It's not bad, it's decent but not a total waste of time/

The new Sonata Arctica album...this is, and I am sorry to say, but they will never ever reach the heigths of albums like "Ecliptica" or "Silence". Where are all the fantastic power metal melodies that you could hear on both "Ecliptica" and "Silence"? Things have in my opinion just been going down with this band the last years... Always good if a band tries to develop themselves, but not always true that all development ends up good. The new album is a proof of that.
This year biggest disappointment.
Sad but true.

For me they reached the heights of Ecliptica and Silence again with Reckoning Night(IMO, their best album), but that's just my opinion, because I don't see Ecliptica and Silence as their best efforts.

I didn't expect much from the new album, so that's probably why I was surprised how good it actually is. I bought it today and listened it through 5 times in a row. Like many have said already, it doesn't reach the level of "Ecliptica" or "Silence", but in my opinion it's much better than "Unia". It lacks some of the "typical" Sonata Arctica power metal melodies, but I think it's a rather good thing. I don't think many of these new songs will work very well live, but there are a couple of songs that remind me of the old Sonata. At the moment my favourite songs are "No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart" and "The Last Amazing Grays". I also like the intro "Everything Fades to Gray", but it doesn't work so well as a full song.

Written by Ernotar on 19.09.2009 at 20:16

I didn't expect much from the new album, so that's probably why I was surprised how good it actually is. I bought it today and listened it through 5 times in a row. Like many have said already, it doesn't reach the level of "Ecliptica" or "Silence", but in my opinion it's much better than "Unia". It lacks some of the "typical" Sonata Arctica power metal melodies, but I think it's a rather good thing. I don't think many of these new songs will work very well live, but there are a couple of songs that remind me of the old Sonata. At the moment my favourite songs are "No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart" and "The Last Amazing Grays". I also like the intro "Everything Fades to Gray", but it doesn't work so well as a full song.

I beg to differ... EFTG with vocals is one of the most beautiful songs in SA's catalogue. Haunting lyrics with beautiful music, I can't get enough of it.

First time i heard the new album i thought it ruled, and now having listening to it for days, i think it rule even more. What an awesome album. I like that they don't try to do some generic power metal anymore, cos they've said that they are not so fond of playing it anymore and I appreciate Tony Kakko for doing his own stuff instead of listening what sells. but there are some things i would change, the intro is way too long and AITWWE is too "northern kingish", but songa like "Deathaura", "The Dead Skin", "Juliet" and "The Last Amazing Grays" will come classics like the rest of the album. 9/10

Luckily I didnt go and buy the album outright but listened to it first when I downloaded it (had to make sure it was good) and I was very disappointed. It started off so great, i LOVE "Flag in the ground" and "The Last Amazing Grays" - when I heard those two i was like "this is a keeper" and then Tim Burton broke down the door and decided to turn the album into a "Sweeney Tod" shambles.

I was so bummed, Sonata Arctica is my girlfriend's favourite band and she was completely distraught when she heard it the first time. It was like a family member died...the album is just THAT disappointing. Myself, her and another buddy here on MS listened to it the first time at my flat and we were like "what....the...fuck" are they thinking??

Our attitudes havent changed either, listened to it a lot lately to try and HOPE that it grows on me but dreadful songs like "Zeroes" with its stupid first line of lyrics repeating like 799 times and then the aweful "4..3..2..1" just makes me want to shit myself.

Yeah, Zeroes is shit. But the rest of the album is quite solid, with a couple of noteworthy songs.

Written by Guest on 29.09.2009 at 04:45

Luckily I didnt go and buy the album outright but listened to it first when I downloaded it (had to make sure it was good) and I was very disappointed. It started off so great, i LOVE "Flag in the ground" and "The Last Amazing Grays" - when I heard those two i was like "this is a keeper" and then Tim Burton broke down the door and decided to turn the album into a "Sweeney Tod" shambles.

I was so bummed, Sonata Arctica is my girlfriend's favourite band and she was completely distraught when she heard it the first time. It was like a family member died...the album is just THAT disappointing. Myself, her and another buddy here on MS listened to it the first time at my flat and we were like "what....the...fuck" are they thinking??

Our attitudes havent changed either, listened to it a lot lately to try and HOPE that it grows on me but dreadful songs like "Zeroes" with its stupid first line of lyrics repeating like 799 times and then the aweful "4..3..2..1" just makes me want to shit myself.

Like your girlfriend, Sonata is my favourite band, and I also think this album is disappointing! At first it was worse, then by listen to it a lot of times I started to like some of the songs... In the dark is amazing, The last amazing grays too, The dead skin is ok, so it is As if the world wasn't ending and The truth is out there... but the rest...
It's a chaotic album with a wish to be like Nightwish or Danny Elfman that doesn't fit to the band. I don't like the voice of Kurkela neither. The ballads aren't the same as they were, Tony sings without emotion in his voice. Ahh... hope they will do better in the future.

Out of nostalgia(yes I used to really like this band) I checked out the latest album. A so-so album, it has some really nice playful power metal songs for example Flag in the ground but also utter boring wannabe prog songs like Deathaura.

Interesting...for someone "Deathaura" is the best song, for someone "utter boring wannabe prog" song...

Lol, for me Deathaura is one of their best songs to date, along with White Pearl, Black Oceans, The Power of One and My Dreams but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare.

Written by Zuzuz0r on 30.09.2009 at 20:26

My Dreams but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare.

Yeah man that song KILLS I love it!

I'm going to state the obvious: you will be disappointed if you listen to The Days of Grays if you expect it to be a remake of Silence, which it's not. The main point is that the new album was not composed in order to make Sonata Arctica crazy at their concerts with killer sing-along choruses - they already have Full Moon, Wolf & Raven (which they never played at the gigs I attended, I'm hoping they will play it next November 28th though), The Cage and 8th Commandment for that purpose. The Days of Grays is actually more related to consolidating the sound Sonata Arctica started to explore two years ago.

In other words, I have the feeling that The Days of Grays is what Kakko wanted to communicate in Unia, but well-done, with the help of that harmonic variety yet structural unity that characterized Winterheart's Guild, and which they had already lost in Reckoning Night, an album that I'm not fond of except for "Ain't your Fairytale" and "My Selene". Flag in the Ground and The Dead Skin are good examples of this. The Days of Grays is an excellent job for a band which is still investigating Prog Metal with a fairly new guitarist, don't forget that Jani is not around now!

Anyway, I agree that "Zeroes" is the worst thing Sonata Arctica has ever done... even worse than "Land of the Free"...

Written by Taktsekte on 15.10.2009 at 19:38

The Days of Grays is what Kakko wanted to communicate in Unia, but well-done

I couldn't say this better. it was my exact thought.

Written by Taktsekte on 15.10.2009 at 19:38

Anyway, I agree that "Zeroes" is the worst thing Sonata Arctica has ever done... even worse than "Land of the Free"...

but I must disagree with this. I like both songs it's sure that zeroes is a bit unexpected from SA but I can enjoy it. and what's wrong with Land of the free?

Written by Janne on 15.10.2009 at 22:19
what's wrong with Land of the free?

Well, whenever I play "Silence", it's the only song that I always skip... The drums are boring, the lyrics make no sense to me ("We must make them all see bloodshed that is he / Splitting hairs is not the key / Water or fire" I mean wtf?), I find the register Tony uses in that song too forced and unsuited for him... to be honest, I have always thought that it was the worst Sonata Arctica song.

I find the song The Gun seems very solid even most solid one from the band, and for the general genre which they perform with the kind of Tony vocal, and until now my taste has change a lot but I still like his typical voice.

Badass band but the vocalist needs to let the music breath more.

Hybris, I found you here as well... xDDDDD how small is the world

Well, I happen to actually like this album, a lot. The only song I dislike is Breathing(very poor song IMO compared to other Sonata's ballads); I think they're doing fine the way they are, but of course they can always do better (I agree with Hybris in her past ballads' point). Deathaura, Juliet, The Last Amazing Grays and In The Dark are my favourites here. By the way, I used to hate Zeroes as well when it first came out, but now I sort of like it. Specially for the lyrics.

Is there anyone out there that just never got over Jani's departure like me? its just doesn´t sound the same without him, I just dont like Elias style, he´s not as melodic, he likes to palm mute alot, melody not crunch. nah not convinced to this day. I like what Jani is doing nowadays alot more, maybe it was all for the better, but still miss that old Sonata once ina while, and think of what could have been, Im lucky I got to see them before he left. I guess I was always a Jani fan and not really a Sonata fan, cause I still follow him, but not Sonata.

Written by Nighthowls on 05.11.2009 at 11:10

Is there anyone out there that just never got over Jani's departure like me? its just doesn´t sound the same without him, I just dont like Elias style, he´s not as melodic, he likes to palm mute alot, melody not crunch. nah not convinced to this day. I like what Jani is doing nowadays alot more, maybe it was all for the better, but still miss that old Sonata once ina while, and think of what could have been, Im lucky I got to see them before he left. I guess I was always a Jani fan and not really a Sonata fan, cause I still follow him, but not Sonata.

I feel exactly the same, Cain's Offering is a lot better than Sonata these days, though I really like The Days of Grays as well, but it doesn't feel the same when Jani's not around. And Jani is the better songwriter, between him and Tony. My favourite song by Sonata is the only song Jani every wrote for the band, My Selene. Cain's Offering has the old Sonata feeling, Jani is the best.

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I feel exactly the same, Cain's Offering is a lot better than Sonata these days, though I really like The Days of Grays as well, but it doesn't feel the same when Jani's not around. And Jani is the better songwriter, between him and Tony. My favourite song by Sonata is the only song Jani every wrote for the band, My Selene. Cain's Offering has the old Sonata feeling, Jani is the best.

Cain´s Offering is cool, but I just cant get over the singers overly high pitched voice in my opinion, but yeah much better than Sonata these days

Am I the only person who still likes Sonata, but found Cain's Offering to be nothing special?

You're not.

Well I won't repeat what all of you my friends have just said.
I gave it a couplespins and I must say I'm impressed, it's way better than Unia. Not as awesome as Ecliptica or Silence, but deffinitely more in the vein of Reckoning Night. A nice album, but I don't think Sonata will ever reach the level they had in the beggining.

The Days Of Grey is a good album indeed, but I actually quite liked Unia as well once I got used to it. Was dissapointed at first, but it grew on me

I have been out of touch with Sonata for the past couple albums simply because there have been such better stuff out there. Now Days of Grey have brought me back into the fold. What a really killer album.... I cannot wait to see them in April.

Whoa... interesting discussion about their latest release! Sorry if I didn't read all the posts, but it was going to take me a few days to catch up with you. Down to the chase: The Days of Grays was a grower for me. I am not big on Sonata Arctica, actually they have this tendency to bore the crap out of me, but whenever I'm in the mood it is quite enjoyable.

However, after Unia (boring album to me... I rather listen to Reckoning Night or Silence) I was expecting something in the vein of dark and heavy. How was I surprised when I listened to something rather soft (do not take as an insult) and catchy. I had a WTF look on my face, but I couldn't be disappointed, hell, I had no expectations what so ever... but SA is a favourite for some friends, so why not give it a chance?

Oh man, was I wrong... it took time, but it grew on me. Catchy as hell, with littles downs and a lots of ups. Kudos for the Last Amazing Grays, it is an awesome song among the others, except Zeroed.

Overall, good album. I wouldn't go ballistic about it, but at least it makes me want it to listen to it once in a while.

I am so surprised! Today I picked up six albums at sale, "The Days of Grays" was there so I took it. I need it even though I've seen so much trash talk about it. I'm kinda stunned at the moment, the album is great, no doubts. I haven't heard any special Power Metal albums from last year, so this one will surely get my vote at the awards.

I greatly enjoyed The Days of Grays myself. Like Unia it was an album that grew on me, but it certainly caught me faster than Unia did. The Last Amazing Grays, Zeroes, and the full-length version of Everything Fades to Gray towards the end of the album immediately had me. SA is one of my absolute top-favorite bands, and while I don't like The Days of Grays as much as any of their first four albums (my personal favorite being Winterheart's Guild), at least for me it was a step in the right direction. Looking forward to seeing them in April =D