Croatian Metal And Rock has issued an interview with SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, in which he discusses the band's next album, Stones Grow Her Name, to be released on May 18th in Europe and May 22nd in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. An excerpt follows:

Q: Your new album, Stones Grow Her Name, will be released via Nuclear Blast. Tell us four facts about the album that we didn't have a chance to hear.

A: "1. It's the first time we have some banjos on an album. 2. It will also have the heaviest Sonata song to date: 'Somewhere Close To You'. 3. There will be some drawings inside the cover. 4. The first nine songs could all have been chosen as singles."

Q: If you were talking to a person who has never heard of Sonata Arctica before, what would you tell him/her? Why is this album the one that he/she should buy and listen to, and why does it represent Sonata Arctica at their best?

A: "I would probably not say much, just put on the album. If it wasn't available I'd say that Sonata Arctica is melodic rock with metal influences. The new album represents the current state of the band, as before we took with us all the stuff we've learned on the past albums and added some new experiments. This new album is quite straight-forward in my opinion."

Read the full interview at this location.

The official Mobile Songpier app for Stones Grow Her Name is available at this location.

Sonata Arctica's new video, for the single 'I Have A Right', is now available. The clip, directed by Tuukka Temonen, can be seen below:

The single for 'I Have A Right' will be released on May 18th. There is a limited version of the digipak single with band signatures on pre-sale at the official Sonata Arctica webshop. Order yours before they run out at this location.

The release date is initial, the singles will be shipped right after they have been signed.

Tracklist:

'I Have A Right' (radio edit)

'I Have a Right' (album version)

Band leader Tony Kakko comments on 'I Have A Right': "'I Have A Right' was the very last song I wrote for this album. At that point Tommy had already played his last track for Stones Grow Her Name, gotten ready to go to sauna AND opened his first beer for that night, when I sms'd him to check his e-mail and record yet one more "easy track". He was mildly pissed. And perhaps fueled by that he nailed the song on the first take. It was a very emotional moment for him, I was told. The song hits home, if you know the subject and can relate to the subject. To put it short it's a song about how we should not pass the burden we get from the past generation on the shoulders of our future offspring. Children's rights subject. Not the most metal subject ever, I suppose, but then again I think it fits our band well and is pretty universal. Funny to actually have fans from each age group this songs speaks about. Let's see what comes of it. Choosing the first single and video from this album was not very easy this time around as we had so many candidates. The best possible problem to have! 'I Have A Right' won the vote. The playing parts for this video were shot in our home town Kemi, here in Finland. The location was an old, abandoned school building. Somehow spooky and COLD. It was mid march. Could say we were lucky the weather was unseasonably warm, yet way below zero. Director Tuukka Temonen and his crew did a great job with editing and all the additional footage. All in all, from my point of view, this was the easiest ever Sonata Arctica video to make. No 12 hours standing in a room filled with bird shit, no freezing my ass off on the ice in the middle of the sea from 8am to 10pm, or running in the woods in the middle of the night and not sleeping for 48 hours... had all that with the past videos. I am more than pleased. I hope you like the song and video as much as we do."

Stones Grow Her Name, was recorded in several studios all over Finland, mixed at Sonic Pump Studios by Mikko Karmila and mastered at Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck.

Check out Parts 1 and 2 of the band's 'Making Of' documentary below:

Stones Grow Her Name will be released as limited edition digipak, standard jewel case, vinyl and download. Check out the album artwork below:

The tracklisting:

'Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)'

'Shitload of Money'

'Losing My Insanity'

'Somewhere Close To You'

'I Have A Right'

'Alone In Heaven'

'The Day'

'Cinderblox'

'Don't Be Mean'

'Wildfire II'

'Wildfire III'

Check out a Stones Grow Her Name album preview below: