The Days of Grays

The Days of Grays
Studio album by Sonata Arctica
Released September 16, 2009
(see release history)
Recorded 2009
Genre Power metal, Progressive metal, Symphonic metal
Label Nuclear Blast
Sonata Arctica chronology
Unia
(2007)		 Days of Grays
(2009)
Singles from The Days of Grays
  1. "The Last Amazing Grays"
    Released: August 26, 2009
  2. "Flag in the Ground"
    Released: September 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [1]
Angry Metal Guy [2]
Lords of Metal [3]
The Metal Circus [4]
Metal Storm [5]
Metal Symphony [6]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

The Days of Grays is the sixth full-length studio album by Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica. The album was released on September 16 in Finland, September 18 in Europe and September 22 in North America through Nuclear Blast.[7] The special edition of the album includes the album along with an orchestral CD as a digipak.[8][9]

Contents

History

Sonata Arctica keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg described the album as:

“ a bit darker and maybe not so complex as [2007's] "Unia". Nevertheless, it's definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal. All the trademark SONATA stuff is on there, solos, lots of singing [and] some slower songs.[7] ”

The first single from the album is "The Last Amazing Grays". It was released by Nuclear Blast Records only in Finland on August 26. The band ran a fan art contest to choose the artwork for their second announced single, "Flag in the Ground" which the press release calls "an uplifting story about a young couple fighting their way to freedom and their own land in North America back in early 1800s."[10] The winner of the contest was Simo Heikkinen from Finland.[11]

The song "Flag in the Ground" is a reworked version of "BlackOut" from the demo Friend 'till the End. Tony rewrote the lyrics and gave the song a more modern sound to match the albums style without losing its original feel. The bonus track "Nothing More" is also a bit more old-school than the rest of the album. The other songs on the album were reworked leftovers from Unia or songs written during/after the Unia world tour, making it a mix between the melodic metal from Reckoning Night and the progressive, wild style from Unia and a touch of new elements such as female vocals, more screamed vocals by Tony Kakko and several other musical differences, mostly notable by Elias Viljanen joining the band on guitar. The fans have reacted on the lack of guitar solos, and the fact that the album is a lot slower and less energetic than the others. The only guitar solos on the album appears in "Deathaura", "Flag in the Ground", "Breathing", "The Truth Is Out There" and also on the bonus track "Nothing More". Keyboard solos appear in the songs; "Flag in the Ground", "Zeroes", "As if the World Wasn't Ending" and on the bonus track "Nothing More".

The name for The Days of Grays apparently took a very long time to come to as the band had a name for the record that was deemed more appropriate "for a death metal band or something" according to Henrik Klingenberg. In a French interview, Tony Kakko stated that the original name was Deathaura, the name of a song on the album.[12] However, when lead singer Tony Kakko was playing World of Warcraft with some of his friends, a friend of the band suggested the name, and the rest of the band liked it. This name became the album's official name.[13]

Track listing

All music by Tony Kakko except "Nothing More" by Henrik Klingenberg, all lyrics by Tony Kakko, songs arranged by Sonata Arctica.

No. Title Length
1. "Everything Fades to Gray (Instrumental)"   3:07
2. "Deathaura"
  • "The Premonition"
  • "The Witch-Hunt"
  • "Exposing the Heathen"
  • "Envy"
  • "The Fear"
  • "The Grudge"
  • "The Curse"
  • "The Flames"
  • "Endless Inquisition"
  • "...Together, Today, for All Eternity"  
 7:59
3. "The Last Amazing Grays"   5:40
4. "Flag in the Ground"   4:09
5. "Breathing"   3:55
6. "Zeroes"   4:24
7. "The Dead Skin"   6:15
8. "Juliet"   5:59
9. "No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart"   4:33
10. "As If the World Wasn't Ending"   3:49
11. "The Truth Is Out There"   5:04
12. "Everything Fades to Gray (Full Version)"   4:32
Limited Edition 'Orchestral Bonus CD'[8]
  1. "Deathaura" – 7:57
  2. "The Last Amazing Grays" – 5:10
  3. "Flag in the Ground " – 3:55
  4. "Juliet" – 6:02
  5. "As If the World Wasn't Ending" – 3:56
  6. "The Truth Is Out There" – 5:07
  7. "In the Dark" – 5:22
U.S. Edition bonus track
13. "In My Eyes You're a Giant" – 4:42
Japanese Edition bonus tracks[14]
13. "Nothing More" – 3:55
14. "In My Eyes You're a Giant" – 4:42
Japanese Edition 'Live Bonus CD' - Official bootleg live around Europe 2008[14][15]
  1. "Paid in Full (Live in France)" – 4:26
  2. "Black Sheep (Live in Italy)" – 5:56
  3. "Draw Me (Live in Switzerland)" – 4:06
  4. "It Won't Fade (Live in France) " – 6:22
  5. "Replica (Live in Switzerland)" – 4:38
  6. "Don't Say a Word (Live in Switzerland) " – 6:08

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Finnish Albums Chart[16] 2

Personnel

Release history

Region Date
South America September 8, 2009
Finland September 16, 2009
Japan September 16, 2009
Rest of Europe September 18, 2009
North America September 22, 2009

References

  1. ^ "The Days of Grays - Sonata Arctica | AllMusic". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1639538. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
  2. ^ Angry Metal Guy. "Sonata Arctica - The Days of Grays Review". Angry Metal Guy. http://www.angrymetalguy.com/?p=392. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  3. ^ "Sonata Arctica - The Days Of Grays | Review | Lords Of Metal metal E-zine - issue 95". Lordsofmetal.nl. http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=14685&lang=en. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  4. ^ themetalcircus.com. "SONATA ARCTICA - The Days of Grays". The Metal Circus. http://www.themetalcircus.com/review.php?id=2665. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  5. ^ "Sonata Arctica - The Days Of Grays - Metal Storm". Metalstorm.ee. http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/album.php?album_id=29743. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  6. ^ Metal Symphony. "Sonata Arctica: The Days of Grays // Nuclear Blast ( PIAS Music )". Metal Symphony. http://www.metalsymphony.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=1555. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  7. ^ a b "Sonata Arctica: New Album Details Revealed". blabbermouth.net. July 9, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=123331. Retrieved 2009-07-10. 
  8. ^ a b "SONATA ARCTICA | The days of grays - Nuclear Blast". Nuclearblast.de. http://www.nuclearblast.de/showShopProductDetail.php?artikelnummer=161802. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  9. ^ "Sonata Arctica | Official website". Sonataarctica.info. 2009-09-18. http://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=97&n_xID=97&ntop=0. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  10. ^ "Sonata Artica Lets Fans Design Cover Artwork". blabbermouth.net. July 22, 2009. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=124024. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  11. ^ "Winner of Artwork Contest". SonataArctica.info. August 18, 2009. http://www.sonataarctica.info/site07/index.php?s=1&l=uk&nid=100&n_xID=100&ntop=0. Retrieved 2009-08-20. 
  12. ^ "INTERVIEW Tony Kakko, chanteur de Sonata Arctica". La Grosse Radio. August 15, 2009. http://www.lagrosseradio.com/blogs/blog_post.php?id=2098. Retrieved 2009-08-16. 
  13. ^ "Interview with Henrik from Sonata Arctica". AngryMetalGuy.com. August 9, 2009. http://www.angrymetalguy.com/?p=428. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  14. ^ a b "The Days Of Grays Sonata Arctica [CD]". Cdjapan.co.jp. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=MICP-90045. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  15. ^ "The Days Of Grays Japan Limited Edition van Tony Kakko Fan Page JPN op Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. 2009-08-23. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=1004488451&blogId=506904599. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  16. ^ Suomen virallinen lista
Sonata Arctica
Studio albums
EPs
Live albums
Compilations
Demos
  • Friend 'till the End
  • Agre Pamppers
  • PeaceMaker
  • FullMoon
DVDs
Singles
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