Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night (2004)

Sonata Arctica - Reckoning Night (2004)

EAC Rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG + COVER | Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal | allmusic rating: 4.5/5 | 391 MB

Label: Nuclear Blast | Released: 2004 | Catalog#: NB 1315-0 | Credits: Mixed By - Mikko Karmila

"As much as they qualify for all of the negative (read: repetitive) stereotypes of melodic European power metal, Finland's Sonata Arctica somehow manage to suppress the cheese factor to a point where fans of more challenging and aggressive heavy metal can actually stomach their albums. 2005's Reckoning Night is one such triumph, and although the precise reasons behind this remain as unexplainable as ever (possibly vocalist Tony Kakko's more-honest-than-operatic delivery?), the fact is, not only does it prove surprisingly likeable for power metal haters, it naturally qualifies as potentially genre-topping stuff for power metal lovers. "Blinded No More" and "Shamandalie" are picture-perfect melodic metal singles, no doubt destined to climb chars across Scandinavia, Germany and Japan, while similarly mid-paced heritage metal anthems such as "Don't Say a Word" and "White Pearl, Black Oceans" manner their authenticity with just enough progressive rock touches (Kansas, big-time) to keep listeners interested. Even the mockery-begging "The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet" manages to pull the rug out from under cynics' feet with its irresistible hooks, leaving it up to the thrash-intensive "Wildfire" to hog such honors instead with its silly spoken fantasy intro. Along the same lines, as usual it's the all-out speed-fests like "Misplaced" and "Fairytale" that curiously proffer the least compelling results, their maddeningly mechanical percussion base and seemingly identically building refrains blurring into oblivion with annoying reliability. But Sonata Arctica manage to sweeten the pot a little here, too, thanks to their creative and original solos -- on guitar as well as on keyboards. In the end, Reckoning Night's greatest achievement is simultaneously representing the best of what power metal has to offer, while qualifying as a very guilty pleasure for metal fans who swear they hate the style."

-- Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic.com

Tracklist:
1. "Misplaced" – 4:42
2. "Blinded No More" – 5:33
3. "Ain't Your Fairytale" – 5:26
4. "Reckoning Day, Reckoning Night..." (instrumental) – 3:21
5. "Don't Say A Word" – 5:49
6. "The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet" – 4:44
7. "My Selene" – 5:28
8. "Wildfire" – 4:36
9. "White Pearl, Black Oceans..." – 8:47
10. "Shamandalie" – 4:04
11. "Jam" – 2:51 (hidden track)

Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild (2003)

Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild (2003)

EAC Rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG + COVER | Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal | allmusic rating: 2/5 | 364 MB

Label: Century Media | Released: 2003 | Catalog#: 77515-2 | Credits: Mixed By - Mikko Karmila

"The third full-length effort from Sonata Arctica features ten characteristically cinematic performances bolstered by the band's dependably workmanlike, progressive power metal chops. Tony Kakko's soaring soprano leads the way, followed by the blazing neo-classical improvisations of keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg. Amazingly, a guitar solo does not appear until the third track."

-- Antti J. Ravelin, allmusic.com

Tracklist:
1. "Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited" – 5:37
2. "Gravenimage" – 6:58
3. "The Cage" – 4:37
4. "Silver Tongue" – 3:58
5. "The Misery" – 5:08
6. "Victoria's Secret" – 4:43
7. "Champagne Bath" – 3:57
8. "Broken" – 5:18
9. "The Ruins of My Life" – 5:14
10. "Draw Me" – 4:05

Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)

Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)

EAC Rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG + COVER | Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal | allmusic rating: 1.5/5 | 433 MB

Label: Century Media | Released: 2001 | Catalog#: 77363-2 | Credits: Mixed By - Mikko Karmila

"Sonata Arctica's Silence basically sounds like Europe with the chops of Dream Theater. The record has all the glossy, non-threatening professionalism of '80s-style, pop-based prog metal: soaring, multi-tracked vocals, virtuosic instrumental passages, and clean, airbrushed production polish. Fans of the genre will appreciate Sonata Arctica's commitment to the style."

-- Andy Hinds, allmusic.com

Tracklist:
1. "...of Silence" – 1:17
2. "Weballergy" – 3:51
3. "False News Travel Fast" – 5:18
4. "The End of This Chapter" – 7:01
5. "Black Sheep" – 3:42
6. "Land of the Free" – 4:24
7. "Last Drop Falls" – 5:13
8. "San Sebastian (Revisited)" – 4:37
9. "Sing in Silence" – 3:51
10. "Revontulet (instrumental)" – 1:32
11. "Tallulah" – 5:20
12. "Wolf & Raven" – 4:15
13. "The Power of One" – 10:30

Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (2000)

Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (2000)

EAC Rip | FLAC + CUE + LOG + COVER | Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Power Metal | allmusic rating: 2/5 | 350 MB

Label: Century Media | Released: 2000 | Catalog#: 77269-2 | Credits: Mixed By - Mikko Karmila

"Sonata Arctica continue the tradition of their Finnish contemporaries, like Stratovarius and so on. Too bad that they just re-sample way too much of the others in their genre. What Sonata Arctica have to offer is just a bunch of interesting solos and melodies, but as a whole Ecliptica fails completely. The songs lack diversity, and it is almost impossible to listen to the album all the way through. That's too bad, though; Sonata Arctica have proven earlier that they do have the skills and potential to make an exceptional heavy metal album, but here it seems that they have just chosen the easy path. Sure, hit songs such as "Blank File" and "Unopened" will satisfy the "everyfan" of heavy metal, but the same ideas repeat too many times during the album. Sonata Arctica's next phase should be to find a style of their own to contrast with their contemporaries. But as a debuting band, they are not so bad."

-- Antti J. Ravelin, allmusic.com

Tracklist:
1. "Blank File" – 4:05
2. "My Land" – 4:36
3. "8th Commandment" – 3:41
4. "Replica" – 4:55
5. "Kingdom for a Heart" – 3:51
6. "FullMoon" – 5:06
7. "Letter to Dana" – 6:00
8. "UnOpened" – 3:42
9. "Picturing the Past" – 3:36
10. "Destruction Preventer" – 7:40