Sonata Arctica is a power metal band from Finland formed in 1999 releasing eleven albums across a twenty-five-year career that’s seen the band tour relentlessly, building a reputation for delivering foot-to-the-floor power metal pomp with elegance and majesty in abundance! The band’s latest release ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ (2024) features ten songs across fifty fast-paced minutes…
…the band sounding hungry and “up for it” following the band’s stripped-back and intimate ‘Acoustic Adventures’ albums (volumes one and two released in 2022). As lead vocalist Tony Kakko comments “it was a chance to slow down, reflect on what we’ve done in the past and also fulfil our long-held dream of doing an acoustic album”, adding about the new album “getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start”. And boy do the band sound fucking fresh – ‘First In Line’ exploding into life with electrifying pace and panache! The band are at full throttle here, roaring across the land to deliver a highly head bang-able power metaller that’ll have everyone raising their fists high and punching the air in pure delight! Sonata Arctica are back (did they ever really go away) – and doing what they do best.
And incredibly, the band increased speed for ‘California’ – the band’s brand of power metal phenomenally melodious, infectious and catchy! I defy anyone to not be hooked right now, ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ opening with an explosive double big enough to destroy planets and restructure solar systems – the out-of-this-world enjoyment sky fucking high! And bringing a more hustle and bustle nature to the album, ‘Shah Mat’ adopts the classic pose of traditional heavy metal, planting its feet firmly on the monitor and galloping forth at an amazing rate of knots. The blend of old school metal with power metal is a stunning mix, and one that Sonata Arctica are masters of, powering on with the longest song on offer ‘Dark Empath’. Clocking in at over six minutes in length, ‘Dark Empath’ is melodic power metal at its majestic best, the band striding tall and proud right through the very heart of the power metal genre! ‘Dark Empath’ has an immense swagger and will keep listeners hooked for every single one of its six minutes – the intensity of the album since it began all-conquering and very taut!
Picking up the pace to become the fastest song heard so far, ‘Cure For Everything’ races on faster than the speed of fucking light – Sonata Arctica oozing a limitless amount of energy! The pedal is well and truly pressed to the metal here, ‘Cure For Everything’ roaring louder than a parent who’s just stepped on a Lego brick left lying around on the floor by their child! And trust me when I say I know exactly how loud that roar can be – for I’ve been there and done it…many times! ‘A Monster Only You Can’t See’ opens with a wonderful hymn with come prayer-like feel, progressing to become a mid-tempo melodic thunderstorm of immensely infectious metal with a huge smile-inducing aura! An aura that’s surely gonne plant smiles a mile fucking wide on the faces of every listener, fan and follower around the world – ‘Teardrops’ resuming the hustling and bustling nature heard earlier! The album has been a non-stop roller coaster featuring endless twists and turns through every corner of the power metal genre, the band delivering a diverse yet all-consuming array of power metal pomp.
After a couple of mid-tempo strolls, Sonata Arctica return blistering pace to the fore, ‘Angel Defiled’ galloping forth with gusto and a “fayre come circus” like sound! You surely know the sound – it’s all the sounds associated with fayres and circuses, whether it’s the ringmaster or clowns, the patter of performers or the screams from visitors enjoying the rides, every sound just pours outta ‘Angel Defiled’. Tell me I’m wrong and need to get my hearing checked! I dare ya! And as the final two songs come over the horizon, the most mellow feel descends upon the album, ‘The Best Things’ lurching forth with all the presence of a power ballad – a really powerful power ballad to boot! Sonata Arctica rein in all the pace and energy of the album up to this point, the bubble they’ve rammed it all in, bursting at the seams! And as regular readers already know, I don’t like to hear ballads on metal albums, much preferring they stay within the rock fraternity – however, in the case of ‘The Best Things’, I’ll give the Finnish metallers a slight pass here, the band allowing every listener a breather from the all-out energy driven metal of the past forty furious minutes! ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ is brought to a close by the title song, the levels of elegance and majesty soaring higher than ever! ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ (the song) is a slow to mid-paced swagger that blends anthemic metal with a hymn-like nature to deliver a bold finish to a bold album of incredibly infectious metal.
Overall, a fast-paced and highly melodious power metal romp full of energy and pomp, ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ is a blistering barrage of headbang ability.
TRACKLIST
First In Line
California
Shah Mat
Dark Empath
Cure For Everything
A Monster Only You Can’t See
Teardrops
Angel Defiled
The Best Things
Clear Cold Beyond
Sonata Arctica: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Atomic Fire Records
Category: Album
Country: Finland
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
