Arctica (song)

Last updated
"Arctica"
Arctica.png
Single by Amberian Dawn
from the album End of Eden
ReleasedAugust 23, 2010 (MySpace)
Recorded2010
Genre Symphonic metal, power metal
Length4:59
Label Spinefarm Records
Songwriter(s) Heidi Parviainen, Tuomas Seppälä
Amberian Dawn singles chronology
"He Sleeps in a Grove"
(2009)
"Arctica"
(2010)

"Arctica" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's third studio album End of Eden , and the first single from the album. The song was released for free download on MySpace on August 23, 2010, [1] and a music video produced for the song was released on October 20 through YouTube. [2] Heidi Parviainen, Amberian Dawn's lead singer, has called Arctica her favorite Amberian Dawn song. [3]

Contents

Music video

Heidi Parviainen in the music video for Arctica. Arctica video.png
Heidi Parviainen in the music video for Arctica.

A music video was shot for the song in 2010, Amberian Dawn's fourth after River of Tuoni, My Only Star and He Sleeps in a Grove. The video was produced by Routafilmi and directed by Markus Nieminen, and released on October 20, 2010, through YouTube, at the same date of the End of Eden album release. [2] The video varies between shots of the band playing against a red background, and scenes of an old alchemist with a magic amulet. By the end of the video, the alchemist manages to freeze the amulet to ice, and the band's background becomes white and icy. [4]

Reception

"Arctica" was generally received as a good successor to the band's previous lead songs such as "River of Tuoni" and "He Sleeps in a Grove", [5] but was also heavily criticised for repetition. HeavyLaw says, "the first single, "Arctica" is in this sense an index along the lines of self-plagiarism. Woefully predictable, it does not make enough justice to the talent of the group." [6] Metal Sickness called it extremely catchy and one of their darkest songs yet, alongside "Talisman" portraying a more mature side of the band. [7]

Related Research Articles

Sonata Arctica Finnish power metal band

Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup consists of drummer Tommy Portimo, lead singer Tony Kakko, keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg, guitarist Elias Viljanen and bassist Pasi Kauppinen. All the musicians of the band's history except Portimo also acted as backing vocalists.

Spinefarm Records Finnish record label

Spinefarm Records is a Finnish record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

Down with the Sickness 2000 single by Disturbed

"Down with the Sickness" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was recorded in 1999 and released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, The Sickness. "Down with the Sickness" is one of Disturbed's best-known songs and is a concert staple, usually played as the last song. This was Disturbed's first single to be certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Heikki Saari

Heikki Saari is the current drummer for Whorion and Finntroll. He is also the live drummer for Tuoni and former drummer of Norther and Amberian Dawn. He started playing drums around 1987 and influences include Scarve, Opeth, Soilwork, Ensiferum, Disarmonia Mundi, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Annihilator, Deathchain, Hate Eternal, Rotten Sound, Rytmihäiriö, Sevendust, and Wintersun.

Make Me Bad 2000 single by Korn

"Make Me Bad" is a song written and recorded by the American nu metal band Korn for their fourth studio album, Issues. Many Korn fans interpret the lyrics to be about frontman Jonathan Davis' getting tired of drinking or drug abuse and his decision to get sober a year prior to Issues coming out. It was released as the album's second single in February 2000, enjoying major success on US rock radio stations and in the United Kingdom. The Alien-inspired music video is one of the most expensive videos Korn have ever filmed featuring actors Brigitte Nielsen, Udo Kier, Tatjana Patitz, and Shannyn Sossamon. An acoustic medley of "Make Me Bad" and The Cure's "In Between Days" was performed with The Cure for the MTV Unplugged series in December 2006.

Van Canto

Van Canto is a German a cappella metal band, founded in 2006 and composed of six singers and a drummer. Although the group is often classified as an a cappella ensemble, they use real drums in their music, instead of vocal percussion or beatboxing.

The Agonist

The Agonist is a Canadian melodic death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2004. The current line up consists of lead guitarist Danny Marino, bassist Chris Kells, drummer Simon Mckay, rhythm guitarist Pascal "Paco" Jobin and lead vocalist Vicky Psarakis, who joined in March 2014 following the departure of vocalist and founding member Alissa White-Gluz. Both White-Gluz and Psarakis use growled and clean vocals. Originally known as the Tempest, the band adopted their current moniker upon their signing to Century Media in 2007. To date, the Agonist has released six studio albums; the latest, Orphans, was released in September 2019. Touring extensively since their first album, they have shared the stage with bands such as Arsonists Get All the Girls, Epica, the Faceless, Chelsea Grin, Kamelot, and Visions of Atlantis.

Amberian Dawn Finnish metal band

Amberian Dawn is a Finnish symphonic power metal band, formed in 2006 by Tuomas Seppälä and Tommi Kuri. Their fifth album Re-Evolution was released on KHY Suomen Musiikki & Encore Music in summer 2013. Their latest album Looking for You was released in January 2020, via Napalm Records.

<i>River of Tuoni</i> 2008 studio album by Amberian Dawn

River of Tuoni is the debut full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn.

<i>The Clouds of Northland Thunder</i> 2009 studio album by Amberian Dawn

The Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009. Its single, "He Sleeps in a Grove", was the third Amberian Dawn song to have a music video produced.

Dead by April

Dead by April is a Swedish metalcore band from Gothenburg, formed in February 2007 by Pontus Hjelm and Jimmie Strimell. The current band lineup consists of Pontus Hjelm, Christopher Kristensen, Marcus Wesslén and Marcus Rosell (drums). Despite many line up changes throughout their career, both Marcus Wesslén and Pontus Hjelm have remained consistent since their debut album.

Kasperi Heikkinen Musical artist

Kasperi Heikkinen is a guitar player who is best known as a member of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. He played in the band from early 2007 until late 2012. He is also the guitarist for Finnish metal bands Merging Flare and Guardians of Mankind, which is a Gamma Ray tribute band. Heikkinen performed with German metal band U.D.O. from 2013 until 2017. He currently resides in Helsinki, Finland.

<i>End of Eden</i> 2010 studio album by Amberian Dawn

End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki. The album was released on October 20, 2010, but was preceded by its online single "Arctica" on August 23.

Tuomas Seppälä Musical artist

Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn.

Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish professionally educated classical lyric soprano and a singing teacher. She is best known from her cinematic metal band Dark Sarah, and as the former lead singer of Finnish symphonic metal band Amberian Dawn. Before working with Amberian Dawn, she played keyboards and provided background vocals for a band called Iconofear.

Manuela Kraller German singer (born 1981)

Manuela Kraller is a German soprano singer. She is best known as the former lead singer of symphonic metal band Xandria from late 2010 until late 2013. She was formerly one of the soprano vocalists in the symphonic metal band Haggard. She now has a project that strays away from the metal scene and more of a classical style instead that's called "Valkea Valo" with her friend Tobias Gut.

<i>Re-Evolution</i> (album) 2013 studio album of re-recorded songs by Amberian Dawn

Re-Evolution is the fifth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Amberian Dawn. This album contains re-recorded songs from their past four albums; River of Tuoni (2008), The Clouds of Northland Thunder (2009), End of Eden (2010), and Circus Black (2012), each of the tracks remastered with lyrics performed by the band's new vocalist, Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen.

Capri Virkkunen Musical artist

Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen later known as Päivi Selo, simply known as Capri, is a Finnish singer and vocal coach. She started as a pop singer in Finland and also member of a cover band. Starting 2012, she has become the vocalist metal singer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn replacing earlier band vocalist Heidi Parviainen starting with the band's compilation album Re-Evolution.

<i>Dark Before Dawn</i> 2015 studio album by Breaking Benjamin

Dark Before Dawn is the fifth studio album by American rock band Breaking Benjamin, released on June 23, 2015, by Hollywood Records. It is the group's first studio album following the band's hiatus lasting from early 2010 to late 2014, and the first album to feature an entirely different lineup alongside founder and frontman Benjamin Burnley. Produced and composed by Burnley, the album took shape towards the end of the hiatus and was mostly written before the new lineup "even played a single note together." The recording process took place afterwards at both a personal studio of Burnley's and at the same studio Phobia (2006) was recorded, with all of the band members performing their respective instruments, including background vocals performed by guitarist Keith Wallen and bassist Aaron Bruch, making the record their first to feature vocals other than Burnley's.

Dark Sarah Finnish symphonic metal band

Dark Sarah is a Finnish symphonic metal band created by Heidi Parviainen, after her departure from Finnish metal band Amberian Dawn in 2012. Their style is often described as "cinematic metal".

References

  1. AmberianDawn.com - NEW SINGLE "ARCTICA" AND THE ALBUM "END OF EDEN" COVER ART
  2. 1 2 AmberianDawn.com - NEW ALBUM AND MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED
  3. "Amberian Dawn - International forum: Interview". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  4. YouTube: AMBERIAN DAWN - Arctica
  5. "Necroweb: Amberian Dawn - End of Eden". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
  6. HeavyLaw.com: Amberian Dawn - End of Eden Archived 2010-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Metal Sickness: Amberian Dawn - End of Eden