Does the title portent Tony Kakko looking in the mirror, worried about getting old? Nothing a little Grecian Formula can’t cure! Perhaps not… Strangely, after the orchestrated, instrumental opener ‘Everything Fades To Gray’, the first voice heard is a female (Johanna Kurkela). In a swirl of keyboards (THE dominant instrument, by FAR, throughout these eleven proper songs) and symphonic touches introduce the mammoth 7:58 ‘Deathaura’, obviously influenced by countrymen Nightwish. In fact, it seems Tuomas Holopainen’s famous troop is playing behind Sonata at every turn, often drowning out “the real” band. Very busy. By Kakko’s own admission “Our own thing was speed at a certain point, years and years back, but we've gone back to where we started in some ways, which was more rock/hardrock/heavyrock/pop.” Graybeards.

Those looking for the next ‘Kingdom For A Heart’ or ‘Victoria’s Secret’ (ie. speedy, metal song) best get out the old CDs, as you won’t find one here (or maybe buy ex-guitarist Jani Liimatainen’s new outfit, Cain’s Offering, with Timo Kotipelto on vocals). A bit of modern metal sneaks into the staccato ‘Zeroes’ (modulated/reverb vox), while ‘No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart’ begins with a hint of harpsichord and adds another snippet of Kurkela’s voice. Violin augments ‘The Truth Is Out There’. The full version of ‘Everything Fades To Gray’ finale (complete with vocals this time) kicks off with piano, a distant Kakko sounding like he’s singing through an early 1900s Victrola and again, more femme vocals. Only in the final 85 seconds does the rest of the band get a (fleeting) chance to be heard. The last sound heard is a fading violin, outlasting the guitar sustain. Disappointing.