Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica review
Band: | Sonata Arctica |
Album: | Ecliptica |
Style: | Power metal |
Release date: | September 1999 |
01. Blank File
02. My Land
03. 8th Commandment
04. Replica
05. Kingdom For A Heart
06. Fullmoon
07. Letter To Dana
08. Unopened
09. Picturing The Past
10. Destruction Preventer
11. Mary-Lou [Japanese bonus]
12. Letter To Dana (Returned To Sender) [2008 remaster bonus]
Hailing from Finland, Sonata Arctica was one of the revelations of the year 1999 . The young band played very fast tempo melodies [the so-called speed metal], enhanced by splendid keyboards and breathtaking guitar lines. "Ecliptica" was their first full-length album and was the beginning of the arctic phenomenon.
The first thing that comes to my mind is that more than the musical performance shown throughout the entire album, the most important aspect of "Ecliptica" is the songs themselves. Every track on that album is catchy as it can be, the choruses are grand, the solos fantastic and innovative, even the vocals rule. I mean, anyone who listened to that album at some point has to remember at least two or three songs of "Ecliptica" nowadays, and that without being necessary a fan of the band.
The opening track 'Blank File' has it all: speed, beauty, power... but the following song 'My Land' is really one of the killers of the album. From beginning to end, that song is both heavy and extremely melodic, shaping a unique atmosphere around it. Needless to say, Tony Kakko [keyboards] and Jani Liimatainen [guitars] add another layer of enlightment to the song with their solos. It's really a must!
Another great song is the ballad 'Replica', which features the best vocal performance by Tony Kakko. Once again, the perfect harmony between keys and guitars is delicious. Finally, how to talk about "Ecliptica" without mentioning its single 'Full Moon'? I remember the day when I first heard that song for the first time on a French radio, thinking that I ought to get an album with such a song on it. Well guys, if you don't know that one, I wonder why you're reading that review today! All other tracks would deserve more words, but I don't want to say too much about that album. My piece of advise is: enjoy the pleasure of discovery.
"Ecliptica" is a very good album, with great songs and it was an innovative album in 1999. In my opinion, this album is way much better than Sonata Arctica's next album, "Silence". Whilst "Silence" has a better production, "Ecliptica" has a better atmosphere and overall more interesting compositions.
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 8 |
Songwriting: | 9 |
Originality: | 8 |
Production: | 9 |
|
Written on 01.10.2003 by
Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as: "A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?" I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math. |
Comments
Comments: 19
Visited by: 209 users
The Alchemist Metalchemist |
The Mu-Mu Thing. Account deleted |
Talvi |
Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff |
ThrashMetal_Rulz Account deleted |
Arcaliz666 Account deleted |
+{Jonas}+ I R Serious Cat |
Ellrohir Heaven Knight |
AnarChrist Posts: 253 |
Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff |
BlankFile Posts: 690 |
Narloth |
Morphis |
BeastOfMetal456 Account deleted |
Cal Wolvington Account deleted |
Milena gloom cookie Staff |
Cal Wolvington Account deleted |
Oaken Hipster |
BlankFile Posts: 690 |
Hits total: 16420 | This month: 33