“It's hard for me to love myself right now
I waited, hated, blamed it all on you
It's hard for me to love your face right now
I'm waiting, hating, needing, being me
I need you less and less
And every day leads us farther away
From that moment
It's hard for me to hate myself right now
Finally I'm understanding me
One day we may have whole new me's and you's
But first I need to learn to love me too.”
--from Paid In Full by Sonata Arctica
--from Paid In Full by Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica’s latest CD is Unia.
This is a bit of a departure from their usual Power/Melodic Metal to a more commercial mainstream. Still, it works on many levels.
Quite frankly, it seems to me that the Fins have borrowed a page from Kamelot’s successful and commercial release of Black Halo.
The albums starts with an up-tempo number: In Black And White—the pure speed of the band and the intricacies of how they play is duly noted. The band follows with the first “single” Paid In Full, as the lyrics at the beginning note: this is the song of redemption for leaving a relationship after feeling the pain and blame. Hits a bit close to home for me personally right now going through a separation (and I must admit that do not HATE anyone), but it rocks and moves and sounds fantastic. For The Sake of Revenge is perhaps my favorite track on the album, although I am sure that will change. There is a serious tone and a “feel” to this one that is different from many other Sonata Arctica songs. This is perhaps their most introspective.
Many of the other songs are in the vein of Broken from Winterheart’s Guild. They seem to sway and flow and then show the metalesque quality of Power metal. The song Caleb is kind of odd to be honest, haunting and creepy in the beginning, and then turns into a thundering moment. I am really not sure how to take it, but it is different. Harvest and World’s Forgotten soar towards the end of the CD, Fly With A Black Swan is one of the heaviest on the CD and I think a great choice for a second single would be Good Enough Is Good Enough: a great retrospective moment.
Critics have hit this one for being too soft and too much “marked at a commercial market,” but to be frank, this could very much be a breakthrough album for the band. I have played it for five days straight in the car thus far and I can attest that it grows more and more interesting with repeated listens.
2) Paid In Full
6) Caleb
7) The Vice
9) The Harvest
12) Good Enough Is Good Enough
You Tube Paid In Full Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zkXdqcajk
You Tube Paid In Full Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zkXdqcajk
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And now, for a quick free plug of fun.
If you like older metal (and hey, who doesn’t?), I just received an email from my correspondence friend and my favorite metal writer Martin Popoff that may be of interest. Martin has written the BEST Metal Guides and Band Books on the Planet. His BOC and Black Sabbath books are interesting, fun, and just beautiful to look at. He has also written excellent books on Rush, UFO, Dio; as well as the Top 500 Metal Songs, Top 500 Metal Albums, and Guides to the 1970s and 1980s Metal.
He is also a good guy.
To quote from Martin’s email:
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new book …It’s almost like an academic journal, the very first of a series, the intention being a little library of similar books covering a pretty big chunk of metal history.
Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972
The Concept:
Detailed examination of early hard rock albums, many lost to the sands of time, some merely in need of a celebratory re-visit. Primarily through the use of new, exhaustive interviews with the band members who were there – the focus being on one classic album - Martin meticulously pieces together the complete story of each album, lending his respected critical eye to the record, massaging in bucket loads of trivia previously unpublished.
The Records:
Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum, MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Sir Lord Baltimore – Kingdom Come, Bloodrock – Bloodrock, Warpig – Warpig, Cactus – One Way… Or Another, Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride, Uriah Heep – Look At Yourself, Nitzinger – Nitzinger, Dust - Hard Attack, Humble Pie – Smokin’, Buffalo – Dead Forever…, Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond, Trapeze – You Are The Music… We’re Just The Band.
The next one in the series will cover the years 1973 to 1975, and I’m working on it already.
The book is full trade size 6” x “9 format, 230 pages, and includes front and back cover shots of all the records discussed.
Contact Martin Popoff at: martinp@inforamp.net if interested. You can also check out his website from my links below.
Hope to hear from everyone reading this post and/or other posts in the blog responses.
If you like older metal (and hey, who doesn’t?), I just received an email from my correspondence friend and my favorite metal writer Martin Popoff that may be of interest. Martin has written the BEST Metal Guides and Band Books on the Planet. His BOC and Black Sabbath books are interesting, fun, and just beautiful to look at. He has also written excellent books on Rush, UFO, Dio; as well as the Top 500 Metal Songs, Top 500 Metal Albums, and Guides to the 1970s and 1980s Metal.
He is also a good guy.
To quote from Martin’s email:
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new book …It’s almost like an academic journal, the very first of a series, the intention being a little library of similar books covering a pretty big chunk of metal history.
Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972
The Concept:
Detailed examination of early hard rock albums, many lost to the sands of time, some merely in need of a celebratory re-visit. Primarily through the use of new, exhaustive interviews with the band members who were there – the focus being on one classic album - Martin meticulously pieces together the complete story of each album, lending his respected critical eye to the record, massaging in bucket loads of trivia previously unpublished.
The Records:
Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum, MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Sir Lord Baltimore – Kingdom Come, Bloodrock – Bloodrock, Warpig – Warpig, Cactus – One Way… Or Another, Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride, Uriah Heep – Look At Yourself, Nitzinger – Nitzinger, Dust - Hard Attack, Humble Pie – Smokin’, Buffalo – Dead Forever…, Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond, Trapeze – You Are The Music… We’re Just The Band.
The next one in the series will cover the years 1973 to 1975, and I’m working on it already.
The book is full trade size 6” x “9 format, 230 pages, and includes front and back cover shots of all the records discussed.
Contact Martin Popoff at: martinp@inforamp.net if interested. You can also check out his website from my links below.
Hope to hear from everyone reading this post and/or other posts in the blog responses.
1 comment:
Good day. I have been reading your post about Unia and the commercial stuff you said. Frankly I don't think that Sonata went commercial due to "Unia" 'cause they havent betrayed what they re for money. The reason for a so different album actually is because they were about to fall apart. Even Tony (Vocals) said that they didnt feel the same way when they were singing to the point that he could think in something else when he was singing.. that everything was more of a routine. So they made Unia, something different. And that album made the band to stay together. They have said in many interviews that Tommy (Drums) liked the slow down of the tempo, Marko appears more often and shines brighter rather than keeping the same note for 5 minutes and Henkka (Keyboards) also said that he liked more to play any Unia song (Or doont say a Word). Frankly i think that this is where Stratovarius fell and Sonata was going the same way.. but they triumphed!
Anyway that's my opinion. Great blog you have, i will start looking for some of this bands :P
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