Carl Begai

By Carl Begai

Ten years ago Sonata Arctica wanted to be Stratovarius. They’ve grown up since then, but first generation diehard fans haven’t necessarily grown with them.

The band’s last album, Unia from 2007, is the dividing line. It was unlike anything Sonata Arctica had done up to that point, leaning well away from the band’s power metal roots in favour of a hit-and-miss prog metal vibe. For every fan that disliked the new direction, however, there was another to take his or her place, ultimately making Unia a success. Giving credit where it’s due, Unia also helped the band to break out of the coffin they had all but nailed shut with their 2004 album, Reckoning Night, kissing their neo-classical predictability goodbye in the space of single record. Seemingly for good judging by The Days Of Grays.

“Unia was a huge shock for some people, but it was something we really needed to do,” states Kakko. “We gained a lot of new fans with that album and we won’t be going back to our old direction, as you can hear on the new album. There are actually one or two songs that could have appeared on the Reckoning Night album, though. I think this new album is much easier to get into than Unia.”
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