Finnish melodic metal quintet, Sonata Arctica, has started to work on the follow-up to their Pariah's Child album. Beyond that, the band have announced the first leg of their European tour.

The band is taking a break from the recording for their ninth studio album and are about to head out with Nightwish for a couple of weeks in North America from February 19th on. Directly alongside the release of the new album, Sonata Arctica will hit the road again, supported by Twilight Force.

"At the moment we're taking a break from the recording of our 9th studio album and heading out with Nightwish for a couple of months in North America. When we get back we're more or less going straight into the studio to continue working on the album", comments keyboard player Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg.

"We're all really looking forward to finishing our new studio album and taking the songs on the road. This time we'll start in Europe before heading on to the rest of the world. As always, you can expect a energetic show with new stuff as well as some old favourites", states the band.

European dates with Twilight Force include:

October
7 - Trondheim, Norway - Trondheim Metal Fest
8 - Borlänge, Sweden - Liljan
9 - Huskvarna, Sweden - Folkets Park
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
13 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
14 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
15 - London, England - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
16 - Paris, France - La Machine du Moulin Rouge
18 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
19 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
20 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
21 - Mannheim, Germany - Alte Seilerei
22 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche