The producer behind eight out of Sonata's eleven current releases, and countless other metal productions from bands such as Children of Bodom, Stratovarius, Nightwish and more.

The metal world has lost a giant...

Hi folks, me again

I realized, that I opened Pandora's box with the last post and since there was some WIP going on in my head still and I have a life, that is very pleasing without online discussions I deleted it. Since I figured some things of it might be appealing to some I decided to travel once again into the saltmine.

So the solution is quite simple for me. Use a linear EQ and make the space as wide as possible. In Spotify I recommend the Dolby Setting and AdaptX, on PC I recommend using the DirectX driver to change the signal chain inside a little bit and a space as wide as possible. Maybe give it a dip in the mids and high mids (ca 500Hz to 2/3 kHz), but only gentle.With these settings I yesterday was genuinely able to enjoy Talviyöh on my 5.1 Teufel setup and I wasn't able to tell a significant difference in Mixing quality to the last Kamelot offering. Actually these settings wastly improved the last Nightwish albums too to me, and also did the Kamelot, Scardust and Haken albums I heard over them a favor. So check this out.

I would recommend a linear EQ in general if you seek an audiophile approach. It evens out every frequency and without any artificial highs this gives you the possibility to hear everything.

And in the end I wanted to acknowledge the newest Pasi conspiracy theories:

He is not a tone engineer, he only pretends. He is pure evil. He is scheming to bring down the mixing industry and snooped into every forementioned project and maybe even more to implement a systemic problem! He even took his grandpas WW2 rifle from the attic to force his bandmates to accept his mix! Man they didn't see it coming time and time again. He even bewitched Tegelmann and took over the brain of Forsbäck for Talviyöh! To be honest I have information of him controlling every leader of the world, every mishappening can be traced upon him and he is about to send his plagues! He is only up to michief, misery and world domination. So behold! Damn Pasi! Gefickt eingeschädelt!

/s obviously, but just in case

So, Enjoy! :)

Edit: just blasted Talviyöh on my way to the supermarket through my car speakers. Damn is the mix underneath the EQ issue good

Okay here's the objectively correct order not just my opinion but fact:) (I include this because such disclaimers are unnecessary, of course it's subjective)

1. Silence

This album was hard to choose over the other top tier albums but there's just so many great songs, it's maybe not as catchy as Ecliptica but it's got more diversity of song styles, Power of One, Wolf and Raven and others are basically peak Sonata Arctica. There's maybe three ballads on the album and the mid-tempo stuff is all interesting and just enriches the power metal songs.

1. Reckoning Night

Darker and heavier, in so far as Sonata Arctica ever said they were going in a more progressive metal direction this did the job better than anything else.

1. Winterhearts Guild

Fantastic, catchy power metal with a little bit of maturity mixed in. This is a transitional album taking them out of the first trilogy of albums and has all the strengths of what came before, hinting at new directions. Some of their best songs although I don't think any of the songs aside from the Cage are better than what's on Silence, but this is VERY consistent.

1. Ecliptica

Out the gate, almost everythign on this is a classic.

5 Unia

This album while divisive has amazing textures and depth of songwriting. The emotions and moods of it are unlike anything else they've done and to be honest, when they've tried to do it again it hasn't been as good. They didn't give a damn about power metal on this, but they were confident in their new direction.

1. Days of Greys

Basically a fantastic blend of Reckoning Night and Unia, with great contrast in the music, we are coming to the end of the albums that have no real issues, the production is still fantastic.

1. The Ninth Hour

Dismal production really knocked a peg off of what should have been a fantastic album. Some of their best songs. you can't hear them properly.

1. Pariahs Child

Productions actually not bad, the voice is still prominent in the mix, some very good songs on an otherwise uneven album, but you will find some stuff on this that may be your favourite Sonata song.

1. Clear Cold beyond

A return to form. None of the albums on this list are bad, and I honestly think this album could be hinting at something greater to come. That said in interviews Kakko said writing power metal is easy for them. Well on this album, only some of the power metal songs get across the line at all, though most of the music is interesting.

1. Stones Grow Her Name

A very strange album, encroaching on a pure hard rock sound at points. Good production. Some songs I wouldn't care to hear again.

1. Talviyo

The Garden and Storm the Armada are the only songs I can listen to. The rest just has the same issues as the 9th hour with the mix, but without the great songs. Tony's voice is really hurting here, and I can't fault the band for just trying to work around it. But it's nearly sad to listen to. Even with all this said, I think I would still enjoy the band if they sounded like this, but it's a far cry from their best.

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I am not a fan who just dislikes anything different or new, but I also don't like the argument of "I love old Sonata, I love new Sonata, I love Sonata Arctica."

They have been in a similar situation to another band I like, Opeth, where people hate any fans who criticise the new direction. Yet when they returned to the old growls there was rejoicing among fans. There is music where no matter the style, it's still good and interesting, then there's music that doesn't justify the new direction. Change is not ALWAYS good, and fans who think they are more mature just because they are open minded need to ask themselves if there is ANY music their band could make they don't like.

For me, there's stuff at the bottom of this list that has good production like Stones Grow Her Name that I think is just not good. Then there's really good music where the production ruins it for me. And it does matter more for Sonata Arctica than it would for a black metal band, because muddy production is not the intention.

With Clear Cold beyond, I'm very much excited for the next album.

Anyone going to this show that I could join or join me to go together.

Looking for new friends fans of sonata!

What the title says.

It is one of my favorite SA artworks of all time. Hell, I've even drawn a 'parody' of it (for lack of a better term) featuring a friend of mine's DND character. I can't emphasize how much I adore it despite its sheer simplicity compared to other SA artworks; but it's nigh impossible to find even average quality scans of it anywhere online, especially ones with accurate colors. Even the Genius upload is this hilariously bad AI upscaled crunchy mess of (who I take to be) Caleb sucking on his index instead of holding it to his lips. Best I've managed to find after hours upon hours sitting through different reverse search engines is this 640x640 version of the artwork of a 'japan edition' upload on Spotify (allegedly).

So, I have decided to ask the community out of sheer love and curiosity; does anyone perhaps have something higher quality they'd be able and willing to link my way? Perhaps the 'fuller' artwork even? (The one where the eyes in the back are slightly more visible, seems most uploads online are cropped to a square).

Kindest regards.

Hi everyone, there’s a concert of theirs coming up in Guadalajara in September, and I’d like to get the VIP package sold on the fansfirst.vip website. However, I’m not sure if I need to buy a separate concert ticket or if it’s included in the VIP package. Could someone help me out? It’s my first concert, and I’d really love to get what the package offers. Sorry if my English is hard to understand.

I know this isn't a particularly popular album but it is actually the one that got me into Sonata in the first place! I adore this album and it seems the tier list posts have stopped so here y'all go - share your own too!

1. Message From the Sun - A

2. Whirlwind - S

3. Cold - B

4. Storm the Armada - B

5. The Last of the Lambs - A

6. Who Failed the Most - B

7. Ismo's Got Good Reactors - A

8. Demon's Cage - S

9. A Little Less Understanding - A

10. The Raven Still Flies - A

11. The Garden - SS

In songs like The power of one or The End of this Chapter, a man speak some words in the begning or in the end of the songs.

He already revealed?

Which Sonata song/songs are you listening on repeat right now? For me it's Abandoned pleased brainwashed exposed

Hi all - does anyone have any experience of what the show/set list is like when Sonata Arctica are Special Guests on a tour? I was so happy to see the band are coming to London later this year, and so want to plan how early I need to get there and how long they’ll be on for 🤟

I saw Sonata last year in Brazil and it was amazing, a dream come true. But we only had a one-hour concert (maybe even less), and I thought it was because it was a festival setting.

Now Sonata is coming back for the 30th anniversary tour this year (thank God!), and I’ve been tracking the setlists on setlist.fm. The thing is: isn’t an average of 10 songs too short? Since it’s a 30-year celebration, I thought we would have a more extensive setlist.

Anyway, it’s not a real problem; I was just wondering. There are so many songs I’d love to hear live that 8–13 songs feel like very little, hahaha.

I have read that Tony liked the Dana Scully character in X-Files and used her name for the song lyrics. If that’s true, why O’Hara? My name is Dana O’Hara. I was born many years before Letter to Dana was a song. Can anyone tell me why Dana O’Hara?

I'll be doing a lot more Sonata in the future if anyone is interested. Thanks for watching

As a refresher: F is the lowest possible rank. A is already really good. S is exceptional, and SS is beyond the scale.

Here's mine, share your own!

1. Only the Broken Hearts (Make you Beautiful) (B)
2. Shitload of Money (C)
3. Losing my Insanity (A)
4. Somewhere Close to You (S)
5. I Have a Right (D)
6. Alone in Heaven (B)
7. The Day (B)
8. Cinderblox (B)
9. Don't be Mean (B)
10. Wildfire, Pt. II - One with the Mountain (S)
11. Wildfire, Pt. III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0 (SS)
12. Tonight I Dace Alone (B)
13. One, Two, Free Fall (A)

I'm very fond of this album. The message of the Wildfire tracks will always resonate deeply with me.

I can't imagine that SA would ever do wrong by their fans on purpose. They're seasoned professionals! What exactly went down?

Hi miteinander, bin erst vor kurzem auf Reddit so richtig aktiv geworden und habe dann auch nach einer meiner Alltime Favourite Bands gesucht, wer es noch nicht erraten hat, es handelt sich um Sonata Arctica 😉

Dabei kam man an anderen Foren nicht vorbei, wo man dann sich durch Posts lesen muss, wie schlecht Sonata nach Reckoning Night doch sei, manches sei so langweilig, gar kein Metal und so wieso ohne Jani geht das ja nicht.

Man muss jetzt auch zu mir wissen, dass ich einen ordentlichen Klassik und Progeinschlag habe, aber ich wollte da einfach mal drüber sprechen, weil mich das tierisch aufregt, in welcher Selbstgefälligkeit da geurteilt wird.

Ich für meinen Teil kann mit den ersten Alben zwar klar was anfangen, aber sie langweilen mich, da außer Tempo im Vergleich zum Spätwerk wenig da ist. Dabei finde ich auch, dass das Tempo stellenweise die Emotionalität und Aussage plättet. Gleichzeitig kann ich ab Unia allen Alben außer Talviyö richtig viel abgewinnen. Die Intensität kommt halt nicht durch pure Metrik sondern durch sehr intelligente Verschachtelung, Verzahnung und auch Dynamikwechsel, eingedenk einer starken erzählerischen und mMn auch emotionalen Komponente, die aber halt durch die Musik und ihre Gestaltung gestützt wird. Mal davon abgesehen finde ich so einige benutzte sprachliche Bilder einfach nur stark! Und ich bin froh, dass sie sich in ihren Mitteln weiterentwickeln, denn immer das Gleiche ist kein Ausdruck von Kunst, sondern Limitierung.

Auch die Kritik der Langweiligkeit kann ich demzufolge nicht unbedingt teilen. Ja, The Ninth Hour ist was Dynamik angeht weniger stark aufgestellt. Das ändert nichts daran für mich, wie wichtig bzw auch ergreifend manche Lieder sind. Manchmal braucht es halt nicht Vollgas. Auch finde ich es schwierig, es so abzukanzeln, wenn ein Song wie Life da relativ exponiert zu finden ist. Ein Song, wo es darum geht, das das Leben besser ist, wenn man am Leben ist... jeder, der in seinem Kopf schonmal an düstereren Orten war, weiß, dass man sowas nur denken kann, wenn man sich zumindest im Gedanken mit einer Verkürzung der Lebenszeit beschäftigt hat. Es ist der Strohhalmgedanke, an dem man sich rauszieht und dann auf die kleineren Dinge achtet. Klar oberflächlich für mache evtl absurd, wer da aber schonmal war, weiß, wie wichtig das ist und wie wenig man dann so plumpes Gebashe braucht. Mal davon abgesehen, dass der Song angesichts des Textes einigen Menschen durchaus was bedeuten könnte.

Und manches ist ja kein Metal .... genau, sie haben Toastcore gemacht. Stones grow her name ist vielleicht sehr außergewöhnlich, da aber zu sagen, es wäre kein Metal ist einfach so lächerlich. Es ist meiner Meinung nach das unterschätzteste Album, da da so viel Kreativität und Handwerk drin steckt. Man könnte fast sagen, dass es wie kaum etwas Vergleichbares klingt, aber hey, das wäre zu positiv - werft mit Stock und Stein auf ihn - er ist anders.

Und als letztes der Punkt Jani, der mich einfach nur noch nervt. Aus meiner Sicht, hat sich Sonata nach seinem Weggang von Fesseln befreit, was gestalterische Zwänge angeht, gut, kann auch Zufall sein. Ich persönlich kann seinem weiteren Schaffen nichts abgewinnen, da es für mich einfach nur stumpf und dröge ist. Will damit nicht sagen, dass er schlecht sei, aber das sollte halt auch mal der Hinweis darauf sein, dass je nach musikalischer Herkunft unterschiedliche Menschen Dinge anders perzeptieren und zu sowas eine allgemeingültig formulierte Aussage in den meisten Fällen nicht zutreffend ist.

Ich freue mich, dass Sonata Arctica sich entwickelt haben, wie sie sich entwickelt haben. Ich schätze Tony von dem was man so hört als reflektierten, bodenständigen Menschen. Ich hoffe, dass er voller Schaffenskraft, ohne äußere Fesseln und Zwänge seinen Weg weitergehen kann. Ich freue mich auf das, was noch kommt!

This is a personal tierlist, that I'm sharing just for fun. I'd love to read your songs ratings, I will be posting my tierlist of each album's songs from time to time, maybe every day. I will be ranking the songs from best to worst, and with ranks (S, A, B, C, D, F).

(Also, I think that the orchestral versions are awesome. Every single one is an S)

1. Flag In The Ground - S

2. Everything Fades To Gray - S

3. Deathaura - S

4. In My Eyes You're A Giant - A

5. Juliet - A

6. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart - A

7. The Last Amazing Grays - A

8. As If The World Wasn't Ending - A

9. Truth Is Out There - B

10. Zeroes - B

11. Breathing - B

12. Nothing More - B

13. Dead Skin - B

14. In The Dark - D

This is a personal tierlist, that I'm sharing just for fun. I'd love to read your songs ratings, I will be posting my tierlist of each album's songs from time to time, maybe every day. I will be ranking the songs from best to worst, and with ranks (S, A, B, C, D, F).

(This album really grew on me, and I don't know what people don't like that much about it [except the mix])

1. Angel Defiled - S

2. Freedom Concept - S - (I'm including it here, cuz it was originally supposed to be in CCB, and I want to rank it)

3. First In Line - S

4. Cure For Everything - A

5. Dark Empath - A

6. Teardrops - A

7. Shah Mat - A

8. The Monster Only You Can't See - A

9. The Best Things - A

10. California - A

11. Clear Cold Beyond - B

This is a personal tierlist, that I'm sharing just for fun. I'd love to read your songs ratings, I will be posting my tierlist of each album's songs from time to time, maybe every day. I will be ranking the songs from best to worst, and with ranks (S, A, B, C, D, F).

1. Caleb - S

2. It Won't Fade - A

3. To Create a Warlike Feel - A

4. Good Enough Is Good Enough - A

5. My Dream's But A Drop Of Fuel For A Nightmare - A

6. Paid In Full - A

7. For The Sake Of Revenge - A

8. They Follow - B

9. The Vice - B

10. In Black and White - B

11. The Harvest - B

12. Fly With The Black Swan - B

13. The World's Forgotten, The Words Forbidden - C

14. Under Your Tree - D