Sonata Arctica- Reckoning Night.  Released February 8, 2005(Nuclear Blast)

For those of you who don't know Sonata, or are not fans of them....become! This being Sonata's fourth full length  record put out, it is no surprise how incredibly great it is. I can not stress enough just how talented, catchy, and melodic this band is. I've had this disc for a couple of months now and I absolutely CAN NOT take it out of my cd player! They hail from Finland (no surprise, since everything from Finland is great) and they play the best melodic power metal out there. Catchy and complicated guitar riffs and solo's, beautiful keyboards and amazing singing has them stand out as the youngest power metal band to focus on, or try to match. Every song on this album is wonderful and will get stuck in your head for days, and they all sound different.  Different styles and subject matter embrace each song. I would have to say though, that my favorite track is "White pearl, black oceans" an absolute epic of a song in stature and length (over 8 minutes). You'll be begging for more the second you finish listening. I would just like to reinforce how incredible this album is and recommend you pick it up       today...you will not be let down, unless you have horrible taste in music.    

Sam Nastasuk