The album basically has two speeds - fast, and slow(er). The flute on Letter to Dana isn't used much, just in the intro and towards the end, but it's a nice touch to one of the most downcast songs. The other instruments - bass and drums - are solid and competent, and provide a good foundation for the other, more striking elements. They're not hugely cheesy (though to be honest, I wouldn't mind if they were), and they're used enough to have a presence, but not so much or so prominently that you just hate keyboards by the end - another thing Tony has done well on the album. Their level of technicality isn't huge, but they're skilled enough, and the solos are suitably fast and widdly, which can only be good. Like I said above, the guitars are clean and crisp, and the high quality of production throughout the album spotlights that. Of the instruments, the emphasis seems to be very much on the guitars and keyboards. The lyrics don't live up to the promise of the vocals, but what do you expect from power metal? They fit the songs on the album really well, so they're good enough.

His voice is probably my favourite aspect of the whole thing, especially on the slower tracks ( Replica and Letter to Dana, another two of the higher-placed songs) where his Finnish accent sounds really good, and is fun to imitate whilst singing along (or trying to, anyway). Tony, despite his unfortunate surname, is adept at switching from regular singing to falsetto in the blink of an eye (see My Land, one of the album's stand-out tracks), and as far as I can tell never falters throughout the album. The vocals are top notch, probably my favourite in the genre. If you fall into the latter category, Sonata Arctica's debut album will do nothing to change your mind - it more or less follows the Stratovarius power metal blueprint, meaning the album is full of clean, crisp guitars, uplifting melodies and reasonably high-pitched (and often harmonised) vocals singing fluff lyrics.

Power metal is pretty much a genre you either really like, or really hate.

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