SONATA ARCTICA — Ecliptica (review)

Album · 1999 · Power Metal

3.5/5 · 2022-04-22
lukretion

Back in the mid/late 1990s, power metal bands were sprouting like mushrooms all over Europe. Sonata Arctica were part of that trend, but differently from many other bands that came and went in the blink of an eye, the Finnish combo was destined to stay. Listening to Ecliptica, their first LP released in 1999, I can understand why. Still today this record sounds superior to a lot of power metal released back then as well as today.

The secret of Sonata Arctica’s success boils down to two key factors: originality and talent. Originality is a big word in the power metal world, where countless band are mere clones of countless other clones. I am not going to lie: Sonata Arctica find plenty of inspiration in the neoclassical metal of bands like Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, filtered through the aesthetics of their countrymen Stratovarius as well as German acts like Helloween and Gamma Ray. Yet, there are also a couple of unusual influences that emerge here and there in the sound of the Finns that, ultimately, help them differentiate from all the other bands that also grew in the footsteps of dad Malmsteen and grandad Blackmore. The first unusual influence is a quaint taste for the melodic approach of pomp / arena rock bands like Europe or Royal Hunt that is particularly apparent on tracks like “My Land”, “Kingdom for a Heart” and “FullMoon”. These tracks strike a great balance between grit and melody, ballsy speed and symphonic sophistication, like in the best pomp rock/metal tradition. The other unusual influence lies in the melancholic aura that pervades a lot of the material of the album and that brings to mind the gothic aesthetics of Sonata Arctica’s countrymen HIM and Sentenced.

While these subtle twists to the trite power metal formula are decisive to retain my interest throughout the duration of the album, the other reason why I grew addicted to Ecliptica is the incredible talent of the band, particularly their frontman Tony Kakko and their guitarist Jani Liimatainen. The latter is a funambulist of the six strings, speedy but at the same time exquisitely melodic, as the best neoclassic metal guitar players. The true star of Sonata Arctica, though, is his vocalist Tony Kakko, who here also plays keyboards. Actually, his keyboard playing is very remarkable, and the instrument plays a major role in the arrangements and songwriting of the material on Ecliptica. His voice is equally remarkable, richly melodic and with an impressive range. Guitars, keyboards and vocals carry some truly inspired and memorable melodies throughout the album, peaking in songs like “Blank File”, “My Land”, “FullMoon”, the beautiful ballad “Letter to Dana” and “Picturing the Past”. The rhythmic section is less impressive, with the bass barely audible (no surprise here, this is a trademark of so many power metal albums of the time) and doublebass drums going at breakneck speed with little room for expressive playing (no surprise here either).

The album contains a good variety of material, from ultra-fast songs like “Blank File”, “8th Commandment” and “UnOpened”, to moody mid-tempos (“My Land”, “FullMoon”), to languid ballads (“Replica”, “Letter to Dana”), to semi-progressive epics like “Destruction Preventer”. In a few cases the band show an ambition to stretch beyond the mere verse/chorus structure, exploring tempo changes and slightly more articulated structures, like on “My Land”, “FullMoon” and “Destruction Preventer”.

The playing is exuberant and the band’s enthusiasm is contagious, which contributes to make Ecliptica a highly enjoyable album. Add to this some unusually interesting lyrics (at least for the genre), sparing us of yet another knights & dragons story to focus instead on deeper psychological and existential questions, and we have a pretty solid album through and through. The only weakness lies perhaps in the overall sound, which is fairly thin and dry especially when it comes to drums and guitar tone, and that one has to chalk down to low budget and inexperience. Overall, though, this is a great power metal album that rightly received a lot of attention at the time it was released, quickly but deservingly projecting Sonata Arctica at the forefront of the power metal scene.