Silence

Sonata Arctica | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 4, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B00005NGXX
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,855 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. ...Of Silence

2. Weballergy

3. False News Travels Fast

4. The End Of This Chapter

5. Black Sheep

6. Land Of The Free

7. Last Drop Falls

8. San Sebastian (revisited)

9. Sing In Silence

10. Revontulet

11. Tallulah

12. Wolf & Raven

13. The Power Of One

Editorial Reviews

Debut from the power metal band from Finland. Spinefarm. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Power metal's brightest stars., December 3, 2001

By 

Lord Chimp (Monkey World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silence (Audio CD)

Before I get into the "meat" of this review, one thing needs to be said. I hate power metal. ...

"This guy hates power metal - why is he reviewing this album?" you ask. I'd heard a lot of good things about this band, and my amigo Korey (a.k.a. the_wickerman) laid plenty of praise on their first album Ecliptica. So I thought I'd try it. I like taking risks.

I am VERY impressed by this disc. Like other power metal bands, Sonata Arctica blends sweeping keyboard orchestrations with bone-crunching, driving guitars. Like other power metal bands, their vocalist takes on the conventional operatic delivery with plenty of romantic flair. Like other power metal bands, the lyrics meet with some very awkward articulation.

But.

This band writes _great_ songs. Adjectives fail me...and I mean that positively. The opener (after the prelude, anyway), "Weballergy," is outstanding, uplifting speedy power metal. The melodies are soaring, the musicianship stunning. The dueling keyboard/guitar soloing frenzies will bewilder you. The multi-tracked vocals may place the accent on the wrong syllable sometimes, but this guy (Tony Kakko) sings with great conviction and power.

Silence [draws] you in a doesn't let go. On the standard, fast power metal songs such as "Weballergy" and "Land of the Free" the melodies will take you soaring through the skies. Other, more elaborate tracks, invite one's attention and admiration. "The End of This Chapter," despite the entirely goofy acting at the beginning, is awesome. The 7-minute track opens with a graceful piano nocturne, and excitingly builds to a fine piece of power metal songwriting -- fabulous melodies, grinding riffs, and earnest emotional bombast. The band's ballads are power metal's best, with powerful vocals and melodies. "Last Drop Falls" and "Tallulah" are simply wonderful ballads. In particular, "Last Drop Falls" is delivered with indignation that makes my blood run cold. I'd be surprised if Kakko _wasn't_ writing from experience, because he really gets involved emotionally in what he's singing.

I once thought Silence was a concept album about some twisted man's obsession with his old girlfriend. However, judging from interviews this doesn't appear to be the case. Still, many of the lyrics are fairly personal and deal with relationships. Although Kakko's lyrics aren't always good from the point of diction, they do a great job conveying the emotions involved. On "Tallulah", a ballad about a break-up. In the chorus, Kakko writes, "It's easier to live alone than fear the time it's over." I knew someone who thought the exact same way after being disillusioned with relationships that ended in sadness. (Is a relationship worth the pain that may result?) Clever! I like when a band hits on something you've experienced, vicariously or directly.

One of the main reasons I don't think it's a concept album is that for the life of me I can't figure out how "The Power of One" would fit into the story. But it's an awesome song. Unlike most power metal bands, Sonata Arctica shows considerable restraint with this song. It closes the album on a very strong note. Lots of tempo changes, furious soloing, and a great finale with acoustic guitar.

In the end, Sonata Arctica beats their peers in several important areas. They have:

> WAY better songwriting
> Diverse songs
> Melodic guitar/keyboard solos (rather than fast, boring runs)
> Ballads that aren't lame
> Lyrics that _don't_ make me want to light the CD on fire

I don't like power metal, but this is still an outstanding album. Take that approbation for what it's worth. If you like power metal, I guess you'll like this. If you don't? Well, who knows?

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great album from Finland's finest!, December 31, 2001

By 

The Wickerman (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silence (Audio CD)

After buying the debut album "Ecliptica", and being immensely impressed by it, I was eager to get more albums from this band. So, finally, I get around to buying this one, the brand new sophomore effort from Sonata Arctica. Wow! Another great one! It seems that SA is going to be another Iced Earth, and put out one perfect album after another. I'm not yet sure how this compares to the debut, but it's definitely more epic. There are tons of great songs, and a fairly strong degree of variety. You've got fast-paced rockers like "Weballergy" and "Land of the Free", and great ballads like "Last Drop Falls" and "Tallulah".
One song in particular really stuck with me. That song is "The End of this Chapter". It's a ballad about a guy who is apparently stalking a woman he is in love with. The lyrics are downright spinechilling, and oddly touching. We often forget that these kinds of situations are not simply two-sided, a victim and a freak, it's often more complex than that. The person has feelings and desires that he can't deal with, and it pretty much drives him insane. I was amazed at how well this song captured the essence of that in just a few minutes. Anyway, moving on. Tony Kakko (they finally included their last names) is an amazing vocalist with tremendous range. He seems to be phasing out his accent more here than on the debut, which is a great improvement, and his lyrics have improved as well. For once, he's conveying emotion effectively, instead of almost coming off as cheesy (due in part, I'm sure, to his becoming more comfortable with English). That's the great thing about this band, they are one of the few power metal bands that write meaningful, touching lyrics, instead of just songs about dragons and stuff (which isn't bad, it's just sort of one-dimensional). On top of that, they're all top-notch musicians. Jani's solos are very fast and melodic, sort of a combination of Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. Tommy Portimo is one of the great drummers, up there with Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart. The bass is still lost in the mix, but oh well. The album ends in a 10-minute epic, "The Power of One". The is an excellent track, with really cool lyrics. All in all, a great album, one I can't wait to listen to over and over. Great musicianship, great lyrics, and very cool packaging. A must-have.

Also, I have to say this: Stop comparing this band to Stratovarius! That band is very overrated (see my friend Lord Chimp's review of "Destiny"), and SA is far more talented and far more intelligent than that band ever has and ever will be. Period!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Power metal gods!, April 30, 2002

By 

Ross Reynolds (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silence (Audio CD)

After being immensely disappointed by Edguy and Stratovarius, I thought to myself, "Hmm, where can I find some decent power metal?". Ta da! Sonata Arctica has provided me with the power metal experience the aforementioned bands denied me. Great riffs, excellent solos, godly vocals, and nice atmospheres. It will amaze you how fast and hard, yet strikingly catchy "Weballergy" and "San Sebastian" are. "Wolf and Raven" is really powerful as well, even featuring a touch of death vocals, and a weird hip hopish drum interlude. I can't believe that song was released as a single in Europe, you'd certainly never hear anything like it over here.

The ballads are done very well, far above the standard power metal ballad. "Tallulah" and "Last Drop Falls" are really touching relationshipy songs, and "The End of this Chapter" is a chilling tale of love turned to obsession. "The Power of One" is quite simply one of the best metal songs I've heard in a while. Great buildup, nice atmospheres, incredible vocals, it's just perfect. Gotta love that Maiden riff thrown in there as well.

The only bad thing is the lyrics have kind of awkward English at times ("These news travel fast", "Love due to expire too long time ago"), but man, the music is so good, you won't even care. Plus, the lyrical content is otherwise pretty meaningful (as opposed to goofy, like Stratovarius), which makes up for it. That, and Tony is quite simply one of the greatest vocalists alive (as opposed to Timo from Stratovarius, who, uh, isn't). Why are you still reading this? Just buy it! I really want to get "Ecliptica", but I wish it didn't cost so much.

Still reading? Buy this now!