I first became aware of Sonata Arctica back in 2003 when I was in the army serving in the northern Sweden. The local folk, up in the north, are a lot more into melodic music which is why cheesy pop music and melodic metal is especially popular in the northern regions of the world. At first, I wasn't actually much of a fan even though bands that I listened to at the time weren't exactly much different in comparison (i.e. Dream Theater, Rush, Sympony X etc.) even if I wanted to believe that they were.

The snippets of "Silence" and "Ecliptica" that I've got to hear during my 10 month in the service felt very tedious and straining at first but eventually I got off my high horse and began to appreciate the simplicity and high energy that existed in the European Power Metal. It didn't mean that I was completely sold on the whole concept, rather that I was more open-minded about it.

By the time "Reckoning Night" came around I've almost completely forgotten about ever listening to Sonata Arctica but this definitely changed once I've read the highly praising AllMusic review of the album and its creative edge over the band's repertoire up to this point. I basically said why not? ... and purchased the album. The music that I was met with wasn't exactly too different compared to what I previously heard from the band but the major difference was in the fact that the material was a whole lot more consistent compared to their first two releases. The album revealed a lot of the hidden qualities that I have not experienced on any other Power Metal albums until now. I'm referring to the completely gorgeous melodies that weren't necessary cheesy, or at least I didn't see them as such. Most importantly, this particular album didn't feel like junk food --- an analogy that works surprisingly well with most Power Metal albums. Most of the Power Metal albums that I've experienced thus far have all felt like brainless fun that really had no, or very little, consistency to it making them ideal for a spin or two and them dropping them completely off my playlist for many months and sometimes even years!

Simply put, this is one of the few Power Metal albums that managed to click with me. Just like with most other music from this genre, it only works when I'm in that weird kind of mood, but it sure feels great to have a right album for the occasion!

***** star songs: Misplaced (4:42) Ain't Your Fairytale (5:26) White Pearl, Black Oceans... (8:47) Shamandalie (4:04)

**** star songs: Blinded No More (5:33) The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Real Puppet (4:44) My Selene (5:28) Wildfire (4:36) Don't Say A Word (5:49)

** star songs: Reckoning Day, Reckoning Night... (3:21)

I've explored the band's three early albums in a reversed order due to my late gained appreciation for their music. It's not difficult to see the band that brought us "Reckoning Night" while listening to "Winterheart's Guild", the fast-paced songs are punchy and feature strong melodies while the slower material is easily some of the cheesiest ballads that you'll probably hear on any record. I guess that the biggest difference this time around comes from a guest spot by the Swedish power metal keyboardist Jens Johansson who not only added new instrumental prowess to the otherwise pretty stale song formats that Sonata Arctica had dug themselves into at this point of their career, but also pretty much single-handedly makes compositions like "The Cage" and "Silver Tongue" into the awesome experiences that they are.

One would assume that the departure of the keyboardist Mikko Härkin would have hurt the band a lot since most of their material is very keyboard-driven. The absence of an actual keyboard player is surprisingly not too noticeable since Tony Kakko does a decent job of playing on the less demanding songs while letting Jens Johansson handle the tougher, fast-paced, solos. It's actually these demanding solos that make this album one of the band's most memorable with tracks like "The Cage" and "Victoria's Secret" making up for otherwise a pretty predictable song blueprints. If you're a fan of Power Metal then chances are you're already well familiar with "Winterheart's Guild" since all of the first four Sonata Arctica albums feature solid songwriting and enough excitement in them to make fans of the genre rejoice. To me, this is easily the most significant album that the band have done right after "Reckoning Night" (or before, if you want to follow the chronological order).

***** star songs: The Cage (4:37)

**** star songs: Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited (5:37) Gravenimage (6:58) Silver Tongue (3:58) The Misery (5:08) Victoria's Secret (4:43) Champagne Bath (3:57) Broken (5:18) The Ruins Of My Life (5:14)

*** star songs: Draw Me (9:26)

It didn't take long for Sonata Arctica to release their sophomore album with more music, improved musicianship while leaving the rest of things in status quo.

The biggest change that was audible on "Silence" (no pun intended) was the addition of new musicians to the band roster. Most importantly, the addition of the keyboard wunderkind Mikko Härkin who single-handidly created the blueprint for the band's fast pace keyboard-dominated sound for many year to come, but also made some fans and critics speculate whether Sonata Arctica could be considered a progressive metal band! Personally, I would never classify this style of strong melodic metal as anything other than pure Power Metal but I would be lying if I completely ignored the fact that the band has a few progressive tendencies in their sound. These tendencies would eventually manifest themselves on great compositions like "White Pearls, Black Oceans..." but now I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Unlike the debut album which featured quite a few classic Sonata Arctica tracks, "Silence" has marginally fewer of such classics but the ones that are here definitely outmatch pretty much anything from "Ecliptica"! Songs like "Weballergy", "Black Sheep", "San Sebastian (Revisited)" and especially "Wolf & Raven" are all big concert favorites that are still constantly in the band's repertoire.

In conclusion, I actually regard "Silence" as the band's true debut album since this was where they actually began to experiment with their sound. The end results might not be as exciting for the true fans of Power Metal, but those who are a bit more open-minded will note that the material that works is actually miles ahead of the amateurish approach that was so striking on "Ecliptica". Things would get marginally better on the next two releases!

***** star songs: Wolf & Raven (4:17)

**** star songs: Weballergy (3:51) False News Travel Fast (5:18) Black Sheep (3:42) San Sebastian (Revisited) (4:37) Revontulet (1:32) Tallulah (5:20) The Power Of One (11:39)

*** star songs: ... Of Silence (1:17) The End Of This Chapter (7:01) Land Of The Free (4:24) Last Drop Falls (5:13) Sing In Silence (3:51)

This is the music that defined a generation of Scandinavian metal fans of the '00s!

I remember vividly when many of these songs were played in the military barracks up in northern Sweden, these Finnish lads have definitely succeeded in taking us by storm back in 2003/2004. Of course it wasn't a love at first sight for me since I had to struggle in order to actually enjoy Power Metal for simply what it was instead of the lost potential that it sounded like. You see, Power Metal reminds me of a bagel with too much cream cheese. The cheese is so thick that it goes through the hole in the bagel and makes the bagel look more like a cylinder-shaped hat than a food item! But enough of my whining, let's talk about the actual album. "Ecliptica" is, production-wise, a very raw record with both the drums and Kakko's vocals sounding very dated in comparison to the rest of the sound. This is especially interesting considering that the drummer Tommy Portimo and vocalist/front man/composer Tony Kakko have been the only two consistent members of the band!

Luckily, the album is pretty strong in the songwriting department with songs like "My Land", "8th Commandment", "Replica", "Kingdom For A Heart" and especially "FullMoon" still making the band's setlists even to this day. Outside of those tracks and the overall high energy featured all throughout this release, the debut album from Sonata Arctica sounds a bit too much like an ambitious record that might have worked a bit better if it wasn't as jam-packed with accessible brainless candy. What I'm basically saying is that it would have helped to make it more varied in its style.

The whole point of a debut album for a band is to create a powerful collective statement while still not necessary sounding completely certain about the overall direction of the sound/style. That way, you don't put yourself in a corner when it comes to following up on your strong debut statement. The band would eventually strike that perfect balance with the consecutive releases, especially "Reckoning Night", but it would make it completely impossible for them to experiment in other fields, which certainly explains the backlash that Sonata Arctica received with the release of "Unia". More on that in due time!

"Ecliptica" was a good but ultimately very dated release. Most of these songs did eventually get better in a live setting and thus becoming big fan favorites. I'd only recommend exploring this debut album if you're a huge Power Metal fan, but chances are that you've already have!

***** star songs: FullMoon (5:08)

**** star songs: Blank File (4:05) My Land (4:37) 8th Commandment (3:41) Replica (4:55) Kingdom For A Heart (3:51) Picturing The Past (3:36) Destruction Preventer (7:44)

**** star songs: Letter To Dana (6:00) UnOpened (3:43)

After covering most of the post Scheepers Gamma Ray albums, you might be asking why I completely ignored the first three albums featuring Ralf Scheepers on vocals? This has merely to do with the fact that I got acquainted with Gamma Ray pretty late into their career and never really felt the urge to go back and explore the band's early discography. I never had a problem with Scheepers as a front man, on contrary, I consider him an idol of Heavy Metal considering that the man's voice is still as powerful as ever after nearly 30 years in the music business!

Right after quiting Gamma Ray on the pretense of hoping to land a gig with Judas Priest, after Rob Halford quit the band, Ralf Scheepers was left out in the cold. Judas Priest went on to hire Tim 'Ripper' Owens as their new front man while Kai Hansen-fronted Gamma Ray finally broke through to the masses with the release of the acclaimed "Land Of The Free", making it nearly impossible for Scheepers to retrace his steps. Instead of crying over spilled milk, Ralf Scheepers decided to put his bitterness into music and formed Primal Fear!

The band-titled debut album had an uncanny resemblance to the "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest sound. Featuring the same heavy twin guitar action (one of which belongs to Kai Hansen) and the high pitch vocals, making this record the follow up to "Painkiller" that Judas Priest have never delivered on! The album kicks off with the now classic "Chainbreaker" which features everything that you need to know about this band, making it a perfect introduction to Primal Fear.

The rest of the album comprises of a solid mix of tracks that range between the sound of NWoBHM and Power Metal, even though the latter doesn't really manifest itself as much as it will on the band's later releases. The album features a somewhat unnecessary cover of Deep Purple's "Speedking" which really doesn't fit in with the rest of the material, even though it's fun to hear Scheepers covering Gillans classic screams.

If you're a fan of Heavy Metal and are interested in hearing how Judas Priest might have sounded like have Rob Halford not quit the band on the height of their career, then this is definitely a must have album for you! Everyone else should also give it a spin merely out of curiosity, just don't expect the album to be more than the sum of its parts.

***** star songs: Chainbreaker (4:25) Nine Lives (3:08)

**** star songs: Silver & Gold (3:13) Promised Land (4:25) Dollars (3:59) Tears Of Rage (6:48) Speedking (4:01) Running In The Dust (4:38) Thunderdome (3:45)

*** star songs: Primal Fear (0:34) Formula One (4:57) Battalions Of Hate (3:51)