A More Mature Sonata Arctica in The Days Of Grays

“Mountain sings to me for the last time,
Making this moment
I have found my place,
I closed my eyes and joined them,
Guarding the young, amongst the Amazing Grays.”



I have listened with great anticipation to the new Sonata Arctica The Days of Gray CD more than a few times. The band has certainly changed their style over the last two albums, but this change has evolved more with The Days of Gray when compared to Reckoning Night, their last gasp at the Wolves years as I like to call the earlier works; and Unia, the more “pop” sounding Sonata Arctica.

The Days of Gray opens with a beautiful instrumental in “Everything Fades to Gray,” which has majesty and a nod to classical music. The band then uncharacteristically open the second track, “Deathaura” with a female vocal supplied by the sweet voice of Johanna Kurkela. The song is wandering and builds to a classical sounding crash. The band has moved its sound to a place I have not heard from them before, and it is bit more than reminiscent of a band like Kamelot than Sonata Arctica. There is some displaced (in all honesty) multi-layered sounds coming through on this song, which adds to the “metal” moments of the album. It also adds a bit to the song.

“The Last Amazing Grays” is the third track, which sounds a bit more like “pop” than “power” metal. All of the time, Marko Passikoski’s thundering bass strums evenly along. Tony Kakko’s vocals are in perfect pitch. Missing is Henrik Klingenberg’s flashy keyboards in this song, giving in to a more classical sway in the background. Tommy Portimo’s high snare drums are missing as well, as the more thundering bass heavy drums are pounded. The guitars of Elias Viljanen play the power metal riffs with clarity and precisely. This is the signature song on the album, that explains the themes of death, redemption, atonement and individuality, which is the reality of maturity and “the days of grays” as we age. The band seems to set the tone of the growing musically with their spirit of aging theme that encompasses this album.

“Flag in the Ground” is the traditionally “tuneful hit” that we have come to expect from Sonata Arctica over the years, as it hearkens back to their mid-period. To me it is an opposite of "Don’t Say a Word," in which a lover learns of his woman’s infidelity and brutally says good bye. Now a maturing Kakko is finding himself and discovers his lover wants him back. Truly a great song.

Carrying on that self-discovery theme is “Breathing,” perhaps the most deeply moving song on the album. Kakko sings “I cannot control my life anymore; Feel a need to leave and breathe on my own; I remember all the broken songs of my life; Maybe one more wrong will make it all right; I just really need to be alone now…” It reminds me of Ruins of My Life from Ecliptica, as this one is a slower and more haunting song.

“Zeroes” follows as a quicker, but more of a throw-off song. Not my favorite on the album, but it offers some speed at a space in the album when it is needed. It also features the famous Kakko scream.

After “Zeroes” is “The Dead Skin’ continuing the aging sage theme of the band. It has grown me in its pacing and building up to a climax theme. It also features the heaviest bass riffs thus far on the whole album. And then in the center of the song are the tuneful keyboards that I enjoy from the band. Probably among the most powerful songs on the album. I really like this one.

“Juliet” follows and I again sense a nod to more gothic sounds of bands like Kamelot (and no, I am not calling my favorite melodic/power metal band a goth band). This one has the thundering signature rhythm sound of Sonata Arctica, cat references, and a sense of longing. You can sense this has the longing and despair as they Kakko sings “life is but a long, sad game; lifeless souls avoiding shame; two dead swans is all we need; to pave the winding memory lane.” It also plays on Shakespeare’s theme of lost love, but the “Romeo” and “Juliet” are much older from Sonata Arctica and have lived much longer than Shakespeare’s characters. It sounds honestly like something that could have been pulled from Kamelot’s Black Halo

“No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart,” follows the bombastic “Juliet” and features Johanna Kurkela on vocals. The aging theme is continued as Kakko sings “One day we will run out of tomorrows; and yesterday’s become the stuff our dreams are made of…” The poisoned lips references are also a connection to “Juliet’s” theme.

The next song “As If The World Wasn’t Ending” starts with a keyboard solo that I swear was lifted from early to mid 1970s pop music like the Carpenters. It seems oddly out of place, but then the crash and rumble of the bass and guitars crescendo rescues the song and the guitar solo in this one is the best on the album. This is a song about a delusional soul looking for comfort in toxic liquids to reach drunken understanding.

“The Truth Is Out There” is a redemption song of sorts, atonement by acceptance. It also has among the most clever lyrics on the album. “Now I am crawling in (my crawling skin); I can’t wake up anymore (can’t find the door); I try to make a deal (with myself); to avoid the blinding door (once again)….Can I trust my own eyes; Is that me in disguise; Is this bliss or am I insane?” There is a soaring and swirling quality in the keyboards and choruses of voices in this one, complete with cellos and orchestration. This song seems like a more mature piece of music performed by Sonata Arctica.

The album proper ends with a return to the themes and musical moments of “Everything Fades To Gray.” The song is a summation of life. Lyrically, the philosophy is clear: “When it all ends; when everything fades to gray, we dive into the darkness; some things are needless to say.” There is a crash of sounds in this one as a false ending brings us back to the central theme of age, redemption, acceptance, and the inevitable end.
The bonus track “In My Eyes You’re a Giant” is among my favorites. It sounds like it could have easily fit on Eclipitica, or Silence from their past. The “wolves’ theme returns as well. Kakko sings “Here I am howling at the bright new moon; the burning flame within, my own kin, and; every night I heard something out there calling me; reminding me, friend, to know, I am not your child.” This song hearkens all of the Sonata Arctica fans to the high hat and snare drums, the heavy bass, the quirky vocals, the sharp guitars and the signature keyboard solos. It is the perfect ending of this mature album, as this song is a return to the colors of the band in the last hurrahs of The Days of Gray.

Martin Popoff Writes It Perfectly: Gettin' Tighter: Deep Purple '68-'74

“Magic woman wreckin' up my soul,

Things you tell me have never been told.

Magic woman I don't know,

Electric before me,

I love you so,

I love you so.

You're racing like a fireball dancing like a ghost,

You're Gemini and I don't know which one I like the most.

My head is getting broken and my mind is getting bust,

But now I'm coming with you down the road of golden dust.

Oh my love it's a long way,

Where you're from it's a long way…

The golden light above you show me where you're from…

The magic in your eye bewitches all you gaze upon.

You stand up on your hill, behop all around you,

They wonder where you're from, oh yeah…

They wonder where I found you.

Oh my love it's a long way…

Where you're from it's a long way.”
--Deep Purple from the song “Fireball” from the album Fireball, 1971.

This post was a long time coming. Martin Popoff’s book, Getting’ Tighter: Deep Purple ’68-’76, is a magnificent read. AS a fan of Deep Purple, I appreciate the scope of what Popoff has undertaken.

Getting’ Tighter follows a familiar format for fans of Popoff’s books; but the formula is so common-sensical, that it need not be altered. In chronological order, each chapter is devoted to an album. The album is dissected song by song, commentary from band members, managers, and other folks around at the time is given, so the reader is shown a rare glimpse of the inner-workings of the band and the band’s historical perspective. As a history major from college, I love this format. This time around, Popoff also adds commentary from people who either influenced or were influenced by the band. In the Fireball chapter, insightful commentary as well as raw honesty was shown by guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen on the impact of the album to his career choice and his life.

Other chapters have commentaries by members of other bands, such as Blue Oyster Cult (a personal favorite of Popoff and me). I also love the comments and occasional bitterness expressed by former band members whether they were forced out or left on their own accord.

There are gems in this book in the evolution of the Deep Purple story. I enjoyed learning how popular authors like Robert Heinlein influenced the writing of the band. The writer royalty expose was interesting as well. It also appears fairly obvious that Ritchie Blackmore was a moody spirit that was so professional about his music; he would sacrifice kindness to others. Ian Gillian seems like the most normal member of the band, and Jon Lord, at times comes off as a bit of a control freak.

Amazingly, the book does not gloss over material, as the band is presented in an honest light. The limitations of the band members (particularly Ian Paice’s self-criticism of his drumming and Nick Simper’s bass and Rod Evans vocals) are given a fair amount of coverage. The eerie moody swings of Ritchie Blackmore are sprinkled throughout the various stories of the band , and the frustrations of being a phenomenal group while maintaining little notoriety are given an in depth analysis. Added to the story are the usual mismanagement recollections by band members on the marketing of record companies and the sloppiness of tour managers of the band.

The treasure of this book is the track by track breakdown. Herein, Popoff knows his subject well. He has an uncanny ability to make insightful commentary on the musical evolution of songs and albums. I enhance the pleasure of reading this book by listening to the album while I read the chapter. I suggest others do the same to feel the complete effect of Martin’s writing ability.

The book can be ordered on Martin Poppoff’s site (see my links) or go here: http://www.martinpopoff.com/

and he will even autograph a copy for you. Martin is busy on part two of the Deep Purple story, as he emailed me a while back. In that edition, he will cover the late 1970s through the modern age of Deep Purple and hit upon some of Ritchie Blackmore’s Night material as well.

The lesson learned in reading this book is that Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and other artists of the time, whereas excellent bands, were pretenders to the throne of Deep Purple. Whatever tricks those other band used, Purple did it first, more often did it better, were more honest to the music, and played it louder, better, harder, and heavier.

My Return to The Blog and the BEST of IRON MAIDEN

Sorry, I am fully aware it has been a while.

And in my resurgence to blog on and on hard rock and heavy metal, I will attempt to do the impossible.

I am going to give the list of the top ten best Iron Maiden songs ever recorded.

I know, crazy, as such a thing cannot be done, but alas, I will try.

I also hope to span their career and not dwell on only the Dickenson stuff. I will also try to put the new and the old along side of one another. Most importantly, I will try to be fair. Granted, my list may rely too often on the “hits,” I think it is only fair to note that their “hits” are so incredibly good.

#10 is Phantom of the Opera. It is the only Paul DiAnno song on this list, which may offend some, but I think Dickerson range is so much better. This is the best of the earliest demonstration of the dual lead guitar work, of their songs. Murray and Stratton rule on this song. Steve Harris is unappreciated as a bassist and a songwriter. Hopefully this list will end that nonsense.



#9 is The Evil That Men Do, from the Seventh Son of The Seventh Son album. The guitars are incredible and intertwine perfectly with Bruce Dickenson’s vocals. Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are the guitar masters on this track and the rhythm section of Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain drive the song home.



#8 is Wasted Years. To me, this one is more ballad like than straight ahead rock. Most might argue this on the list, but realistically, this is the song that spoke to me personally when I first heard it; think of past wrongs and rights and the like.



#7 is From Here to Eternity from the Fear of The Dark album. It is so catchy and so riff-driven, I had to include it. I love the lyrics as well and I think it is Dickenson’s best vocal performance before he left the band the first time.



#6 is Can I Play with Madness. That chorus is reminiscent of Bring Your Daughter to The Slaughter (not on the list), as it is so catchy. Listen to it once, you are hooked.



#5 is Aces High from Powerslave. The song soars and dips and sounds like an aerial assault on the senses. It is exciting, the timing is precise and it is a rolling and rocking number if Maiden ever made one.



#4 is Virus from the Best of The Beast. It features Blaze Bayley on vocals, which may hurt some folks, but is a great song. It just sounds so “English” in its approach of metal.



#3 is The Number of the Beast from the Album of the same name. Is there a better guitar intro in the history of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal? Nah, I don’t think so, either. It just has the incredible momentum building to Dickenson’s scream and chorus. Not only one of the best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal songs ever recorded, arguably one of the best rock songs ever recorded.



#2 is also from the Number of The Beast, as it is Hallowed Be Thy Name. I love the “gallows poles” lines with the ominous bells and then the sophistication of the song and the tight playing of the band, as the thunder of Iron Maiden come crashing through. It is also a standout moment in Hard Rock/Heavy Metal.



And lastly, my
#1 is Fear Of The Dark from the album of the same name. I like the studio version so much better than the constantly anthologized live versions of this song. The first time I heard it, I gained respect for the band. I even use the lyrics in my Psychology class and play the song as a mood capturing moment of Fear and Phobias. It is the song that made me take Maiden more seriously as artists and made appreciate the quality of their musicianship and their appeal. It was the song that brought me back to Maiden two and a half years ago.



My favorite CD of theirs is either Powerslave, Piece of Mind, or The Number of the Beast.

Granted tough choices were made to make it on this list as Tailgunner, Clairvoyant, Running Free, Wrathchild, Run To The Hills, and Different World, The Trooper, Wicker Man, Rainmaker, and Flight of Icarius are not herein. Maybe on the next ten; choose what you wish to enjoy.

Oh and some of th studio videos were not allowed to be embedded, so I chose others: no copyright violations, as you are aware.