By Steven Neff, Rock At Night Orlando Correspondent
Venue: House of Blues, Orlando, Florida–December 16, 2016
There’s a lot of fantastic music coming out of Europe. Rock At Night covers a lot of the European music scene and if you like music that’s really organic and original, check out our site here at Rock At Night for these bands and you’ll discover a plethora of excellent content, I promise you. Last Friday night, I was able to cover one of those special bands from Europe that you just can’t forget about once you listen to them.
I’d heard of Sonata Arctica, but didn’t hear them play until their opening for Nightwish earlier in the year here in the states. I was blown away by Tony Kakko’s vocals and the powerful, but very melodic sound of the band; not to mention the lyrical content of their tracks. We covered Nightwish for an extended six concerts and of course got to listen to Sonata Arctica for all of those shows. Each venue was already packed prior to Sonata Arctica taking the stage, showing that this band had a strong fan following of its own. My only complaint of Sonata Arctica during their support of the Nightwish tour was that their setlist was too short. They always left me wanting more.
If you like soaring vocals coupled with magnificent metal; go get Sonata Arctica’s new album, The Ninth Hour; released via Nuclear Blast Records. The Ninth Hour is an excellent piece of work with thought provoking lyrics, memorable vocal melodies, and impressive guitar riffs accentuated by moving guitar solos. This is a go to album for me personally.
The Ninth Hour, coincidentally, is Sonata Arctica’s ninth studio album since they officially began under the Sonata Arctica banner in 1999. The band was closing out their 2016 North American tour in support of the new album, with the House Of Blues Orlando show being the second to last of the tour.
The great thing about bands like this is they show us when it comes to music, there are no borders between people. Sonata Arctica doesn’t put on a bad concert and their music is a bridge that invites us to come join them. The Finns performed a solid thirteen track setlist that gave their family across the pond everything they could have asked for.
Thank you, gentlemen, we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Setlist
- Closer To An Animal
- Life
- Wolves Die Young
- In Black And White
- Shamandalie/Tallulah/Misery
- Fairytale
- Full Moon
- Among the Shooting Stars
- “No More Silence” Intro/Abandoned, Pleased
- We Are What We Are
- The Power Of One
- I Have A Right
- Don’t Say A Word
Photo Gallery
Videos
Special thanks go to Kristin Torres for enabling us to cover this fantastic band. We so appreciate it. Thanks also go to Sonata Arctica for a great new album and a memorable concert experience.
Steve is a Brevard County, Florida based concert photographer who loves the experience of live shows and tries to bring that experience back to fans through the great medium known as Rock At Night.
Whether it’s a one concert event or extended on the road tour coverage with music’s best bands, Steve covers the exciting experience of “the moment” and paints it across a blank canvas that he hopes music connoisseurs will enjoy.
A graduate of the prestigious New York Institute of Photography, Steve’s music of taste ranges from the symphonic awesomeness of bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish to the rock heavyweights of the 80’s and back to the beat of Armin van Buuren, with a little jazz and blues mixed in for some variety.
One of his favorite mottos: “Life is too short to drink grocery store coffee.”
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