Finland's Sonata Arctica will release their new studio album, Clear Cold Beyond, on March 8 via Atomic Fire. The album contains 10 tracks reviving the band's penchant for power metal-esque tunes following their trip to acoustic landscapes during the pandemic.

Today, the band have revealed a very special track off the album, titled "Dark Empath". Long-time followers of their work may notice that this piece is the direct sequel of 2004's "Don't Say A Word", which has become a staple in the group's live set over the years. The track is at once nostalgic and allows new listeners to dive deeper into Sonata Arctica's colourful back catalogue. Check out "Dark Empath" here, and below.

Singer Tony Kakko comments: "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":

A bunch of festival appearances in support of Clear Cold Beyond have already been announced, while even more dates for Sonata Arctica's usually busy live schedule are still to be added in course of time.

Live dates:

March
16 - Laukaa, Finland - Peurunka Areena

May
3 - Kopervik, Norway - Karmøygeddon Metal Festival
11 - Bomal-sur-Ourthe, Belgium - Durbuy Rock Festival
31-June 6 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest

June
28-30 - Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Festival

July
31-August 3 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air

August
7-10 - Villena, Spain -  Leyendas del Rock

Lineup:

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

(Photo - Jaakko Manninen)