The release of Finnish melodic metal frontrunners Sonata Arctica’s new offering “Clear Cold Beyond” is only 6 weeks away (March 8th, 2024 through Atomic Fire), and today the band have revealed a very special track off the album titled “Dark Empath”. Long-time followers of their work may notice that this piece is the direct sequel of 2004’s “Don’t Say A Word”, which has become a staple in the group’s live set over the years. The track is at once nostalgic and allows new listeners to dive deeper into Sonata Arctica’s colourful back catalogue. Check out ‘Dark Empath’ here: https://sonataarctica.afr.link/darkempathPR

Singer Tony Kakko comments:

“This track is part of a saga that started on our second album »Silence« in 2001 — some even think it started on our debut album with the song ‘The End Of This Chapter’ — and has many sequels and prequels already. Its stalker theme offers a frame to write songs in a certain style I like very much. People do not seem to mind this, fortunately, haha! It’s not a chronological story, but rather a theme with reoccurring, familiar characters that end up living through variations of the theme over and over again.”

“Clear Cold Beyond” contains 10 tracks reviving the band’s penchant for power metal-esque tunes following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic. It’s packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of Sonata Arctica’s multifaceted work: From high-speed anthems such as “First In Line” and “Californi” to emotion-laden tracks such as “The Best Things” and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every Sonata Arctica fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of their early works, was created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios; “Ecliptica” [1999] – “Stones Grow Her Name” [2012]). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck who has also been part of other Sonata Arctica productions.

photo credit: Jaakko Manninen