Wow...

Review Score: (10/10)
Sonata Arctica was one of the first non-American metal acts I invested in, and had me hooked on power metal for a while. While I now feel that most power metal is corny and difficult to find serious, I still greatly enjoy this album. It's got everything from very fast and heavy songs to perfectly-executed and very emotional ballads. In fact, Sonata Arctica really has a knack for doing the latter, as "Last Drop Falls" and "Tallulah" are two of the best songs on the CD. "Sing In Silence" incorporates the best of both worlds and is a standout for that very reason; "The End of This Chapter" also incorporates tempo changes, but the heavier parts are not as good. "Black Sheep" is my favorite of the all-fast-&-heavy stuff, with "San Sebastian" (it's a new version of an old song) coming in as a close second. No bad songs at all.

A very interesting aspect of the band is that while some bands double up on guitars, Sonata Arctica has double keyboards. Their vocalist, Tony Kakko, handles the backing keys while Mikko Harkin leads. Their guitarist doesn't stand out much, though. While these guys don't have a very big fan base according to Century Media's website, they are definitely an act to look into. I can't see why more people don't like them. For a relatively young band, these guys really know how to play.

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