916. Sonata Arctica / Pariah's Child. 2014. 2.5/5

If you have followed my reviews of albums over the past ten to fifteen years, you will be fully aware of my fascination and frustration with Sonata Arctica, as a band and of the music they play. When I first discovered them all those years ago, I was amazed at their talent, their ability on their instruments, and the excellence of their vocal ability. More than anything else, all of this is perfectly portrayed in the cover versions of songs such as Scorpions "Still Loving You" and Iron Maiden's "Die With Your Boots On", which are the reason I started following this band. The fact that they have never lived up to those expectations of mine is eternally annoying to me.

Here on Pariah's Child, I am met with the same old problems and prejudices that I have met on most of the previous albums Sonata Arctica has released. About half of the album works on a level that is good enough for me. And I don't pretend that isn't an unfair comment, just for the fact that I would like them to be a bit more traditionally heavy, and have less reliance on the keyboards. But that is the way I have felt about their music for some time. Songs such as "The Wolves Die Young" and "Running Lights" are very good songs, and both of these are an excellent way to open the album. But what I wouldn't give to hear just a bit more grunt in them. I guess the best way I can describe them is that they are 'harmless', good songs with great musicianship that are easy to listen to, without creating great spasms of brilliance within you.
The middle of the album employs some different musical techniques that will either stun you or lose your interest entirely. I'm not sure what the middle of "Take One Breath" was looking to achieve with it's lullaby keyboard sound, but it just messes up the song for mine. "Cloud Factory" and "Blood" are on a par with the opening two songs, creating the solid core of the Sonata Artica sound. "What Did You Do in the War, Dad" is a very melancholic style, and while not a unique sounding song is a mix of ranges and emotions within the song itself, and is the most difficult song on the album to categorise, and to determine whether I like it or dislike it. While it settles in the ballad like style, it has enough force and momentum behind it to bring it up a notch in its estimation.
"Half a Marathon Man" is my favourite song on the album, because it does all of the things I like most about the band in the best possible way - it's a fast paced song, the vocals have some grunt behind them, the guitar and keys flow together perfectly and showcase the best of their abilities, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and you can drum along with it and sing along with it without any bad convictions. More of this please!!
"X Marks the Spot" isn't a bad follow up, combining a lightened lyrical base ala Helloween and Gamma Ray but without the dominance in music that those two bands inject. "Love" is sterile. Not necessarily the emotion, but this song is. Truly, as I say in any review of this type, the power ballad is a blight on music, and this song is no exception. The closing song "Larger Than Life" extends to almost ten minutes, which probably outstays its welcome by some margin.

I've said it all before when it comes to Sonata Arctica. I keep coming back to them every new album because I still harbour hope that they can harness their obvious talent and produce that album that really takes my breath away, grabs me around the throat and knocks some sense into me. Once again, that hasn't happened here. Pariah's Child is another solid release from a very good power metal band, with some good material and some average material. The fans of this genre of music should find more than enough to satisfy them on this album, but there will be the others who, like me, will again leave this somewhat disappointed.

Rating:  "You look like a really nice guy, but can you keep up with me?"  2.5/5