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Post by Admin on Oct 27, 2014 0:47:06 GMT
While on yet another successful world tour, this time to support their latest studio album, "Pariah's Child", Finnish melodic metal heroes SONATA ARCTICA swung by the studio to re-record their debut album "Ecliptica", which was released 15 years ago. This new version will be released on October 24 under the title "Ecliptica - Revisited; 15th Anniversary Edition" on Nuclear Blast. The original version of "Ecliptica" was recorded at Tico-Tico studios and mixed at Finnvox by Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM). The album was promoted on tour with STRATOVARIUS and RHAPSODY. The official trailer for "Ecliptica - Revisited; 15th Anniversary Edition" is available below. Commented keyboardist Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg: "When deciding on a single for the upcoming release of the re-recorded 'Ecliptica', we wanted to have an upbeat song that would represent overall sound of the album and since 'Unopened' was the first SONATA ARCTICA single in history, we thought that it was time to pick another song. 'Kingdom For A Heart' has been a live favourite for years and I think it showcases the energy and power that SONATA ARCTICA first became known for." Commented Klingenberg: "When it first was suggested to us by our Japanese label that we'd re-record our debut album, 'Ecliptica', it felt a bit weird, but somehow the idea grew on us. Being that only Tony and Tommy played on the original one, we thought that it would be a fun thing to do, to give these great songs another run. "We're definitely not trying to rewrite history. The original 'Ecliptica' is the starting point of this band and a very special album with a certain feel of innocence and enthusiasm which cannot be recreated as such since we're not teenagers anymore. Having said that, this new version is more of a tribute and an update on how these songs sound when played by our current lineup. We wanted to stay true to the original album as much as possible and not turn this into some weird re-arranged project where you couldn't tell which song was being played. So here it is, the 15th anniversary version of 'Ecliptica'. Hope you enjoy it, we certainly had a good time digging into these songs and laying down the tracks."
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Post by Admin on Nov 23, 2014 23:55:23 GMT
If you're a Muscovite with a penchant for epic guitar solos, operatic vocals and wolves, you're in for a treat this weekend. It's a universally accepted truth that Finland is heavy metal's promised land, having spawned the likes of Nightwish and Finntroll. Sonata Arctica, one of the more internationally celebrated of the country's power-metal offspring, is set to light up the Russian capital this Sunday at Volta Club, and they're thrilled to be here. "Our Russian fans are really passionate and they really make the shows over there great, so I'm really looking forward to our show next weekend," keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg told The Moscow Times in an interview ahead of the show. 2014 has been a big year for the band, with the release of "Pariah's Child" this spring and a world tour to support the album. Fans were also pleasantly shocked by the recent announcement that the band will re-release their first full-length album, "Ecliptica." The band had produced music prior to that album, but under the name Tricky Beans. In the 15 years since "Ecliptica's" release, the band has run the gamut from melodic ballads of epic heartbreak to adrenaline-pumping metal anthems. In 2003's "Winterheart's Guild," the band crafted the ultimate power-metal ballad in the form of "Gravenimage," an epic exploration of the meaning and limitations of love, set to lyrics that took listeners back to the Scandinavia of yore. Many years and several releases later, Sonata Arctica has decided to return to their earlier style. "'Pariah's Child' turned out to be a bit more toward our roots than some of the previous albums," Klingenberg said, adding, "After making our 'rock album,' 'Stones Grow Her Name' (2012), we realized that maybe it wasn't really what this band is about."
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Post by Admin on Nov 27, 2014 23:48:57 GMT
The Finnish melodic metal heroes Sonata Arctica released a re-recorded version of debut album "Ecliptica" last month, which originally came out 15 years ago. Today the band unveils a special video clip for a cover version of the Genesis track "I Can’t Dance," available as a bonus track on "Ecliptica – Revisited; 15th Anniversary Edition." Commented vocalist & keyboardist Tony Kakko: “Instead of filming yet another tour documentary, showing venues and our daily routines again and again, I thought it would be fun to create some kind of music video instead. So, as we were getting ready to embark on our North-American leg of our 'Pariah’s Child' tour we decided to take the opportunity to promote the fresh re-make of our debut album 'Ecliptica' by using a song from that release. "Idea wise our cover version of Genesis' ‘I Can’t Dance’ ('We Can’t Dance,' 1991) seemed the easiest and most fun to make happen. I mean, walking and dancing around North-America… sounds like a fun thing to do, right?! And that it sure was. The experience ranged reaction wise from 'no one even paid too much attention to us' ( in New York filled with dancing maniacs such as me and Pasi, I suppose) to 'people looking a little scared and a cop telling us to move further away from our subject' (San Antonio). No, we did not get arrested. Damn…Originally we recorded the cover as a bonus for »Stones Grow Her Name«, but for some reason it never wound up anywhere. Better late. "I’ve always liked the song. I like many, many Genesis songs actually, but I remember one day coming up with this idea to do something fun with ‘I Can’t Dance’ and adding the horn sections and see how it sounds. Sounded great! I had been listening to Aerosmith a lot around that time and I really like the way the spice up their songs with trombones and trumpets and such. I made a demo, asked a trumpetist Mika Mylläri to polish the horn arrangement and together with saxophonist Sakari Kukko they made the whole thing sounds just perfect. It was legendary. We had Sakari Kukko, Niko Kokko and Tony Kakko in the studio at the same time. I’m very pleased we finally get this baby out. I know it does not sound like your everyday Sonata Arctica, but hey, why should it? it’s a Genesis song. I hope you like it as much as I do. "The tour was fun also outside the obviously hilariously, seemingly embarrassing bits you can see on the video. Great group of people packed in the two tour busses made the seven weeks on the road feel not at a day longer than five weeks, haha! Thank you Delain & Xandria. The 'Pariah’s Child'-tour goes on, merging with 'Ecliptica – Revisited' tour that will go on until the autumn of 2015. "Thank you all for coming to see the shows and keeping live music alive! Keep it up! See you all somewhere. Much love!"
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Post by Admin on Jan 22, 2022 20:41:24 GMT
SONATA ARCTICA - For The Sake Of Revenge (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) | Atomic Fire Records 26,431 views • Jan 21, 2022 • SONATA ARCTICA – “For The Sake Of Revenge” from their upcoming album “Acoustic Adventures - Volume 1” (out now!)
So-called acoustic albums can be hit and miss. Sometimes the music simply doesn’t lend itself to being stripped of its bombast and other times the arrangements are simply too far removed from what made the original number great. It’s rarely a case of the original material being lacking, but for every ALICE IN CHAINS Unplugged, there’s a HELLOWEEN Unarmed out there somewhere (there’s a reason Andi Deris himself has vocally distanced himself from that one). In the case of Finnish power metal stalwarts SONATA ARCTICA and Acoustic Adventures – Volume One, we have an album that thankfully sits in the former camp.
Perhaps that’s not that surprising, though. Over the course of two-plus decades, Tony Kakko and his band of morose melody makers have played around with the notion of what a “metal” band should be, organically shifting their sound from flat-out power metal to icy melodic rock and everything in-between. Despite some dramatic sonic shifts in that time though, SONATA ARCTICA have always had a definable constant in Kakko’s song-writing, with expertly crafted vocal melodies and piano lines leading the charge for whatever flavour of instrumentation is seen fit to follow. The focus of vocals and keys being at the fore allows SONATA ARCTICA to naturally modify themselves again, reinterpreting an almost career-spanning range of tracks into serene mixes of folk, pop and even occasional bluegrass, all the while still sounding exactly like SONATA ARCTICA, thanks to dense pianos, wintery synths and Kakko’s unmistakable voice.
On the note of material, it’s worth addressing the midsize elephant in the room. Two thirds of the song selections here are pulled from Unia onwards, often judgementally seen as a divisive turning point in SONATA ARCTICA’s discography. While that perception has lessened over time, those looking for early years’ classics will be sorely disappointed as Ecliptica goes wholly unrepresented. Yet, while it would be lovely to hear some of those numbers re-spun here, Acoustic Adventures doesn’t suffer for it. If anything, the tracklist choices made here invite older school fans to re-evaluate the more recent side of the band’s oeuvre, as their rearrangement allows a number of these songs to shine in ways they simply didn’t before.
Take a song like Alone In Heaven; always a solid number, but perhaps not necessarily top tier SONATA material. The version here is stripped back to acoustic guitars, classical pianos and gospel-infused synths and takes on all-round different quality, deftly swaying between menacing, upbeat and remorseful in equal measure. With its earworm of a chorus given more breathing room, it’s hard to argue this isn’t the definitive version of Alone In Heaven. Elsewhere on the album, Talviyö’s A Little Less Understanding and Unia’s Paid In Full are channelled through the guise of a pub back-room’s folk band, adding rustling drums, bumping basslines and even banjo accompaniments. While not overly significant changes, they both benefit surprisingly well from the underlying jig they now bear and prove a delight.
*** Producer: Joonas Berghäll / Oktober Directed by: Ahti Nykänen & Hannes Vartiainen Director of Photography: Pini Hellstedt Underwater Camera Operator: Anna Kekkonen Drone Operator: Janne Jakola 1st AC: Akseli Koskinen Gaffer: Simo Friman Lighting Technician: Mikko Putkonen Production Manager: Timo Metsäjoki Production Coordinator: Olli Uosukainen Production Coordinator: Samuli Valkama Production Assistant: Marjut Mäkimurto Editor: Mikko Löppönen / James Post Colorist: Tommi Gröhn / James Post Online Editor: Kimmo Tiainen / James Post Assistant Editor: Jaan Hanson Costume Designer: Ritva Puolamaa / Rovaniemen Teatteri Costume Designer: Disturb Animal Trainer: Aliina Tella Assistant Animal Trainer: Stephanie Kultalahti Thank you: Kemin kaupunki / City of Kemi Kemin Uimahalli Kemin Urheilusukeltajat ry Old Pine Husky Lodge Juhani "Juksu" Mörck Juha-Matti Rissanen Veera Saarikivi Motel Käpylä Kari Valkama
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