Sonata Arctica - Silence (2001)

Tracklist:
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. Respect the Wilderness (Japanese bonustrack)
14. The Power of One

Polished, coloured, yet unbalanced - 7,4/10

Sonata Arctica’s second album, considered the best by some, really showed their own take on power metal, having worked away most of the borrowed Stratovarius sound. Although their songs are still mostly fast, the repetitivity on the album has been severely reduced. Sonata Arctica presents us with Silence another album containing true epics, instant classics and some of the best sing along anthems of all times.

Where predecessor Ecliptica started off straight away with a firm double bass rhythm, Silence uses a mysterious intro “...of Silence” before the bomb explodes with “Weballergy”, which is as fast as songs from Ecliptica, yet a lot different in sound. It has more colours to it and sets the right ambience for the rest of the album with its playful melodies. It’s really songs like this one that give Silence its own identity. Together with “San Sebastian (Revisited)” and “Land of the Free” we have three-of-a-kind. All three have these true sing-along choruses, accompanied by a firm double bass rhythm underneath, and very melodic verses, expressed by a fresh voice of Tony Kakko, whose voice has increased a lot in quality since Ecliptica. I will shortly describe a few highlights of the album.

First highlight you’ll come across will be “The End of This Chapter”. It’s a story about a man stalking a woman, to say it very bluntly. The song itself is mid-paced, starting off quite gently and getting slightly heavier towards the end. In combination with the increasingly epic chorus this makes one hell of a track. Then there is “Black Sheep”. Though obviously power metal, it’s a bit slower than a song like “Weballergy”, and therefore concentrates its power on the musical arrangements and the melody instead of the speed, which results in one of my all-time Sonata Arctica favorites. Last of the highlights would be “Wolf and Raven”. Seemingly just another fast song without identity, it is very different from the rest. It’s very aggressive in sound, also in the Tony Kakko’s vocals, which really seem to cry in despair during the chorus. It’s the first song by this band that I ever heard, and it’s still one of my favorites.

Where does this album go wrong? The balance on the album still isn’t to my liking. Though the tempo balance seems all right, there is a slight quality balance lacking. Songs like “Tallulah” and “Sing in Silence” for example are totally blown away by what’s before and after them, respectively “San Sebastian” and “Wolf and Raven”, that they are shot into oblivion. Then there is “False News Travels Fast” and “Land of the Free”, two seemingly okay songs, but so forgettable compared to the good part of the album. Compared to Ecliptica, the good songs are better, but the fillers have a stronger presence. The problem with these fillers is not that they’re bad songs by themselves, but only compared to the rest of the album. But since I’m reviewing the album as a whole, I will count this as a downside.

My conclusion is, surprise surprise, that Silence is a good follow-up to the average Ecliptica, but I’m sure they could’ve done better. It’s better than Ecliptica at many points, including more variety among the songs and more colours within them, but still lacking the quality-balance. I would definitely recommend this album if you’re eager to listen to Sonata Arctica for the first time ever.

Strongest tracks: “The End of this Chapter”, “Black Sheep”, “San Sebastian (Revisited)” and “Wolf and Raven”.
Weakest: “False News Travels Fast”, “Land of the Free” and “Tallulah”.



Originally posted on Encyclopaedia Metallum.