Sonata Arctica

SONATA ARCTICA began in 1996 under the name Tricky Beans in Kemi, Finland. They would release three demos under that name – Friends Till the End, Agre Pamppers, and PeaceMaker. In 1997 they renamed themselves Tricky Means, changing their rock ways into a more Power Metal feel and gaining influences from bands such as Stratovarius.

The first demo recorded by Tricky Means, FullMoon, at Tico Tico Studios in Kemi caught the eye of owner Ahti Kortelainen. The demo codified their trademark sound of fast, melodic metal with heavy keyboards and clean high vocals. Ahti Kortelainen was so impressed that he sent it over to the Finnish record label Spinefarm Records, closing their first album deal in 1999. It was then that they decided to choose a more appropriate name for their music – Sonata Arctica.

The ambitious Finns quickly grew into the position as gate keepers of the best melodic metal sounds; bursting with the innovative joy of playing and completed with their special, individual note; the voice of Tony Kakko. Nine masterpieces have been created in the last two decades of the band’s history, and stylistically, SONATA ARCTICA have never let themselves be deprived of trying out new ways and leaving old habits behind. From classical Power Metal to more progressive excursions, to now finally combining the best of many sonic worlds, each album has its own charm - a perceptible life of its own.

Yet SONATA ARCTICA have always been true to themselves. With their skills, their talent, their wealth of ideas and their daring, the band has decisively influenced the genre and had a lasting impact on it. Now is the time to open a new chapter: Talviyö (2019). It can already be stated that the band has succeeded in creating a colossal masterpiece, but let’s start at the beginning... Only three years have passed since the brilliant predecessor The Ninth Hour, three years in which the quintet has been anything but idle.