sonata arctica takatalvi

Released: 08 February 2010 (re release) Label: Spinefarm UK

Finland’s Sonata Arctica previously released Takatalvi in 2003 but only in Japan with a scant seven tracks, but the original EP has now been revamped with extra songs including some fun cover versions. It can be seen as a bit of an oddity really, in that all these tracks have appeared elsewhere in various forms, on EP’s like Successor and Orientation, and full albums like Silence. It’s a somewhat uneven collection too, given its eclectic background.

Shy is one of the most horrible creepy ballads I have ever heard, stomach churningly twee and with the most indulgent self-pitying lyrics. Black Sheep and The Gun are more typical Sonata Arctica fare, if a bit lightweight.

Dream Thieves, however tears along, with a jagged stop-start riff, is easily the best track of theirs on this release, and Mary-Lou demonstrates that they can do a decent acoustic ballad when they put their minds to it!

As for the cover versions then, again it’s a mixed bag. I always feel covers should either be totally different to the originals, or from a different genre or style of music altogether. That way at least the band is doing something new or original with the source material, rather than just recreating the song. For example, no one is going to do a better I Want Out than Helloween, and you aren’t gonna beat Maiden at their own game either by improving Die With Your Boots On.

At least with Fade to Black, they try something different for the climactic ending, even if it doesn’t work as well as the more traditional solos on the original, and by doing a metal version of Wind Beneath my Wings, at least they are using a song from a totally non-metal background. Perhaps good for a laugh or two, but sadly, even given a chugging middle section with orchestral keys and some impressive soloing, it is still a totally awful song!

As this release was never intended to be a full album in its own right, you can forgive the piecemeal nature of Takatalvi. I doubt it will win any new fans over, so I would suggest that this is one for Sonata Arctica completists, or fans of cover versions only really!

by Steven Hargraves

*For the record, Takatalvi means “backwinter” in Finnish, a cold spell in the spring.