Stripped sounds making for strong emotions

Finnish power metal band, Sonata Arctica, has released their first entirely acoustic album entitled Acoustic Adventures – Volume One. The album consists of 12-tracks, most of which range over three-and-a-half minutes. Acoustic Adventures – Volume One is inspired by their 2019 Acoustic Adventures tour in which the group focused on performing more acoustic shows, broadening their sound with soft percussions, flutes and more keyboards.

Sonata Arctica is composed of lead vocalist Tony Kakko, guitarist and banjo Elias Viljanen, keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, bassist Pasi Kauppinen and percussionist Tommy Portimo. The band recorded Acoustic Adventures – Volume One at Studio57 with the help of producer Mikko Tegelman. All of the songs on the album were written by vocalist and frontman Tony Kakko, who expertly crafts vocals that are perfectly matched by keyboard melodies. This acoustic record outlines Sonata Arctica’s forever-transforming sound as they constantly modify themselves in every album.

The album begins with “The Rest of The Sun Belongs To Me,” a nearly six-minute song that begins with an attention-grabbing heavy acoustic guitar. Tony Kakko’s vocals are beautifully adorned by a soft keyboard melody and tambourine. Though the majority of the songs are pulled from Sonata Arctica’s previous album Unia, the tracks have been reinvented through their acoustic quality, resulting in a completely different sound. For example, “A Little Less Understanding” is stripped of its heavy energy, replacing the fast electric guitars with a charming banjo, shifting the song to a more uplifting atmosphere.

Mid-album is the track titled “Don’t Say A Word,” the first Sonata Arctica single to debut at No.1 on the Finnish charts back in 2004. However, this new version is transformed from the four-minute anthem with insane guitar solos that fans are used to, to a six-minute ballad with a dramatic piano.  This track is brilliantly altered in so many ways that could be considered better than the original, and could even be perfectly matched to a climactic movie scene. “Wolf & Raven” is another track that stands out as it is led by an incredibly fast-paced piano and Kakko’s very expressive vocals which give a new life to the song.

Ultimately, Acoustic Adventures – Volume One has allowed Sonata Arctica to reinvent some of their work into fully-stripped material, conveying a more personal connection to its audience. Acoustic albums are always something to be wary about, but Sonata Arctica put their heart and soul into this project making it some of their greatest work yet.