Whereas the first decade of the 21st century saw only 2007's Unia and 2009's Days of Grays chart, the second benefitted from high-profile international tours. Unlike many other of the genre's acts, the group only became more popular as the decades passed. Originally a quartet, Sonata Arctica expanded its lineup to quintet size with the addition of backing vocalist and keytarist Henrik Klingenberg. Acoustic Adventures, a two-volume set of unplugged versions of their most notable songs, appeared in 2022. Since releasing their critically acclaimed debut album Ecliptica for Spinefarm in 1999, the band, founded by lead vocalist Tony Kakko and drummer Tommy Portimo (its only remaining original members) has registered multiple chart-topping albums, with highlights arriving via 2007's Unia, 2012's Stones Grow Her Name, and 2019's Talviyö. Once a hard rock band called Tricky Beans (later Tricky Means), they changed their name for good when they adopted power metal as a genre. Especially the great vocals and the perfect fitting breaks and keyboard melodies make this album another release far above the average of the Italian Metal bands.The popular Finnish prog and power metal quartet Sonata Arctica specialize in a soaring, orchestral variation on European heavy metal that melds sweeping, melodic compositions and meaty riffs, lush, expansive production, clean vocals, and sophisticated instrumental chops. To cut a long story short: despite their young age, Sonata Arctica are great songwriters who know how this music works, as well as great musicians who know to use their abilities for first-class songs of classic European Metal. They just have the feeling for great, catchy and beautiful melodies enriched with the well-known ingredients (double bass en masse, driving riffs, warm keyboards). Yet, that doesn't change the fact that 'Silence' has become a fabulous album that will establish Sonata Arctica as another uprising band of this genre.

Which is only partly obvious, still it was especially Stratovarius who made this combination of Pop and Power Metal popular again. After the Finns debuted quite successfully with 'Ecliptica', more or less in Stratovarius-vein, they now try to enter their own grounds with 'Silence'.

Sonata arctica silence album download