:34 am

I recommend you some Sonata Arctica.
If irony were made of strawberries, we'd all be drinking a lot of smoothies right now.

User avatar
mayhem-for-all
Sr. Member
Posts:1907
Joined:Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:25 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by mayhem-for-all » Sat Sep 19, 2009 6:53 am

Ecliptica is almost a Strato clone PM

Silence has somethings of their own (and TK visiting this album) and More Unique sound

WinterHeart's Guild is very atmospheric and key orientated.

Reckoning NIght is Heavier Yet PM.

Then The old style broke.
It resulted in Unia a Huge Progressive and bearly any PM at all. Still great album actually their best before this week once you get used to it.
Even though it sounds bad at first you may end up loving it if you listen long and careful enough.
For me it took a few months but was worth it.

Days of Grays released a few days ago.
It is much like WHG and Silence era with a some elements from Unia.
Totally Unique Symphonic atmospheric calm heavy at times dark tragic.... and definately awesome.

User avatar
Maddest Hatter
Jr. Member
Posts:28
Joined:Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:14 am
Location:Albuquerque, NM USA

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Maddest Hatter » Sat Sep 19, 2009 7:57 am

NeverendingAbyss wrote::) First and foremost, I recommend you start spelling Sonata Artica as Sonata Arctica.
Haha. Sorry. Fixed.

User avatar
Maddest Hatter
Jr. Member
Posts:28
Joined:Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:14 am
Location:Albuquerque, NM USA

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Maddest Hatter » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:16 am

icecab21 wrote:every song.

if you tell a little of your taste i can give more specific recommendations.
Melody is by far the most important element of music for me. Heaviness is not so much a factor. That's actually one of the things that attracted me to Strato. Beyond that, I really like albums that are well produced. I like albums with a lot of depth and that are very atmospheric (Queensryche's Promised Land may be the best example) and hooks are always important.

That's not to say that I don't like some of the more heavy and raw music too, but the songwritting has to be good.

I'm also a big fan of albums that work as albums and not merely as just a collection of songs. The whole being greater than the sum of it's parts...that kind of thing. Queensryche's Promised Land and Operation Mindcrime albums, Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, Bruce Dickinson's The Chemical Wedding, and Blaze's Tenth Dimension are all great examples.

Balu
Sr. Member
Posts:579
Joined:Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:43 pm
Location:Hungary

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Balu » Sat Sep 19, 2009 9:21 am

My favourite by them is Winterheart's Guild mostly because of its atmosphere, but Silence and Reckoning Night are very close to that. I wouldn't recommend to listen to Unia as a start, as its much more complex and less Power Metal. Ecliptica is an okay album too, but for me, Silence is much better in that style.

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:01 am

Sonata has some recurring lyrical themes that would have to be put on an ep but they could then qualify as concept eps. The band always puts out songs about wolves and each album has a song about a character named Caleb. All the albums are really big on atmosphere and multitracks of keyboards and vocals. The first albums have the most classical aspects and the later ones have the most movie score and musical aspects. The band also has many Celtic melodies in songs and can sort of be a new age meets metal. All the songs are darker lyrically and I think tony has said melancholy is his favorite emotion for songs so there are lots of sad story songs. The first albums have the most speed metal in them and their music has always been more keyboards oriented than guitar but its even more so on the latest. It’s my favorite band so I don’t know; pretty much anything they do works for me. . I think the first albums are the most hooks per second and they have my favorite lead keyboard sound. First albums have lots of my big three of harpsichord, strings, and choir. The latest two have Hammond organ and this last ones has more actual orchestration.

Gossimoto
Jr. Member
Posts:30
Joined:Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:21 pm
Location:Brooklyn, NY

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Gossimoto » Sat Sep 19, 2009 5:33 pm

There's alot of good Sonata Arctica out there. Its hard to pick a place to start. In my opinion you should start at the beginning (Ecliptica?)and go from there.

As far as songs go, I think My Land and Replica are amazing.

User avatar
Intiaani
Sr. Member
Posts:566
Joined:Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:10 pm
Location:Buried Alive by Jens The Undertaker at Black... SABBATH!

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Intiaani » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:51 pm

Ecliptica is a great album at first, but it's been listened thoroughly pretty quickly. Winterheart's Guilt was never my favorite, although it's good. The same goes with Reckinong Night. I didn't like the grandiosity of Unia; it mostly lacked lead melodies and it was too confusing for a Sonata Arctica record. I expected more simple stuff. So I must recommend Silence. I continuously find something new from it, and it just gets better and better the more I listen to it. It's also very thematically bound, a loose concept in many ways. Also Kakko's singing is already pretty calm and good, not as annoying as parts on Ecliptica. I think Silence is their strongest album with most feel. The ending track The Power of One must be one of the best songs I know. It might be a pretty demanding album, but it's mostly easy to listen and very beautiful. All the songs on it are very melody-driven; I think it's the best Sonata album in that aspect. I haven't heard The Days of Grays yet though. So, Silence all the way! :)
"In Soviet Russia, Stratovarius listens to you!"
- Soviet Russia on Stratovarius

User avatar
HinatAArcticA
Sr. Member
Posts:1552
Joined:Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:21 am
Location:South Pole

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by HinatAArcticA » Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:35 am

Go with the whole Silence album first, and the go to Ecliptica. From there, listen to "The Cage" (Jens Plays the keyboard solos there actually :)) "Victoria's Secret", "Misplaced", "Don't Say a Word", "In Black and White", "My Dream's but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare", "The Harvest", "Deathaura" and "Flag in the Ground".

*Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
No need to feel so afraid, colors last a lifetime and fade to gray...
Tony Kakko

Ragehead91
Sr. Member
Posts:3660
Joined:Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:05 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Ragehead91 » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:52 pm

HinatAArcticA wrote: *Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
Indeed. Much like Thunderstone with their first album I always thought they were trying to Out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. But luckily both bands found their own niche.

User avatar
Arkash
Sr. Member
Posts:706
Joined:Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:15 am
Location:France.

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Arkash » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:00 pm

I personally get into SA by songs and not by albums, so I can recomend you, first: Full Moon, then Wolf and Raven, Wildfire, 8th Commandment, The Cage, Peacemaker, Letter to Dana, My Selene, San Sebastian, Black Sheep, Aint your fairy tale, The Vice, Caleb, The gun, Broken, Mary Lou, and many more! ;)
Through the storms we've wandered
Many mountains we have climbed
But all the bad times are behind
The road is free - I'm coming home

User avatar
mayhem-for-all
Sr. Member
Posts:1907
Joined:Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:25 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by mayhem-for-all » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:56 pm

Ragehead91 wrote:
HinatAArcticA wrote: *Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
Indeed. Much like Thunderstone with their first album I always thought they were trying to Out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. But luckily both bands found their own niche.
And luckily both have been improving with each album.

Ragehead91
Sr. Member
Posts:3660
Joined:Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:05 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Ragehead91 » Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:10 pm

mayhem-for-all wrote:
Ragehead91 wrote:
HinatAArcticA wrote: *Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
Indeed. Much like Thunderstone with their first album I always thought they were trying to Out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. But luckily both bands found their own niche.
And luckily both have been improving with each album.
I don't think that both Thunderstone's and Sonata Arctica's first albums are bad. Granted, they're not original, but I wouldn't call them bad.

User avatar
mayhem-for-all
Sr. Member
Posts:1907
Joined:Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:25 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by mayhem-for-all » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:28 pm

Ragehead91 wrote:
mayhem-for-all wrote:
Ragehead91 wrote:
HinatAArcticA wrote: *Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
Indeed. Much like Thunderstone with their first album I always thought they were trying to Out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. But luckily both bands found their own niche.
And luckily both have been improving with each album.
I don't think that both Thunderstone's and Sonata Arctica's first albums are bad. Granted, they're not original, but I wouldn't call them bad.
Yes they are not bad but not especially great either.
They are very basic good.

Ragehead91
Sr. Member
Posts:3660
Joined:Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:05 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Ragehead91 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:33 pm

mayhem-for-all wrote:
Ragehead91 wrote:
mayhem-for-all wrote:
Ragehead91 wrote:
HinatAArcticA wrote: *Note: Sonata is a bit different than Strato, specially the last albums. It's my favorite band.
Indeed. Much like Thunderstone with their first album I always thought they were trying to Out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. But luckily both bands found their own niche.
And luckily both have been improving with each album.
I don't think that both Thunderstone's and Sonata Arctica's first albums are bad. Granted, they're not original, but I wouldn't call them bad.
Yes they are not bad but not especially great either.
They are very basic good.
Agreed. Nothing really bad but also nothing outstanding.

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:59 pm

None of the songs on those albums are something that I think tolkki would write. Any common features in the music are from way before stratovarius and they have many features that are not in common, such as lyrics, moods, tones, layers of instruments, melodies, use of vocals and more

Ragehead91
Sr. Member
Posts:3660
Joined:Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:05 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Ragehead91 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:16 pm

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I missed your "NOOOO! THEY SOUND NOTHING ALIKE!" postings. But sorry, those 2 albums were HEAVILY inspired by Stratovarius and one can't deny that.

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:51 pm

Inspired is a lot different from sounding alike. Sounding alike is a lot different from being alike. I’m just saying that tolkki wrote very differently than kakko did and there are many musical elements in one band not found in the other. i have gone over the midi's from both bands, it's easy to tell many differences between the way the songs are played.

Ragehead91
Sr. Member
Posts:3660
Joined:Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:05 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Ragehead91 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 3:58 pm

You love your little midi files, don't you? But that is besides the point. I know that those songs don't sound EXACTLY alike. That was not what I was saying. But you can clearly hear that both of those bands took a lot of inspiration from Stratovarius in their early days. And no one can deny that.

User avatar
mayhem-for-all
Sr. Member
Posts:1907
Joined:Mon Dec 29, 2008 8:25 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by mayhem-for-all » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:34 pm

I found more and more similarities in Sonatas early works after hearing through Songs of Silence.
They have riff from Speed of Light and the solo of Night Time Eclipse and so on replacing some of the original similar instrumental parts that I understood then to be really similar.

User avatar
palarmux
Sr. Member
Posts:375
Joined:Wed May 06, 2009 1:50 pm
Location:Hämeenlinna, Finland

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by palarmux » Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:38 am

I am REALLY disappointed for sonata arcticas new album :( It's too differend and so... It'a my opinion. I dont any sonata fan get angry from this :)

User avatar
nepi
Sr. Member
Posts:5069
Joined:Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:56 am
Location:Zurich
Contact:

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by nepi » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:47 pm

mayhem-for-all wrote:Ecliptica is almost a Strato clone PM

Silence has somethings of their own (and TK visiting this album) and More Unique sound

WinterHeart's Guild is very atmospheric and key orientated.

Reckoning NIght is Heavier Yet PM.

Then The old style broke.
It resulted in Unia a Huge Progressive and bearly any PM at all. Still great album actually their best before this week once you get used to it.
Even though it sounds bad at first you may end up loving it if you listen long and careful enough.
For me it took a few months but was worth it.

Days of Grays released a few days ago.
It is much like WHG and Silence era with a some elements from Unia.
Totally Unique Symphonic atmospheric calm heavy at times dark tragic.... and definately awesome.
can't write it better than mayhem... absolutely true!

for unia, it's very different and indeed, the style was broken, but fortunately... once you recognise the depth and details of this album, you can't stop listening to it - brilliant! and also the lyrics are just amazing! (in general, timo kakko's writing is brilliant and became better and better from album to album)

I personally recommend to take the usual way: start with ecliptica, then go over to silence and so on... you will recognise how this band became famous and what great music they have composed...

have fun!

ps: i'm a bit jealous I can't discover sonata again 8)
you can't kill my dreams
you can't kill my spirit
I was born to be FREE!

User avatar
Intiaani
Sr. Member
Posts:566
Joined:Mon Sep 12, 2005 2:10 pm
Location:Buried Alive by Jens The Undertaker at Black... SABBATH!

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Intiaani » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:35 pm

nepi wrote:
mayhem-for-all wrote:Ecliptica is almost a Strato clone PM

Silence has somethings of their own (and TK visiting this album) and More Unique sound

WinterHeart's Guild is very atmospheric and key orientated.

Reckoning NIght is Heavier Yet PM.

Then The old style broke.
It resulted in Unia a Huge Progressive and bearly any PM at all. Still great album actually their best before this week once you get used to it.
Even though it sounds bad at first you may end up loving it if you listen long and careful enough.
For me it took a few months but was worth it.

Days of Grays released a few days ago.
It is much like WHG and Silence era with a some elements from Unia.
Totally Unique Symphonic atmospheric calm heavy at times dark tragic.... and definately awesome.
can't write it better than mayhem... absolutely true!

for unia, it's very different and indeed, the style was broken, but fortunately... once you recognise the depth and details of this album, you can't stop listening to it - brilliant! and also the lyrics are just amazing! (in general, timo kakko's writing is brilliant and became better and better from album to album)

I personally recommend to take the usual way: start with ecliptica, then go over to silence and so on... you will recognise how this band became famous and what great music they have composed...

have fun!

ps: i'm a bit jealous I can't discover sonata again 8)
Yeah. The easiest way to find out how an artist's style has developed is to start from the beginning of course. That said, I usually don't like this kind of corrections, but now I can't resist one myself: it's Tony Kakko, not Timo Kakko. :)
"In Soviet Russia, Stratovarius listens to you!"
- Soviet Russia on Stratovarius

Gossimoto
Jr. Member
Posts:30
Joined:Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:21 pm
Location:Brooklyn, NY

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by Gossimoto » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:22 pm

palarmux wrote:I am REALLY disappointed for sonata arcticas new album :( It's too differend and so... It'a my opinion. I dont any sonata fan get angry from this :)
I feel the same way. I haven't given up on it yet, I'm going to give it a few more plays. I need at least 2 or 3 fast songs on any metal album and after the first 8 songs I hadn't heard one that I liked.

I loved Polaris because it has some really good fast stuff.

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:33 am

not liking something for being "too different' is no reason for other people to get mad. saying it sucks or something for being too different just makes a person look like a ass, but you are just saying the music is not something you like as much as a prefered alturnative so it's reasonable.

User avatar
nepi
Sr. Member
Posts:5069
Joined:Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:56 am
Location:Zurich
Contact:

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by nepi » Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:10 am

intiaani: ups*

at first sight, it's not so great, but it's one of those you have to listen again and again it becomes better after every single listening...

it's catchy but not on the first listening...
you can't kill my dreams
you can't kill my spirit
I was born to be FREE!

User avatar
icecab21
Sr. Member
Posts:3520
Joined:Mon May 19, 2008 8:59 pm

Re: Recommend me some SONATA ARCTICA

Post by icecab21 » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:56 pm

depends on the person, for some it's very catchy first listen.

Post Reply