¡ARCTIC SONATA they come back strong! Buoyed by the enthusiastic reactions to their recent digital single, «First In Line«, the melodic metal quintet is pleased to offer the first details about their highly anticipated new studio album, titled «Clear Cold Beyond«, which will hit shelves on March 8 via Atomic Fire.
The album contains 10 tracks that reignite the band’s penchant for power metal-style melodies following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic. «Clear Cold Beyond» is packed with powerful songs and fuses the best of all eras of the multifaceted work of ARCTIC SONATA: From high-speed anthems like those already mentioned «First In Line” and “California» to emotionally charged songs like «The Best Things» and the song that closes the album, this album offers something for each and every fan of ARCTIC SONATA.
The album’s artwork, reminiscent of his early work, was created by Niko Anttila and the band once again had the mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios; «Ecliptic» [1999] – «Stones Grow Her Name» [2012]). The final mastering was carried out by Svante Forsbäckwho has also participated in other productions of ARCTIC SONATA.
The singer Tony Kako comments:
«We’ve long felt like we needed to go heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding angular songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer. Getting back into metal after all that feels like a new beginning, and the new songs have been a lot of fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing. “We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the public reacts when we play again.”
«Clear Cold Beyond» tracklisting:
«First In Line»
“California”
“Shah Mat”
“Dark Empath”
«Cure For Everything»
«A Monster Only You Can’t See»
“Teardrops”
«Angel Defiled»
«The Best Things»
“Clear Cold Beyond”
Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only):
«A Ballad For The Broken»
«Toy Soldiers» (Martika cover)
More details, including several pre-order options, will be announced very soon, and another new theme will be released simultaneously. Make sure to pre-save «A Monster Only You Can’t See«, here.
Several festival appearances have already been announced in support of «Clear Cold Beyond«, and over time even more dates will be added to the busy schedule of Sonata Arctica.
Live dates:
March
16 – Laukaa, Finland – Peurunka Areena
May
3 – Kopervik, Norway – Karmøygeddon Metal Festival
11 – Bomal-sur-Ourthe, Belgium – Durbuy Rock Festival
31-June 6 – Pilsen, Czech Republic – Metalfest
June
28-30 – Helsinki, Finland – Tuska Festival
July
31-August 3 – Wacken, Germany – Wacken Open Air
August
7-10 – Villena, Spain – Legends of Rock
Alignment:
Tony Kakko – voice
Elias Viljanen – guitars
Pasi Kauppinen – bass
Pasi Kauppalainen – bass Pasi Kauppalainen – keyboards Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards
Tommy Portimo – drums
(Photo – Jaakko Manninen)
