SONATA ARCTICA Announces ‘Clear Cold Beyond’ Album

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release a new studio album, titled “Clear Cold Beyond”, on March 8, 2024 through Atomic Fire. The LP contains 10 tracks reviving the band’s penchant for power metal-esque tunes following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic.

“Clear Cold Beyond” is packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of SONATA ARCTICA‘s multifaceted work: from high-speed anthems such as the recently released single “First In Line” and “California” to emotion-laden tracks such as “The Best Things” and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every SONATA ARCTICA fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of their early works, was created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers West) who has also been part of other SONATA ARCTICA productions.

Singer Tony Kakko comments: “We’ve felt for a while now that we needed to get heavier after a couple of unintentionally softer albums. We still love those albums, but in terms of finding cornerstone songs for a feel-good melodic metal show, the previous album didn’t have much to offer. We’re getting back to metal after all that feels like a fresh start, and the new songs have been so much fun to write and record: More speed and songs that people can and want to sing along to. We can’t wait to hit the road with this album and see how the crowds react to us being back at it.”

“Clear Cold Beyond” track listing:

01. First In Line

02. California

03. Shah Mat

04. Dark Empath

05. Cure For Everything

06. A Monster Only You Can’t See

07. Teardrops

08. Angel Defiled

09. The Best Things

10. Clear Cold Beyond

Bonus tracks (digipak + vinyl only):

11. A Ballad For The Broken

12. Toy Soldiers (MARTIKA cover)

Further details, including various pre-order options, will be announced very soon, and another new track will be launched simultaneously.

A bunch of festival appearances in support of “Clear Cold Beyond” have already been announced.

Born in 1996 at the edge of the world in the northern Finnish town of Kemi, these humble music makers of melodic metal never tire of the sweet taste of victory. Achieving gold status in their native Finland and securing their ninth career gold record with 2012’s “Stones Grow Her Name” just seven days after release, SONATA ARCTICA also have a long-established history of global chart domination and sold-out shows around the world.

SONATA ARCTICA is:

Tony Kakko – vocals

Elias Viljanen – guitars

Pasi Kauppinen – bass

Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards

Tommy Portimo – drums

Photo by Jaakko Manninen