Delusion-Elle

Disclaimer: I do not own this music. I did not upload this album. I am merely providing download links for anyone who stumbles upon this blog and would like to follow along with my little first impressions review.

Only the Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful) - whoa! I love this song. Right from the intro, I know that I am going to enjoy this song. Not what I was expecting for an opener, but great nonetheless! Catchy! Much heavier than I was expecting for a first track on an album, but thinking back to Unia, they did the same with "In Black and White", and it seems to be a great tactic.
Shitload of Money - and all the metal fans groaned and swore to never listen to Sonata Arctica ever again. The end. No, but really, this song is not as tongue-in-cheek as one might think. It's an alright track, but nothing about it grabs me. Oh, except for the "she's got a shitload of money" line.
Losing My Insanity - looking back on this track, I'm not all that fond of it, but something about it is sticking in my mind. Maybe it's from the previews I heard, but I cannot deny that there is something that is inherently catchy about this song.
Somewhere Close To You - ahh, and another nice and heavy intro! The heaviness stays for the duration of the song, and this reminds me of their work on Unia. Whoa, is that the keytar? That is a really crazy sound! It sounds like... an elephant trumpeting. Or how I think an elephant trumpeting would sound.
I Have a Right - oh man. I love the opening, with that synth line (I think it's a synth? Most things are synth patches nowadays anyway). This is their first single, and it was released last month, I believe. I loved it back then, and nothing of my impression of it has changed. This is a great track, with just the right amount of melancholy. The balance of the instruments is great, too!
Alone in Heaven - oh a ballad? More like a power ballad! This is a nice song, though I'm not sure if I'm crazy about the lyrical repetition of "heaven". But otherwise, this is a ballad with a bit of bite, which is great!
The Day - this song is a bit nondescript, although when the acoustic guitar kicks in, it's a nice reprieve from the vocal-heavy first half of the song. This song is also a power ballad (I think, as it's a bit slower, and in fact, it blended in with "Alone in Heaven" when transitioning) with a very seaside feel to it.
Cinderblox - and after the strangely cash register-esque sounds in the first few seconds, the banjo kicks in! So it goes from hoedown to your regular progressive-power metal romp. I remember listening to this album's previews and the line in this song in those previews really sticks in my mind. The banjo persists throughout the song, and the combination of the distorted guitar with it creates an interesting sound that is surprisingly not altogether bad.
Don't Be Mean - the intro is stark -- just Tony's voice and a keyboard, and despite the silly song title, this song is reminiscent of their old ballads with the simple instrumentation, though the melody itself is more in the vein of their more recent "progressive rock" sound.
Wildfire, Part: II - One With the Mountain - I love the folksy feel of this song. And it sounds like the banjo is back! The voice that says "hello" about a minute in freaked me out a bit, but it merely hinted at the TDoG style that kicks into full force shortly after. Okay, this is quite possibly my favourite song on the album. I love that they were able to capture the aggression of fire in this song, and I liken this song to "Deathaura" from TDoG, not so much in terms of story/lyrical themes/instrumentation, but in terms of the scale and quality of it!
Wildfire, Part: III - Wildfire Town, Population: 0 - oh my gosh, what is that weird sound that kicks off the start of this track?! The aggression kicks in quickly and the wilderness sounds really add to the song. I quite like this track as well! The percussion is reminiscent of their older power metal work, and the tinkly piano is more akin to that on TDoG, and the combination is great! Okay, I like this more than "Wildfire, Part: II", I've got to say. This track is also fairly reminiscent of "Deathaura", especially at the halfway mark. Although, I've got to say that I'm not crazy about the voice over at the end either.
Tonight I Dance Alone - this is a bonus track and I can see why (so far). This is another slow song and power ballad that is quite pleasant, but it doesn't jump out at me. After the grandness of the two Wildfire songs, it's a bit of a letdown hearing this song next. But again, it is a pleasant enough ballad.

All in all, this is a solid album. There weren't a lot of really standout songs, but the Wildfire songs are brilliant! I was sceptical of their use of a banjo, but it turned out that Sonata Arctica was able to incorporate it into their album surprisingly well. The first half of the album seems to be more upbeat and the formulas used in these songs are tried, tested, and true. The second half of the album is where we get more experimentation, and it is fantastic! Leave it to Sonata Arctica to push the limits and produce another album in which they combined experimentation with familiarity!


And now I leave you with the video for "I Have a Right", lead single off of Sonata Arctica's Stones Grow Her Name...