Finnish melodic metal heroes, Sonata Arctica, will release a very special Christmas gift for their fan base: a new single called “Christmas Spirits”. This year the handing out of presents will happen six days early as the single will be released on December 18th via Nuclear Blast. It will be released via digital download and as a limited edition EP, only available at the Nuclear Blast Online Shop.

The band commented: "Hello everyone out there! Christmas is just around the corner so we decided to cheer you all up with a nice Christmas story. "Decided" might be a bit strong in this context since the “Christmas Spirits” song has been around for about ten years now, we just never had the time to record it. Finally during the Pariah's Child sessions we managed to do the basic tracks and this autumn we finished the song. I guess the main reason for the delay was getting the lyrics done, it’s nearly impossible to get into the Christmas mood unless it’s actually… you guessed it, Christmas. Hats off to Tony since he did it anyway, this autumn, and without any snow, we might add. Be that as it may, here’s our latest piece of art: “Christmas Spirits”!”

Tracklisting:

“Christmas Spirits”
“Christmas Spirits” (Radio Edit)
“Christmas Spirits” (Orchestral Version)

Pre-order “Christmas Spirits” at this location.

Sonata Arctica will perform some headlining shows in North America after the 2016 North American tour supporting Nightwish.

Sonata Arctica keyboard player Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg checks in with a special message for their North American fans about the Nightwish tour: “It's again been far too long since our last American tour, so we're really happy to announce that we're coming back once again...and with Nightwish nevertheless. As we'll be working on our next studio album in the spring of 2016, be ready to hear some surprises during the tour. Even if we prepared to be in the studio for the whole spring, this was an opportunity that we couldn't pass on and we're all looking forward to see our North American fans once again and kick some ass. Until then, take care and a big cheers!!”

Tour dates (with Nightwish and Delain):

 February
19 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
20 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
21 - Metropolis - Montreal, QC
22 - Music Hall - London, ON
24 - Carnegie Music Hall - Pittsburgh, PA
25 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
26 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI
27 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI
29 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN

March
1 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB
2 - O’Briens Events Center - Saskatoon, SK
3 - Winspear Center - Edmonton AB
5 - MacEwan Hall Ballroom - Calgary, AB
6 - Wilma Theatre -Missoula, MT
7 - Showbox SoDo - Seattle, WA
8 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
10 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV
11 - City National Civic of San Jose - San Jose, CA
12 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA
13 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
15 - City Auditorium - Colorado Springs, CO
16 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO
18 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
19 - Aztec Music Hall - San Antonio, TX
20 - New Orleans Civic Theatre - New Orleans, LA
21 - Iron City Live - Birmingham, AL
23 - The Ritz - Tampa, FL

Headlining dates:

March
25 - Louisville, KY - Expo Five
26 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
28 - Chicago, IL - Concorde Music Hall
29 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
31 - Toronto, ON - Opera House

April
1 - Quebec, QC - Imperial De Quebec
2 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
3 - New York City, NY - Stage 48