SONATA ARCTICA Presents “Dark Empath” Single – A Direct Sequel To Fan Favorite “Don’t Say A Word;” Upcoming Album, Clear Cold Beyond, Nears Release

Photo by Jaakko Manninen

The release of Finnish melodic metal frontrunners SONATA ARCTICA‘s new offering Clear Cold Beyond will be released on March 8th through Atomic Fire. As a precursor to the release, today the band has revealed a very special track off the album titled “Dark Empath.” Long-time followers of their work may notice that this piece is the direct sequel of 2004’s “Don’t Say A Word,” which has become a staple in the group’s live set over the years. The track is at once nostalgic and allows new listeners to dive deeper into SONATA ARCTICA‘s colorful back catalog.

Singer Tony Kakko comments, “This track is part of a saga that started on our second album Silence in 2001 — some even think it started on our debut album with the song ‘The End Of This Chapter’ — and has many sequels and prequels already. Its stalker theme offers a frame to write songs in a certain style that I like very much. People do not seem to mind this, fortunately, haha! It’s not a chronological story, but rather a theme with reoccurring, familiar characters that end up living through variations of the theme over and over again.”

Stream SONATA ARCTICA’s “Dark Empath” HERE.

Stream SONATA ARCTICA’s previously released singles, “A Monster Only You Can’t See” HERE and “First In Line” HERE. 

Clear Cold Beyond will be available on digipak CD, jewel case CD (US), 2xLP on multiple color variants, and digitally.

Preorder the album in the physical format of your choice, presave it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive “Dark Empath,” “A Monster Only You Can’t See,” and “First In Line” instantly now, here: sonataarctica.afr.link/clearcoldbeyondPR.

Following their trip through various acoustic landscapes during the pandemic, Clear Cold Beyond contains ten tracks reviving SONATA ARCTICA’s penchant for power metal-esque songwriting. From high-speed anthems such as “First In Line” and “California” to emotion-laden tracks like “The Best Things” and the closing title track, the record offers something for each and every SONATA ARCTICA fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of the art adorning early releases, was created by Niko Anttila. Additionally, the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (1999’s Ecliptica, 2012’s Stones Grow Her Name). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Korpiklaani, Delain, The 69 Eyes, Deathstars) who has also been part of other SONATA ARCTICA productions.

Subscribe to Reigning Phoenix Music on YouTube HERE and listen to “Dark Empath” as well as other new tracks in the AFR New Releases playlist on Spotify HERE.

SONATA ARCTICA:
Tony Kakko – vocals, keyboards
Elias Viljanen – guitars
Pasi Kauppinen – bass
Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards
Tommy Portimo – drums

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https://label.atomicfire-records.com/project/sonata-arctica

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