Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)^{Release ID: 5748}

Sonata’s Arctica’s 1999 debut, ‘Ecliptica’ is an incredible piece of power metal history, full of energy and youthful exuberance, the band’s majestic sound instantly made them a hit with fans of the genre. So it comes with regret that I find their follow-up, 2001’s ‘Silence’, to be a huge letdown.

The problem is, I can’t really figure out what the actual problem is. The songwriting is pretty solid, and the musicianship is fantastic, but overall, there’s just not a lot here to really get me going. It all seems very by-the-numbers power metal, which is weird, because Sonata Arctica have put out some absolutely amazing albums, but I find this one very hard to enjoy.

With that said, the record does have its moments. ‘San Sebastian’ and ‘Wolf and Raven’ are both exceptional, and worthy of any greatest hits compilations. And tracks like ‘Respect the Wilderness’ and ‘The Power of One’ both demonstrate the skills and potential this band has. Tony Kakko’s voice is a pleasure to listen to throughout, and the interplay between guitars and keyboards is stunning, though sadly wasted on a mostly generic album.

The Finnish five-piece were still pretty young into their careers here, and this is only their second album. It’s not terrible by any stretch, but it’s not anything I’m likely to come back to, either. I’d much rather listen to ‘Ecliptica’.