When I first heard about
Sonata Arctica's debut
Ecliptica there were lots of varying statements being made about the band. Some hailed them as the most promising Melodic Speed Metal band to come along in years, while others simply slammed them as nothing more than a
Stratovarius clone. While the
Stratovarius influence is indeed there,
Sonata Arctica simply blows their Metal heroes out of the water with this debut release.
It took me a few spins to get into
Ecliptica. When I first heard it I honestly was not that impressed, and nothing really jumped out at me. After shelving it for a week or so, I popped it in my CD player one day and was utterly blown away. The fantastic melodies started to sink in with each subsequent listen, and the talent of these (very) young Finns began to shine through. When you take into account the fact that all of the band members, except the vocalist, were less than 20 years old when they released their debut you can't be anything but impressed.
The guitar playing on this album is lightning fast and unbelievably precise. Simply listen to the guitar soloing on the opener
Blank File and you'll see what I mean. In many cases Jani Liimatainen out-performs his
Stratovarius comrade
Timo Tolkki when it comes to shredding through some of the faster sections of
Ecliptica.
Picturing the Past opens with some fantastic neoclassical guitar work that makes Jani's Yngwie influences quite evident. And this dude was a teenager when he played this stuff! Amazing.
Even more amazing are
Sonata Arctica's vocals. Tony Kakko, who also plays all keyboards on the album, simply rips your head off with his high pitched screams, and the catchy choruses for most of the songs on this album will get stuck in your head for days.
Special mention must go to Tony's performance on the album closer
Destruction Preventer. This track speeds along for the most part and then eventually slows down towards the end for short acoustic interlude to give the listener a chance to catch their breath. Tony sings a few mellow lines to lull us into a false sense of security, and then BAM! As he belts out the line, "Unless.this is truly the end" his voice hits high notes that, honestly, no guy should be able to sing, and the song explodes back into the speedy chorus and finishes up leaving us speechless.
Tommy and Janne, respectively, handle the drumming and bass playing on
Ecliptica, and even though neither of their parts really stood out for me they set a solid foundation for the remaining two members to build upon.
My favorite song on
Ecliptica is probably
My Land, though I had to listen to it at least a dozen times before its brilliance started to shine through. With each listen of
My Land a previously overlooked vocal passage or guitar riff would jump out at me and add new layers to an already excellent song. The music in
My Land alternates from delicate, to heavy; slow and moody, to speedy and wild - it really is a roller coaster of a track.
Although this is Speed Metal through and through,
Sonata Arctica throws two highly enjoyable ballads into the mix as well:
Replica and
Letter to Dana.
Replica is a fantastic song about a man who returns home from war and tries to cope with living a normal life again. Tony's voice is the highlight of this track for me, as he gives the most emotional performance of the album.
If you're into speedy, neoclassical tinged Power Metal,
Sonata Arctica will not disappoint. Although they aren't the most original band in the world, and certain areas of
Ecliptica are lacking that special touch that keeps this album from being perfect, these Finnish Metalers have delivered one hell of a great album. After 3 full-length albums,
Ecliptica still stands as their finest and most solid release. If performers such as
Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen, or
Symphony X are your cup of tea, you need to check this one out!
Written by
Matthew Friday, May 14, 2004
Show all reviews by MatthewRatingsMatthew: 8.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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