Released in 2016, Sonata Arctica were back with their ninth or tenth studio album – it all depends if one considers the re-recording of their debut as an album or not, and obviously in terms of their canon the band didn’t. They also saw the new album as a continuation from ‘Pariah’s Child’, which is understandable I hear you say, except I would have much rather heard something that could have been seen as a continuation of ‘Ecliptica Revisited’. For me there just isn’t nearly enough energy or power throughout this album, and it feels almost as if the band are playing at being a top metal act instead of staking a claim and taking it by force. Tony has a great voice, but here he has been let down by both the production and the songs themselves. The guitars need more crunch, there needs be more shredding, the keyboards need to sit more in the background as an additional layer instead of being so prominent.
It’s not a bad album, and there are highlights here and there, but it does feel like an opportunity missed, especially after the energy and enthusiasm of the re-recording. They have been dampened down a little, instead of being fired up and hitting the traps. Possibly it is time to look for an outside producer instead of bassist Pasi, who can then drive the band back onto the heights they normally reach.
