(2009 - Nuclear Blast)SONATA ARCTICA have never been a band to rest on their laurels and are seemingly always trying to find new ways to convey their message. The band are yet another in the category of 'used to be power metal but now something else' and their sixth studio album THE DAYS OF GRAYS is possibly their most ambitious release yet.
A lot of the time that can be a good thing, as with some bands that are adapting their sound they can end up with a unique sound that is all theirs, but unfortunately such is not the case with SONATA ARCTICA and this album finds them flirting with too many different approaches to make a cohesive album, but amazingly manage to sound a bit boring in the process.
I have listened to this album around twenty times now and still nothing has jumped out at me and nothing has stuck in my head. Make of that what you will, but after so many listens you should be able to actually connect with something.
The band are attempting some different things here, like experimenting with some gothic/symphonic sounding female vocals, a very bombastic orchestra background and some artsy-fartsy passages that are obviously intended to be prog metal but just come across as amateurish and really show the band up.
THE LAST AMAZING GRAYS is probably the most basic and safe track on the album, and as far as i'm concerned is the best track on the album. The balladesque BREATHING is a pretty decent song in the typical symphonic metal ballad way, but it's nothing we haven't heard a million times before. ZEROES is a pretty experimental song and the truth is it's actually quite shite.
SONATA ARCTICA by all means have a right to be artistic and do what they want, but it's no doubt that their fan base is dwindling with each new release and i'd expect the same to happen again with THE DAYS OF GRAYS.
What they have managed to show though, is that whilst they are a great power metal band, they aren't a very good prog metal band and may just be a little too experimental for their own good.
Maybe fans of gothic type metal will enjoy this, but power metal fans, and probably most prog metal fans will dismiss this album. It's sad to see yet another great band fail at refreshing their sound and hopefully the boys will get their act together for another release, if they ever recover from this one.
A lot of the time that can be a good thing, as with some bands that are adapting their sound they can end up with a unique sound that is all theirs, but unfortunately such is not the case with SONATA ARCTICA and this album finds them flirting with too many different approaches to make a cohesive album, but amazingly manage to sound a bit boring in the process.
I have listened to this album around twenty times now and still nothing has jumped out at me and nothing has stuck in my head. Make of that what you will, but after so many listens you should be able to actually connect with something.
The band are attempting some different things here, like experimenting with some gothic/symphonic sounding female vocals, a very bombastic orchestra background and some artsy-fartsy passages that are obviously intended to be prog metal but just come across as amateurish and really show the band up.
THE LAST AMAZING GRAYS is probably the most basic and safe track on the album, and as far as i'm concerned is the best track on the album. The balladesque BREATHING is a pretty decent song in the typical symphonic metal ballad way, but it's nothing we haven't heard a million times before. ZEROES is a pretty experimental song and the truth is it's actually quite shite.
SONATA ARCTICA by all means have a right to be artistic and do what they want, but it's no doubt that their fan base is dwindling with each new release and i'd expect the same to happen again with THE DAYS OF GRAYS.
What they have managed to show though, is that whilst they are a great power metal band, they aren't a very good prog metal band and may just be a little too experimental for their own good.
Maybe fans of gothic type metal will enjoy this, but power metal fans, and probably most prog metal fans will dismiss this album. It's sad to see yet another great band fail at refreshing their sound and hopefully the boys will get their act together for another release, if they ever recover from this one.
4/10
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