Customer Reviews

Days of Grays

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm going to have to disagree greatly with the other 2 reviewers. This album, like many other great albums, takes some getting used to. Sonata Arctica have definitely evolved into more of a progressive outfit than a power metal outfit. This is NOT a bad thing, as the fantastic vocal lines and soaring melodies lend themselves wonderfully to both genres. The people who say bad stuff about this album will likely be the same people who disliked Unia...comments like "not enough super fast songs", "where is the double bass", etc. In reality, this album is a logical progression from the sidestep that Unia was. I love ALL of Sonata Arctica's stuff, but I feel like this evolution/change in their sound is not a bad thing. I mean really, how many years do you think a band should spend rewriting the same album? I for one am very impressed with the added maturity of Sonata's songwriting nowadays. Sure, some of the fun aspect of it had to be killed off in the process, but the other super fast power metally albums still exist for you to listen to when you want a fix of that. The Days of Grays and Unia provide another side of this band, and I think that any Sonata Arctica fan will enjoy this with some repeated listens.

Standout tracks: Deathaura, Zeroes, Juliet, As If The World Wasn't Ending

This album is simply a masterpiece! This album is kinda like Unia just minus huge choirs of Tony's. This album contains lots of catchy vocal melodies, shouting and orchestrations. The downside is that there is not many solos on the album and it's all just Tony (not really a bad thing). It might take the listener a few spins to appreciate the album much like the bands previous release "Unia". Overall I haven't been bored with this album and I listen to it regularly. Sonata is doing the right thing in my opinion and making there own music/style, if your expecting old Sonata Arctica and can't accept growth and maturity in bands then this isn't for you. Enjoy the experience! The Days Of Grays is one of the best releases this year (2009).

Let me introduce myself as a Sonata fan from the beginning. I have always loved their fast, double-bass laden power metal. As an objective listener who like GOOD MUSIC and not just double-bass crazy fast stuff, I can say that this is definitely one of their best albums. Sonata Arctica has made a truly epic album full of hard, melodic rock that fans should love despite a slight slow-down in speed. But please note that it is definitely an increase in tempo and power from Unia. I get bored with Unia, but have been listening to Days of Grays constantly since I bought it in September. As with most albums from groups you love that have been around a long time, I was a little disappointed as I listened to the album the first time around. But that's basically a result of having to distance the new songs from the band's previous songs that are ingrained in your mind. the second time around was a charm, and I recommend this album to anybody that likes rock, likes rock with good lead singer voices, and likes rock with melody. GO SONATA!

I have listened with great anticipation to the new Sonata Arctica The Days of Gray CD more than a few times. The band has certainly changed their style over the last two albums, but this change has evolved more with The Days of Gray when compared to Reckoning Night, their last gasp at the Wolves years as I like to call the earlier works; and Unia, the more "pop" sounding Sonata Arctica.

The Days of Gray opens with a beautiful instrumental in "Everything Fades to Gray," which has majesty and a nod to classical music. The band then uncharacteristically open the second track, "Deathaura" with a female vocal supplied by the sweet voice of Johanna Kurkela. The song is wandering and builds to a classical sounding crash. The band has moved its sound to a place I have not heard from them before, and it is bit more than reminiscent of a band like Kamelot than Sonata Arctica. There is some displaced (in all honesty) multi-layered sounds coming through on this song, which adds to the "metal" moments of the album. It also adds a bit to the song.

"The Last Amazing Grays" is the third track, which sounds a bit more like "pop" than "power" metal. All of the time, Marko Passikoski's thundering bass strums evenly along. Tony Kakko's vocals are in perfect pitch. Missing is Henrik Klingenberg's flashy keyboards in this song, giving in to a more classical sway in the background. Tommy Portimo's high snare drums are missing as well, as the more thundering bass heavy drums are pounded. The guitars of Elias Viljanen play the power metal riffs with clarity and precisely. This is the signature song on the album, that explains the themes of death, redemption, atonement and individuality, which is the reality of maturity and "the days of grays" as we age. The band seems to set the tone of the growing musically with their spirit of aging theme that encompasses this album.

"Flag in the Ground" is the traditionally "tuneful hit" that we have come to expect from Sonata Arctica over the years, as it hearkens back to their mid-period. To me it is an opposite of "Don't Say a Word," in which a lover learns of his woman's infidelity and brutally says good bye. Now a maturing Kakko is finding himself and discovers his lover wants him back. Truly a great song.

Carrying on that self-discovery theme is "Breathing," perhaps the most deeply moving song on the album. Kakko sings "I cannot control my life anymore; Feel a need to leave and breathe on my own; I remember all the broken songs of my life; Maybe one more wrong will make it all right; I just really need to be alone now..." It reminds me of Ruins of My Life from Ecliptica, as this one is a slower and more haunting song.

"Zeroes" follows as a quicker, but more of a throw-off song. Not my favorite on the album, but it offers some speed at a space in the album when it is needed. It also features the famous Kakko scream.
After "Zeroes" is "The Dead Skin' continuing the aging sage theme of the band. It has grown me in its pacing and building up to a climax theme. It also features the heaviest bass riffs thus far on the whole album. And then in the center of the song are the tuneful keyboards that I enjoy from the band. Probably among the most powerful songs on the album. I really like this one.

"Juliet" follows and I again sense a nod to more gothic sounds of bands like Kamelot (and no, I am not calling my favorite melodic/power metal band a goth band). This one has the thundering signature rhythm sound of Sonata Arctica, cat references, and a sense of longing. You can sense this has the longing and despair as they Kakko sings "life is but a long, sad game; lifeless souls avoiding shame; two dead swans is all we need; to pave the winding memory lane." It also plays on Shakespeare's theme of lost love, but the "Romeo" and "Juliet" are much older from Sonata Arctica and have lived much longer than Shakespeare's characters. It sounds honestly like something that could have been pulled from Kamelot's Black Halo

"No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart," follows the bombastic "Juliet" and features Johanna Kurkela on vocals. The aging theme is continued as Kakko sings "One day we will run out of tomorrows; and yesterday's become the stuff our dreams are made of..." The poisoned lips references are also a connection to "Juliet's" theme.

The next song "As If The World Wasn't Ending" starts with a keyboard solo that I swear was lifted from early to mid 1970s pop music like the Carpenters. It seems oddly out of place, but then the crash and rumble of the bass and guitars crescendo rescues the song and the guitar solo in this one is the best on the album. This is a song about a delusional soul looking for comfort in toxic liquids to reach drunken understanding.

"The Truth Is Out There" is a redemption song of sorts, atonement by acceptance. It also has among the most clever lyrics on the album. "Now I am crawling in (my crawling skin); I can't wake up anymore (can't find the door); I try to make a deal (with myself); to avoid the blinding door (once again)....Can I trust my own eyes; Is that me in disguise; Is this bliss or am I insane?" There is a soaring and swirling quality in the keyboards and choruses of voices in this one, complete with cellos and orchestration. This song seems like a more mature piece of music performed by Sonata Arctica.

The album proper ends with a return to the themes and musical moments of "Everything Fades To Gray." The song is a summation of life. Lyrically, the philosophy is clear: "When it all ends; when everything fades to gray, we dive into the darkness; some things are needless to say." There is a crash of sounds in this one as a false ending brings us back to the central theme of age, redemption, acceptance, and the inevitable end.

The bonus track "In My Eyes You're a Giant" is among my favorites. It sounds like it could have easily fit on Eclipitica, or Silence from their past. The "wolves' theme returns as well. Kakko sings "Here I am howling at the bright new moon; the burning flame within, my own kin, and; every night I heard something out there calling me; reminding me, friend, to know, I am not your child." This song hearkens all of the Sonata Arctica fans to the high hat and snare drums, the heavy bass, the quirky vocals, the sharp guitars and the signature keyboard solos. It is the perfect ending of this mature album, as this song is a return to the colors of the band in the last hurrahs of The Days of Gray. For more of my stuff, just check out Sweetwood Metal Moments, my hard rock, power metal and heavy metal blog; you'll be glad you did.

I was only a casual Sonata Arctica fan before this release, finding their previous albums a little boring (not a fan of speed riffs, or fast-for-the-sake-of-fast). I decided to pick this album up after reading the reviews here saying it's a little different than their older stuff. And boy was I in for a treat! I haven't been able to stop listening to this album since I got it. The melodies are bright and upbeat without being stifling, the vocals are superb, the music is catchy and powerful despite the dark, gritty lyrics. If this is the way Sonata Arctica is going, I will definitely be in line for their next release. This is, by far, my favorite album of the year.

I've been a fan of Sonata since ecliptica, and for the most part i've enjoyed everything they've put out. I will not recap all their previous albums, but I will say, in my own opinion this is some of their best work to date. There is no doubt in my mind the Ecliptica is still by far their best album, but there is only so much speed metal to be done these days. I really enjoy how dark this album is. From the erie opener leading into Deathaura, to the sad and gloomy juliet, this album has a bit of everything. I feel it's somewhat of a mix between Winterheart's Guild and Unia. I feel that this album was what they wanted to accomplish with Unia. I know that alot people have mixed emotions about this album, but i think if people just get past the fact that SA wants to try new things, and give the album a whirl they will find that there is still SA roots deep within, and some new elements that's going to keep fans always wanting more. I know i want more, and I wonder where they will go from here. Some con's I have about the album since i find this album not quite perfect, is the lack of solo's, but then again, I can't complain about that when i'm hearing violins.....oh how i love violins.....Enjoy Day's of Grays! I know I do!

First I wanted to say to the poster that wished for a US tour......I live In Tulsa, Ok and a little birdie in my ear says they are coming through in Late January or February. Dont ask questions....Just know there is a very strong possibility and to keep you eyes open for 2010. Okay so everything is here that people love about Sonata. Beautiful epic melodies vocally and keyboard wise. But this time the mood is much darker in an uplifting way. Last Flag In The Ground is your speedy fast song everyone wants but its darker in feeling too. So much orchestration. This really does feel like a stronger version of Unia. Not as complex but more focused. The only problem I have at all is i know how well there new guitar player is. I saw him when he first joined the band in and he can play man can he play, but they didnt let him let lose as much as they should. Oh well small things aside another winner for the band. Just listen to this album repeatedly. Along with new Megadeth, Vader, Shadows Fall, Despised Icon, and Children Of Bodom its a great and busy month for metal. Esp since last month had Municipal Waste and Gwar. Sonata just made it better.

Here we have another high quality release from Finland's finest. Sonata Arctica have always maintained a very high standard in every aspect of their music from the writing to the performance and even the production. They have built an impressive discography beginning with the best european speed metal and have recently evolved into a darker and more complex songwriting unit. This has resulted in some satisfying and yet strange albums recently. This album brings back a good balance to the Sonata Arctica style that should please most fans. The complex songwriting and awesome production are all intact but the general feeling of the music is a little lighter and the album is more enjoyable as a result. The only downside is that Sonata Arctica's albums are not very memorable anymore. There are certainly memorable parts to all their songs but I feel like the urge to press repeat on awesome songs has faded. A satisfying and high quality album overall that I'm happy to recommend.

Before listening to the new Sonata album for the first time, I had the following attitude: "I love "Unia" just as much as all the previous Sonata albums (I'm a huge fan for 9 years now - since "Ecliptica"). Thus, as far as I'm concerned, Sonata Arctica can't go wrong, no matter what the new album will be like!"
Now, after listening to the album for like 10-12 times, this attitude still persists with some minor scratches. What remains is a mixture of euphoria (mostly) and (a little bit of) disillusionment.

First of all I must say that the last time I heard an intro as enchanting and wonderful as "Everything Fades To Gray (instrumental)" was with "...Of Silence" from the "Silence" album! Incredibly beautiful, melancholic piano strokes and omnipresent, atmospheric keyboard chords - that's exactly what I'm wishing for from Sonata Arctica!

The first, very dramatic symphonic sounds from "Deathaura" directly remind me of Dimmu Borgir but this only lasts until the really talented guest vocalist Johanna Kurkela starts off with the first lyrics of the album. I'm absolutely blown away by this really pompous, magical, fairytale-like, sometimes measured, sometimes fast-paced masterpiece! After some friends had told me the new album would be disappointing, I was extremely positively surprised already at the first listen! There it is again: that uncomparable Sonata feeling! That's why I love this band so much!

With "The Last Amazing Grays", the song that's already been released as a single, the journey continues and I have to say that the song works A LOT better when it's the follow-up of "Deathaura" as it perfectly links to its epic poetry. This midtempo semi-ballad with the wonderful chorus and the melancholic wolf theme definitely gets under the skin.

What now follows is the song that most enemies of "Unia" might consider the only -really- good song: "Flag In The Ground". I personally was thrilled at first, knowing the guys had re-recorded another very good song ("BlackOut") from their demo era (when they were still called Tricky Beans). On the other hand this was exactly the reason why I was a little disappointed. I already expected this one to be the only song in that style - and I already knew the demo version by heart. Still this song is a lot of fun and will satisfy 99% of all the Sonata fans out there. It's easily one of the most powerful songs of the album (it's slightly comparable to "The Cage" or "Black Sheep", I think).

After listening to the now following tracks for the first time, I dismissed them as "boring", "irrelevant" and/or "annoyingly elusive" and thus can understand all the disappointed fans who wrote bad reviews of the album. But that feeling reminded me a bit of my first experiences with "Unia" so that I couldn't simply toss the album into a bottom drawer or something. Particularly as the first tracks had thrilled me that much!

Either way, even after listening to "Breathing" four or five times, one can't deny that it's quite weak. This really slow song simply can't compete with songs like "Tallulah" or "Shy". It's really a pity - I didn't think I'd ever be bored by a Sonata Arctica ballad. "Under Your Tree" from "Unia" already was very close to boredom but "Breathing" lacks substance even more.

Hopes for another "In Black And White" or "The Harvest" came up when I heard the beginning of "Zeroes". Sadly, after the introduction the song loses itself a bit in a chaotic structure. Well... after listening to it some times, the pounding midtempo-hymn sounds more convincing - even though the chorus melody drowns in the rest of the song and doesn't really protrude.

After these two (for Sonata Arctica quite unusual, i.e. weak) songs it's getting better again with "The Dead Skin", "Juliet" and "No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart". At first, these three songs seemed to me as if Tony was merely narrating instead of singing a song because there are hardly any parts that rhyme in a classical way or are subject to a fixed pattern. But it's really worth listening to them many times because "The Dead Skin" and especially "No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart" will get you hooked and provide many parts that will stay in your head for a long time! (The latter actually provides THREE unforgettable hooklines and again contains the breathtakingly gorgeous vocals of Johanna Kurkela - what a blast!) And "Juliet" (even if the vocals start quite promptly) especially thrills with the great symphonic arrangements that carry the "Caleb"-story forward - with a focus on dramatics.

The perpetual organ sound that serves as the ground layer of the following "As If The World Wasn't Ending" reminds a bit of "For The Sake Of Revenge" (the song, not the DVD ;D) but sadly the song suffers the same illness "Zeroes" does: the chorus simply doesn't protrude and sounds trivial. I wouldn't call the song a dead loss as it is catchy nonetheless (if you can call it that; it's a slow song) - but it sounds weak to me, personally.

The powerful sequence which starts the song "The Truth Is Out There" (and returns later on once again to add zest to it) is one of those parts that'll pleasantly stay in your head for a long time. The song may seem a bit chaotic at first - but that's nothing a bit of patience can't resolve. A great song which switches back and forth between semi-ballad and midtempo-smasher.

The only thing that taints the pleasure of the "now-with-vocals"-version of "Everything Fades To Gray" is the fact that Tony's vocals were modified for the most part, so that it sounds a bit as if he was singing out of an old gramophone or something. Who the hell came up with THAT? What's that supposed to be? Of course, the instrumental part stays the same and therefore is as beautiful as in the intro - and surprisingly continues after the length of the intro. But the effect that's been put over the vocals deteriorates the pleasure of listening to this otherwise really beautiful final stroke of the regular tracks of the album.

Regarding the main melody of "In The Dark" (the bonus track for Europe and the USA), the song sounds like a power ballad of the 80s that could as well have been sung by Bonnie Tyler or something. But after a while, step by step, the song turns into a super catchy piece that sounds a bit like a slower variety of "PeaceMaker" here and there. Nothing overwhelming but really solid!

And now it's getting mean - for the non-Japanese, that is, because the two Japan-only bonus tracks "Nothing More" and "In My Eyes You're A Giant" are ingenious uptempo-Sonata-smashers that could as well have been put on "Silence", "Winterheart's Guild" or "Reckoning Night"!! If the band had decided to put these two songs on the album as regular tracks instead of... say... "Zeroes" and "Breathing", the fans of the old Sonata-style would have been well and truly satisfied!!
(Already on "Unia" I thought "I wish they had put the Japan bonus track 'They Follow' on the album as a regular ballad instead of 'Under Your Tree'! It would have been so perfect"!! But this time it's even more grave because the regluar album would have benefited from the speed that's contained in the two tracks!!)

"Nothing More" almost goes in the direction of "Ecliptica", slightly reminding of a slower "Blank File" during the chorus, while "In My Eyes You're A Giant" has strong resemblances of "Paid In Full", only a bit more cheerful! All I can say is: buy the Japan edition (like I did) or buy the tracks separately as download if that's possible somehow! It's really worth it!!!

To sum it up, once can say that "The Days Of Grays" picked up the pompous and epic side of "Unia" and slowed it down a little bit. In my opinion, the album fits perfectly into the Sonata Arctica discography, with its consequent progress but also some small reminiscences of the old days. Even though it contains some disappointing moments. The guys should have stepped on the gas a bit more here and there and could have fiddled with the choruses a bit more.

Nevertheless, I give a total of 5 of 5 stars on Amazon - the majority of the album turned out to be grandiose!! The album needs a lot - and I do mean A LOT - patience until it fully sparks. Even more than "Unia" needed! But it's really worth the "effort"! After several listens "The Days Of Grays" has you hooked and, just as its predecessor, won't let go again.

I was one of the many fans who was disappointed by the material on Unia. Fortunately, this album is not the same. The songs still have that progressive feel but are still classic Sonata. The slow ballads aren't my favorite, but they don't slow down the pace of the record too much. Flag in the Ground, Zeros, Deathaura and The Last Amazing Grays are all masterpieces and quickly becoming some of my favorite songs by them.

The beginning of the album is extremely tedious. After a 3 minute opening track (which is repeated with vocals at the end of the album) you would expect it to go straight into the next song but that song has a 1 minute intro, meaning you can skip the first 4 minutes of the album without missing anything. The US bonus track also feels very tacked-on and Tony's vocals are lackluster on it.

Qualms aside, this album is a step in the right direction. I've finally embraced the fact that Sonata will never be the band they once were and can still appreciate the complexity of this hour-long epic.