It's been twenty-five years since Tricky Beans made the wise choice to rename themselves Sonata Arctica and thus twenty-five years since the release of their debut album, "Ecliptica." Ever since then, the band has gone on to make a name for themselves as one of the most recognisable Finnish metal bands (which is saying something). So appropriately, the group, still led by Tommy Portimo and Tony Kakko are celebrating this milestone with a brand new album, "Clear Cold Beyond." How does it fit into their vast catalogue? Read on to find out.

"Clear Cold Beyond" starts well enough with "First In Line," where a quick drum intro gives way to an uplifting and rapid slice of power metal. It's a very strong way to open the record and keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg really shines on the track and continues to be a constant high point throughout the whole album. From there the band takes us to "California," which follows a similar pattern to its predecessor, albeit without managing to be as memorable. The speed increases but the song sacrifices other aspects which could have made it stand out more.

Unfortunately, this is a complaint I kept returning to as I listened to the album. There are some good moments and elements on display, such as the somewhat sinister synth intro on "Dark Empath," which is also present on "Angel Defiled," with the latter reminiscent of the kind of soundtrack one would find on a classic Castlevania game. The problem is these intros don't lead to anything particularly interesting, often returning to the formula of up-tempo power metal, which is all decent but not very engaging.

Not all songs sound alike though. The record closes with two ballads, including the title track, which is more progressive than "The Best Thing" and frankly, more stimulating, though the Celtic flavour on "The Best Thing" makes for a nice touch. It may seem strange to end the album on softer notes but after so much fast-paced power metal, it's quite refreshing. Sonata Arctica are capable of good variation, but the weight distribution, as it were, is quite top-heavy on this release.

Ultimately, "Clear Cold Beyond" will no doubt please fans of the band, as well as some of the more ardent power metal devotees who want something that's energetic and mostly upbeat, with some good melodies too. For the neutral though, it doesn't offer much to entice them to stick with the whole album and detractors won't find anything to change their mind about the group. Sonata Arctica has assured their place in metal, as a band that regularly appears at festivals and appeals to the listeners who like their metal to have a touch of wonder and magic about it, without going full-blown fantasy. "Clear Cold Beyond" is unlikely to change things.