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 edit
| Review 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 edit
All 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 edit
| Chart (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 edit
| Region | 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
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