Ecliptica is the first full-length album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica.
It was
released in 1999 through Spinefarm Records in Europe and through Century
Media in the United States. It is the band's only album featuring bassist Janne
Kivilahti. In 2016, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Tony Kakko described the
album as "like the extension of our demo, we didn't know what we were doing so that
reflects on the album and makes kind of cute if you will."[3]
In 2017, Loudwire ranked it as the 16th best power metal album of all time.[4]
Songs and themes
[edit]
Regarding the track "Blank File", which covers the topic of privacy on the Internet,
vocalist Tony Kakko once stated:[5]
I had a vision of how things would be in the future [laughs]. Now that we're in the
future, it's not as horrendously bad, although people are being really bad about their
privacy. If you upload your family pictures online somewhere, even if you think
you've erased them from the server, they're still there. "Blank File" is all about that.
[...] I didn't consider computers per se at the time. [...] The starting point was all of
the phone cards we had at the time, and when you're shopping on the concord,
someone knew what you bought. I found that somehow, disturbing. It's great to
realize that after so long, your songs are still valid.
The theme would be again mentioned in the band's next album, Silence, on the track
"Weballergy".[6]
In the song "Letter to Dana", the title character, Dana O'Hara, is named after The X-
Files's Dana Scully.[6]
15th anniversary re-recording
[edit]
In 2014 Sonata Arctica announced through their Facebook page that they had re-
recorded the entire album for its 15th anniversary.[7] The new edition is titled Ecliptica
- Revisited; 15th Anniversary Edition and was released on 24 October 2014, with the
same track-listing as the original regular edition release plus one unreleased bonus
track.[7]
Commenting on the album, keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg (who was not a member
of the band at the time Ecliptica was released) said:[7]
When it first was suggested to us by our Japanese label that we'd re-record our
debut album, it felt a bit weird, but somehow the idea grew on us. Being that only
Tony [Kakko] and Tommy [Portimo] played on the original one, we thought that it
would be a fun thing to do. 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 lineup. 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.
The re-recording's first single was "Kingdom for a Heart", released digitally on 12
September 2014.[7] According to Klingenberg, the song was chosen in order to
"represent the overall sound of the album".[8]
On an interview held after the album release, Klingenberg said the only significant
changes applied to the album were the lower keys and the rearranged solos, and
that the band resisted the "temptation" to give the songs a "complete overhaul". [9] He
also said most of the album was recorded in the band members' own home studios,
during breaks from their Pariah's Child World Tour.[9] He also commented:[9]
I think we all play much better these days than 10 or 15 years ago, so of course that
affected the new recording as well; however, part of the charm with the
original Ecliptica is that it wasn't played with a click track so the tempos go up and
down and also there's an element of danger - the guys were young and their playing
wasn't as tight as it is now. I think that kinda youthful enthusiasm is something that is
missing from the new one and, of course, it's impossible to recreate that kind of feel.
Track listing
[edit]
All tracks are written by Tony Kakko except "8th Commandment" and "Picturing the
Past", co-written by Jani Liimatainen
No. Title Length
1. "Blank File" 4:05
2. "My Land" 4:36
3. "8th Commandment" 3:41
4. "Replica" 4:55
5. "Kingdom for a Heart" 3:51
6. "FullMoon" 5:05
7. "Letter to Dana" 6:00
8. "UnOpened" 3:42
9. "Picturing the Past" 3:36
10. "Destruction Preventer" 7:40
Total length: 47:11
Bonus track on Korean, Japanese, and South American editions
No. Title Length
11. "Mary-Lou" 4:30
Total length: 51:41
Remastered 2008 Edition bonus tracks
No. Title Length
11. "Mary-Lou" 4:32
12. "Letter to Dana (Returned to Sender) "
[10]
4:38
Total length: 56:21
15th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks[7]
No. Title Writer(s) Length
11. "Mary-Lou" (Bonus track on Korean, Japanese, 4:32
and South American editions)
12. "I'm Haunted" (Bonus track on Japanese edition - 2:43
Rerecorded song from their days as Tricky Beans.)
13. "I Can't Dance" (Genesis cover) Tony Banks, Phil 3:52
Collins, Mike
Rutherford
Total length: 58:16
Personnel
[edit]
Tony Kakko – vocals, keyboards
Jani Liimatainen – guitars
Janne Kivilahti – bass
Tommy Portimo – drums
Raisa Aine – flute on "Letter to Dana"
Technical staff
[edit]
Ahti Kortelainen - production at Tico Tico Studios
Mikko Karmila - mixing at Finnvox Studios
Mika Jussila - mastering at Finnvox Studios
15th anniversary edition line-up
[edit]
Tony Kakko – vocals, keyboards
Elias Viljanen – guitars
Pasi Kauppinen – bass
Henrik Klingenberg - keyboards
Tommy Portimo – drums
