Selene
The statue of Selene
The goddess of the Moon
Abode	Moon
Consort	Endymion
Parents	Hyperion and Theia
Siblings	Helios and Eos
Children	Pandia
Roman equivalent	Luna

In Greek mythology, Selene (Greek Σελήνη [selɛ̌ːnɛː] 'moon'; Doric Σελάνα; Aeolic Σελάννα) was an archaic lunar deity and the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia.^[1] In Roman mythology, the moon goddess is called Luna, Latin for "moon".

The etymology of Selene is uncertain, but if the word is of Greek origin, it is likely connected to the word selas (σέλας), meaning "brightness".^[2]

Depictions[link]

In post-Renaissance art, Selene is generally depicted as a beautiful woman with a pale face and long, lustrous, black hair; riding a silver chariot pulled by either a yoke of oxen, a pair of horses, or a pair of serpentine dragons. Often, she has been shown riding a horse or a bull, wearing robes with a moon on her head and carrying a torch.

Myths[link]

Detail of a sarcophagus depicting Endymion^{[disambiguation needed ]} and Selene, shown with her characteristic attributes of lunate crown and velificatio^[3]

Genealogy[link]

In the traditional pre-Olympian divine genealogy, Helios, the sun, is Selene's brother: after Helios finishes his journey across the sky, Selene, freshly washed in the waters of Earth-circling Oceanus,^[4] begins her own journey as night falls upon the earth, which becomes lit from the radiance of her immortal head and golden crown.^[4] When she is increasing after mid-month, it is a "sure token and a sign to mortal men." Her sister, Eos, is goddess of the dawn. Eos also carried off a human lover, Cephalus,^[5] which mirrors a myth of Selene and Endymion.

As a result of Selene being conflated with Artemis, later writers sometimes referred to Selene as a daughter of Zeus, like Artemis, or of Pallas the Titan. In the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, with its characteristically insistent patrilineality, she is "bright Selene, daughter of the lord Pallas, Megamedes' son."

Lovers[link]

Apollonius of Rhodes (4.57ff) refers to Selene, "daughter of Titan", who "madly" loved a mortal, the handsome hunter or shepherd—or, in the version Pausanias knew, a king— of Elis, named Endymion, from Asia Minor. In other Greek references to the myth, he was so handsome that Selene asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep so that he would stay forever young and thus would never leave her: her asking permission of Zeus reveals itself as an Olympian transformation of an older myth: Cicero (Tusculanae Disputationes) recognized that the moon goddess had acted autonomously. Alternatively, Endymion made the decision to live forever in sleep. Every night, Selene slipped down behind Mount Latmus near Miletus to visit him.^[6]

Selene had fifty daughters, the Menae, by Endymion, including Naxos, the nymph of Naxos Island. The sanctuary of Endymion at Heracleia under Latmus on the southern slope of Latmus still exists as a horseshoe-shaped chamber with an entrance hall and pillared forecourt.

Though the story of Endymion is the best-known one today, the Homeric hymn to Selene (xxxii) tells that Selene also bore to Zeus a daughter, Pandia ("all bright"), goddess of the full moon. According to some sources, the Nemean Lion was her offspring as well. According to Virgil^[7] she also had a brief tryst with Pan, who seduced her by wrapping himself in a sheepskin^[2] and gave her the yoke of white oxen that drew the chariot in which she is represented in sculptured reliefs, with her windblown veil above her head like the arching canopy of sky. In the Homeric hymn, her chariot is drawn by long-maned horses.

Luna[link]

The Roman goddess, Luna, had a temple on the Aventine Hill. It was built in the sixth century BC, but was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome during Nero's reign. There was also a temple dedicated to Luna Noctiluca ("Luna that shines by night") on the Palatine Hill. There were festivals in honor of Luna on March 31, August 24 and August 29.^[8][9]

In popular culture[link]

• In such works of fiction as The First Men in the Moon (1901), A Trip to the Moon (1902), and The Secret of the Selenites (1984), a "selenite" is a native resident of the moon.
• Adam Selene is a name assumed by a sentient computer in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
• Selene, a female vampire, is the main protagonist in the motion picture series "Underworld".
• In the anime series, Sailor Moon, the moon goddess's story is used as a theme and basis of the storyline.
• Selene is an alias for one of the antagonists, Lanfear, in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
• In "Dungeons and Dragons, the Forgotten Realms" the campaign setting of Toril has a goddess of the moon named Selune, and a moon named after her.
• In the band Garbage's official music video for their hit song "You Look So Fine," the myth of Selene and Endymion is the main theme of the video. Shirley Manson plays the part of the moon goddess.
• The story of Selene is very similar to the Japanese myth of Kaguya-Hime, The Bamboo Princess.
• In Isaac Asimov's novel The Gods Themselves, Selene Lindstrom, is a major character of the third part, which occurs on the Moon. According to her, the name is very popular there.
• In Ben Bova's series of novels, Grand Tour, Selene is the independent Luna nation that rules the moon at one stage.
• Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica's album Reckoning Night contains a song entitled "My Selene" that is based on the myth of Selene and Endymion.
• The album Pan: An Urban Pastoral by American progressive rock band Persephone's Dream contains songs entitled "Selene Rising" and "The Tears Of Selene."

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Theoi.com: Selene Passages from Greek texts, in translation

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selene

Michael Manring (born June 1960 in Annapolis^[1]) is an American bass guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area, (Northern California).

Biography[link]

Michael Manring was born as youngest of four children. His family lived in Norfolk, Virginia and moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C in 1969. The Manrings were a very active family musically, providing a very fertile background for Michael's musical development. He and his brother Doug - a guitarist and drummer, later living a long time in Japan - formed a very active rhythm group still being at high school, venturing through jazz rock and fusion, playing rock classics at beer parties or pop standards in restaurants and at weddings.^[2]

Manring was a pupil of bassist Peter Princiotto from Spring Hill area, Virginia. He began to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1970s, but canceled his studies in 1979 because of the heavy workload he already had, touring with several different bands like the Prog Rock band However.^[3] During his time at Berklee College he used every opportunity to play with very different musicians and bands. In the 1980s he studied and toured with Jaco Pastorius and began to develop his own style.^[4]

In addition to a long tenure in the 1980s as house bassist for Windham Hill Records, Manring has recorded with Spastic Ink, Alex Skolnick (in the bands Skol-Patrol and Attention Deficit, also featuring Tim Alexander from Primus), Larry Kassin, Tom Darter, Steve Morse, David Cullen, Alex de Grassi, Will Ackerman and many other noted musicians. He headlined his own band, Montreux, throughout the 1980s. He has been a member of Yo Miles!, Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's Miles Davis tribute band, since its inception. 1994 Manring was polled Bassist Of The Year by the readers of Bass Player magazine.^[5] Manring's name is also tied with that of fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges, who was a dear friend and fellow musician. Manring toured extensively with Hedges and played on all Hedges albums except one.^[5] Manring is known as a humble and gracious live performer with a gift for improvisation with guest musicians.

Since 2005 Manring is member of the band DeMania with guitarist Alex de Grassi and percussionist Christopher Garcia.

Michael Manring remains active, touring the world for performances and clinics. He lives in Oakland, California.^[6]

Music and musical influences[link]

Because of his association with the Windham Hill label Manring often was seen as a New Age musician. He doesn't see himself as belonging to a certain style or genre and often jokes about categorising his music. His album Thonk he termed for example "... the first New Age–Death metal–Fusion–album“.^[3]

Manring has a solid musical knowledge and uses the bass as a solo instrument usually in alternate tunings, with additional possibilities and patterns invoked on the fly with lever-activated de-tuners and bridges, somewhat like a pedal steel guitar. He wants to show that the electric bass can be used in a musically rich and expressive way.^[3] Manring occasionally plays on two (or even three or four) basses at the same time during live performances. Manring is also a composer of experimental music, mixing technology and fretless bass with the sounds of kitchen implements and cardboard boxes, evidenced on his "Book of Flame" solo album.

He is a technical virtuoso, generally using his bass in very different ways. Mostly he plays a fretless bass, which gives him ample possibilities to change tone and pitch just like on acoustic bass. Manring is rhythmically very versatile and often uses polyrhythms.^[3] He's said to do "... things on the electric bass that haven’t been done before, are nearly impossible, and (are) illegal in most states.".^[7] A very special technique used by Manring is the tuning change of single or several strings in the course of playing a piece.

Equipment[link]

Manring plays a custom bass by Zon Guitars, the so-called Zon Hyperbass, a very flexible instrument, which was developed by Joseph Zon and Manring.^[8] Special tuning pegs and a special bridge allow instantaneous tuning change of single strings as well as of all strings simultaneously by the action of several tiny levers, a system like that of the TransTrem guitar. The development of this special model was caused by Manring's use of open tunings. When Manring began changing tunings during pieces by turning the pegs while playing,^[3] he soon realised the limitations of this approach. First he tried to overcome these limitations by changing a normal Music Man Sting Ray Bass, but then began to develop the Hyperbass with Zon. The Hyperbass has Bartolini pickups for every string and four Fishman Transducer for the body signals of the instruments.

Apart from the Hyperbass, Manring uses a whole fleet of instruments. A listing at his website gives the following models:^[9]

• Zon Legacy Elite Special fretless, aka "Bub"
• Homemade Jazz Bass-style fretless
• Zon Michael Manring Hyperbass
• Zon Custom Fretless, aka "Junior" or "Son of Bub"
• Larrivee 5-string fretless acoustic bass guitar
• MusicMan Stingray fretless
• Paroutaud Music Laboratories 5-string fretless Infinite Sustain prototype
• PRS fretless
• Riverhead Unicorn fretless
• Riverhead Unicorn fretted bass
• Zon prototype headless fretted bass, aka "Vinny"
• Zon Legacy Elite 6-string fretless
• Zon prototype Legacy 10-string bass (5 x 2).

Manring uses several bass amplifiers, among others the SWR Mo' Bass amp, a multi effect bass amp.

Discography[link]

collected from^{[10][11][12][13]} and^[14]

Original work[link]

• 1986 Unusual Weather (Windham Hill)
• 1989 Toward the Center of the Night (Windham Hill)
• 1991 Drastic Measures (Windham Hill)
• 1994 Thonk (Highstreet)
• 1995 Up Close 21 (Windham Hill / High Street Records / Boston Acoustic)
• 1998 The Book of Flame (Alchemy Records)
• 2005 Soliloquy (Manthing Music)

Collaborations[link]

with Michael Hedges

• 1981 Breakfast in the Field (Windham Hill)
• 1984 Aerial Boundaries (Windham Hill)
• 1986 Watching My Life Go By (Open Air)
• 1987 Live on the Double Planet (Windham Hill)
• 1990 Taproot (Windham Hill)
• 1996 Oracle (Windham Hill)
• 1999 Torched (Windham Hill)
• 2000 Michael Hedges – The Best of Michael Hedges (Windham Hill)
• 2001 Beyond Boundaries – Guitar Solos (Windham Hill)
• 2003 Platinum & Gold Collection (RCA Victor)
• 2006 Pure Michael Hedges (RCA)

with Danny Heines

• 2001 What Worlds They Bring (Vadadisc)

with Alex Skolnick

• 1997 The Skol-Patrol (Pluto-Bound)

with Montreux

• 1985 Chiaroscuro (Windham Hill)
• 1987 Sign Language (Windham Hill)
• 1989 Let Them Say (Windham Hill)

with John Gorka

• 1991 Jack’s Crows (High Street)
• 1992 Temporary Road (High Street)
• 1994 Out of the Valley (High Street)
• 1996 Between Five and Seven (High Street)
• 1998 After Yesterday (Red House)
• 2001 Company You Keep (Red House)
• 2006 Writing in the Margins (Red House)

with Paolo Giordano

• 1994 Paolo Giordano (Step Musique/New Sounds)
• 2000 Kid in a Toy Shop (Step Musique/New Sounds)

with Turtle String Island Quartet

• 1995 By the Fireside (Windham Hill)

with Attention Deficit

• 1998 Attention Deficit (Magna Carta)
• 2001 The Idiot King (Magna Carta)

with Jeff Loomis

• 2008 Zero Order Phase (Century Media)

with Yo Miles

• 1998 Yo Miles! (Shanachie)
• 2004 Sky Garden (Cuneiform)
• 2005 Upriver (Cuneiform)

with Sadhappy

• 1998 Good Day Bad Dream (Periscope Recordings)
• 2005 Outerspaces (Periscope Recordings)

with Norm Stockton

• 2009 Tea In The Typhoon (Stocktones Music) [Fretless Bass on "Rockefeller Forest"]

with Scott McGill und Vic Stevens

• 2001 Addition by Subtraction (Free Electric Sound)
• 2003 Controlled by Radar (Free Electric Sound)
• 2006 What We Do (Free Electric Sound)

with Larry Kassin und Tom Darter

• 2001 Scatter (MKD Music)

with David Cullen

• 2001 Equilibré (Solid Air Records)

with Human Factor

• 2002 Human Factor (Human Factor)

with At War With Self

• 2005 Torn Between Dimensions (Free Electric Sound)

with DeMania

• 2006 DeMania (Tropo Records)

with Jeff Dodd

• 2007 Falling Awake (Aesthetic Records)

with Jeff Titus

• 2007 Wood Dragon (Musician101 Music)
• 2011 What We Don't Know (Jeff Titus Music)

with Jim Matheos

• 1999 Away with Words

with Yves Carbonne and Dominique Di Piazza

• 2005 Carbonne - Di Piazza - Manring^[15]

with Justin King (as King West Manring Vamos)

• 2008 I-XII

with Sándor Szabó

• 2010 Inner Smile (Indie Europe/Zoom) (ASIN: B0035W8QIS)

with Lukas Ligeti

• 2011 Pattern Time (Innova Records)

Compilations[link]

Windham Hill compilations

• 1982 An Evening with Windham Hill Live (Windham Hill)
• 1985 Windham Hill – Winter (Windham Hill)
• 1985 Windham Hill Sampler '86 (Windham Hill)
• 1985 Windham Hill Sampler '85 (Windham Hill)
• 1986 A Winter’s Solstice II (Windham Hill)
• 1989 Windham Hill Radio Sampler I (Windham Hill)
• 1990 Windham Hill – The First Ten Years (Windham Hill)
• 1990 A Winter’s Solstice III (Windham Hill)
• 1990 Restore the Shore (Windham Hill)
• 1991 Windham Hill Sampler '92 (Windham Hill)
• 1991 Windham Hill Guitar Sampler II (Windham Hill)
• 1993 A Winter’s Solstice IV (Windham Hill)
• 1995 Heal the Bay (Windham Hill)
• 1996 Sanctuary – 20 Years of Windham Hill (Windham Hill)
• 1996 Redbook Relaxers – Daybreak (Windham Hill)
• 1996 Redbook Relaxers – Dreamscape (Windham Hill)
• 1996 Carols of Christmas (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Summer Solstice – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Redbook Relaxers – Lullabies (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Redbook Relaxers – Dinner Party (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Redbook Relaxers – Between Friends (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Redbook Relaxers – After Hours (Windham Hill)
• 1997 Redbook Relaxers – Piano Reflections (Windham Hill)
• 1998 Thanksgiving – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 1998 Yoga Zone – Music for Yoga Practice (Windham Hill)
• 1998 Conversations with God II (Windham Hill)
• 1999 Sun Dance – Summer Solstice III (Windham Hill)
• 2000 Windham Hill Classics – Morning (Windham Hill)
• 2000 Windham Hill Classics – Journeys (Windham Hill)
• 2000 Windham Hill Classics – Harvest (Windham Hill)
• 2000 Windham Hill Classics – Angels (Windham Hill)
• 2000 The Mozart Variations (Windham Hill)
• 2002 Spirit of Life (Windham Hill)
• 2003 Windham Hill Chill II (Windham Hill)
• 2003 Prayer – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 2003 Adagio – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 2003 A Winter’s Solstice V (Windham Hill)
• 2003 A Windham Hill Wedding Album (Windham Hill)
• 2004 Winter Wonderland – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 2004 Lullaby – A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
• 2005 A Quiet Revolution – 30 Years of Windham Hill (Windham Hill)
• 2005 Essential Winter’s Solstice (Windham Hill)

BMG compilations

• 1997 Twilight Jazz (BMG)
• 1997 Meditation – Revive (BMG)
• 1997 Candlelight Moments – Romantic Moments (BMG)
• 1997 Candlelight Moments – Meditative Moments (BMG)
• 1998 Moonlight Reflections (BMG)
• 1998 Quiet Moods – Romantic Reflections (BMG)
• 1998 Quiet Moods – Meditative Moments (BMG)
• 2000 New Age Christmas (BMG)
• 2000 Awake (BMG)
• 2000 Yoga – Energy (BMG)
• 2000 Yoga – Balance Energy and Strength (BMG)
• 2001 Meditation – Relax Restore and Revive (BMG)
• 2002 Meditation – Renew (BMG)
• 2002 Meditation – Relax (BMG)

other label's compilations

• 1994 We Sing to Open Ears (High Street Records)
• 1996 Different Mozart (Philips)
• 1997 Heritage (Polygram )
• 1997 A Very Green Christmas (Seventh Wave)
• 1999 Moonlight Moments (Columbia River)
• 1999 Soundscape – New Age Reflections (Delta/BMG)
• 1999 Bass Talk, Vol. 6 (Hot Wire)
• 1999 Bass Day '98 (Hudson Music)
• 2000 Dreamscape (Delta)
• 2003 Guitar Harvest I (Solid Air)
• 2004 Healing Garden – The Art of Relaxation (Madacy)
• 2005 Brazil Duets (Adventure Music)
• 2006 "Woodsongs: An Acoustic Guitar Collection" (New Land Music)
• 2010 "The Quantum Activist Soundtrack" (Bluedot Productions)

DVD, video[link]

• 1996 Bass Essentials (Hot Licks)
• 1998 The Artist’s Profile: Michael Manring (ecliptic productions)
• 1998 Bass Day '98 DVD (Hudson Music)
• 2000 Michael Manring: Instructional Bass (Video, Hal Leonard)
• 2009 The Quantum Activist Documentary Soundtrack (Bluedot Productions)

References[link]

1. ^ Tom Mulhern, Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories & Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players : from the Pages of Guitar Player Magazine, Backbeat Books, 1993, ISBN 0-87930-274-7, p.26
2. ^ Doug Manring Bio at Doug Manrings website. Accessed on November 22, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} MICHAEL MANRING . Beyond genres and niches by Anil Prasad. Accessed on November 22, 2007.
4. ^ Alum Profile – Michael Manring '79 at Berklee College. Accessed on November 24, 2007.
5. ^ ^{a b} Michael Manring Interview by Matt Guthrie, April 15, 1994. Accessed on November 21, 2007.
6. ^ Michael Manring Contact Info at his website. Accessed on November 22, 2007.
7. ^ CD-Baby review of CD Soliloquy. Accessed on November 22, 2007.
8. ^ Hyperbass, website of Zon Guitars. Accessed on November 24, 2007.
9. ^ Michael Manring's tunings. Accessed on November 22, 2007.
10. ^ Michael Manring at Amazon. Search on November 24, 2007.
11. ^ Michael Manring's biography by Jorge Pescara (br.). Accessed on November 24, 2007.
12. ^ John Gorka, Musicmatch Guide. Accessed on November 24, 2007.
13. ^ Michael Manring, Musicmatch Guide. Accessed on November 25, 2007.
14. ^ Windham Hill album discography. Accessed on November 24, 2007.
15. ^ Carbonne - Di Piazza - Manring. Album recorded in February 2005. Accessed on May 25, 2009.

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ask Steve Lawson and Michael Manring forum at TalkBass.com
• Solo Bass Night A recurring Bay Area, California solo bass show featuring Michael Manring
• Official Peter Princiotto website
• - the official DEMANIA site
• Bassist Michael Manring, an Interview With Editor Jake Kot
• Michael Manring: A Review of the May 2009 Portland OR Concert, 8/01/2009
• Michael Manring Interview with Blogger Tommy Landry, 2011

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