| Sonata Arctica hails from
Finland. They began their musical career as Tricky Beans
in 1996. They released their first demo also in 1996. Two
more demos were released in 1997 and the band performed
in many music competitions. In late 1997 the band had a
personnel change and a name change. They changed their
name from Tricky Beans to Tricky Means. In 1998 there was
another personnel change and current bass player Janne
Kivilahti joined. In early 1999 the band signed a
contract with Spinefarm Records and changed their name to
Sonata Arctica. Their debut single "Unopened"
was released in July 1999 and their debut album
"Ecliptica" was released in late 1999. Sonata Arctica is an incredible band. And I believe there is a slight influence of fellow Finns Stratovarius in their music. For being such a young band the members show a great deal of musical experience. Their first album "Ecliptica" is very powerful and sounds like they have been doing this stuff for years. As the band matures they should get even better than they are now (which is hard to imagine). Currently Sonata Arctica is on tour with Stratovarius and Rhapsody in Europe. The tour began in early April and runs through mid May. No US dates (if any) have been planned. Although personally I would love to see them live. |
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ECLIPTICA 1999 (5 stars)Track listing: 1. Blank File 2. My Land 3. 8th Commandment 4. Replica 5. Kingdom for a Heart 6. FullMoon 7. Letter to Dana 8. UnOpened 9. Picturing the Past 10. Destruction Preventer Ecliptica is an awesome debut album. The band shows a great deal of musical experience despite being rather young. Lead singer Tony Kakko has a great vocal range. The songs on Ecliptica have both emotion and power and cover a broad range. Every track is excellent but my personal favorite is "Replica".. If you like Stratovarius you will like Sonata Arctica. |
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UNOPENED single 1999Track listing: 1. UnOpened 2. Mary-Lou No information available. |
