Finnish melodic metal heroes SONATA ARCTICA have been keeping themselves very busy lately. Having successfully released their eighth studio album Pariah’s Child this past April - which debuted at #1 in Finland and at #6 on the American Billboard Heatseekers chart – and poised to launch their world tour, band members found the time to re-record their defining 1999 debut album ECLIPTICA, known to many fans as SONATA’s flawless beginning fifteen years ago.
Keyboard player Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg shares the back-story on how the project came to be:
“When it first was suggested to us by our Japanese label that we'd re-record our debut album ECLIPTICA, it felt a bit weird, but somehow the idea grew on us. Being that only Tony [Kakko, vocalist] and Tommy [Portimo, drummer] played on the original one, we thought that it would be a fun thing to do, to give these great songs another run. We're definitely not trying to re-write history: the original ECLIPTICA is the starting point of this band and a very special album with a certain feel of innocence and enthusiasm which cannot be recreated as such since we're not teenagers anymore. Having said that, this new version is more of a tribute and an update on how these songs sound when played by our current line-up. We wanted to stay true to the original album as much as possible and not turn this into some weird re-arranged project where you couldn't tell which song was being played. So here it is, the 15th Anniversary version of ECLIPTICA. Hope you enjoy it. We certainly had a good time digging into these songs and laying down the tracks.”
ECLIPTICA – REVISITED: 15th Anniversary Edition will be released exclusively in North America via the Nuclear Blast USA Webshop. The track listing is:
01. Blank File
02. My Land
03. 8th Commandment
04. Replica
05. Kingdom For A Heart
06. Fullmoon
07. Letter To Dana
08. UnOpened
09. Picturing The Past
10. Destruction Preventer
BONUS TRACK
11. I Can't Dance (GENESIS cover)
Additionally, fans will get to hear ECLIPTICA songs performed live during the North American leg of SONATA’s “Pariah's Child World Tour,” which launches next month in Teaneck, New Jersey on September 3rd, hits nine Canadian cities, then wraps up in Tampa, Florida on October 15th. Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN will be direct support; XANDRIA from Germany will open each night.
Pre-sale ticket links for SONATA ARCTICA’s “Pariah's Child World Tour” are available on the band’s official Facebook page.
Dates are:
09/03/14 Mexicali Live - Teaneck, NJ
09/04/14 Stage 48 - New York, NY
09/05/14 The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
09/06/14 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
09/08/14 Club Soda - Montreal, QC - CANADA
09/09/14 Imperial de Quebec - Montreal, QC - CANADA
09/10/14 Mavericks - Ottawa, ON - CANADA
09/11/14 MOD Club - Toronto, ON - CANADA
09/13/14 Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
09/14/14 Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
09/16/14 Agora Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
09/17/14 Mojoes - Joliet, IL
09/19/14 Park Theater - Winnipeg, MB - CANADA
09/20/14 The Exchange - Regina, SK - CANADA
09/21/14 Starlite Ballroom - Edmonton, AB - CANADA
09/22/14 The Republik - Calgary, AB - CANADA
09/24/14 The Venue - Vancouver, B.C. - CANADA
09/25/14 El Corazon - Seattle, WA
09/26/14 Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
09/28/14 The Grand Ballroom at the Regency - San Francisco, CA
09/29/14 House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
09/30/14 The Grove - Anaheim, CA
10/01/14 Club Red - Tempe, AZ
10/04/14 Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
10/05/14 Granada - Lawrence, KS
10/07/14 Tricky Falls - El Paso, TX
10/08/14 Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
10/09/14 Trees - Dallas, TX
10/10/14 Scout Bar - Houston, TX
10/12/14 Diamond Pub & Billiards - Louisville, KY
10/13/14 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
10/14/14 House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL
10/15/14 Orpheum –Tampa, FL
Fans can purchase Pariah’s Child in CD and imported blue vinyl forma
