SONATA ARCTICA – The Ninth Hour (2016)
Finnish veterans SONATA ARCTICA are ready to release their new opus “The Ninth Hour” next October 7th. I really liked the recent music approach of the band, more melodic and with a strong keyboard presence. On this new album the band has managed to strike a surprising balance between this ‘new’ and their original, melodic metal / sympho styles.
“The Ninth Hour” travels its journey over 11 tracks, and from the very first minute you are treated to a synth-laden welcoming invitation in the form of ‘Closer to an Animal’. This sets a tonal mood for the beginning third of the album which relies on synths, guitars and melody to bring something that sounds completely unique given the current power and symphonic metal landscape.
The remaining two thirds of the album is an alternation between this style and some power / symphonic metal sound of the band’s beginnings, plus slower, more quietly attuned ballads.
Musically, this album is quite damn brilliant and maybe that is where the focus for the band was this time around. Tracks like ‘Rise A Night’ and ‘Life’ really shine through with their faster tempo’s suitably managed to create an ambient, yet uplifting atmosphere.
On the flip-side, a track like ‘Fly, Navigate, Communicate’ felt very flat and bland to begin with, until about the mid-way point where the band kicked into gear and the song sort of took a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde approach and it seemed like the first half was written by somebody completely different.
The track placement on the record seems very well thought out, as there are a number of songs those chains together to create a very vivid picture of this album.
The initial transition from ‘Closer to an Animal’ to ‘Life’ is one such example with its very up-tempo and revivifying nature imbuing listeners with a sense of purpose, but this in general is reflective of the greater musical power of the album.
Tracks like ‘Fairytale’ and ‘Till Death’s Done us Apart’ stand out as clear cut winners with their powerful musical composition, vocal delivery and guitar work. Then the ballads ‘Candle Lawns’ and ‘Among The Shooting Stars’ take a very introspective and self-searching tone that heightens the emotional connection that many will have with these tracks.
“The Ninth Hour” is chock-full of strong, interesting and emotive melodies. The songs are very well crafted and, I have no doubt, will satisfy old and new Sonata Arctica fans.
Sonata Arctica 2016 is planted in the ‘commercial, accessible power / melodic metal’ side of the spectrum, and even listeners of the more ‘suave’ rock genres would enjoy this.
01 – Closer To An Animal
02 – Life
03 – Fairytale
04 – We Are What We Are
05 – Till Death’s Done Us Apart
06 – Among The Shooting Stars
07 – Rise A Night
08 – Fly, Navigate, Communicate
09 – Candle Lawns
10 – White Pearl, Black Oceans
Part II, “By The Grace Of The Ocean”
11 – On The Faultline (Closure To An Animal)
Tony Kakko – lead vocals, keyboards
Tommy Portimo – drums
Henrik Klingenberg – keyboards, keytar, backing vocals
Elias Viljanen – guitars, backing vocals
Pasi Kauppinen – bass, backing vocals
Pre Order:
www.amazon.de/Ninth-Hour-Sonata-Arctica/dp/B01K4VKJPU
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