SONATA ARCTICA — Ecliptica (review)

SONATA ARCTICA — Ecliptica album cover Album · 1999 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
RuneWalsh2112
This is the music that defined a generation of Scandinavian metal fans of the '00s!

I remember vividly when many of these songs were played in the military barracks up in northern Sweden, these Finnish lads have definitely succeeded in taking us by storm back in 2003/2004. Of course it wasn't a love at first sight for me since I had to struggle in order to actually enjoy Power Metal for simply what it was instead of the lost potential that it sounded like. You see, Power Metal reminds me of a bagel with too much cream cheese. The cheese is so thick that it goes through the hole in the bagel and makes the bagel look more like a cylinder-shaped hat than a food item! But enough of my whining, let's talk about the actual album. "Ecliptica" is, production-wise, a very raw record with both the drums and Kakko's vocals sounding very dated in comparison to the rest of the sound. This is especially interesting considering that the drummer Tommy Portimo and vocalist/front man/composer Tony Kakko have been the only two consistent members of the band!

Luckily, the album is pretty strong in the songwriting department with songs like "My Land", "8th Commandment", "Replica", "Kingdom For A Heart" and especially "FullMoon" still making the band's setlists even to this day. Outside of those tracks and the overall high energy featured all throughout this release, the debut album from Sonata Arctica sounds a bit too much like an ambitious record that might have worked a bit better if it wasn't as jam-packed with accessible brainless candy. What I'm basically saying is that it would have helped to make it more varied in its style.

The whole point of a debut album for a band is to create a powerful collective statement while still not necessary sounding completely certain about the overall direction of the sound/style. That way, you don't put yourself in a corner when it comes to following up on your strong debut statement. The band would eventually strike that perfect balance with the consecutive releases, especially "Reckoning Night", but it would make it completely impossible for them to experiment in other fields, which certainly explains the backlash that Sonata Arctica received with the release of "Unia". More on that in due time!

"Ecliptica" was a good but ultimately very dated release. Most of these songs did eventually get better in a live setting and thus becoming big fan favorites. I'd only recommend exploring this debut album if you're a huge Power Metal fan, but chances are that you've already have!

***** star songs: FullMoon (5:08)

**** star songs: Blank File (4:05) My Land (4:37) 8th Commandment (3:41) Replica (4:55) Kingdom For A Heart (3:51) Picturing The Past (3:36) Destruction Preventer (7:44)

**** star songs: Letter To Dana (6:00) UnOpened (3:43)
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RuneWalsh2112 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I think that this analogy says it better than any words I can write here, enjoy! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aip2aIt0ROM#t=0h14m20s
Diogenes wrote:
more than 2 years ago
But eating the hole in the bagel is the best part! Especially if it's strawberry cream cheese. Mmmm...

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