After previously releasing the first single “First In Line” in mid-October, now the melodic power metal giant from Finland, SONATA ARCTICA, is back by providing the first details about their long-awaited new studio album, entitled “Clear Cold Beyond” which will be released on March 8th, 2024 via Atomic Fire. This album contains 10 songs that revive their passion for power metal songs after their journey into the acoustic world during the pandemic. “Clear Cold Beyond” is packed with strong songs and combines the best parts from all periods of SONATA ARCTICA‘s work: From high-speed anthems like “First In Line” and “California” to emotionally charged songs like “The Best Things” and the closing song which is also the title of this album. The album’s artwork is reminiscent of their early work, created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios; “Ecliptica” [1999] – “Stones Grow Her Name” [2012]). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers West; RAMMSTEIN, KORPIKLAANI, DELAIN, THE 69 EYES, DEATHSTARS etc.) who was also part of other SONATA ARCTICA productions.
Singer Tony Kakko comments:
“We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer. We’re getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start, and the new songs have been so much fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing along to. We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.”
TRACKLIST:
01. First In Line
02. California
03. Shah Mat
04. Dark Empath
05. Cure For Everything
06. A Monster Only You Can’t See
07. Teardrops
08. Angel Defiled
09. The Best Things
10. Clear Cold Beyond
Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only!):
11. A Ballad For The Broken
12. Toy Soldiers [MARTIKA Cover]
The new digital single “A Monster Only You Can’t See” will be available on December 8th, 2023, make sure to pre-save now, here:
https://sonataarctica.afr.link/amonsterPR
Homepage: http://www.sonataarctica.info/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sonataarctica
