Review Summary: Controversial transformation that proves to be the end of Sonata Arctica's artistic ceiling in the prog/power metal genre
Sonata Arctica has become a rather difficult band to talk about, the narrative surrounding this band has become incredibly toxic and I won’t lie that has stopped me from listening to a band that I once adored. Some of this toxicity is warranted, because after Unia for this band nothing would ever be the same again. Reckoning Night is of course seen as their last power metal album and one of their greatest works, but people often forget that it was not their last album with Jani Liimatainen, Unia was and his influence is what takes a drastic change in style and approach and makes it not only palatable, but a really unique experiment that succeeds despite itself. I won’t lie, on first listen Unia sounds schizophrenic, scattered and wildly inconsistent, it took me a few years to really appreciate this album, but I found that once I had gotten to know their first four albums intimately I got a little bored with the straightforward symphonic power metal approach and longed for something a little more complex and challenging. Obviously I could have just stuck to progressive metal for that, but I was really into Sonata Arctica circa 2011-2013 and I found myself drawn to their post Reckoning Night albums, something which my friends would call me crazy for contemplating.
I’m going to tackle the tracklist in a different way, it’s pretty easy to separate the songs based on tier and style. No matter how different the album might be it still has moments that are unmistakably written by Sonata Arctica (some more obviously by Tony Kakko). "Paid in Full" is probably the song that catches most ears on the first run through and it’s a decent song, for myself I kind of overplayed this song getting to know this album and in retrospect it’s easily my least favorite song off the album, but if that’s the worst Unia has to offer then I’d say we’re in pretty good shape. "The Harvest" and "Caleb" are the closest this album has to straight up power metal, but the beauty of having Jani Liimatainen in your band is that he can turn almost any material into gold. The Harvest has a dark, riff laden approach with a grittier sound than this band has previously exhibited or would ever use again; as well as a fun chorus. "Caleb" is the link that maintains Sonata Arctica’s string continuity with their older albums (gods I love string continuity). On Silence they began this “saga” with "The End of this Chapter", basically being about a stalker ex tracking down this woman, on Reckoning Night, "Don’t Say a Word" is the next part which apparently details the stalker’s violent rampage and his troubled familial relationships. Caleb then is the prequel to all of this, detailing the stalker (Caleb)’s early childhood and how his relationship with his parents ruined him psychologically. I guess the father hated Caleb, but his mother doted on him and eventually tries to get him to kill his father, but Caleb chickens out and runs away. It’s not the most cohesive story, but as a song Caleb is fantastic, and if I had to guess most fans who don’t really care for this album, would at least enjoy this one.
Then there are the more experimental songs, that I imagine most SA fans will either love or hate. "Black and White" to me is a great opener, very bombastic and in your face, some pretty entertaining riffs and some really interesting rhythmic choices. However the elephant in the room for this one; where is the power metal? Going into this album for the first time is a confusing experience for most SA fans (and it definitely was for me too) and if you were looking for speedy power metal "Black and White" probably has/had you very worried. "For the Sake of Revenge" is one of the most unusual Sonata Arctica songs yet. The focus here is on the emotional climax and the atmosphere. I swear we’re getting into goth rock influence at points in this album; think mid era Anathema for comparison, but in this case it works gangbusters. When Tony Kakko sings convincingly he can really create an emotional performance and even though the melody is fairly unusual, I have to imagine prog fans will swoon. "It Won’t Fade" has a more traditional chorus than most of the album, but again brings that dark, but hopeful atmosphere that pervades most of the album.
That atmosphere I mentioned dances on a very fine line, I think the next album Days of Gray strayed too far on the other side, notching up the melodrame and trying to be romantic and morose. Unia on the other hand straddles that line beautifully and as we get into the even more experimental side of it, you start to see what kind of progressive metal this band is truly capable of. "The Vice" is one of the more controversial songs that gets people's panties in a bunch, but obviously, I really like it. We get a little more bass work than you might normally expect from this band, but it’s far from unwelcome. This song is eclectic and bizarre, but it’s got a fun rhythmic foundation that keeps the momentum going. Also, I think an undersold element of this album is the way vocal harmonies and layers were added to this album which helps keep the whole thing feeling organic, almost like parts of it were improvised. I would call "The Vice" the most “fun” song on the album, at first it might seem too weird, but it’s a grower for sure. Sonata Arctica is a band capable of writing epics, not necessarily in song lengths, but they know how to build up to a climax and they know how to extend a bridge and turn what might be a rote, typical song into something more. There are moments when this band elevates their music to masterpiece levels and on this album "My Dream’s but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare" is the biggest surprise of Sonata Arctica’s career. I mean, on Reckoning Night, "White Pearl Black Ocean" was clearly intended to be an epic bookmark to an already great album, and at 8 minutes it was one of the longer songs they had written so it was clearly written with a specific purpose in mind. "My Dream’s but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare" on the other hand is right in the middle of the album and it goes through numerous transitions and shifts in style, at first making it kind of a wtf moment, not because it sounds bad, but because, certainly at the time of release like nothing anyone had heard in power metal before. It starts off dark and brooding, similar to "It Won’t Fade" and "For the Sake of Revenge", but then it takes a left turn into a major key and some really interesting imagery:
“I'm skating with a seal,
(I'm skating with a seal)
The tarantula, the fly,
The broken ring
The dusty little flea
(The dusty little flea)
An ugly giant,
A disappointed child”
This song is Tony’s greatest vocal performance and the urgency he emotes through these lyrics just blows me away every time. This song goes from brooding and morose to lively and jubilant with a dark undercurrent throughout which I imagine represents the idea that in a dream it often feels like a bubble just waiting to pop. The transition into the nightmare is incredibly subtle and you almost don’t even notice it until you’re suddenly back in the key the song started out in. The solo section is another departure from usual Sonata Arctica style, no noodling or flashy playing, the keyboard takes up most of the spotlight here with some cool riffs, the bass gets a moment and then the keys (synth strings) do a call and response sort of thing with the guitar. If you like prog none of this is exactly groundbreaking, but how often do you see a power metal band go and try an experiment like this and succeed as well as they did? Then the song cements itself as my favorite Sonata Arctica song. One last transition out of the nightmare as the character breaks free and suddenly the mood is jubilant and upbeat. This transition has no business working as well as it does, but it’s really what elevates this song from good to ***ing awesome. I would never spend so much time waxing eloquent about a song in a review unless I especially love it and personally I think this is one of the best things Sonata Arctica has ever written as well as one of the most unique songs I’ve ever heard a power metal band write.
I covered the most important songs, but really every song on this album merits closer examination. "Fly With the Black Swan" is pretty catchy and despite being mid-paced, it seems like most people point to this song as one of the better highlights. Personally it’s never stood out as much to me, but it does a lot of the things that I like. It uses the bouncing rhythms found in "The Vice" and contrasts darker moments with upbeat ecstasy and like most of this album, it's a lot of fun, but for me it doesn’t quite rise above. I’ll admit, I hate talking about ballads, because for the most part they bore me and even when the vocal performances are wonderful the generic verse chorus verse chorus bridge form most metal ballads follow just take me out of it. "Under Your Tree" fortunately does not exactly follow this form. The build up is nice and while it’s a very tranquil song overall, it’s still got some rock and roll energy which is what keeps it interesting (unlike most of their ballads). It’s a pleasant sad song, with an upbeat kind of feel and I like the contrast. "Good Enough is Good Enough" really isn’t a great ending, unless you’re in the mood for it, it’s very sappy and emotional, but I think it will emotionally impact you if you prepare for it. I have some nostalgic attachment to this album as I spent a lot of time with it after my first long term relationship ended. So as with a lot of Sonata Arctica the lyrics are of that passive/aggressive post breakup variety and I think how this song and how the album as a whole connects with you will depend on where you are in life. Oh and I almost forgot “The Worlds Forgotten, the Words Forbidden”, but can you blame me? It’s essentially a 2+ minute interlude, setting us up for the third act of the album. It doesn’t bother me, but it’s just not very interesting, it doesn’t detract from the album and that’s about the best I can say about it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the bonus track; "To Create a Warlike Feel" is an awesome song, that neatly fits in with the rest of the album. I think style-wise it connects with songs like "Fly with the Black Swan" and "The Vice" for a comparison. If I had to guess why they left it off the album I think they felt they had a vision for a very diverse album and perhaps they felt this album did too many of the things other songs on the album did. A fair reason, but you get the bonus track with most editions of the album anyway so it hardly matters.
It’s astounding and when I really think about why this album works so well as a whole, the transitions are absolutely key, some of them are abrupt and some are very subtle, but they almost all work and I think it’s because on this album they really keep the tonality somewhat murky, lots of modal work throughout and it makes it so that when they transition from a minor to major key (or vice versa), it just sounds natural. As I said before this whole album feels like a balancing act, trying to be dark and melancholy, but lively and upbeat at the same time. It’s a masterful performance that sadly I doubt Sonata Arctica will ever recreate again and I sometimes wonder if that’s why Tony insists on continually experimenting with their sound rather than trying to actually write symphonic power metal again. Unfortunately without Jani Liimatainen I highly doubt that Sonata Arctica will ever soar to the heights they reached with their first 5 albums and that is really sad.
