Chaoszine recently sat down with sat down with Finnish melodic metallers, Sonata Arctica, to discuss 15 different topics about the band and its members. 

Leading the way to their new offering, Clear Cold Beyond, to be released on March 8, 2024 through Atomic Fire, Sonata Arctica recently released a new music video.

Their latest track, "Dark Empath", can now be enjoyed in all its visual glory. Telling the story of a character being chased, both mentally and physically, the haunting result, which was created by a team led by director/script writer Miikka Lommi and producer Katja Jokinen, can be viewed below.

Singer Tony Kakko previously commented: "This track is part of a saga that started on our second album Silence in 2001 - some even think it started on our debut album with the song 'The End Of This Chapter' - and has many sequels and prequels already. Its stalker theme offers a frame to write songs in a certain style I like very much. People do not seem to mind this, fortunately, haha! It's not a chronological story, but rather a theme with reoccurring, familiar characters that end up living through variations of the theme over and over again."

Clear Cold Beyond is packed with strong songs and fuses the best of all periods of Sonata Arctica's multifaceted work: From high-speed anthems such as the aforementioned "First In Line" and "California" to emotion-laden tracks such as "The Best Things" and the closing title track, this record offers something for each and every Sonata Arctica fan.

The album's artwork, reminiscent of their early works, was created by Niko Anttila and the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (Finnvox Studios; Ecliptica [1999] - Stones Grow Her Name [2012]). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck, who has also been part of other Sonata Arctica productions.

Clear Cold Beyond will be available in the following formats:

- CD-digipak
- jewelcase CD (US)
- 2LP vinyl [winter night marbled (white/black) | icy-blue marbled (transparent/blue)]
- digital

Pre-order the album in the physical format of your choice, pre-save it on your favourite DSP or pre-order it digitally to receive "A Monster Only You Can't See" and "First In Line" instantly now, here.

Clear Cold Beyond tracklisting:

"First In Line"
"California"
"Shah Mat"
"Dark Empath"
"Cure For Everything"
"A Monster Only You Can't See"
"Teardrops"
"Angel Defiled"
"The Best Things"
"Clear Cold Beyond"

Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only):
"A Ballad For The Broken"
"Toy Soldiers" (Martika cover)

"A Monster Only You Can't See" lyric video:

"First In Line":

Lineup:

Tony Kakko - vocals
Elias Viljanen - guitars
Pasi Kauppinen - bass
Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg - keyboards
Tommy Portimo - drums