True Melodic Heavy Metal Songs+ Acoustic Gig + Music Videos
Reijo Piippula | Turku, Finland | 09/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have to say I waited for this collection very much. So it was nice to notice that it had been relesed. I am a huge Sonata Arctica fan.
This collection has songs mainly from their three first albums. There's of course two songs from the fourth album "Reckoning Night": "Ain't Your Fairytale" and "Don't Say a Word" (single version). They were of course released in "Don't Say a Word" MCD, I guess Nuclear Blast didn't want to share other RN songs in this collection. There would have been great songs. There's also one song taken from the MCD Successor: San Sebastian.
"Ecliptica" was their first album and most of the songs have been stayed favourites in the live gigs for years. Usually the songs "Kingdom for a Heart", "My Land", "Replica", "FullMoon" (runaway, runaway, runaway), and "8th Commandment" can be heard in the gigs. Also "UnOpened" was popular in "Winterheart's Guild" tour. "Blank File" is a rare song in live gigs. I have heard it only once but it comes among the feeling. The songs in this collection are studio versions but "Songs of Silence" is a great live album. Unfortunately the songs "Kingdom for a Heart" (probably because Tony Kakko didn't like the lyrics), and "Replica" were left off from this collection. It's strange cause "Kingdom for a Heart" was usually the second or third song in their live gigs and "Replica" was probably ALWAYS played before "My Land". However, they (who made this collection) decided to have also "UnOpened" (which was their only single from "Ecliptica) in this collection. All the songs are true good melodic metal stuff and "Blank File" & "8th Commandment" are very fast stuff. "Letter to Dana" is not in this collection. It is a great ballad but it isn't easy to get all the great songs in the same collection.
"Successor": They chose "San Sebastian" which was later released in Silence...well at least its revisited version. I like Successor version more than Silence version.
"Silence" is their best-known album and their break-through. Anyhow, after Silet Orientation tour, they didn't like to play many Silence songs in their gigs. I remember the gig with only two Silence songs after their third album. "Weballergy", "The End of This Chapter" sometimes but "Black Sheep", "Last Drop Falls", "Wolf & Raven" almost always.
They chose the first single "Wolf & Raven" (which is a very fast and angry song) but dropped the "beautiful" ballad "Last Drop Falls" off although it was the second single track. "San Sebastian" is maybe the best song in Silence if you believe in Finnish voters. The intro "...Of Silence" is one of favourite intros ever...of course the only better intro was in their WG tour "No More Silence...Break the Silence". Silence was over...Silence was a crime...in WG tour. Anyway, "Tallulah" was a big radio hit in Finland...ballad of the ballads...but it was left off the collection but I'm not surprised. "The Power of One" is made with a same style as "The End of This Chapter" but it is better and much longer (over 10 minutes). It was dropped out too...maybe because it was so long.
Winterheart's Guild: there's three fast songs "Victoria's Secret" (the first WG single), "Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited", and "The Cage" (the closing song in their gigs, usually). These choices are great but "Draw Me" was a surprise. This is (of course) an INSTRUMENTAL version they have put here. The original with singing can be found in WG. I think it is one of the last songs I would include in this collection. It's quite a good ballad but there would have been better choices like "The Misery" (a ballad), "Broken" (a power ballad, the second single), "Champagne Bath" (a very funny song), and of course my favourite song "Gravenimage" (no chorus...great keyboards..but defintely not a radio song). I have once heard they play & sing the beginning of the "Gravenimage" but it isn't a gig song.
Reckoning Night: "Don't Say a Word" is a great song, it was the first RN single and there was also "Ain't Your Fairytale". They are both fast songs. "Ain't your Fairytale" is another wolf song, like "FullMoon" (I think it is), "Wolf & Raven", and "The Cage". They usually put one wolf song per album. Well, "Shamanadlie" was a beautiful ballad and the second single but they didn't put in this collection. Also "Misplaced", "Blinded No More", and SA's guitarist Jani Liimataine's work "My Selene" were left off.
Anyhow, there's not so many ballads in this album. "Draw Me" is the only actual ballad but it isn't nearly their best work and this version is an INSTRUMENTAL one. "The End of This Chapter" is a power-ballad. The ballads "Last Drop Falls", "Letter to Dana", "Tallulah", "Shy", "The Misery", "Shamanadlie", "Sing in Silence" were left off. They would have been great.
I think this is a good collection for those who like Sonata Arctica's music, especially the fast and powerful songs. I think many all-time fans will have it too.
There's two music videos in DVD: "Broken" (live) and absolutely great music video: "Wolf & Raven" which was the first song I heard from SA. It is an intelligent video and I love it very much!!! There's a lady who makes eventually Tony Kakko a raven! And there's a wolf too!!!
The acoustic live is great!!! There's Tony Kakko singing and Jani Liimatainen plays acoustic guitar! They are clapping their hands together and audience in Japan is with them. The songs "My Land", "Mary-Lou", "Replica" are great acoustic! Then "Victoria's Secret"...you get a new view for that song when it is played acoustic. Imagine...Victoria's Secret acoustic and clapping hands!!! Great! There's also a short version of "Letter to Dana" and of course "Jam" which is an instrumental song. Beautiful! Very beatiful! If only this gig would have last longer!
ATTENTIONS!!! "Draw Me" is an instrumental version in this collection (original can be found in "Winterheart's Guild" album)!!! "Don't Say a Word" is a single version (full-time version can be found in "Reckoning Night" album). "San Sebastian" is an original version from "Successor" EP, the revisited version is in "Silence" album. There's also "Letter to Dana" on DVD in the same DVD track as "Victoria's Secret"!!!
Stars: Don't Say a Word, UnOpened, San Sebastian, The Cage, Victoria's Secret"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1