Sonata Arctica started out following in the footsteps of a Finnish national idol, Stratovarius. Step by step, the band grew without ever resting on their laurels. Through a mix of doubt and a will to prove themselves they could broaden their horizon, Sonata Arctica have taken a fresh look at their music, made it more complex, left their trademark fast tempi behind, and so on. Fans who had been following them since the very beginning might have been confused, but those initially resistant to the band had to change their opinion.

And still Sonata Arctica won’t stop reinventing themselves. Their previous album, Stones Grow Her Name, already put a stop to the progressive momentum behind Unia and The Last Of Grays, and the band is now ready to dive back into the style that made them famous. Pariah’s Child revives the wolfish imagery on both the record and the single covers, and the Finn’s old logo makes a comeback as well. Vocalist and main composer Tony Kakko describes this album as the one « that we would have written if we had continued on the path that was brought by the four first albums”. But don’t let this statement fool you: this is not so much a return to the past as the summary of a career that forever moves forward.

We talked about all this in the following interview with a very honest Tony Kakko, who didn’t hesitate, as usual, to go through a process of self-criticism and self-derision. It was also a good opportunity to mention the arrival of the band’s new bass player, Pasi Kauppinen, the impact the Finnish Donald Duck magazine had on his life, and the incredible story of Jordan Langlois, a French fan who travelled 4,000 kilometers on foot to join the band in their studio.

Read the interview…