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SONATA ARCTICA
"The Days of Gray" (Nuclear
Blast; 2009)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Finnish power metal quintet Sonata Arctica returns with a punchy pomp-filled endeavor titled "The Days of Gray."
Blending cascading commercial metal hooks with soaring progressive metal prowess into their lush yet visceral keyboard-heavy Euro metal approach (“Juliet”), this squad’s sixth release demonstrates a band well-versed in sweeping dramatics (“The Dead Skin”) and poignant balladry (“As If the World Wasn’t Ending”) as well as cranking out darkened, over-the-top orchestral metal (“Zeroes”) while sneaking in a bit of homeland folk metal (“Flag in the Ground”) for good measure.
Melodic and full of zest, "The Days of Gray" bridges the gap between Dream Theater-esque flash and Blind Guardian-like durability, providing an abundance of rousing metal moments for those who prefer a more elegant design in their metal.
For more information, check out http://myspace.com/sonataarctica.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2003 by R.
Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised:
23 Sep 2009 03:03:15 -0500 .
