Sonata Arctica

What a fluke it was when Sonata had the opportunity to open up for Overkill at BB Kings last year after their proposed tour with Nightwish fell through. For those who did not attend that show the crowd for Sonata was equal to that which was awaiting area thrash legends Overkill. So taking advantage of that successful short run of dates why not return for some more.

Sonata Arctica are basically the younger brother to the originators of melodic keyboard based Power Metal, Stratovarius, also from Finland . So what do they sound like? Take the fast rhythms of Helloween, add some classical keyboards and Malmsteen style guitar solos, and clean smooth vocals with tuneful chorus based songs. Now even though this style of Heavy Metal is known for fast songs like “ Victoria 's Secret”, “The Cage”, and “Black Sheep”, it is not the case for every one. Ballads like “ Last Drop Falls ” gives the band cross over appeal for the female audience and treads them onto the familiar ground of the 80's hair bands. On their latest release “Reckoning Night”, with the addition of a new keyboard player they evolved a bit sounding a little less like Stratovarius as the Hammond organ brings a different texture to Sonata's already Neoclassical based sound. “Misplaced”, “Blinded No More”, and “Don't Say a Word” all taken from that cd. The medley which consisted of several tunes off “Ecliptica” and “Silence” worked very well where every tune blended into the next.

As far as the audience they really knew their shit, singing along to many songs and throwing fists in the air, although for many it looked like a learning experience in European sounds.

Misplaced
Blinded No More
FullMoon
Victoria 's Secret
Broken
8th Commandment
Last Drop Falls
Kingdom For a Heart Webgallery
Tallulah
My Land
Black Sheep
--- Medley
- The Power Of One
- Destruction Preventer
- Picturing The Past
- The Power Of One
- Revontulet
- Peacemaker
- False News Travel Fast
- Land Of The Free
- White Pearl Black Oceans...
Don't Say a Word
The Cage