Tony Kakko's voice has really deteriorated in the last decad

[Rebel]

So, I was listening to Eliptica, marveling at how the band managed to create such a powerful album without really doing anything compositionally outside of Power chords and Tremolo picking. Keep in mind it's been AWHILE since I've listened to Eliptica, mostly when I listen to Sonata, it's Unia, and DAMN, Tony's voice was RIPPING in this album. It was kind of awesome, because there's so much youth in this record, and the band is really just screaming to be something great.

So then I switched over to Reckoning Night. Which admittedly has some of Tony's best vocal performances. But it seemed like there was more layering and less tonality in his voice, like they were using the layering to cover up his voice a bit. Admittedly, there were moments in songs like White Pearl Black Oceans where he let the full potential of his voice go wild, but they were restricted, kind of a showcase but not the main act, and even those moments were heavily layered.

Anyone who has been paying attention to my posts knows I despise the new Sonata Arctica record, and when I listened to Flag in the Ground immediately after "Blank File", I realized what irked me about it so much (Other than Elias's poor imitation of Jani's Eliptica era guitar playing), was that Tony's voice really wasn't suited to sing that song anymore, I know he's still young, but it sounds like either his voice is weaker, or he's just not using it anymore.

I am however, curious, if anyone has the demo version of Flag in the Ground, maybe to best showcase the difference in Tony's voice..

Here's a video of 8th commandment from last year, they cut the balls out of this song by lowering the tempo, and he's hitting the notes and all, but it's slower and calmer.

Compared with
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy81-mzwQoE

And yeah, I know singers are never as good live as their are in studio (With VERY few exceptions), but is anyone else noticing this?[/u]

[Empathica1928]

I entirely disagree. Just because the dude isn't singing balls-in-a-vice-grip vocal lines anymore doesn't mean the guy's voice is bad. He shows more diversity, strength, and control over his own voice than ever before on The Days of Grays. Whether you like the album or not, I don't think you can deny that.

I'm the opposite of you. I think Sonata's only been getting better with each album they put out. Years and years of the same old basic power metal might be nice and catchy and (above all) safe, but it gets very old very fast. I love how they've developed their own sound into something truly unique and (this is most important) interesting. I think The Days of Grays is a marvelous record and Tony's vocals are my favorite thing about the album. I got chills the first time I heard the full version of Everything Fades to Gray and Deathaura. The bonus track In The Dark is excellent, too.

I love his voice. It's special because it's unique and interesting and he knows how to use it well.

Also, when I saw them in September, 8th Commandment was played at full speed and they performed it flawlessly.

[Stealth]

Wait... They have an album titled Eliptica? I didn't know they were into geometry. Maybe their second album should have been titled Hyperbolica. Silence doesn't seem appropriate.

[Balu]

Since TDoG, I don't really follow SA. Oh god, how I hate the most of the songs on it.

[Ragehead91]

The Days of Grays is a boring piece of shit!

[NeverendingAbyss]

The Days of Grays is a boring piece of shit!

You're not 93!

[Rebel]

Excuse my spelling in that post, twas 330AM. But I assure you I knew exactly what I was talking about.

[Ragehead91]

The Days of Grays is a boring piece of shit!

You're not 93!

But I don't like that album at all. I'd rahter have the so-called basic Power Metal than the pretentious bullshit Sonata keeps on releasing since Unia.

[Rebel]

The Days of Grays is a boring piece of shit!

You're not 93!

But I don't like that album at all. I'd rahter have the so-called basic Power Metal than the pretentious bullshit Sonata keeps on releasing since Unia.

I LIKED Unia though, it was just DoG(shit) that I disliked.

[fernandotcl]

I actually love The Days Of Grays, and I think it's pretty much the other way around - I think he sings better than ever in the album.

To me, their best album is Reckoning Night, but The Days Of Grays is really a refreshing break from Unia. I think it's actually better than Polaris, almost as good as their earlier works (though in a completely different way). It just takes a looong time to digest. I only started to really enjoy the album after 2 or 3 listens. Every time I listen to the album I find a gem.

I think his voice is much more suited to songs like The Truth Is Out There, in special live. I actually think he used to be a mediocre singer back in the early days (take a look at some live videos to see what I'm talking about), and now he's doing an outstanding job, a really surprising evolution.

The Truth Is Out There, I'm in love with this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy81-mzwQoE


Now not everything is roses. I'm also frustrated with the fact that most power metal bands are continually distancing themselves from power metal roots. I like the new SA, but I really wish I could still have the old SA around. Just to name a few bands that don't produce traditional power metal anymore: Edguy, SA, Nightwish, Thunderstone...

But that's kind of off-topic anyways.

[Rebel]

I actually love The Days Of Grays, and I think it's pretty much the other way around - I think he sings better than ever in the album.

To me, their best album is Reckoning Night, but The Days Of Grays is really a refreshing break from Unia. I think it's actually better than Polaris, almost as good as their earlier works (though in a completely different way). It just takes a looong time to digest. I only started to really enjoy the album after 2 or 3 listens. Every time I listen to the album I find a gem.

I think his voice is much more suited to songs like The Truth Is Out There, in special live. I actually think he used to be a mediocre singer back in the early days (take a look at some live videos to see what I'm talking about), and now he's doing an outstanding job, a really surprising evolution.

The Truth Is Out There, I'm in love with this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy81-mzwQoE


Now not everything is roses. I'm also frustrated with the fact that most power metal bands are continually distancing themselves from power metal roots. I like the new SA, but I really wish I could still have the old SA around. Just to name a few bands that don't produce traditional power metal anymore: Edguy, SA, Nightwish, Thunderstone...

But that's kind of off-topic anyways.

I'm in love with that song too, but that's 8th commandment.

Can't say quite the same about the truth is out there.

[AAAAAAAAAA]

Artists always brag about how they change their style from album to album to keep things fresh for the listeners. This never made any sense to me though; if I wanted a different sound, I'd listen to a different band.

I'll admit that after many listens, I like both Unia and DoG. This is an example of a musical experiment which worked (for me). What I don't like is Sonata Arctica live. The drumming is more bland than fat free vanilla icecream, and I've seen quadriplegic secretaries do better with keyboards than Henkka. The only thing Elias ever shredded was a block of cheddar cheese. And the absolute worst is Tony's voice which sounds really thin, weak, and inconsistent. These days, all he does is scream...I totally agree that he was doing better back in the day.

[Rebel]

and I've seen quadriplegic secretaries do better with keyboards than Henkka. The only thing Elias ever shredded was a block of cheddar cheese.

It always confounded me why they parted with Mikko Harkin, I love his keyboard playing.

For a sign of how far they've fallen.
Listen to Destruction Preventer
Then The Power of One
White Pearl Black Oceans
Caleb
and Deathaura.
Then realize that Deathaura has 10 "Sections" in less than 8 minutes.

Days of Grays was great for the fans who spent 2 years waiting for it, and had all that anticipation worked up for it, but when you put its songs next to the rest of the Sonata library, they just don't stand.
"Destruction preventer, if you release one, you release them all, you can't defend her, kneel down and surrender"

[Shurik]

I haven't heard a single SA song that I liked. It is a boring and cliched power metal ...

[icecab21]

I haven't heard a single SA song that I liked. It is a boring and cliched power metal ...

what songs have you heard and define why they are power metal.

sonata arctica does not even have one album where every song can be called metal

[Shurik]

I haven't heard a single SA song that I liked. It is a boring and cliched power metal ...

what songs have you heard and define why they are power metal.

sonata arctica does not even have one album where every song can be called metal

I tried to listen to a whole album of theirs, Winterheart's Guild I think. It was boring enough for me not to try to listen to anything else. I also heard a few other songs but wasn't interested in them either.

[AAAAAAAAAA]

what songs have you heard and define why they are power metal.

Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi,

Sonata Arctica
Genre(s)
Power Metal

And God said, "Let there be a power metal band named Sonata Arctica." And it was good.

[Rebel]

I haven't heard a single SA song that I liked. It is a boring and cliched power metal ...

what songs have you heard and define why they are power metal.

sonata arctica does not even have one album where every song can be called metal

Oh Hi there, My names Ecliptica, I don't think we've met.

[icecab21]

a10, i said define why each song, such as the ones with just a string quartet and a piano and/or acoustic guitar, is power metal

[Rebel]

a10, i said define why each song, such as the ones with just a string quartet and a piano and/or acoustic guitar, is power metal

... Are you seriously trying to make the case that Sonata Arctica isn't a metal band???

[icecab21]

im making the case that not every song is a metal song

[Rebel]

im making the case that not every song is a metal song

Well congratulations, not every Stratovarius song is metal either, in fact, I can't think of a single metal band that is 100% metal.
however, at least 95% of their music IS metal, including every song on Ecliptica

[icecab21]

replica is not metal nor is letter to dana. id say they are much more rock ballad than metal.

[Rebel]

replica is not metal nor is letter to dana. id say they are much more rock ballad than metal.

You would be wrong, especially about Replica, just because the entire song isn't double bass pedal and power chords doesn't mean it's not metal.
The solo style in Replica (Short duel between guitar and keyboards) is distinctive to metal, and Letter to Dana is a slow metal song.

[icecab21]

metal is a offshoot of rock. im going to consider songs metal when they are full metal songs rather than some minor section. im also going to consider songs metal when they have heavy guitar distortion rather than clean guitar or acoustic guitar for a majority of the song

[Rebel]

metal is a offshoot of rock. im going to consider songs metal when they are full metal songs rather than some minor section. im also going to consider songs metal when they have heavy guitar distortion rather than clean guitar or acoustic guitar for a majority of the song

Genre is just as much a social construct as it is a theoretical one, and actually, Metal is NOT an offshoot of rock, it's an offshoot of blues.

[icecab21]

here is the first sentence in wikipedia

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1]

here is the first paragraph

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo.[3]

[Rebel]

here is the first sentence in wikipedia

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1]

here is the first paragraph

Heavy metal (often referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music[1] that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity and machismo.[3]

Every original metal band had it's rooted planted firmly in Blues.

[AAAAAAAAAA]

I just bought a hamster

[mayhem-for-all]

I just bought a hamster

I just ate your hamster