Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release a new studio album, titled “Clear Cold Beyond”, on March 8, 2024 through Atomic Fire. The LP contains 10 tracks reviving the band’s penchant for power metal-esque tunes following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic.
The latest single from “Clear Cold Beyond” is a song called “Dark Empath”. Longtime followers of their work may notice that this piece is the direct sequel of 2004’s “Don’t Say A Word”, which has become a staple in the group’s live set over the years. The track is at once nostalgic and allows new listeners to dive deeper into SONATA ARCTICA‘s colorful back catalogue.
Singer Tony Kakko comments: “This track is part of a saga that started on our second album ‘Silence’ in 2001 — some even think it started on our debut album with the song ‘The End Of This Chapter’ — and has many sequels and prequels already. Its stalker theme offers a frame to write songs in a certain style I like very much. People do not seem to mind this, fortunately, haha! It’s not a chronological story, but rather a theme with reoccurring, familiar characters that end up living through variations of the theme over and over again.”
“Clear Cold Beyond” is packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of SONATA ARCTICA‘s multifaceted work: from high-speed anthems such as the recently released single “First In Line” and “California” to emotion-laden tracks such as “The Best Things” and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every SONATA ARCTICA fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of their early works, was created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers West) who has also been part of other SONATA ARCTICA productions.
Kakko comments: “We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer. We’re getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start, and the new songs have been so much fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing along to. We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.”
“Clear Cold Beyond” track listing:
01. First In Line
02. California
03. Shah Mat
04. Dark Empath
05. Cure For Everything
06. A Monster Only You Can’t See
07. Teardrops
08. Angel Defiled
09. The Best Things
10. Clear Cold Beyond
Bonus tracks (digipak + vinyl only):
11. A Ballad For The Broken
12. Toy Soldiers (MARTIKA cover)
Born in 1996 at the edge of the world in the northern Finnish town of Kemi, these humble music makers of melodic metal never tire of the sweet taste of victory. Achieving gold status in their native Finland and securing their ninth career gold record with 2012’s “Stones Grow Her Name” just seven days after release, SONATA ARCTICA also have a long-established history of global chart domination and sold-out shows around the world.
SONATA ARCTICA is:
Tony Kakko – vocals
Elias Viljanen – guitars
Pasi Kauppinen – bass
Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards
Tommy Portimo – drums
Photo by Jaakko Manninen