ALBUM REVIEW: Clear Cold Beyond – Sonata Arctica
The last we saw of SONATA ARCTICA was a couple of acoustic albums they released in 2022. There was a whiff of ‘contract obligation’ about those two, but they turned out to be remarkably good and showed that even with the amps turned off, the Finnish veterans had plenty of life in them. Those records went some way towards reassuring fans after a couple of patchy releases, but there’s still a lot riding on Clear Cold Beyond.
This is the first new material from the band since 2019 and thankfully, it sounds like they’ve used their break as a chance to reset. Clear Cold Beyond is faster and more energetic than The Ninth Hour or Talviyö, and while it’s not a glorious return to form it is a step in the right direction. SONATA ARCTICA have spent the last few album cycles leaning heavily into the melodic side of their genre and while this is still lathered in so much sugar it would caramelise if heated gently, it is more metal than they’ve been in years. Or at least some of it is.
The opening trio will warm the hearts of anyone that longs for the youthful enthusiasm of early SONATA ARCTICA. First In Line is an upbeat, energetic starter and the following California and Shah Mat keep things moving at a fast pace. The guitar riffs are catchy and upbeat, Tony Kakko’s voice sounds great and the rhythm section quickly proves their worth, before the carefully orchestrated Dark Empath gives us the first epic. This one sees them going for a dramatic vibe and it pays off admirably, the multi-layered backing vocals and darker atmosphere making this an early highlight.
However, it must be said that even by power metal standards, SONATA ARCTICA are nerdy as hell. Compared to today’s genre heavyweights like POWERWOLF or SABATON, they sound old-fashioned and closer to pop-rock than “true metal.” This is power metal that turns up for LARP weekends and doesn’t break character once and knows what The Malazan Book Of The Fallen is without having to use Google. It is thoroughly, shamelessly uncool and far too often, conjures mental images of overly happy elves playing keyboards and dancing, especially when they ease off the throttle.
For example, A Monster Only You Can’t See has a horrible, sub-QUEEN chorus that’s best described as infuriatingly happy and is about as metal as an unrisen soufflé. The Best Things meanwhile is heartfelt and earnest, but its also somewhat hackneyed. It’s an old-fashioned love ballad and while it’s okay, it also feels a bit like accidentally interrupting Kakko serenading his other half and being unable to leave. The climactic title track isn’t great either, even if the final vocal flourish raises a smile.
Consequently, Clear Cold Beyond winds up as a decent but frustrating listen. The band are more than capable of writing a hook and this has plenty of choruses you’ll find yourself humming, along with nice galloping guitar riffs and upbeat metal songs. On the flipside, they can be overly sappy and wander dangerously close to AOR. The closing third in particular is rather weak and makes the record seem longer than it actually is.
Ultimately then, Clear Cold Beyond is a welcome return from SONATA ARCTICA but not a perfect one. They’re starting to come across like relics of an older style of power metal, one with more frolicking woodland creatures and less metallic bombast. There’s a certain charm in how sincere they are and there is a lot of entertaining stuff here, but the album suffers from being front loaded. Longtime SONATA ARCTICA fans will enjoy at least seventy percent of it, but it may be too flowery-shirted for anyone else.
Rating: 6/10
Clear Cold Beyond is set for release on March 8th via Atomic Fire Records.
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