Sonata Arctica is a power metal band from Finland, who has been together now for eighteen years. Pariah’s Child is the band’s 8th studio album and with release, the band announced that it is a return to their original power metal roots, after having tried heavier and more progressive styles during the years. However, Pariah’s Child is a very experimental album, with interesting twists and a mixture of different musical styles and storytelling. Like many other Sonata Arctica albums, the new material is also inspired by wolves and cover art is a beautiful winter-scape, with a wolf as the center focus. So, it is only natural that the opening and first single off the album is called “The Wolves Die Young”. Vocalist Tony Kakko has said that the band wanted this song to be the guideline for blanket theme of the album and that is reigns accurate, regardless of some interesting exceptions.
The opening track, “The Wolves Die Young,” is powerful and upbeat, filling the band’s promise of going back to their roots. Directly following the opening track, “Running Lights,” is a melodic power metal tune with common elements that make up the band’s sound, highlighted by accelerated drumming of Tommy Portimo. Variations in the rhythm make the song very intriguing, and a listener will surely find something new each playback, so it is worth listening to more than once! “Take One Breath” is a story within a song; there is a joyful beginning, fantasy, and desperation. The first chord makes your imagination fly and enables you to see the whole story behind the song. The fourth song on the album, also the second single, is titled “Cloud Factory”. The gripping fast tempo and lyrical content definitely play a big role in this song, making it a good and natural choice as a second single. The catchy chorus and positive feeling projected makes it the album’s biggest earworm.
Transitioning back to the wolf theme of the record, “Blood” begins with a wolves howl, and it has a dark tone which makes the song enigmatic. That leads us into the melancholic story of “What Did You Do In The War, Dad,” where, once again, the lyrics play the leading role. Providing variation from the records power metal vibe, “Half A Marathon Man” is an interesting mixture of rock, with heavy and progressive metal. Lightening the mood, “X Marks The Spot” is a humorous song with a catchy chorus that carries along nicely, making it’s five minute duration go by faster than you realize. A couple of key aspects of the tune which make it stand out are its pirate-like theme and roughness.
The albums first, and only, ballad is titled “Love”. Since Sonata Arctica has earlier in their career made beautiful ballads such as “Talullah” off of Silence (2001), “Love” actually may not hit fans with the same intensity. Even though it is a beautiful song, it lacks an inner power, and can easily become lost in the shuffle of the rest of the material. The final piece on of the band’s latest offering, “Larger Than Life,” clocks in at ten minutes long, and during that time, there is an abundance of music to absorb. This symphonic closing is definitely an earful, filled with complexity which will take more than one listen to grasp.
Pariah’s Child is a delicate balance of Sonata Arctica past and present. Dedicated fans will most certainly enjoy this album. Kakkos’s voice works perfectly with this kind of melodic power metal music and Portimo shows, once again, what a phenomenal drummer he is. Pariah’s Child is also the first studio album with bassist Pasi Kauppinen, who does an amazing job with the rest of the band on these fast-paced and symphonic compositions. Pariah’s Child is a complicated album with a lot going on, perhaps maybe even too much to have sink in immediately. For this reason, it may take some time for the listener to get inside the album and realize it’s true brilliance. CrypticRock give this album 3.5 out of 5 stars.
- Nuclear Blast
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