Review: Sonata Arctica - The Days Of Grays

"The Days Of Grays" is the sixth full-length studio album by Finnish metal band Sonata Arctica and was released in Finland on the 16th of September 2009. The album also features vocals by Johanna Kurkela and cello arrangements by Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica). Henrik Klingenberg described the album as "a bit darker and maybe not so complex as 'Unia'. Nevertheless, it's definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal. All the trademark Sonata stuff is on there, solos, lots of singing, some slower songs."

The album opens with an instrumental of "Everything Fades to Gray", atmospheric with beautiful keyboard melodies, which flows into "Deathaura", the longest song of the album. This song consists of ten parts out of which the first part is almost entirely sung by Johanna Kurkela, and is very complex, haunting, epic and bombastic. "The Last Amazing Grays" has been previously released on a single, also in an orchestral version. This tracks is very catchy, different from the usual Sonata Arctica, and the "wolf-song" from this record, this version being a bit longer than the single edit, in which the first verse "The mystery of death before us" had been cut. "Flag In The Ground", also released as the video, is a re-make of the song "BlackOut" from the demo "Friends Till the End". The lyrics have been re-written so that the new sound of Sonata Arctica was mixed with older elements that remind of the band's first albums. "Breathing" is the first ballad, which gets slightly heavier towards the end and is followed by "Zeroes", another catchy song, probably the one that reminds of the "Unia" style the most. The following two songs could be the highlights of "The Days Of Grays"; "The Dead Skin" has everything from heavy guitars to piano melodies, dark lyrics and speedy parts, and is reminescent of older albums, especially "Reckoning Night", while "Juliet" could sound like a long, epic story together with "Caleb" and "The End Of This Chapter", it starts with keyboard melodies and sad lyrics such as "These are my final lines/ I've lived all my nine lives" and grows slowly, as the lyrics become full of hate "You double-crossing, filthy whore...". In the end, the first part is sung once again, and then it fades away with the barely hearable "This is... the end... Why...? You're closing my eyes...". "No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart" is another amazing and touching song, featuring the female vocals by Johanna Kurkela once again right in the middle of the song. The keyboard solo and Tony's soothing vocals make "As If The World Wasn't Ending" one of their greatest ballads. "The Truth Is Out There" is another typical Sonata Arctica songs, with a catchy chorus, nice vocals, and the guitar solo. The album ends with the full version of "Everything Fades To Gray", which gives a feeling of continuity. It begins with the same dark piano melody as the instrumental, combined with once again amazing vocals, then unexpectedly gets heavier as the part that is included in the album opener is over, and ends with a very bombastic and majestic sound that will leave you stunned, the perfect ending of an unbelievable album.

"The Days Of Grays" is undoubtedly one of the albums that many people looked forward to this year. But it was worth the wait, and most fans of symphonic- and power metal will definitely love it. Even though the instruments seem slightly weaker and there are less solos than usual, the vocals are better than ever and the way the music and lyrics were composed so that every single one is a killer-song will make it one of the best albums released in 2009.


Review: 10/10

Tracklist:
1. Everything Fades To Gray
2. Deathaura
3. The Last Amazing Grays
4. Flag In The Ground
5. Breathing
6. Zeroes
7. The Dead Skin
8. Juliet
9. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (Full Version)

Review: Korpiklaani - Karkelo

The Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani has recorded a new album every year since 2005 until now. Released in June 2009, "Karkelo" [Finnish for "Party"] is their sixth studio album and it sounds just like their older albums, except that this one comes with a change: only two songs from this album are in English, while the rest have lyrics in their mother tongue, Finnish.

I clearly remember listening to "Hunting Song" many years ago. The first time I listened to this band I felt there was something special with them, but I didn't really pay any real attention to them until in the summer of 2009 when I saw them live at a festival. At least for me, it was a bit hard to listen to them before seing them live, I couldn't really get used to their style; it's not that I didn't like it but it was very different from any other music I usually listen to. But as their concert started and I realized what Korpiklaani is all about: happy drinking songs combined with folk metal and that typical athmosphere of their concerts, so after that I started to really enjoy their albums.

"Karkelo" starts with a characteristic song; "Vodka". This song is perfect as an album opener, as a very catchy chorus can be heard in the first seconds, and will also keep playing in your head for a while: "Vodka, you're feeling stronger/ Vodka, no more feeling bad/ Vodka, your eyes are shining/ Vodka, you're the real man/Vodka, wipes away your tears/ Vodka, removes your fears/ Vodka, everyone is gorgeous/ Vodka, yeah vodka". The other English song from the album, "Bring Us Pints Of Beer" reminds of the band's older more known songs, and this song also has a very representative message: "If you don't drink you can leave". The bouncy "Juodaan Viinaa" is a cover of the Finnish rock/pop singer Hector. In spite of the title, not all songs from the album are drinking anthems, some of them being even melancholic at parts and sometimes (but rarely) the folk elements can't be heard as much as usually. Jonne Järvelä's voice sounds as charming as it always is and can be heard very well because it is not covered by the many instruments.

As most of the lyrics are Finnish, one would think that most of the songs would be boring or not recommended to people who don't speak this language, but instead they are very catchy and entertaining even to someone who doesn't speak one single word of Finnish, so much that you find yourself trying to sing along the lyrics you don't understand. Korpiklaani managed to release an album on which almost every song is in Finnish, and the message is easily sent even to those who don't know the meaning of the lyrics, which makes the album enjoyable to any listener.

Review: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Vodka
2. Erämaan Ärjyt
3. Isku Pitkästä Ilosta
4. Mettänpeiton Valtiaalle
5. Juodaan Viinaa
6. Uniaika
7. Kultanainen
8. Bring Us Pints Of Beer
9. Huppiaan Aarre
10. Vesaisen Sota
11. Sulasilmä
12. Kohmelo

Review: Cain's Offering - Gather The Faithful

After parting ways with Sonata Arctica in 2007, Jani Liimatainen started a new band with vocalist Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius, Kotipelto), keyboard player Mikko Harkin (Mehida, ex-Sonata Arctica, ex-Wingdom, ex-Kenziner), bassist Jukka Koskinen (Norther, Wintersun) and drummer Jani "Hurtsi" Hurula (Paul Di'Anno). Cain's Offering released their first album, "Gather The Faithful" in July 2009, and all the music and lyrics were composed by Jani.

Considered by some better than "Unia" and "Polaris", only one thing is certain: "Gather The Faithful" is definitely one of the best albums released in 2009. The melodic instrumental parts and catchy choruses awaken memories of Sonata Arctica songs such as "The Cage", "Weballergy", or "Victoria's Secret", and Kotipelto's voice sounds just as great as on older Stratovarius albums. The first two tracks, "My Queen Of Winter" and "More Than Friends" are a perfect example for that. Songs like "Oceans of Regret" and "Thorn In My Side" start with unusual trance melodies, followed by typical, bombastic power metal parts. The title track is an instrumental and includes orchestral arrangements joined together with heavy sounds. "Dawn Of Solace" is one of the fastest songs from the album, while "Morpheus In A Masquerade" and "Stolen Waters" have certain progressive resonances. The two ballads from this album are probably the highlights, "Into The Blue", a typical power metal ballad with a very catchy chorus, and "Elegantly Broken", the last song from the album is the perfect ending, beautiful but unfortunately very short.

You can't help but have high expectacions when you find out that former and current members of two of the most influential Finnish power metal bands joined forces on a new album. Somehow, these guys have managed to combine the best parts from Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius, and to add new elements at the same time, in a way that the album is reminiscent of both bands without copying any of them. Most bands rarely succeed in releasing great debut albums. But "Gather The Faithful" is, without any doubt, a masterpiece.

Review: 10/10

Tracklist:
1. My Queen Of Winter
2. More Than Friends
3. Oceans Of Regret
4. Gather The Faithful
5. Into The Blue
6. Dawn Of Solace
7. Thorn In My Side
8. Morpheus In A Masquerade
9. Stolen Waters
10. Elegantly Broken

Review: Amorphis - Skyforger

"Skyforger", the ninth full-length album by Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis was characterized by Esa Holopainen as being: "a strong and unified entity" and "the most musical record [...] so far".
Once again, the lyrical inspiration has been the Finnish national epic, "Kalevala" the only difference being that the songs are not based on a single, certain episode this time, but on several parts of it.

The first track, "Sampo" opens with a keyboard melody, which hints on the presence of less growls, catchy songs and more clean vocals, while the second one, "Silver Bride" is definitely one of the highlights, having been previously released as a single and video."Sky Is Mine" and the title track, "Skyforger", are very complex, well outlined and representative for this album. "From The Heaven Of My Heart", "My Sun" and "Highest Star" are probably the most atmospheric and dark songs, in which the keyboards and soothing vocals can be easily noticed. "Majestic Beast", the heaviest song from the album, together with last one, "From Earth I Rose" remind of the sound of the first Amorphis albums by featuring heavier elements and growls.

Amorphis is known for changing the style with every new release; once again they have managed to keep similarities to older albums, while at the same time, "Skyforger" is different on another level; it includes more melodic, melancholic and epic elements.
Even though somehow repetitive, the songs are very well put together and seem to flow in a whole, while certain choruses are very easy to keep in mind and will still play in your head long after the songs themselves have finished.

Review: 8/10

Tracklist:
01. Sampo
02. Silver Bride
03. From The Heaven Of My Heart
04. Sky Is Mine
05. Majestic Beast
06. My Sun
07. Highest Star
08. Skyforger
09. Course Of Fate
10. From Earth I Rose