The Ninth Hour: CD

Description

Although Sonata Arctica’s sound is still dominated by fast guitarsolos, catchy keyboard melodies and Tony Kakko’s unmistakablevocals, a gloomy sense of world-weariness is creeping through theirnew studio album ‘The Ninth Hour’. “I am not a very religious personat all,” admits frontman and lyricist Tony Kakko. “So I actually had tostudy the background and different meanings, once I came up withthe title ‘The Ninth Hour’, which was meant to underline the fact thisis our 9th studio album.”

The album was produced by Sonata Arctica and mixed by PasiKauppinen, creating a typical yet refreshing sound that defines thespirit of the band in the year 2016. After 17 years as a team, theband have moved from classic power metal to more progressiveshores but went back to their initial roots on the last release ‘Pariah’sChild’.

“The album itself is not particularly gloomy, I think. Our music hasmostly been happy sing-a-long stuff, but the lyrics never really fitthat mould. If you are familiar with my lyrics in the past, I’d say weswim in similar oceans. I deal with my worries about the state of thisplanet, human greed, love, relationships, tragedy, death, but alsowar and politics in semi-tongue in cheek fashion (I feel the USelections are an endless chest of unbelievable wonders…). Our‘murder-ballad-saga’ continues AND an old, epic lighthouse relatedtragedy now has a second part…”

Tracklist:

1. Closer To An Animal
2. Life
3. Fairytale
4. We Are What We Are
5. Till Death’s Done Us Apart
6. Among The Shooting Stars
7. Stars
8. Rise A Night
9. Fly, Navigate, Communicate
10. Candle Lawns
11. White Pearl, Black Oceans Part II – “By The Grace Of The Ocean”
12. On The Faultline (Closure To An Animal)
13. Run To You (Bonus Track)