Diogenes 2009 was a great year. I was just finishing up high school, I had gotten a job that wasn’t taking orders at a fast food chain (making me feel nice and macho, yes!), and my interest in power metal was at its peak. This meant lots and lots of Sonata Arctica, specifically Ecliptica and its flowery, double-bass-filled goodness. Heck, their first four albums were gold to me; as catchy and hooky as it gets. Then there was Unia. I hated it. It stunk. Of course, when Sonata Arctica released Flag in the Ground as a teaser for the upcoming Days of Grays, I was thrilled…but that was squashed quickly when they claimed that a return to their Strato-esque roots was not in the near future. Sure enough, when I first listened to the Days of Grays, I was disappointed. It seemed like another “progressive” album that didn’t go anywhere, with too many goofy elements that weren’t needed. I shelved it and largely forgot about it for a while. However, a good year later, something magical happened! I was rummaging through all of the old files on my hard drive, which had been the only survivor to a recent PC blowup, and I found the Days of Grays. “Ah, what the hell,” I thought. “I already listened to the Sum 41 and Metallica crap, let’s try this.” And, oh my goodness. I couldn’t believe my ears. It was a billion times better than I remembered it to be. It was impossible to think that this was the same album that let me down so badly…but it was.

Now that my pointless background story is out of the way, let’s get to the flippin’ review, already. The Days of Grays could, and should be considered the logical next step in the Sonata Arctica progression. The sound is, once again, dark and downtrodden, with progressive elements and many complexities. But the big difference between Unia and this album is, THIS IS ACTUALLY WELL-WRITTEN! Call it maturity, call it the benefit of being given a second shot; whatever the band was trying to do on Unia was executed much better on The Days of Grays. The keyboards are very prominent here; from sorrowful piano riffs to chilling synth auras, Henrik Klingenberg has his fingerprints all over this album. On the other hand, new guitarist Elias Viljanen takes more of a back seat. His riffs are more of the chugging variety, usually used in conjunction with the keys to set the album’s massive “cold” atmosphere. He’s no slouch in the shredding department, as shown in the aforementioned Flag in the Ground, but these moments are rare in this album. Fortunately, the way in which the guitars are used work perfectly within the context of the music. Remember kids, you don’t have to play 47389 notes per second to be metal!

As long as there is Tony Kakko, there will be Sonata Arctica. Everyone has an opinion about his voice, which has undeniably changed over the years, but the man has one of the most creative minds in today’s metal scene. The Days of Grays is his best work yet, writing-wise. For one, his lyrics have always been good, but the stories these songs tell are exquisite. Gone are the sappy love ballads with broken English. In are questions of political motives and multi-suite stories of witches and wolves. In an album where the music is less accessible, good lyrics are critical, and Kakko nails it here.

As for the songwriting itself, the songs don’t follow a certain structure (with a few exceptions), so there isn’t a lot of repetition, which is a good thing in this case. As I alluded to earlier, there are plenty of small nuances for the listener to pick out; a little jingle here, a drum fill there, and Kakko’s layered vocals all over the place. As such, it’s going to take you a few listens to take everything in, but trust me on this one; you’ll be glad you did! Even though many of the trademark Sonata Arctica aspects are long gone by now, life within this band does indeed go on.

Highlights of the album depend on your taste. Again, Flag in the Ground will instantly appeal to fans of the back end of the Sonata Arctica discography (being a remake of an old Tricky Beans demo), with your traditional upbeat chorus and guitar/keyboard duel. Being the only “happy” moment on the album, the bridge is like the sane remnants of a person gone psycho: “I stuck my flag in the ground, screaming and shouting, I’ve never felt so proud!” The Last Amazing Grays is the best example of the album’s amazing atmosphere, taking you on a journey through the coldest parts of Finland as Kakko weaves an emotional tale about a pack of wolves and the passing of its leader. Zeroes is my personal favorite, with hooky vocal melodies, thoughtful lyrics, and the only other really good chorus on the album. And the ballads, well, they aren’t that bad. I mean, Sonata Arctica have never written good ballads. Juliet is kind of boring, and Breathing is just tolerable, but they at least have some elements that save them from being total snoozefests. Still a weak point in the album, but not anything to create a giant fuss over. Basically, most, if not all, of the songs here have something new and interesting, and this time those parts are actually integrated in a way that contributes to the overall sound, instead of dragging it down.

The word “grower”, I feel, has become quite a cliché in the metal community. It’s used a lot by fans of controversial albums that would otherwise be considered nothing more than uninspired crap. That said, The Days of Grays is truly a grower. It’s dark, intricate, and much different than the band’s earlier works, which will definitely put off some listeners. It’s definitely not for everyone, that’s for sure, and thus I cannot rate this album as an essential. Still, I can’t express how glad I am that I gave this album another chance. Yes, it’s a grower, as growy as growers grow. The real deal, my friends. Have patience, grasshopper…