Hearth with cooking utensils

In common historic and modern usage, a hearth ( /ˈhɑrθ/) is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature. This concept has been generalized to refer to a homeplace or household, as in the terms "hearth and home" and "keep the home fires burning." In fireplace design, the hearth is often considered the visible elements of the fireplace, with emphasis upon the floor level extension of masonry associated with the fireplace mantel.

Archaeological features[link]

Late medieval tile hearth and associated floor

In archaeology, a hearth is a firepit or other fireplace feature of any period. Initial usage refers to a place of warmth, heat, or fire, or 'heat of earth'. Hearths are common features of many eras going back to prehistoric campsites, and may be either lined with a wide range of materials like stone or left unlined. Hearths were used for cooking, heating, and processing of some stone, wood, faunal, and floral resources. Occasionally site formation processes—e.g., farming or excavation—deform or disperse hearth features, making them difficult to identify without careful study.

Lined hearths are easily identified by the presence of fire-cracked rock, often created when the heat from the fires inside the hearths chemically altered and cracked the stone. Often present are fragmented fish and animal bones, carbonized shell, charcoal, ash, and other waste products, all embedded in a sequence of soil that has been deposited atop the hearth. Unlined hearths, which are less easily identified, may also include these materials. Because of the organic nature of most of these items, they can be used to pinpoint the date the hearth was last used via the process of radiocarbon dating. Although carbon dates can be negatively affected if the users of the hearth burned old wood or coal, the process is typically quite reliable. This was the most common way to cook, and to heat interior spaces in cool seasons.

Hearth tax[link]

In the Byzantine Empire a tax on hearths known as kapnikon was first explicitly mentioned for the reign of Nicephorus I (802–811) although its context implies that it was already then old and established and perhaps it should be taken back to the 7th century AD. Kapnikon was a tax raised on households without exceptions for the poor.^[1]

In England, a tax on hearths was introduced on 19 May 1662. Householders were required to pay a charge of two shillings per annum for each hearth, with half the payment due at Michaelmas and half at Lady Day. Exemptions to the tax were granted, to those in receipt of poor relief, those whose houses were worth less than 20 shillings a year and those who paid neither church nor poor rates. Also exempt were charitable institutions such as schools and almshouses, and industrial hearths with the exception of smiths' forges and bakers' ovens. The returns were lodged with the Clerk of the Peace between 1662 and 1688.^[2]

A revision of the Act in 1664 made the tax payable by all who had more than two chimneys

The tax was abolished by William III in 1689 and the last collection was for Lady Day of that year. It was abolished in Scotland in 1690.^[2]

Hearth tax records are important to local historians as they provide an indication of the size of each assessed house at the time. The numbers of hearths are generally proportional to the size of the house. The assessments can be used to indicate the numbers and local distribution of larger and smaller houses. Not every room had a hearth, and not all houses of the same size had exactly the same number of hearths, so they are not an exact measure of house size. Roehampton University has an ongoing project which places hearth tax data in a national framework by providing a series of standard bands of wealth applicable to each county and city.

Published lists are available of many returns and the original documents are in the Public Record Office. The most informative returns, many of which have been published, occur between 1662–1666 and 1669-1674.

Religion[link]

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Hearth is also a term for a kindred, or local worship group, in the neopaganism religion Ásatrú.

In Greek Mythology, Hestia is the goddess of the hearth. In Roman Religion, Vesta is the Goddess of the hearth.

In Ancient Persia, according to Zoroastrian traditions, every house was expected to have a hearth for offering sacrifices and prayers.

See also[link]

• Forge

References[link]

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Bonnie Tyler
Tyler live at La Cigale in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Gaynor Hopkins
Also known as	Sherene Davis
Born	(1951-06-08) 8 June 1951 (age 61) Skewen, Wales
Genres	Rock, country rock, wagnerian rock, progressive rock, rock and roll, pop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1975–present
Labels	RCA, Chrysalis, CBS Records, Columbia, Hansa, Atlantic, East West Records, CMC Records, Sony, Stick Music
Website	Official Site

Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins^[1] on 8 June 1951) is a Welsh singer. She is most notable for having several hits in the 1970s and 80s, including "Lost in France", "It's a Heartache", "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out For A Hero" as well as her European 2004 hit "Si demain... (Turn Around)".

With a distinctively husky voice due to damaged vocal cords, Tyler is a three-time Grammy Award nominee and three-time Brit Award nominee,^[2][3] and three-time Goldene Europa award winner. Tyler was also the first Welsh female artist to reach the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 music charts.

Early life[link]

Tyler was born in Skewen, Neath, Wales to a family that included three sisters and two brothers. Her father, Glyn Hopkins, worked in a coal mine and her mother, Elsie Hopkins, (an opera lover) shared her love for music with her children, and was known to have been part of the local church choir. Tyler grew up listening to Motown music and female artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.^[4] She concluded her education in the sixties and began working in the local grocery shop, then as a supermarket cashier.

In 1970, aged 19, she entered a talent contest, singing the Mary Hopkin hit "Those Were the Days", and finished in second place, winning £1. She then was chosen to sing in a band with front man Bobby Wayne, known as Bobby Wayne & The Dixies. Two years later, she formed her own band called Imagination (not related to the 1980s British dance band of the same name) and performed with them in pubs and clubs all over southern Wales. It was then that she decided to adopt the stage name of "Sherene Davis",^[5] taking the names from her niece's forename and favourite aunt's surname.^[6] Despite the two name changes, her family and friends still know her as Gaynor.^[7]

On July 4, 1973, she married Robert Sullivan, a real estate agent, Swansea night club manager and Olympic judoka.^[8] In 1975, she was discovered by Roger Bell who arranged a recording contract for her with RCA Records. Before signing, she was asked to choose a different stage name and settled on Bonnie Tyler.^[9]

Career[link]

The 1970s[link]

In 1976, Tyler was spotted in "The Townsman Club" in Swansea by the songwriting and producing team of Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers, songwriters and producers.^[10]

Tyler first began by recording a track entitled "My! My! Honeycomb", which did not receive any chart success, but did gain local airplay in Swansea.^[11] The track was later released on the 2002 compilation, "Total Eclipse Anthology" and on a re-release of "The World Starts Tonight" in 2009, along with the rare track, "Baby I Remember You".^[12]

Following the Top 10 success of her 1976 song "Lost in France", Tyler released her first album in 1977 entitled The World Starts Tonight. A further single from the album, "More Than a Lover", made the UK Top 30,^[13] and the follow-up single, "Heaven", reached the Top 30 in Germany.^[14]

In 1977, Tyler was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords that were so severe that she needed to undergo surgery to remove them. After the surgery, she was ordered not to speak for six weeks to aid the healing process, but she accidentally screamed out in frustration one day. This caused her voice to take on a raspy quality. At first she believed that her singing career was ruined;^[15] but to her surprise her next single, "It's a Heartache," made her an international star. The song reached #4 in the UK, #3 in the US, #2 in Germany, and topped the charts in several countries (including France and Australia).^[16] The song was originally released by Ronnie Spector and Juice Newton separately, but Tyler's version was the most recognised and credited recording of the song. Tyler's second album, Natural Force, was also retitled It's a Heartache for the U.S. market and certified Gold there. Tyler performed in the Long Miles Country Music Festival prior to the release of Natural Force alongside musicians such as Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. In 1978, Tyler was given a Bravo Otto award in Germany for her success in Europe.

Though further global success was elusive during this era, Tyler did have some regional hits: "Here Am I" made the German Top 20 in spring of 1978; "My Guns Are Loaded" peaked at number 3 in France in 1979; and she scored a minor UK Top 40 hit with "Married Men" in summer 1979 (the theme to the film The World Is Full of Married Men). Tyler released the albums Diamond Cut in 1979 and Goodbye to the Island in 1981. The track "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean" was the Grand Prix winner of the 1979 Yamaha World Song Festival held in Tokyo.^[17]

The 1980s[link]

Tyler released four albums for RCA Records from 1977 to 1981, but she became increasingly dissatisfied with Scott and Wolfe's management as they were trying to market her as a pop-country music artist.^[10] When her contract with RCA expired, she signed with David Aspden Management and sought help from songwriter Jim Steinman, most familiar to audiences as Meat Loaf's primary collaborator, to give her music the rock style she wanted. She signed with Columbia Records in 1982.

Her next album, Faster Than the Speed of Night, was released in Spring 1983 and included the power-ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which was written by Steinman. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, and in the United States where it remained at the top for four weeks. Her presence in the US chart was at a time when almost one third of the Billboard Hot 100 was filled by songs from UK based acts - a situation not seen since the 1960s British Invasion and Beatlemania.^[18] Faster Than the Speed of Night entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1, and also became a Top Five bestseller in the US and Australia. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" also brought Tyler a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Also in 1983, Tyler was offered to sing the title song of the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Tyler disliked the song and turned down the offer,^[19] and so the song was given to American singer Lani Hall instead. In 1984, Tyler performed "Total Eclipse of the Heart" at the Grammy Awards, and received another Grammy nomination as Best Rock Female Vocalist for "Here She Comes",^[20] a song that was part of the soundtrack for the 1984 restoration of the film Metropolis. She also released the singles "A Rockin' Good Way", a duet with fellow Welsh artist Shakin' Stevens, which made #5 in the UK, and "Holding Out for a Hero", for the Footloose soundtrack, which made the U.S. Top 40 and later peaked at number 2 in UK in the summer of 1985. "Holding Out For A Hero" (written by Steinman and Dean Pitchford) was also used as the main theme for the 1984 US television series Cover Up, though the version heard on the TV series was not Tyler's original but performed by E.G. Daily.^[21]

The following albums, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire (1986) and Hide Your Heart (1988), achieved some success in France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, South Africa, Australia, but were not successful in the UK or the US. One of the single releases, "If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)", became another Top 10 hit in France in 1986 and was certified Silver. In 1987, Tyler recorded a bilingual track with the Brazilian singer Fábio Junior entitled "Sem Limites Pra Sonhar" or "Reaching for the Infinite Heart" in English.^[22] In the same year, she sang the title song for Mike Oldfield's album Islands. Tyler also sang backing vocals with Cher for the song "Perfection" on Cher's self-titled 1987 album, and "Emotional Fire" on Cher's 1989 album Heart Of Stone.

In 1988, Tyler performed at the Reading Festival, accompanying performers such as Meat Loaf and Jefferson Starship. Tyler was victim to violent abuse from an aggressive crowd hurling bottles at her on stage after the organiser's failed attempt to introduce pop music to the annual event. Tyler was credited for carrying on and completing her set despite the audience's treatment.^[23] She even managed to get the audience to join in with "It's A Heartache" at the end of her set performance.^[24]

The 1990s[link]

Throughout the 1990s, Tyler's success was limited to continental Europe. In the early 1990s, she switched to the German label Hansa and found a new producer in Dieter Bohlen. Her first album for the label was Bitterblue, released in late 1991, which saw her leaving the rock genre of the 1980s and establishing a more soft-pop sound. The album went quadruple-platinum in Norway, platinum in Austria, and gold in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. Following the success of this album, two volumes of compilation albums were released entitled 'The Very Best Of Bonnie Tyler'. The first disc sold over 600,000 copies.^[25]

Tyler followed this up with the albums Angel Heart (1992) and Silhouette in Red in 1993. In light of her success in Germany, Tyler won Best International Female Vocalist at the RSH Gold Award, the "Goldene Europa" Award and the ECHO Award in 1994.

In April 1992, Tyler participated in a Greek ensemble CD with Sofia Arvaniti. The track was released on Arvaniti's 'Parafora' album on the EMI label, which was composed by Greek musician Michalis Rakintzis. It was named "The Desert Is In Your Heart", or "Petheno Stin Erimia" in Greek, and was a bilingual track (Greek and English). An instrumental version of the song was also released on Arvaniti's album.^[26] The album reached Gold.

In 1993, the first volume of Tyler's compilation The Very Best of Bonnie Tyler was released. It received a strong backing of advertising support. The featured tracks were selections from the 1970s to 1991, in chronological order and included a biography of Tyler's career. Over 600,000 copies were sold in Germany, dominating the charts over artists such as Madonna, Cher and Tina Turner.^[27] Later, in 1994, Columbia Records released Heaven & Hell, a Bonnie Tyler and Meat Loaf compilation album which featured tracks from both artists. The compilation became a Gold record in the UK.

After her three albums with producer Dieter Bohlen, Tyler wanted to have a more international sound on her next record. She switched labels to Warner Music in 1995 and recorded Free Spirit, an album on which she worked again with Jim Steinman as well as other prolific producers such as David Foster and Humberto Gatica. However, the album was only a minor success in continental Europe, though the single "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (previously a hit for Air Supply in 1983) narrowly missed the UK Top 40. The single featured Tyler's mother's operatic vocals on the intro to the song. The album was re-released in 1996, now including the track "Limelight" which was used as the official song of the German Olympic Team.^[28] Tyler continued to record, releasing the folk influenced All in One Voice in 1999, though this was even less successful. Also in 1999, Tyler was part of an ensemble vocal unit for Rick Wakeman's Return to the Centre of the Earth CD.^[29] Tyler also recorded the track "Tyre Tracks And Broken Hearts" on the Jim Steinman and Andrew Lloyd Webber composed album Whistle Down The Wind.

The 2000s[link]

In 2003, Tyler was approached by her manager,David Aspen, to record an album that would consist of cover versions of Tyler's choice.David Aspden became the producer of the album. Tyler picked out 13 of her favourite songs, some of which are by U2, Richard Marx, Phil Collins and The Beatles. The tracks were recorded by City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, but Tyler requested for her band to feature on the tracks also.

Also in 2003, French vocalist Kareen Antonn sent Tyler a demo recording of Antonn singing a French arrangement of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", entitled "Si demain... (Turn Around)", requesting for a duet with her. Tyler, completely unaware of whether Antonn was famous or not, accepted immediately and began recording the track soon after, despite the discomfort of not knowing whether the song was suitable for a duet. Released in December 2003, it went to number 1 in France, holding that chart position for ten weeks, and 12 weeks in total, as well as Belgium and Poland, selling a total of two million copies. The follow-up, "Si tout s'arrête (It's A Heartache)", another French language remake with Antonn, also made the French Top 20. Both tracks were included on Tyler's 2004 album, "Simply Believe". Also on this album, Tyler worked with Stuart Emerson, who wrote several songs on Tyler's Free Spirit album in 1995, and who also worked with Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf in the 1980s. Emerson wrote and produced six tracks on this album, two of which were re-recordings from her 1995 album.

By 2005, Tyler had already been working on her sixteenth studio album, Wings. The sixteen-track album included 12 new tracks, two French re-recordings and two re-recordings of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It's a Heartache". Tyler co-wrote most of the tracks, and was given two new tracks from Stuart Emerson, one of which was recorded as a duet between Tyler and her friend Lorraine Crosby. The track was "I'll Stand By You" and was based on the theme of friendship. Tyler's two singles from the album were "Louise" and "Celebrate", both of which received no chart success and nor did the album. In 2006, the album was re-released in the UK with 14 tracks, and called Celebrate. Again, this received little chart success. For Tyler's birthday in 2005, Tyler performed several tracks from her new album at La Cigale in Paris and Zaragoza in Spain. Extracts from the concerts were released on CD (Bonnie Tyler Live) and DVD (Bonnie on Tour) in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

In 2006, French record label Stick Music released Tyler's first live album, Bonnie Tyler Live, which featured songs from her 2005 album Wings as well as a handful of her greatest hits. In September 2006, Tyler made her first appearance on U.S. television in years, as she sang a duet of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with actress Lucy Lawless on the American show Celebrity Duets.

In 2007, a new Greatest Hits collection, From the Heart: Greatest Hits, was released. The compilation reached #2 in the Irish album charts and #31 in the UK. Also in 2007, Tyler featured on a charity album called "Over the Rainbow". The event was filmed and shown on British TV series Challenge Anneka. Anneka Rice was set the challenge to put together a thirteen-track compilation album made up of songs from musicals in five days and organise a promotional concert for the release of the CD. The proceeds went to the Chase Trust disabled children's charity. Tyler selected "I Don’t Know How to Love Him" from one of her favourite musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar.^[30] In March 2007, Tyler appeared in the 20th season of the British TV show, "Never Mind The Buzzcocks".

In 2009, it was announced by Mal Pope that he had recruited Tyler to perform the title track to his self-written musical, Cappuccino Girls, which would tour in Wales in the following months. She mimed the title song on the closing night in the theater to celebrate its conclusion.^[31] Tyler made a guest appearance in Hollyoaks Later (the late night edition of the British Channel 4 teen soap Hollyoaks) in which she sang her hit "Holding Out For a Hero" with one of the characters. She also recorded a new version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with the Welsh male voice choir Only Men Aloud! for their second album Band of Brothers which was released in October 2009.

Sony re-released Tyler's first two albums, "The World Starts Tonight" and "Natural Force" in 2009 with the addition of two B-Sides, which were not featured on the albums in the original release in the 1970s.^[32][33] This was to be the first official release of four of Tyler's co-written songs from the 1970s since the release of Total Eclipse Anthology in 2002.

On 1 November 2009, Tyler joined artists such as Escala, Joss Stone and Bananarama in a charity concert in support of breast cancer research. It was held at the Royal Albert Hall as a fundraiser for Pinktober.^[34]

The 2010s[link]

In 2010, Tyler appeared in a television advertisement for MasterCard singing a parody of "Total Eclipse of the Heart".^[35] Tyler performed in Australia for the first time in her career in the end of October, first as a supporting guest for Robin Gibb^[36] and then performing her own shows in Australia and New Zeland.

In November, Albert Hammond released an album called Legend, which featured some of his most successful compositions, with many re-recorded as duets.^[37] Hammond and Tyler recorded a version of Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now".

In 2011, Tyler made a guest appearance in the music video "Newport State of Mind", a parody of the Jay Z and Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind" for the BBC's Comic Relief charity. Towards the end of 2011, Tyler dueted with the singer Laura Zen on "Amour Éternel", a new French/English version of The Bangles' 1989 hit "Eternal Flame". It was released to French radio stations on 29 August 2011.^[38] It was then released as an MP3 download in France on 26 September 2011, and also included on Tyler's triple-disc Best Of 3 CD album on 3 October 2011. Also in 2011, Tyler won an award at the BMI London Awards for "It's A Heartache"^[39] and appeared on Ukraine X Factor as one of the three British guests, alongside Kylie Minogue and Cher Lloyd, performing "It's A Heartache", "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" and "Holding Out For A Hero". In December 2011, a portrait of Tyler by Rolf Harris was sold by Cathy Sims for £50,000 on BBC's Antiques Roadshow.^[40]

On 13 February 2012, news of the release of Tyler's new album was released on her website.^[41] It claimed that Tyler has been working in Nashville to record a new country/rock album which will be available as a CD and online for digital download for an expected release in 2012. David Huff has been named the producer and songwriters for the tracks include Desmond Child and Frank J. Myers as well as a duet with country musician Vince Gill. On 16 April, an update on Tyler's website confirmed the duet (named "What You Need From Me"), and commented that Tyler had arrived in Los Angeles two days prior to the update to assist with mixing the recorded tracks. It was later announced on Tyler's website that it is due to receive a new design in conjunction to the upcoming album.^[42]

In March 2012, a newly recorded track was released on SoundCloud entitled "Never Gonna Take No For An Answer". The song was written by Ed Poole and Martin Brown.^[43]

In April 2012, the record label Rdeg re-released Goodbye to the Island, Angel Heart and Bitterblue digitally.^[44][45]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Tours[link]

• 1988: Hide Your Heart Tour
• 1994: Silhouette in Red Tour
• 1996: Free Spirit Tour
• 2003: Heart Strings Tour

Personal life[link]

After global success in the 1980s, Tyler and her husband Robert Sullivan decided to try to have a baby when she was aged 39. Tyler miscarried and did not conceive again.^[46]

Throughout her career, Tyler and her husband have owned a villa in Mumbles in Wales.^[47] They also own a home in the Algarve (in Albufeira, south Portugal), after Tyler recorded one of her albums there in the late 1970s.^[48] In 2005, Tyler was filmed for a short Polish entertainment TV show called Zacisze gwiazd, which explores the houses of actors and musicians.^[49]

Some of Tyler's siblings have also been recognised to have a career in music. Her bother, Paul Hopkins, is lead singer of local Swansea band, Sunshine Cab Co.^[50][51] He co-wrote most of Tyler's 1980s B-sides, including "Time" and "Gonna Get Better" as well as composing some tracks for her albums, such as "The Reason Why" from All in One Voice. Tyler's sister, Avis Hopkins, featured on Mal Pope's musical soundtrack of Cappuccino Girls, singing the track, "Today's My Birthday".^[52] Avis Hopkins changed her name in the 1980s to Amanda Scott and released the track, "Lies" in 1988.^[53][54]

Through her husband, Tyler is related to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and attended her wedding to Michael Douglas, performing "Total Eclipse of the Heart".^[55]

Awards, nominations and accolades[link]

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Music awards and nominations[link]

Grammy Awards

Brit Awards

Goldene Europa

Steiger Awards

Other commercial achievements[link]

• Tyler was listed as second most famous celebrity from Wales in 2005 by the BBC.^[60]
• Welsh singer Rhydian Roberts selected Tyler's track, "Faster Than The Speed Of Night", for the Tracks Of My Years segment of UK DJ Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show on September 26, 2011.^[61]

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (United States)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)

Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica performing live at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, California 2007
Background information
Also known as	Tricky Beans, Tricky Means,
Origin	Kemi, Finland
Genres	Power Metal, Symphonic Power Metal Heavy metal
Years active	1996−present
Labels	Spinefarm, Nuclear Blast
Website	www.sonataarctica.info
Members
Tony Kakko Tommy Portimo Marko Paasikoski Henrik Klingenberg Elias Viljanen
Past members
Jani Liimatainen Pentti Peura Janne Kivilahti Mikko Härkin

Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works (most notably The Days of Grays, Unia and a few tracks on Reckoning Night and Winterheart's Guild) contain several elements typical of progressive metal.^[1]

Biography[link]

Formation and early years (1996–1999)[link]

The band was founded by Marko Paasikoski, Jani Liimatainen and Tommy Portimo in Kemi at the end of 1995 (Tony Kakko and Pentti Peura joined in early 1996). Originally named Tricky Beans, they played hard rock rather than the power metal with which they grew to fame. During their early career, they recorded three demos which were never sent to any recording label — Friend 'till the End, Agre Pamppers and PeaceMaker.

In 1997 the band changed their name to Tricky Means, and from that point until 1999 their style was thoroughly worked upon and ultimately was drastically changed, acquiring strong emphasis on the keyboard melodies and relying on an easily distinguishable rhythm line maintained both by the bass and the guitar. Vocalist Tony Kakko developed a clean singing style which relies both on falsetto and tenor voices and second guitarist Marko Paasikoski left the band. Kakko has stated that the change of sound was influenced by fellow Finnish power metal band Stratovarius.^[2]

In 1999 (after they changed their name to Sonata Arctica), the band recorded a demo entitled FullMoon in Kemi's Tico Tico Studios, which was their first real metal recording. The line-up consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Tony Kakko, guitarist Jani Liimatainen, bassist Janne Kivilahti and drummer Tommy Portimo. The demo was sent to Spinefarm Records by a friend of the band and a recording deal soon followed.

[edit] Ecliptica and Silence (1999–2002)

Later that year, Sonata Arctica's first single, entitled "UnOpened" was released in Finland. It entered the Finnish Top 20 sales chart on the week of its release and, soon after, the band had closed deals with labels from around the world, prior to the release of their debut album. The debut Ecliptica arrived by the end of 1999 and had a worldwide release, obtaining rave reviews from the specialized press.^{[citation needed]}

Tony Kakko then decided to focus on singing and began seeking a new keyboard player for Sonata Arctica; Mikko Härkin (ex-Kenziner) was eventually invited to fill the position.

In the beginning of 2000, Sonata Arctica was chosen to support the well known power metal band Stratovarius throughout their European tour. Marko Paasikoski returned to the band to play bass in the wake of Janne Kivilahti's departure after the tour.

From late 2000 to late 2001, the band worked on composing and recording their next album — Silence — which was released in June 2001. An extensive tour followed, which included concerts throughout Europe (together with Gamma Ray) and Japan. In 2002 Sonata Arctica made its first incursion to America, putting on shows in Brazil and Chile. According to some of the musicians from the band, it was one of their best tours to date — the other being the Japanese tour from 2003. A live album entitled Songs of Silence was also released that year, consisting of gigs from their tour in Japan. By the end of 2002, Mikko Härkin left the band due to personal reasons.

[edit] Winterheart's Guild (2003)

Their third album — Winterheart's Guild — was recorded with the help of the seasoned keyboard player Jens Johansson from Stratovarius who recorded the keyboard solos, while Kakko took care of the basics. The album was released in 2003.

In the search for another keyboardist, the band received many applications and two of them were invited for auditions. Since they were well aware of the candidates' ability, the band decided to pick the new member based on personality. To this end they spent a night drinking with each of the potentials in order to find out which one would fit best into the band's personality and mentality. Henrik Klingenberg was eventually chosen and joined the band in time to take part in the tour that followed the release of Winterheart's Guild. Most of the concerts on the tour were sold out.

With the end of their contract with Spinefarm Records, the band received invitations from most European recording labels, and eventually opted for Nuclear Blast.

[edit] Reckoning Night (2004–2005)

In early 2004, the band was chosen as the opener for Iron Maiden's Japanese tour. Additionally, Tommy Portimo became a father; his wife gave birth to a baby girl in March. Reckoning Night was recorded in three months and released in October. Both the single and the EP of this release remained on the top of the Finnish charts simultaneously for over six weeks. A promotional tour was to follow, but Sonata Arctica was invited by the popular Nightwish to join their European tour, and thus made a change of plans. The concerts that followed were played for audiences of over ten thousand people. Fans took notice that Reckoning Night was more progressive than previous Sonata Arctica albums. At that time in interviews, Tony Kakko and Henrik Klingenberg began to claim that they saw themselves as more so just a rock band than Power Metal. Another notable feature about this album was that Henrik Klingenberg introduced use of the organ to the band.

In early 2005, Nightwish invited the band to open the concerts of their North American tour. This tour eventually got cancelled, but the members of Sonata Arctica opted to still make a short tour, playing concerts in Canada and the USA. On October 21, 2005, Sonata Arctica opened for Nightwish at the Hartwall Areena, Helsinki.

[edit] For the Sake of Revenge and Winterheart's Guild video game (2006)

In 2006, the band released a live CD and DVD entitled For the Sake of Revenge, which was recorded in Tokyo in February 2005. Then, Spinefarm Records released a compilation album in order to get the most out of their contract with the band, since Sonata Arctica changed their recording label. The compilation is entitled The End of This Chapter and was released in Japan in August 2005 and in Europe in May 2006.

A computer video game was also planned, based on Sonata Arctica characters and music. The name of the game was going to be Winterheart's Guild, like their album. The game was to be developed by Zelian Games, and was to be an Action-RPG in a style between Fallout and Diablo. The game was cancelled for unannounced reasons but a demo was shown at the Leipzig video game conference in 2006, featuring Henrik Klingenberg as the playable character. In December 2006, the band began recording their fifth studio album.

[edit] Unia (2007–2008)

On May 25, 2007, Unia was released. The album's first single, "Paid In Full", was released on April 27, 2007. Interestingly, the cover for Unia features a barely perceptible image of a person's hair and eyes looking out through a crack in the background in the lower right-hand corner. It is likely an allusion to the person in the song "Caleb".

On August 6, 2007, the band announced on their website that guitarist Jani Liimatainen had been asked to leave the band due to problems related to his conscription. He was replaced by Elias Viljanen who had already filled in for him in the band's Finnish and Japanese shows during the spring and summer.

In October 2007 Sonata Arctica headlined the ProgPower USA VIII. Later the band supported Nightwish across their 2008 tour of United States and Canada and headlined at the shows that Nightwish cancelled due to Anette Olzon's sudden severe sickness.^[3]

In 2008 Tony Kakko collaborated with English singer/songwriter and arranger Mark Deeks to perform choral arrangements of some of the band's works at a special one off concert at The Sage Centre in Gateshead.

It was announced on September 4, 2008 that the band's first two albums would be re-released with bonus tracks by Spinefarm UK on October 6.^[4]

[edit] The Days of Grays (2009-2011)

Sonata Arctica during the The Days of Grays Tour 2011.

Sonata Arctica's latest album was released on September 16, 2009 in Finland and September 22 in the USA.^[5] Henrik stated that the new album would be in the same vein as Unia, but not as complex and darker.^[5] Singles from this album include "Flag in the Ground" and "The Last Amazing Grays". On August 28, 2009, the music video of "Flag In The Ground" was released to the web. The limited 2CD European edition of the album featured many of the album tracks with all instruments performed by a symphony orchestra.^[6]

The band also recently toured with DragonForce for the third U.S. leg of the Ultra Beatdown tour, and will be touring the US "two or three times," as well as doing a European tour and Asian tour covering Indonesia, Taiwan, China, and Japan. In early 2010 they engaged on an Australian tour with Ensiferum and Melbourne band Vanishing Point.

In April 2010, Sonata Arctica embarked on their USA and Canada Headlining tour for The Days of Grays. In October they headlined in Chile in support of the same album.^[7]

[edit] Stones Grow Her Name (since 2011)

In January 2011, the band hinted in an online interview for Metaleater magazine that they are currently writing songs for a new album while on their current tour. Elias is quoted as saying, "I've been working on some new riffs, quite dark. Tony's been stuck in his bed scratching notes about some girl and her 'Luna Lust'." Tommy states later, "We've just got back from Cozumel, we had a good time, had lots of beers, loads more sun and thought about putting a bit more Queen stuff back into the music again."

While playing in Wolverhampton, Tony stated to the audience that they were in fact hoping to start recording the new album this autumn and have it available for purchase before summer 2012.

In April, the band recorded a live DVD in Oulu, Finland, entitled "Live in Finland", which was released on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11).

It was announced on February 20, 2012 through the official Sonata Arctica website that the new album entitled Stones Grow Her Name would be released on May 18 in Europe and May 22 in North America .^[8][9]

Influences[link]

In a 2007 interview with C.B.Liddell, Tony Kakko cited the English rock band Queen as his biggest musical influence. "A lot of people seem to mention a Queen influence in our music," he said. "Queen have always been the biggest band for me."^[10]

Members[link]

Tony Kakko.

Elias Viljanen and Marko Paasikoski.

Tommy Portimo.

Henrik Klingenberg.

Current[link]

• Tony Kakko
  • Vocals (1996−present)
  • Keyboards (1996–2001, 2003, 2007–present)
• Elias Viljanen
  • Guitars (2007−present)
  • Backing vocals (2007−present)
• Marko Paasikoski
  • Bass guitar (2000−present)
  • Backing vocals (2000−present)
  • Guitars (1996–1997)
• Tommy Portimo
  • Drums (1996−present)
• Henrik Klingenberg
  • Keyboards/keytar (2002−present)
  • Backing vocals (2002−present)

Former[link]

• Pentti Peura
  • Bass guitar (1996−1998)
  • Backing vocals (1996−1998)
• Janne Kivilahti
  • Bass guitar (1998−2000)
  • Backing vocals (1998−2000)
• Mikko Härkin
  • Keyboards (2000−2002)
  • Backing vocals (2000−2002)
• Jani Liimatainen
  • Guitars (1996−2007)
  • Backing vocals (1996−2007)

Guest musicians[link]

• Raisa Aine − flute (on "Letter to Dana")
• Nik Van-Eckmann − spoken passages (on "...of Silence", "The End of This Chapter", "Last Drop Falls" and "The Power of One" from Silence and "Don't Say a Word", "White Pearl, Black Oceans..." and "Wildfire" from Reckoning Night)
• Timo Kotipelto − vocals (on "False News Travel Fast" from Silence^[11] and "Only The Broken Hearts (Make You Beautiful)", "Shitload Of Money", "I Have A Right", and "Alone In Heaven")
• Renay Gonzalez − spoken female passage (on "The End of This Chapter")
• Jens Johansson − keyboard solos (on "The Cage", "Silver Tongue", "Victoria's Secret" and "Champagne Bath")
• Peter Engberg − acoustic guitars, bouzouki, viola caipira, banjo, chromaharp, cavaquinho and Q-chord (on "They Follow", "Under Your Tree", "The Harvest", "It Won't Fade" and "Fly With the Black Swan" from Unia and "Cinderblox", "I Have A Right", "The Day","Don't Be Mean", and "Alone In Heaven" from Stones Grow Her Name
• Johanna Kurkela − female vocals (on "Deathaura" and "No Dream Can Heal a Broken Heart")
• Pekka Kuusisto - violin (on "Don't Be Mean", "Cinderblox", "Wildfire II, One With The Mountain", and "Wilfire III, Wildfire Town, Population: 0")
• Lauri Valkonen - double bass (on "Cinderblox", and "Wildfire II, One With The Mountain")
• Mika Myllari - trumpet (on "Shitload Of Money")
• Mikko P. Mustonen - orchestrations (on "Wildfire III, Wilfire Town, Population: 0")
• Anna Lavender - spoken passage (on "I Have A Right")
• Mediocre Media Ogre Choir - hey's (on "Shitload of Money")

Discography[link]

Studio albums:

• Ecliptica (1999)
• Silence (2001)
• Winterheart's Guild (2003)
• Reckoning Night (2004)
• Unia (2007)
• The Days of Grays (2009)
• Stones Grow Her Name (2012)

Cover songs[link]

• "Black Diamond" − Stratovarius (live, short clip in Stratovarius - Infinite Visions VHS/DVD)
• "Speed of Light" − Stratovarius (at the end of "False News Travel Fast" in Songs of Silence)
• "Fade to Black" − Metallica (Victoria's Secret, Takatalvi, A Tribute to the Four Horsemen)
• "Wind Beneath My Wings" − Bette Midler (Orientation)
• "Die With Your Boots On" − Iron Maiden (Last Drop Falls, Orientation)
• "World in My Eyes" − Depeche Mode (Don't Say a Word)
• "Two Minds, One Soul" − Vanishing Point (Don't Say a Word)
• "Still Loving You" − Scorpions (Takatalvi)
• "I Want Out" − Helloween (Takatalvi)
• "Out in the Fields" − Gary Moore (Paid in Full, Unia)
• "Silent Jealousy" − X Japan (live)
• "Crash & Burn" − Yngwie Malmsteen (live)
• "Excuse Me While I Kill Myself" − Sentenced (live)
• "I Was Made for Lovin' You" − KISS (live)
• "Smoke on the Water" − Deep Purple (live)
• "Child in Time" - Deep Purple (live)
• "Gaston y'a l'téléfon qui son" − Nino Ferrer (live)
• "One" − Metallica (live)
• "We Will Rock You" − Queen (live)
• "No More Tears" − Ozzy Osbourne (live)
• "Hava Nagila" ("The Cage"/"Vodka", "For the Sake of Revenge")
• "Master of Puppets" − Metallica (live)
• "The Trooper" − Iron Maiden (live)
• "Cowboys From Hell" - Pantera (live, Jani Liimatainen's Young Guitar DVD and Into The Storm bootleg DVD)
• "Metropolis" - Dream Theater" (live)
• "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" - Bonnie Tyler" (live)
• "Runaway" - Del Shannon (live)
• "Hell Is Living Without You" - Alice Cooper (One For All, All For One)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sonata Arctica

• Sonata Arctica's official website
• Sonata Arctica on Myspace
• Sonata Arctica's official fanclub
• Winterheart's Guild video game