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*Comments:

1. Intro
2. Flag in the Ground
3. The Last Amazing Grays
4. Juliet
5. Replica
6. Blank File
7. As if the World Wasn’t Ending
8. Paid in Full
9. Instrumental Exhibition
10. The Misery
11. In Black and White
12. Letter to Dana
13. Caleb
14. Don’t Say a Word
15. Paid in Full
16. 8th Commandment
17. Replica
18. Tallulah
19. Caleb
20. White Pearl, Black Oceans
21. Draw Me
22. Fullmoon

Total playing time:   1:13:43

Release Date: November 11, 2011
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

Sonata Arctica - Live in Finland

Reviewer: Peter

November 18, 2011

There have been few bands have been able to translate from CD into a live setting in an extraordinary manner, and capturing that live setting in audio form is even rarer.  Sonata Arctica is one of the bands that actually fit into this category, as their 2006 live album For the Sake of Revenge shows.  For their next live album, which comes after two more studio albums since the last live album (this is a trend for the band), Sonata Arctica has decided to make their next live album in their home country in the new DVD/CD Live in Finland.

The track listing for the DVD is different from the CD, and the listing you see is for the CD version of Live in Finland.  The show itself was recorded at Club Teatria in Oulu, and unlike their previous live album For the Sake of Revenge, the crowd factor isn’t as prevalent, which is a major drawback on the album.  Part of the problem with Live in Finland is the production comes off as too clean to the point of reducing the impact of the crowd for a live setting.  The music itself is not affected as badly by the production, and given vocalist Tony Kakko’s penchant for interacting with the crowds at live shows, there’s at least a sense of the live setting that is preserved as it translates into an audio recording.  Song selection for the album has some tracks commonly played during most Sonata Arctica sets such as “Replica” and “Caleb,” both of which appear twice on the album, as they were separate recordings, as well as songs from their most recent album The Days of Grays and some songs that haven’t been heard in a live setting for a while such as “Blank File.”

Sonata Arctica is a band that is a joy to experience in a live setting, and while Live in Finland’s CD version won’t recreate that feeling in totality, it does provide enough of a glimpse for those who have never seen the band live.  The DVD version is a better way to go, and even for just the audio, For the Sake of Revenge provides the best live feeling for the listener.  Live in Finland is still recommended for Sonata Arctica fans, but temper expectations if you’re going for the CD only.