In fact, songs like this also show what a creative writer Kakko is – he may not have spoken English extremely fluently, but he shows a poetic soul nonetheless and did a great job with what he had.

It’s back to full blast with one of the most iconic SONATA riffs, with “Black Sheep.” While Bear found this song pretty basic/simple for most of her life and was never very into it, Simo argues that it’s catchy and the riffing is what brings it to life and makes it great. Hard to disagree with that, as the soloing is really stylish and skillful. “Land of the Free” is a little bit more interesting, with an almost NIGHTWISH-y intro. This track also stands out for one of the interesting middle parts that may have snuck past casual listeners like Bear in the past. Kakko‘s voice is at the max for a lot of the song, but back then, why not use what you’ve got, right? Bear always appreciated that Tony Kakko has/had more nuance to his singing than just hitting high notes this really shows in this album, as his voice covers a melodic spectrum that isn’t focused on screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Last Drop Falls” is, according to Simo, SONATA ARTICA‘s best ballad, though he admits that it’s nostalgic as hell for a young Finnish metalhead and is associated with a lot of great memories. Admittedly, Bear was also fond of this song back in the early 2000s, but disagrees about it being their best ballad.

#SONATA ARCTICA SILENCE REMASTERED FULL#Īnother happy-go-lucky song to celebrate life and love is “San Sebastian,” which is good fun live.

Sonata arctica silence remastered