FotoGRAFEK

GRAZ/AUSTRIA, 5. februar 2010

text: Tanja Orešnik

pictures: Sonata PHOTOGRAPHICA

Sonata Arctica were supposed to take the stage of Seifenfabrik at Graz back in November already. Unfortunately that show, along with four others, had to be cancelled due to illness in the band. But now they are here, and so are we, excited and in anticipation, in this brick-built former factory turned concert venue.

First the opener, Finnish band Winterborn, did their thing for three quarters of an hour, and I must admit that, at that point, I really missed Delain, the second support band from the autumn leg of the tour. It seemed that most of the audience was not too warmed up for Winterborn either, even though they were trying hard to awaken and animate the crowd. Kudos for the effort.

Sonata Arctica finally takes the stage starting off with the familiar intro, Everything Fades to Gray, which is also the opening song of the new album. As Tommy Portimo mounts to his drum kit, the audience gradually wakes up and starts responding. The set kicks off powerfully with Flag In The Ground, a fast track from the new album, continues in a similar vein with Paid In Full from Unia, and the pace escalates with Fullmoon and 8th Commandment, the power metal tracks from their first full-length studio album Ecliptica. The singer Tony Kakko appears to be in high spirits today, as he is playful and dynamic.

Then the energetic frontman decides it is time to cool things down a bit and introduces the new ballad, As If The World Wasn’t Ending, with some thoughts about friendships and family ties. Also, talkative Kakko then shortly explains the background of The Last Amazing Grays before the song sets off. I can’t run the way my children can… Maybe not, but he sure can sing and animate the crowd! The interaction among band members is a pleasure to observe; the guitarist Elias Viljanen lets the frontman thrum the strings of his guitar. The bass player, Marko Paasikoski, seems slightly reserved, but good thing not everyone is alike, right?

During the song Juliet, Tony enters into the spirit of the Shakespearean play which inspired this very piece, and interprets the words of the horrified poisoned lover while kneeling in the centre-stage. The singer’s theatrical performance adds flavour to this song which brings the ending to Sonata Arctica’s stalker-series, a set of songs from different albums sharing the same story line.

The frontman leaves the stage for a short break, so the spotlight is on Henrik Klingenberg to show his skills with a solo on keytar, much to the delight of the female part of the crowd. Elias, the newcomer to the wolf pack, also gets to present himself to the audience with a guitar solo. His face expressions give away a roguish chap who enjoys his time on stage.

Sitting on a stage monitor, Tony then begins the bitter story of an injured soldier, Replica, another gem from Ecliptica. The audience sings along, it is a calm before the storm… If you were a sheep, what would you want to be, a white sheep or a black sheep, the band leader is curious. The answer is as clear as a bell – a black one, of course! This power track that first lit the spark for this band in me is always one of the highlights of the show. And since in every fairytale sheep have their antagonist, Black Sheep is followed by The Cage, a so-called wolf-song from Winterheart’s Guild.

At this point, the regular part of the show is over, the band withdraws and the lights are out. It is up to the audience to call the band back for an encore. The audience of a couple of hundred people in this venue was reserved, only the first few rows were responsive, even though the entire pack with its charming leader put great effort and energy in the performance. As a big fan of these Finns, I would have loved to see a packed venue of loud music fans, as loud as they get in Lyons or Paris, because these musicians deserve that.

Before the awaited encore, Tony decides to teach us to clap and stomp our feet. Stomp-stomp-clap. We Will Rock You. Oh you just did that for the past hour… The encore then kicks off strong with In Black and White, followed by Don’t Say a Word. Of course, there is no Sonata Arctica show without Vodka, so that is the last thing before Everything Fades To Gray.

The band takes a bow while the outro, the theme song of the series Band of Brothers, is playing, and this is it, the ever-too-short-a-show is over. When it comes to a musician I appreciate that much, despite what The Voice of this band believes, I would be more than okay with a gig that would last for 2 hours or more. This would allow them to include some of my beloved songs like White Pearl, Black Oceans, Caleb, The Last Chapter, maybe even the beautiful cover Wind Beneath My Wings.

Interwiev with Tony Kakko will be published soon!

And now some pics:

Saifenfabrik/Graz

Winterborn

Tony

Elias

Marko

Elias

Henrik

Tommy

See ya…