SONATA ARCTICA: New Album Details Revealed!

[Ragehead91]

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release their new album, "The Days Of Grays", on September 18 in Europe and September 22 in North America through Nuclear Blast Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

Limited 2CD Digipack:

01. Everything Fades To Gray (instrumental)
02. Deathaura
03. The Last Amazing Grays
04. Flag In The Ground
05. Breathing
06. Zeroes
07. The Dead Skin
08. Juliet
09. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (full version)

Bonus Track:

13. In The Dark

Bonus CD: track listing to be announced

CD Jewelcase:

01. Everything Fades To Gray (instrumental)
02. Deathaura
03. The Last Amazing Grays
04. Flag In The Ground
05. Breathing
06. Zeroes
07. The Dead Skin
08. Juliet
09. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (full version)

Check out the album artwork below.

SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg previously described the band's new material as "a bit darker and maybe not so complex as [2007's] 'Unia'. Nevertheless, it's definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal. All the trademark SONATA stuff is on there, solos, lots of singing some slower songs."

[Mormegil]

SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg previously described the band's new material as "a bit darker and maybe not so complex as [2007's] 'Unia'. Nevertheless, it's definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal.

If this turns out to be true, then I'm getting the album without a doubt.

[RazielSR]

SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg previously described the band's new material as "a bit darker and maybe not so complex as [2007's] 'Unia'. Nevertheless, it's definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal.

If this turns out to be true, then I'm getting the album without a doubt.

Well, that sentence is a bit strange, it is not Unia (finally, cause I don't like Unia) and then says that is not back-to.the-roots...mmmm...will see...

Seems that many bands are changing the direction to non power metal. Stratovarius seems one of the few bands I like that are making power metal nowadays...I hope they will never stop making power metal, I mean, fast and melodic tracks.

[Mormegil]

Well, that sentence is a bit strange, it is not Unia (finally, cause I don't like Unia) and then says that is not back-to.the-roots...mmmm...will see...

Seems that every band is changing its direction to non power metal. Stratovarius seems one of the few bands that makes power metal nowadays...I hope they will never stop making power metal, I mean, fast and melodic tracks.

I only see this as a really positive thing and a way to develop power metal. To hear bands only doing remakes of Eagle Fly Free, Black Diamond and Land Of The Free over and over again gets boring after a while.

[RazielSR]

But it's not necessary to recycle a track to make new power metal tracks.

They are not saying: we are gonna make new and fresh power metal tracks. They are saying: "definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal."



EDIT: And why you all always use to say things like: "To hear bands only doing remakes of (put here whatever track you want) over and over again gets boring after a while.".

all the bands saying things like that "change" the style to something EVEN OLDER than power metal, and they say this is something really new

Because, you know, darker and not as complex as Unia is REALLY NEW!

[Mormegil]

all the bands saying things like that "change" the style to something EVEN OLDER than power metal, and they say this is something really new

I believe when new generations of musicians, that have been raised in a society that musicians who lived and died before they were born could never have even imagined, use ideas of those long gone song-writers, it's bound to be something different from what anyone has ever heard. (I tried really hard to turn my thoughts into sensible form of writing. I don't know if it worked or not. Perhaps I'll edit this later)

Here's an example: Yngwie Malmsteen took age old ideas from baroque and fused them with Hendrix/Blackmore -style guitar playing and created a totally new way of playing guitar.

Because, you know, darker and not as complex as Unia is REALLY NEW!

With Tony Kakko's undeaniable creativity as a songwriter and SA's ambition to at least try to do something different (Unia), there's a change it might introduce some ideas that haven't been experimented with in power metal -scene before. Who knows, it might be something really new.

[Avatar Thief]

YES! I LOVE THIS WONDERFUL NEWS! YES! YES! YES!

... YES! I HOPE IT'S BETTER THAN UNIA. YES!



YES!



yes!

[Ragehead91]

I'll propably give it a try.

[RazielSR]

Here's an example: Yngwie Malmsteen took age old ideas from baroque and fused them with Hendrix/Blackmore -style guitar playing and created a totally new way of playing guitar.

Sorry, with all my respect to Kakko, but Kakko is not Yngwie...

there's a change it might introduce some ideas that haven't been experimented with in power metal -scene before. Who knows, it might be something really new.

Well, will see... I'd like to have a good SA album, seriously.

[Mormegil]

Here's an example: Yngwie Malmsteen took age old ideas from baroque and fused them with Hendrix/Blackmore -style guitar playing and created a totally new way of playing guitar.

Sorry, with all my respect to Kakko, but Kakko is not Yngwie...

And all my respect to Yngwie, but I do thing Kakko is way more talented songwriter.

[Ragehead91]

Yngwie is great on Riffs and Solos but bad whem it comes to songwriting.

[RazielSR]

OK you win

[Mormegil]

Let's just talk about the new album shall we. I just realised that arguing about evolution of metal on the internet is really all I've been doing with my free time this week.

[Irinia]

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!!
Been waiting for this
I am definitely buying it and are really excited about what it will sound like!
And it's being released just days after my sons 2nd birthday (whee)

Awesome cover too btw!

[Ragehead91]

I wonder when the SA V.S. Cains Offering Battles will start XD

[icecab21]

i don't think i can recall other bands that do all the layers of vocals that kakko does.

[Ragehead91]

I think Blind Guardian are pretty famous for doing the "1 man choir" with Hansi.

[icecab21]

Kakko and hansi have such distant voices, I really think that the only verity of music that we are going to get is through tones. I guess a band can throw in scales from different places around the world but we already pretty much have bands from everywhere that mix in their traditional music. With midi instruments bands can mix match tones and add all sorts of electronics and sampled sounds so it’s just a matter if people call each mix new or it not new since others have created their own patches as well. All these power metal bands have their own keyboard lead sounds but someone get clumped into Jens Johansson who just takes some inspiration and invested his own lead from leads that have been created for 50 years. What really counts as new? I guess a band could throw in a gospel choir that sings through a vocoder and a rapper that raps through a kazoo

[browneyedgirl]

What a coincidence! My son and I were discussing this very subject last night! He was wondering when a new SA album was coming out. I guess I will tell him all this later. He is more of a SA fan than I, so he should be happy about this news!


EDIT: I talked to Vic a bit ago and told him about this upcoming album, and yes indeed, he was interested!!!

[Ragehead91]

I know that the voices of Tony and Hansi are distinct. Doesn't change the fact that they both like to do the one-man-choir thingy. I think Hansi even more than Tony.

[icecab21]

i know, i love the one man choir, at first i did not think of blind garudian since i think they played a different branch of power metal.

[Burning Reflection]

Cool, thanks for the info!


Man, you guys are way too critical about metal! I mean the album's not even out yet, why not just listen to it first and then have an opinion about it?

PS I could list a number of songs that Yngwie has brilliantly composed, but I'm not gonna start a list. I suggest taking a closer listen to his stuff; it's really good just don't want you to miss out some great tunes

[Ragehead91]

I did. Overall he has a few good tunes and I like his stuff, but I still stand by my opinion that he is good when it comes to riffs and solos but average at best when it comes to composing.

[HinatAArcticA]

Tommy said this album reminds him to "Silence", which is my favorite album.

Also, UNIA's cover wasn't a power metal cover, and this one totally is xD.

I think this will be something like.. "Silence II with no fast drums and Henkka's Reckoning Night Style" or something like that xD...
But if this is doesn't fill my expectations, Stratovarius will turn into my favorite band instead being the second behind sonata.

[NeverendingAbyss]

The album artwork does look very similar to Silence. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

[Babylon]

I never really heard anything by SA after Winterheart's Guild, except a few songs off Unia, didn't care much for them so I guess I sort of lost interest in this band. This one looks like it could be interesting tho, I like the "a bit darker and maybe not so complex as [2007's] 'Unia'. part

Oh and the album cover looks awesome.

[Stealth]

The album artwork does look very similar to Silence.

Huh?!?

[NeverendingAbyss]

The album artwork does look very similar to Silence.

Huh?!?

in theme

[icecab21]

[hiro23]

I'm buying the album, I know I'm going to love it, screw anybody who disagrees with me

but seriously I love Sonata Arctica's stuff and am looking forward to this