I have only recently discovered Sonata Arctica, and am still slowly trying to get my way through all of their albums for a decent listen, and also to be able to rank them with a fair hearing behind them.
Ecliptica is a difficult one to rate. Sonata Arctica are fully rooted in the European power metal scene, and power metal bands can sometimes get a little samey when it comes to their music.
For the most part, Ecliptica is a good album, and a very listener-friendly one. Songs such as Blank File, My Land and Replica are terrific, and have a great fast flowing pace about them. The closer Destruction Preventer is also a pearler.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, the 'sameness' comes in a little. I found that unless I was 100% concentrating on the music, I couldn't tell which song I was up to. That does happen with some bands, and I am certainly not lumping Sonata Arctica in with that lot, because it is the fact that they are several levels above most power metal bands that they can occasionally get away with that, and not lose the interest of the listener.
I am still not fully sure how I feel about this album, but I can assure you that it is the higher echelons rather than the basement when it comes to rankings and ratings.
Rating : More power metal for the masses. 3.5/5.
No comments:
Post a Comment