Nov202008
Review: Sonata Arctica’s Reckoning Night
Filed under Music by Kim at 4:58 pm on Nov 20 2008
This is where I review albums that came out a long time ago. Hey, why not?
You might not have heard of Sonata Arctica, but in Finland this album topped the charts for a good long while back in 2004.
Unlike some symphonic (and power) metal albums I’ve heard, this one does not start quiet and build up. SA comes out aggressive on the first track “Misplaced”, drums exhibiting the fast footwork from moment one. Only about halfway through that first song do they whip out the piano solo to help you understand what kind of band you’re dealing with here. Of course, if you looked at the album cover, which is some kind of ghost wolf and ghost bear attacking a ship under full sail, you already have an inkling.
The second track, “Blinded No More”, while I really enjoy it, is not a standout track on the album. The musicality seems a bit bland for a band that can be pretty flashy, and I never enjoy someone singing about how someone else “sucked out my will to live”. This moves into the blistering “Ain’t Your Fairytale” – vocal harmonies are on point and provide depth to the song, which is um, about werewolves. “Reckoning Day, Reckoning Night” is an instrumental track that has a nice gothy tone but is a bit more like a video game soundtrack than anything else. I love synths as much as the next proghead but I really feel like a Final Fantasy character is going to wander out whenever this song comes up.
That song segues into “Don’t Say a Word” which is another fun, fast-paced song but I gotta say, the bells (or synth-whatever-ophone sounds) make this sound a little bit like a Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Tony Kakko’s voice is extra powerful here and expertly handles soaring passages that would break a lesser singer.
One thing I love about this kind of songwriting is that you usually get offbeat and interesting tales, and this album doesn’t disappoint, with tracks like “The Boy who wanted to be a real puppet” & “White Pearl, Black Ocean”. The latter is the only real epic length song on the album, but that’s OK. The music dovetails nicely with the lyrics; I like the escapist feeling this creates. You can look at the tracks across this album one of two ways; either this album is consistent and keeps up the energy, or the faster tracks blend together and begin to sound similar. I see it the former way, but I can see how those who are not fans of the “power metal” genre could see it the other way.
The crowning jewel here is the final ballad, Shamandalie. This is the track that hooked me in and despite being softer has terrific melodic interest. The only low point of Reckoning Night is somewhat unimaginative drumming. Tommy Portimo is a far more than solid drummer and technically perfect so I can forgive that. Macho metal fans are going to think this album is cheesy. But that is exactly what pushes it over into the awesome category, to YMMV.
Listening to this album is flat fun. I give it 4 Skwigelfs out of 5. 
1 Prosaic Paradise » More Showy Goodnesson 17 Jun 2009 at 11:49 am
[…] year I reviewed Reckoning Night. I have to tell you that I have been listening to that album almost once a week […]