Finnish melodic metal titans Sonata Arctica deliver the perfect soundtrack for the cold season with their stormy new opus “Clear Cold Beyond”, set for release on March 8th, 2024 through Atomic Fire.
The latest single from “Clear Cold Beyond” is a song called “Dark Empath”. Longtime followers of their work may notice that this piece is the direct sequel of 2004’s “Don’t Say A Word”, which has become a staple in the group’s live set over the years. The track is at once nostalgic and allows new listeners to dive deeper into Sonata Arctica‘s colorful back catalog.
Singer Tony Kakko comments: “This track is part of a saga that started on our second album ‘Silence’ in 2001 — some even think it started on our debut album with the song ‘The End Of This Chapter’ — and has many sequels and prequels already. Its stalker theme offers a frame to write songs in a certain style I like very much. People do not seem to mind this, fortunately, haha! It’s not a chronological story, but rather a theme with reoccurring, familiar characters that end up living through variations of the theme over and over again.”
Following their trip through various acoustic landscapes during the pandemic, “Clear Cold Beyond” contains ten tracks reviving Sonata Arctica’s penchant for power metal-esque songwriting. From high-speed anthems such as ‘First In Line’ and ‘California’ to emotion-laden tracks like ‘The Best Things’ and the closing title track, the record offers something for each and every Sonata Arctica fan.
The album’s artwork, reminiscent of the art adorning early releases, was created by Niko Anttila. Additionally, the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (1999’s Ecliptica, 2012’s Stones Grow Her Name). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Korpiklaani, Delain, The 69 Eyes, Deathstars) who has also been part of other Sonata Arctica productions.
“Clear Cold Beyond” will be available on digipak CD, jewel case CD (US), 2XLP on multiple color variants, and digitally.
Pre-order the album in the physical format of your choice, presave it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive ‘A Monster Only You Can’t See’ and ‘First In Line’ instantly at THIS LOCATION.
“Clear Cold Beyond” Track Listing:
- First In Line
- California
- Shah Mat
- Dark Empath
- Cure For Everything
- A Monster Only You Can’t See
- Teardrops
- Angel Defiled
- The Best Things
- Clear Cold Beyond
Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only):
- A Ballad For The Broken
- Toy Soldiers [Martika Cover]
SONATA ARCTICA:
- Tony Kakko / Vocals
- Elias Viljanen / Guitars
- Pasi Kauppinen / Bass
- Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg / Keyboards
- Tommy Portimo / Drums
