I had another awesome chat with Tony Kakko from Finland’s SONATA ARCTICA about many things, voice issues, acoustic shows and the pension plan opportunities, favourite seasons and of course the excellent new album, ‘Clear Cold Beyond’, which is out now.
Check it out.
SONATA ARCTICA have been many things in their storied career: Finnish power metal
messiahs, relentless touring powerhouses, masters of sublime melody. But above all, they’ve
been stalwarts of the magic and enchantment that flows through heavy metal. Since their
inception in 1995, they’ve embodied the splendour and serenity of Nordic nature, captivating
the world with 10 albums, EP’s and countless tours. They are ambassadors of metal
illuminated by the Northern lights, of hymns dedicated to the midnight sun. Their latest,
eleventh effort, »Clear Cold Beyond,« carries the torch of their shining legacy into the future,
delivering yet another magnum opus of Finnish power metal wizardry, and bowing to their
fabled past.Just seconds into the storming opener ‘First In Line’ and you know you are in for a treat. A
thunderous drum intro, their trademark jubilant duel of guitars and keys and those soaring
vocals are all it takes to transport listeners into that rare state of sonic bliss. The Suomi effect.
Yes, maybe there really is something in the water up there in the endless lakes of Finland.
Maybe it does something to your creative soul to be nourished by the forces of nature, the
solitude and the legends of the Kalevala, because make no mistake: »Clear Cold Beyond«
descends on the listener like a gale from the snow-covered mountains, bristling with majestic
songs and a keen sense of unforgettable melodies, SONATA style.
»Clear Cold Beyond« follows the release of their two »Acoustic Adventures« albums in 2022,
which allowed the band to “reset,” as frontman, lead vocalist and songwriter Tony Kakko
describes it: “It was a chance to slow down, reflect on what we’ve done in the past and also
fulfil our long-held dream of doing an acoustic album and tour.” But as well as these stripped
back, intimate, touching acoustic versions of their storied catalogue worked: SONATA
ARCTICA were increasingly itching to turn the amps back up to 11. “Getting back to metal after
all that feels like a fresh start,” he beams.
Oh, and how they get back to metal: »Clear Cold Beyond« is easily the most unrelenting
SONATA ARCTICA record to date, a spectacular resurgence of their trademark lightning-fast
power metal forged far, far north. “We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier
after a couple of unintentionally softer albums,” says Tony. “We still love those albums, but in
terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album
didn’t have much to offer. That’s one thing we wanted to change: More speed and songs that
people can and want to sing along to.” You can hear them singing already.
With production duties handled by Mikko Karmila, a key figure in their early days, »Clear Cold
Beyond« sounds massive, heavy and hungry, taking a bow to their early work when everything
was shrouded in a deep sense of magic and mystery. That magic has now returned – only with
a band that’s now 25 years old and a seasoned beast, pushing to go mad like never before. It’s
no secret that their 25th anniversary tour played a part in their new-found love of power metal
supremacy. Tony Kakko sums it up: “We brought back a bunch of old SONATA classics and it
was so much fun to play them, but also to see how people reacted to those oldies. We wanted
more of that, which is what people have always wanted us to be.” Happy band, happy fans. As
simple as that.
It is easy to hear the joy and the energy it has brought back to the band: SONATA ARCTICA
are bursting with vigour, delivering a stampede of wintry power metal. “It’s… rejuvenating in
a way,” says Tony. “The songs have been so much fun to write and record. We can’t wait to
hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.” You don’t
need a fortune teller to predict the outcome. Brace yourselves. Winter is coming.
Written during the unforgettable autumn weeks of 2022, Tony Kakko found himself unable to
stop churning out banger after banger, a new career high in terms of creativity. “Once I
started, the songs just kept coming, but eventually you have to pick the songs you need and
keep perfecting those tracks. This means that for our twelfth album I already have some half-
finished songs in a drawer. I’m bursting with ideas. But first things first, so let’s get this album
out and do some touring!” Word, brother. Word.Dealing with existential issues, life on this planet and how we are destroying it all, »Clear Cold
Beyond« is still flanked by uplifting, escapist songs. “It’s not really my forte,” laughs Tony. “But
I think the whole album has an almost sunny vibe to it, if you know what I mean. Arctic sunny,
of course. But it would not be a SONATA album without songs about love gone wrong.” As a
bonus, the monumental epic ‘Dark Empath’ is the direct sequel to the perennial classic ‘Don’t
Say A Word’ from 2004! “This saga started with our second album »Silence« in 2001 and I’ve
actually lost track of how many sequels and prequels there have been,” grins Tony. “It’s a
stalker theme that provides a framework for writing songs in a certain style that I really like.
Fortunately, people seem not to mind.” He’s joking, of course. It’s one of the many highlights
of an incredible thrill ride of an album.
