| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Metal Observer |   |
| Chronicles of Chaos |   [1] |
| Lords of Metal |  [2] |
Silence is the second full-length album by Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica, released in 2001 through Spinefarm Records. It is the only studio album to feature keyboardist Mikko Härkin, and the first album with original member Marko Paasikoski, who returned to the band the previous year. Stratovarius lead singer Timo Kotipelto sang guest vocals on the album.
Concept and themes
The cover art, featuring a landscape divided into night, summer and winter, was meant to depict nature.[3] However, Tony explained that the cover was not supposed to feature too much symbolism, except for the footprints leading away from the campfire.[3] He explained:[3]
That thing is like representing a snippet of your life that really makes you go one way or the other. Either way can be the good way, not the bad way necessarily. The album is one of those things that's a bit different, a more difficult album.... make it go one way or the other.
The title of the album was at first supposed to be longer, but Kakko's then girlfriend suggested "silence" and he reflected on how important silence was for him:[3]
[silence] is a creating force because when you're on the road for half a year or something like that I can't make new music at all so I need something like a month or two to get my head working again. So that's my "silence" it seems.
The second track "Weballergy" is considered by Kakko to be a sequel to Ecliptica's "Blank File", as both of them cover the theme of Internet privacy.[3]
"The End of This Chapter" starts the so called Caleb saga, a series of songs that is continued in Reckoning Night's "Don't Say a Word", Unia's "Caleb", The Days of Grays's "Juliet"; The Ninth Hour's "Till Death's Done Us Apart"[4] and Talviyö's "The Last of the Lambs".[5]
"The Power of One" is the longest Sonata Arctica song to date, at a length of 10:40, not including an extra minute of silence in the end.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...Of Silence" | 1:17 |
| 2. | "Weballergy" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "False News Travel Fast" | 5:18 |
| 4. | "The End of This Chapter" | 7:00 |
| 5. | "Black Sheep" | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Land of the Free" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "Last Drop Falls" | 5:13 |
| 8. | "San Sebastian (Revisited)" | 4:37 |
| 9. | "Sing in Silence" | 3:51 |
| 10. | "Revontulet" | 1:32 |
| 11. | "Tallulah" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Wolf & Raven" | 4:15 |
| 13. | "Respect the Wilderness" (Japanese edition and 2008 remastered edition bonus track) | 3:52 |
| 14. | "The Power of One" | 11:33 |
| 15. | "PeaceMaker" (2008 remastered edition bonus track) | 3:31 |
| 16. | "Wolf & Raven (Remake 2008)" (2008 remastered edition bonus track) | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 73:41 | |
Personnel
- Sonata Arctica
- Tony Kakko – vocals, additional keyboards
- Jani Liimatainen – guitars
- Mikko Härkin – keyboards
- Marko Paasikoski – bass guitar
- Tommy Portimo – drums
- Guest vocalists
- Timo Kotipelto – backing vocals and last line (on track 3)
- Nik Van-Eckmann – male voices (on tracks: 1, 4, 7 and 13)
- Renay Gonzalez – female voice (on track 4)
- Technical staff
- Produced by Ahti Kortelainen at Tico Tico Studios
- Mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios in April 2001
- Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios
- Cover art and logo by Eric Philipp
- Inlay drawings by Tero Junkkila
- Original logo concept by Janne "ToxicAngel" Pitkänen
- Art Direction and background photos by T. Kakko
- Band photo by Toni Härkönen
References
- ^ "Sonata Arctica - Silence : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ "Silence Review". Lords of Metal. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e EvilG; Luxi (17 November 2001). "Metal Rules!!: Interview with Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica". Metal-Rules. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ^ "Sonata Arctica reveals details about Finnish Tour 2018". Sonata Arctica's official Facebook page. Facebook. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ Giffin, Brian (3 September 2019). "SONATA ARCTICA // A Little Understanding". Hysteria Magazine. Hysteria Media PTY LTD. Retrieved 7 September 2019.