Sonata Arctica are back in full force! Fueled by enthusiastic reations to their recent digital single ‘First In Line,’ the melodic metal quintet are pleased to provide the first details about of their long-awaited new studio album, titled »Clear Cold Beyond,« which will hit the shelves on March 8, 2024 through Atomic Fire. The album contains 10 tracks reviving the band’s penchant for power metal-esque tunes following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic. »Clear Cold Beyond« is packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of Sonata Arctica‘s multifaceted work: From high-speed anthems such as the aforementioned ‘First In Line’ and ‘California’ to emotion-laden tracks such as ‘The Best Things’ and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every Sonata Arctica fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of their early works, was created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios; »Ecliptica« [1999] – »Stones Grow Her Name« [2012]). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers West; RAMMSTEIN, KORPIKLAANI, DELAIN, THE 69 EYES, DEATHSTARS etc.) who has also been part of other Sonata Arctica productions.
Singer Tony Kakko comments: “We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer. We’re getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start, and the new songs have been so much fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing along to. We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.”
»Clear Cold Beyond« – Track Listing: 01. First In Line 02. California 03. Shah Mat 04. Dark Empath 05. Cure For Everything 06. A Monster Only You Can’t See 07. Teardrops 08. Angel Defiled 09. The Best Things 10. Clear Cold Beyond / Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only!): 11. A Ballad For The Broken 12. Toy Soldiers [MARTIKA Cover]
Further details – including various pre-order options – will be announced very soon, and another new track will be launched simultaneously. Make sure to pre-save ‘A Monster Only You Can’t See’ now, here: https://sonataarctica.afr.link/amonsterPR
A bunch of festival apperances in support of »Clear Cold Beyond« has already been announced, while even more dates for Sonata Arctica‘s usually busy live schedule are still to be added in course of time.
Sonata Arctica is Elias Viljanen (guitars), Pasi Kauppinen (bass), Tony Kakko (vocals), Tommy Portimo (drums) and Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg (keyboards)