SONATA ARCTICA Acoustic Adventures vol. 1 & vol. 2 Vinyl Bundle

Includes:

Vol. 1 Pink Vinyl 2 LP:

With a unique trademark sound that is instantly recognizable even  through a massive block of ice, Finnish melodic power metal  overlords Sonata Arctica never fail to enthrall their audience with  captivating hymns of Nordic splendor and magic. Graced by the  aurora borealis, they’ve released ten studio albums thus far, taking  us into their world since the majestic tunes of their long-fabled  debut, “Ecliptica.” Now, however, the band is about to start a  whole new chapter. Aptly titled “Acoustic Adventures – Volume  One,” Sonata Arctica carefully strip their sound of all things metal  only to reveal precious, stunningly beautiful acoustic songs that  still capture the heart, spirit and very essence of this band. 

After Sonata Arctica hit the road in 2016 to premiere their  marvelously crafted acoustic set to a stunned audience and then  again in 2019, the idea was born to immortalize these intimate,  pure, and heartfelt renditions of their iconic catalog on two  acoustic albums, the second of which will follow in close  succession. “The fans truly seemed to enjoy this side of the band  quite much so there was clearly a demand to record these versions  of our music.” Having said that, such a release was only a matter  of time, anyway: At the very heart of every Sonata Arctica song lies  a sublime melody, wreathed in melancholy. “We originally planned  to record these songs in Los Angeles at a friends’ studio but since  most of our touring seized we decided to do the recordings a bit  sooner,” remembers Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg. “Acoustic  Adventures – Volume One” was recorded during summer 2020,  with mixing and mastering following suite. 

Even though the songwriting material is so strong in this band — you could hear it played on a triangle or a saxophone and still get  goosebumps — some songs proved to be trickier than others. “Not  all of the stuff we tried worked out which is why some songs were  not recorded,” Henkka says. “Luckily we have quite a large  collection to choose from so there’s really no shortage of  material.” It’s no exaggeration. The band has over one-hundred  songs to choose from, which is a rather fortunate situation. What’s  typically Sonata Arctica about all this is that they not only replaced  electric with acoustic guitars. Instead, they didn’t shy away from  writing whole new arrangements. “Thus, a lot of the songs sound  quite different from the original versions.” 

Starting with the songs they already performed during the  “Acoustic Adventures” tours, they added some personal favorites  or gems to the mix after that and recorded the whole bunch live!  Opening with the mesmerizing “The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To  Me” and going via the banjo and organ infused (!) “A Little Less Understanding” to the heartbreaking ballad “Tonight I Dance  Alone,” it becomes clear that Sonata Arctica have found solace and  a home in these tender versions. One song especially proved to be  a challenge for Henkka. “‘Wolf & Raven’ was quite the thing to play  on acoustic piano,” he laughs, “but the whole session was a big  challenge for everyone. On top of doing it all live, we also didn’t  use a click track or metronome so you had to be really alert and  make sure the songs stayed in tempo. I think ‘For The Sake Of  Revenge’ is still is my favorite. It turned out really special and so  different from the original. We also didn’t play the acoustic version  live so nobody has heard it.” Yet, he means. The next acoustic tour  is around the corner.

Tracklist:

1. The Rest of The Sun Belongs To  Me 
2. For The Sake Of Revenge 
3. A Little Less Understanding 4. Alone In Heaven 
4. Tallulah 
5. Don’t Say a Word 
6. As If The World Wasn’t Ending 8. Paid In Full 
7. Tonight I Dance Alone 
8. The Wolves Die Young 
9. Wolf & Raven 
10. On The Faultline

Vol. 2 Orange/Black Marbled 2 LP:

Gatefold.