SONATA ARCTICA – “STONES GROW HER NAME”
NUCLEAR BLAST (2012)
It is not unheard of for me to be unaware of the works of high-profile popular bands…in fact, the more popular a band becomes with the mainstream music press, the less likely it is that I will pay any attention to their music. So how did I end up reviewing Sonata Arctica’s latest studio effort “Stones Grow Her Name”? Well, I can really attribute that to sheer curiosity and the need to listen to something more melodic after I had spent quite a long period reviewing mainly extreme Metal releases. Much to my surprise, what originally seemed to be nothing more than a type of musical ‘breather’ somehow ended up becoming a very enjoyable experience – let me explain why.
Over the years, Sonata Arctica’s music has been described as Progressive/Symphonic Power Metal and albums like “Unia” (2007) and “The Days Of Grays” (2009) featured material that certainly justified such descriptions. I automatically assumed that “Stones Grow Her Name” would be a similar musical ‘exercise’ but I was soon to be proved wrong. Granted, a few Prog and Euro Power elements are audible, especially in the closing section of the album, however, the majority of the compositions are 80’s inspired Hard Rock themes that are based on some truly catchy guitar hooks and vocal melodies that, in most cases, I found to be simply irresistible! Is it true? Did I become hooked on a Sonata Arctica album? That, my friends, is indeed the case…but let me explain…
The first really pleasant surprise came quite early on as the opening track “Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)” is based on a solid Hard Rock riff and features an anthemic refrain that I immediately warmed to. “Shitload O’ Money” is a more dirty Sunset Strip-influenced tune with its own charming moments, while the Stratovarious-influenced atmospheric keys and catchy refrain of “Losing My Insanity” make it another stand-out track. “Somewhere Close To You” may not be as impressive as its predecessors but is nonetheless an interesting and rhythmically varied piece that successfully paves the way for “I Have A Right” – a beautifully crafted sing-along Hard Rocker, by far the best composition of the album! “Alone In Heaven” is an emotional power ballad of immense vocal quality but is followed by two pretty generic songs, the keyboard and vocally-led “The Day” and the country-influenced Scorpions-sounding piece “Cinderblox”. “Don’t Be Mean” is another massive highlight, a power ballad featuring a top quality emotional vocal performance by main man Tony Kakko and it is followed by two really long and structurally varied/challenging compositions, namely “Wildfire Part II – One With The Mountain” and “Wildfire Part II – Wildfire Town, Population: 0”, in which the band stretched its progressive muscles but which, sadly, did not make a massive impression on me.
In most cases when I would have to review an album of a similarly-minded band I would have to think long and hard before granting a rating but in the case of “Stones Grow Her Name” I came to a decision pretty fast. Even though it features a few songs that are not particularly inspiring, Sonata Arctica’s seventh studio release is predominantly a very inspiring affair – an album whose Hard Rock ethics are pretty enviable by most standards and whose power and enthusiasm is pretty contagious to say the least. I will not go as far as to say that I have been fully converted into a fan but I am now rather inclined to check out the band’s previous efforts, and if what I hear is as impressive as this album then…who knows!
John Stefanis
Rating: **** (4.0/5.0)
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