(Rated this album with 10 out of 10) Reviewed by
mysanthropyk_overlord
from USA
Since Ecliptica wasn't too easy to come by in the USA until recently, my first exposure to the fantastic Finnish bombastic power metal act Sonata Arctica was through their groundbreaking album Silence. I still concede that Silence is their finest work, but Ecliptica comes in at a close second, and ranks up with the aforementioned SA work and Nightwish's Oceanborn as one of the pinnacle works of Finnish power metal. Like its follow-up, Ecliptica features a healthy mix of upbeat heavy songs and emotional ballads, albeit with more serious lyrics than later works. Tony Kakko's vocals are higher and whinier than they were on Silence, where they were about as good as power metal vocals get without being Russell Allen or Hansi Kursch, but he still delivers a memorable performance, and his voice is not anywhere near as annoying as Timo Kotipelto's. The guitar and keyboard work is very good, especially considering that they were quite a young band at the time. The drums and bass also deserve a nod. If you've heard Sonata Arctica's more recent works, then get Ecliptica, especially if all you've heard is Winterheart's Guild, because Ecliptica simply blows that album clear out of the water!
