Sonata Arctica - Pariah's Child
As much as I've never been a big fan of power metal, I like Sonata Arctica fairly much. That's probably due to their fairly commercial sound, and the fact that I actually really like Tony Kakko's voice (although his accent is still a bit weird to me). I remember going through their previous album fairly quickly - now I listen to albums at least two times in their whole length before writing a review (and usually more to my favourites).
I feel this is a pretty consistent album, definitely a lot better than their previous one. Power metal in general risks sounding very same-ish to me, it's not really my genre, but there are a few gems on this album. Contrary to what I expected, I like their easier-sounding and more melodic songs more.
The Wolves Die Young is a strong opening, with some nice guitars, and the chorus is fantastic, it can't help but stick with you. (But I should add that I can't shake the 'Santa's sled is coming' feeling when listening to the intro of the song... I still love it a lot.) Also, stuff like 'This is the day when the wolves die young, | they'll never see a new midnight sun' sounds entirely different from a Finnish band than from any other - since there is a midnight sun in Finland, there's just something really personal about the imagery. Running Lights is nothing special, it's the kind of staple same-ish sounding Sonata Arctica song. The next song, one of my favourites, Take One Breath, is a lot more lighter-sounding in the beginning, and then becomes a lot more forte. The Cloud Factory has a similar feeling to it, a bit eerie, hopping, also with some great lyrics. It's just short of my top 3 right now, but that could change with time (I still can't decide for sure if I like the first song or this better). Blood is a lot heavier, but it just doesn't do it for me, I still can't put it together - I do think it's a good song, but somehow it doesn't come together. (Though the haunting break around 4:00, and the part after it is beyond awesome.) What Did You Do In The War, Dad is my personal favourite, it has some interesting rhythms, my often mentioned and well loved contrast between the melodic and heavier parts, an ethereal-sounding backing chorus, and a cool guitar solo. Also, anything with a subtle or not-so-subtle anti-war message can be sold to me. Half A Marathon Man is also kinda generic, I don't really like it. X Marks the Spot is rather experimental - it's not a success with me, but I guess there are people who are going to love it, there's so much mischievousness in it which I wouldn't have expected from metal band. The next song is a love ballad - titled Love, how original - which isn't their best ballad to say the most. The lyrics are really, really average and cheesy - it's nowhere near the ingenuity of Shy or Tallulah. They kind of redeem it with the last track; Larger Than Life is really grandiose, it's an epic of epics. I'm not a fan of power metal epics, but this song is really nicely structured and diverse at different points - this is how all power metal epics should be.
My top three: The Wolves Die Young; Take One Breath; What Did You Do In The War, Dad
Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo
Gothic metal is, in some cases, rather close to symphonic metal - in most things but the actual symphonic part. I guess one could still argue that this is close to my preferred genre - but really, the majority of the album sounds so similar to everything, I have trouble remembering the songs (though I do have a terrible musical memory). Anyway, they are definitely not becoming my new favourite band.
The opening track, Nothing Stands In Our Way, is one of their strongest songs: it's pretty standard, but there's a power to it. When I listened to Zombies, I kind of had a déjà vu (or more precisely déjà entendu), and then it came to me: there was something Skillet-ish or RED-ish to it - so is it on the line between Christian rock and gothic metal? Maybe. Hostage to the Light is a decent song, with some nice lyrics. Victims isn't so outstanding either, they have lots of similar songs. Die & Rise is kind of love-or-hate, I guess, because this is one song which finally doesn't sound like everything else on the album - I for one love it. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name), Cybersleep and Infection are kind of fusing together in my head now (it maybe wasn't such a good idea to listen to two albums in a row). I like I Burn In You a bit better - although I still don't think the lyrics make much sense or are that original, I suppose it's just catchier. In the End I Feel Alive is decent, and it's probably only my tired midnight humour, but putting it near the end - I don't feel that alive, in fact, I could fall asleep right here in my chair, head on top of my laptop. It's hard to write a ballad I'll love (except for my favourite bands, they can write anything...), but I guess this is pretty decent, a very personal song to them, and it shows. A great way to finish an album, which is otherwise not so outstanding
My top three: Nothing Stands In Our Way; Hostage to the Light; Die & Rise
You thought it was a contest? Well, it wasn't, but I obviously like Pariah's Child more, which my be due to my actual preference of Sonata Arctica (also, this is one of the coolest band names out there) over Lacuna Coil.
I liked these albums, which are not even albums from my favourite bands - I'm quite hopeful about this year's releases (looking right at you, In Flames & Rise Against, et peut-être Gojira? (not likely)).
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