Sonata Arctica’s reliable performance
Sonata Arctica recently released their fifth studio album and now undoubtedly ranks into the biggest names of Finnish metal music - which for some reason can be seen in that the records are bought by not only long-haired metal monsters but also by the housewife types and others who normally overlook the said genre.
One reason behind the massive success is arguably the singer and dream son-in-law Tony Kakko, whose habitus and vocals are bound to make more things wet than the eyes of the female fans. Unfortunately the vocals have not always been as effective live as on record, and some examples of this were heard in Ilosaari this year as well. The man can’t always reach, or doesn’t even try to reach, the same vocal heights as in the studio, and even the lyrics tend to escape his mind. These small things, however, didn’t seem to bother the large festival audience, who bought Kakko’s offers almost surprisingly easily.
Slightly confusing was also the fact that the more progressive material, preceding the new Unia album, got a positive reception despite the absence of singalong choruses and other elements typical for radio hits. The most infallible performances were FullMoon, taken from the band’s debut album, and the more recent and catchier The Cage, which provided a positive overview of the entire set. The band’s message was highlighted by occasional fireworks and flames. Over the years the band has developed into a reliable live machine - perhaps even too reliable, for despite his seeming liveliness, Kakko seemed to be on stage at times only at work.
Text: Antti Kavonen
Translation: Hanna Laaksonen