A Review of Sonata Arctica's Discography: Second Part: Silence (2001)

Atmospheric, Energetic and Heartfelt Songwriting

Sonata Arctica's first strike Ecliptica is one of the greatest melodic power metal records ever conceived, so it only makes sense that the Finnish quintet didn't change its style when writing, recording and publishing its second output Silence. While this record is still very good, it can't however compete with the band's first strike for three specific reasons.

First of all, stagnation has never been a key to success. While this album includes all the band's trademarks such as variable melodic vocals, energetic drum patterns, dynamic bass guitar sounds, fast and harmonious guitar sounds as well as atmospheric, cinematic and epic keyboard layers, the band fails to push the limits and try out anything new on this output. The band has changed that approach later on in its career which has lead to more experimental records that are loved by some and loathed by others such as Unia. In my opinion, the band made the right decision to stop copying itself and exploring new soundscapes which makes Sonata Arctica one of the most interesting bands in the melodic power metal genre.

Up next, the songwriting isn't as poignant as on the predecessor. On the group's first strike, every song was different from one another and sounded very compact, efficient and focused. On this record, the band sometimes lacks focus and the quality is at times meandering. Overall, there are still many excellent tunes to be found but also a few fillers here and there.

Finally, the band opted for quantity over quality. The original version of the record features thirteen songs clocking in at sixty-two minutes. The remastered version features three bonus songs with a total record length of seventy-five minutes. Usually, I appreciate when a band offers value for money but in this case, this record would have sounded much better if the band had chosen its ten best songs as it was the case for Ecliptica.

As mentioned before, Silence still includes numerous highlights that must make other melodic power metal bands green with envy. The gripping radio play storytelling in the conceptual, emotional and epic ''The End of This Chapter'' is absolutely outstanding and deserves to be revisited over and over again thanks to its rich songwriting, intriguing lyrical topic and haunting atmosphere.

''Last Drop Falls'' is an excellent power ballad carried by dreamy keyboards melodies and what might be one of Tony Kakko's best vocal performances of all time that gets better with each minute of this haunting masterpiece. The emotional lyrics that are easy to relate to blend in perfectly and send shivers down the spine every single time.

''Tallulah'' is a calmer ballad but quite playful at times. The keyboard patterns are dynamic and the moment when the music slowly stops in the final passage is highly efficient. The vocals stand out once again, offering genuine emotionality in relation to a profound lyrical topic. Even the toughest metal fan might secretly shed a tear while listening to this moving tearjerker. Even if it might not qualify as a metal song, give this gem the chance to grow on you and understand that expressing your emotions is a strength rather than a weakness.

At the end of the day, there are enough excellent tunes on Sonata Arctica's Silence that justify purchasing this very good to excellent melodic power metal release. The band offers blistering fast power metal tracks, atmospheric epics with lyrical depth and heartfelt ballads that manage to move you over and over again. However, this release doesn't reach the genuine perfection of the excellent predecessor Ecliptica. While the latter should be purchased by anyone who listens to music of any kind, Silence is a release that is strongly recommended to power metal, heavy metal and melodic rock fans but not considered an essential purchase for anyone else.

Final rating: 85%