Sonata Arctica - The Days Of Grays review
| Band: | Sonata Arctica |
| Album: | The Days Of Grays |
| Style: | Power metal |
| Release date: | September 18, 2009 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
Disc I
01. Everything Fades To Gray
02. Deathaura
03. The Last Amazing Grays
04. Flag In The Ground
05. Breathing
06. Zeroes
07. The Dead Skin
08. Juliet
09. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn't Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray [full version]
13. In The Dark [limited edition bonus]
14. In My Eyes You're A Giant [Japanese and US bonus]
15. Nothing More [Japanese bonus]
Disc II [limited edition bonus]
01. Deathaura [orchestral version]
02. The Last Amazing Grays [orchestral version]
03. Flag In The Ground [orchestral version]
04. Juliet [orchestral version]
05. As If The World Wasn't Ending [orchestral version]
06. The Truth Is Out There [orchestral version]
07. In The Dark [orchestral version]
The last five years have been testing ones for Sonata Arctica having run the wave of hype and enthusiasm raised by the first couple of albums dry. Critics have had a blast with the band in recent years, with none more victimised than the band's last output Unia. A couple of years ago Sonata Arctica looked like a shadow of its former self, but right now with the release of album number six, The Days Of Grays has shone a ray of light.
By no means is The Days Of Grays a return to the sound, style and form of the first four records. If you expect an hour of frantic double bass pedalling then look elsewhere, but what The Days Of Grays is, is Sonata Arctica at their most mature and adventurous yet. The Days Of Grays is not a grey album, it is in fact quite black and white, an album of two halves in a sense.
On one side we have some energetic, up-tempo and frankly refreshing numbers such as the opening trio of songs "Deathaura", "The Last Amazing Grays" and "Flag In The Ground". "Deathaura" is Sonata Arctica like never before; bombastic symphonies, unusual song structure and a helping hand of some female vocals kick the album off in quite a Nightwish fashion. The album does have some pace outside of these three songs, but the second half of the album presents us with the other side to the album.
On the other side Sonata Arctica draw slightly from their Unia influence in providing slower songs with less conviction than the first part of the album. The Days Of Grays is a reasonably long album, and some of these songs do drag the album down such as the slightly morbid "Breathing".
The good news is that unlike Unia, the band have provided top quality songs that are a little more modest in pace. The Days Of Grays is probably the first time the band have consistently done this, with the help of songs like the closing trio "As If The World Wasn't Ending", "The Truth Is Out There" and "Everything Fades To Gray", not forgetting the fantastically dark "Juliet".
Again Tony Kakko is the shining star of the album delivering possibly his most diverse performance yet. The Days Of Grays is the darkest album Sonata Arctica has ever put out, touching grey subject areas such as death and relationships gone wrong, subjects that no one likes to take time to think about. It may however take time to appreciate The Days Of Grays and its full potential, it is after all the most ambitious project the band have undertaken. Give it the chance though and you won't be disappointed, Sonata Arctica have found new life.
--
Heavy metal / Power metal
Nuclear Blast
Finland
Length: 59:20
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Rating:
8.9
8.9
|
Rating: 8.9 |
The Days of Grays is an album that was eagerly anticipated by the public, mostly due to the fact that some reviewers, who got to listen to it beforehand, labeled it as an album halfway between Unia and Reckoning Night. But I'd disagree with that-it's between the two albums only in terms of complexity. Musically, it's again a whole new Sonata Arctica. Don't worry though, the elements that make the very soul of the band are still more or less present and I shall discuss them below. Read more ›› |
Comments page 3 / 3
| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
After a bunch more listens, I'm gonna stick my Flag In the Ground and say this album rawks. >:[
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| BlankFile Posts: 706 |
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| Angelique Bitchy Moderator Elite Posts: 3563  |
I'm totally loving the album, especially orchestral versions are treasures! Even I'm a big fan of flowerpower and absolutely love their pompous old stuff I find this album so much more interesting, I wasn't really expecting old stuff so I wasn't disappointed at all. To me that old stuff is like missing childhood days, how much fun it was but I wouldn't want to go back for real. Unia was in a way very good album but to be totally honest I didn't get it, I tried to listen it over and over again but swooof it went, i just couldn't get into it for some reason. Now I have listened The Days of Grays for about 50 times I'm so incredible happy that me and Tony are on the same page again!! It's like founding an old love all over again, I'm one happy gal with this album!! Hard to pick up one favorite but at the moment I guess the songs that gives me the chills most are Juliet and The Truth is Out There. Now if I could only see them live with a real symphony orchestra I'd be ready to drink the most foul poison and close my eyes 
---- I have more faith in my plumber than I do the eternal being. Plumbers do a good job. They keep the shit flowing. -C.Bukowski
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| bcapo3 Posts: 30  |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 23.09.2009 at 01:15 Wow! So now I'm a girl who's in love with Tobias' cock! I didn't noticed it till now! Thanks!  But yeah, I still think Mandrake/Hellfire Club are their best works ever and I wish they turn back and did the same kind of stuff, but I don't dislike Rocket Ride and Tinnitus Sanctus.Talking about Sonata Arctica's new album, I have to say that I like, but not love it such as Ecliptica to Winter Heart's Guild albums...
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by bcapo3 on 28.09.2009 at 18:56 I meant that their music seems targeted directly at this kind of audience now. Of course, I didn't mean everyone who listens to Edguy belongs to this category. You're surely smart enough to get the nuance. But some girls really have this attitude.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| DreamNightmare Posts: 42 |
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| bcapo3 Posts: 30 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 28.09.2009 at 23:46 Don't worry, I was kidding, I'm still a man. 
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| Arkold Thos Posts: 2 |
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| Classic Bob G Posts: 46  |
I actually liked this album, but I can't help but feel a little biased . Unia was such a big ball of suck it was what I was comparing Days of Grays to, so for some reason that automatically makes me like it. Flag in the ground remains my favorite song off of the album, and I do like the fact that Sonata is trying new things because honestly, no one wants Reckoning Night 500 more times. That would make them Dragonforce, ha ha ha. I kid. I really like the orchestral parts though, any band that's a little more Nightwish is ok by me.
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| alexxhighlander Posts: 6 |
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| BlankFile Posts: 706 |
The Japanease Bonus tracks are both very good. They remind me a bit of the old Cds before Unia.
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| warrior_of_ice Posts: 169  |
Oh boy do they miss Jani (when he was ontop of his playing). For me, this album is comparable to drinking gin. Had I not tried it, I wouldnt have fully understood why I hate it so much. The keyboards are ruining this band, although I am a fan of "tastefully" imployed synths and pads, there are none in this album. Lastly, Tony Kakko gives me the impression that he belongs in an insane asylum- some of his lyrical choices puzzle me, plus, have u seen him in the, "Flag in the Ground" video? lol
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| warrior_of_ice Posts: 169 |
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857 |
Written by warrior_of_ice on 14.10.2009 at 17:39 Although silly, I find his lyrics and vocals highly amusing on this album. 
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| Taktsekte Your Ad Here! Posts: 2808  |
Written by Dane Train on 25.09.2009 at 05:33 I recall that you liked "Reckoning Night" a lot... New "The Days of Grays" album -> 20.95? Ticket to the next Sonata Arctica concert -> 22? Calling "Ain't your Fairytale" a love ballad -> priceless
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| BlankFile Posts: 706 |
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| opeth771 Posts: 173 |
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| Glabrezu Posts: 107  |
Bad disc... Betther than UNIA but that was really awful. In this one I like only the intro, that remembers me the old sonata arctica.
---- Exploring life Without fear without feeling I am one with my torment And forever blind
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| replica of me Posts: 25  |
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| Uirapuru Liver Failure Posts: 2955  |
This album a great positive surprise I was expecting some boring ''Unia Pt.2'', but it is catchy, has memorable songs, the vocals are at best.Good album. Still could be more ''flowerish'' 
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| Darkside Momo Retired Elite Posts: 9096  |
Not bad album actually. Not great either, but infinitely better than boring Unia. But I guess they still have to do better in their 'new' way. Not that it's that different from their first albums anyway...
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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| alexxhighlander Posts: 6 |
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| Warman Erotic Stains Posts: 7695  |
Written by Uirapuru on 04.01.2010 at 22:49 I agree with that. Also expected something boring, but "The Days of Grays" has some amazing parts.
---- 
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| Hammer Pie Posts: 43  |
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| x-avier Posts: 46  |
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| Sephiros7 Posts: 32 |
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262  |
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| rps Posts: 69  |
Tragic Masterpiece................10................you forget there is a orchestra playing in the background..............freking awesome album.
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 08.10.2009 at 21:12 Ummm, guys, hello, have you actually read all of the lyrics? Except this one, there is another wolf song on the album, which kicks ass harder (well, with the story at least, and it's in the top three by music for sure) than all their previous ones, and that is The Last Amazing Grays.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| BlankFile Posts: 706 |
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