Sonata Arctica have been many things in their storied career. Finnish power metal messiahs, relentlessly touring powerhouses, champions of sublime melody. First and foremost, however, they have been stalwarts in showcasing the magic and the enchantment flowing through heavy metal. They have been embodying the majesty and serenity of Nordic nature since their foundation in 1995 and have been spellbinding their world with ten records, EPs and countless tours. “Clear Cold Beyond” easily is the most relentless Sonata Arctica record to date, a spectacular resurgence of their trademark, lightning fast power metal forged far, far north. “We’ve felt for a while now that we’d need to get heavier again after some unintentionally softer albums,” Tony says. With production duties handles by your truly Mikko Karmila, key figure of their early days, “Clear Cold Beyond” sounds massive, heavy and hungry and takes a bow to their early work when everything was shrouded in a profound sense of magic and mystery. This magic is back now – only with a band that’s 25 years down the road and nothing less than an experienced beast urging to go mental like they never did before.