SONATA ARCTICA — Ecliptica - Revisited: 15th Anniversary Edition (review)

SONATA ARCTICA — Ecliptica - Revisited: 15th Anniversary Edition album cover Album · 2014 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Kev Rowland
1999 was quite a year for Sonata Arctica: they recorded the ‘Full Moon’ demo that brought them to the attention of Spinefarm, changed the band name from Tricky Beans, and having signed a deal also released their debut album, ‘Ecliptica’. The line-up back then was Tony Kakko (vocals and keyboards), Jani Liimatainen (guitars), Janne Kivilahti (bass) and Tommy Portimo (drums), and not only were they raw and new in the studio, the production wasn’t all that it might have been. Over the years since then the band have morphed, and have become quite a force in the power and symphonic metal scenes, and as they approached the fifteenth anniversary they started wondering about re-recording the debut, with the current line-up.

Tommy and Tony are the only ones who have stayed the course, and they have been joined now by Elias Viljanen (guitars), Pasi Kauppinen (bass) and Henrik Klingenberg (keyboards). They have approached this recording with the confidence that only comes from years on the road: this certainly doesn’t sound as if it has its roots in an album from 1999, but instead is fresh and bright, powerful and restrained, in the way that only they and possibly Stratovarius at their peak really know how to achieve. When it is time to shred then they can do that quite happily, putting together blistering runs on all instruments, tied together as one, but they can also be reflective and gentle. Tony’s voice is even better now than it was in his youth, and he has the experience of knowing now exactly what works for him and what doesn’t, so if he wants to sing in a different key from the original then that is just fine and dandy. Sonata Arctica continue to be one of the finest bands in this field.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Lysergic Ritual Sludge Metal
SUNDOWNER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Terra Preta Sludge Metal
TITANOBOA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Endless Suffering Sludge Metal
LØV
Buy this album from MMA partners
Beyond The Shed Sludge Metal
SINICYST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Being & Nothing EP Sludge Metal
CEREBRAL TOMB
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 22 hours ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 22 hours ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 22 hours ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 1 day ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 1 day ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed