Winterheart's Guild is the third studio album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica. It was released in 2003 through Spinefarm Records. In a 2014 interview, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Tony Kakko said inspiration for writing "The Ruins of My Life" came from the film Braveheart.[1] In 2019, he would refer to the album's recording process as a "nightmare" because he only had "two or three" songs ready when the band went in the studio.[2]
Winterheart's Guild | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 February 2003 | |||
Recorded | September – November 2002 | |||
Studio | Tico Tico Studio | |||
Genre | Power metal, symphonic metal | |||
Length | 54:57 | |||
Label | Spinefarm | |||
Producer | Sonata Arctica | |||
Sonata Arctica chronology | ||||
|
Reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Lords of Metal | 90/100[4] |
Sea of Tranquility | [5] |
Sputnikmusic | 4/5[6] |
Loudwire named the album at eleventh in their list "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time."[7] Metal Hammer also included it in their 2016 list of 10 essential power metal albums.[8]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Tony Kakko
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited" | 5:36 |
2. | "Gravenimage" | 7:00 |
3. | "The Cage" | 4:36 |
4. | "Silver Tongue" | 3:58 |
5. | "The Misery" | 5:08 |
6. | "Victoria's Secret" | 4:43 |
7. | "Champagne Bath" | 3:57 |
8. | "Broken" | 5:18 |
9. | "The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me" (Japanese edition bonus track) | 4:22 |
10. | "The Ruins of My Life" | 5:14 |
11. | "Draw Me" (In the Japanese edition, the silence after 5:05 between studio outtakes are removed.) | 9:27 |
Total length: | 54:57 |
Personnel
edit- Tony Kakko – vocals, keyboards
- Jani Liimatainen – guitar
- Marko Paasikoski – bass guitar
- Tommy Portimo – drums
- Jens Johansson – keyboard solos on "The Cage", "Silver Tongue", "Victoria's Secret" and "Champagne Bath"
Technical personnel
- Recorded by Ahti Kortelainen at Tico Tico Studios in September–November 2002
- Mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in November–December 2002.
- Produced by Sonata Arctica
Charts
editChart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] | 3 |
French Albums (SNEP)[10] | 63 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 88 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[12] | 18 |
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[13] | Gold | 24,986[13] |
References
edit- ^ Sabrina, Elise (February 25, 2014). "Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) | Interview". Metal Chest Of Wonders. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ Giffin, Brian (3 September 2019). "SONATA ARCTICA // A Little Understanding". Hysteria Magazine. Hysteria Media PTY LTD. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ Hinds, Andy. "Winterheart's Guild - Sonata Arctica | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Tuinman, Ferdinand. "Review Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild". Lords of Metal. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Popke, Michael (May 24, 2003). "Review: "Sonata Arctica: Winterheart's Guild"". Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Stagno, Mike (October 26, 2006). "Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ DiVita, Joe (July 5, 2017). "Top 25 Power Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Lawson, Dom (October 19, 2016). "The 10 essential power metal albums". Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Sonata Arctica: Winterheart's Guild" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Sonata Arctica – Winterheart's Guild". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sonata Arctica – Winterheart's Guild" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ a b "Sonata Arctica" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
External links
edit