Winterheart's Guild
2003 studio album by Sonata Arctica
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Winterheart's Guild is the third studio album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica. It was released in 2003 through Spinefarm Records. In a 2014 interview, vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Tony Kakko said inspiration for writing "The Ruins of My Life" came from the film Braveheart.[1] In 2019, he would refer to the album's recording process as a "nightmare" because he only had "two or three" songs ready when the band went in the studio.[2]
| Winterheart's Guild | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 February 2003 | |||
| Recorded | September – November 2002 | |||
| Studio | Tico Tico Studio | |||
| Genre | Power metal | |||
| Length | 54:57 | |||
| Label | Spinefarm | |||
| Producer | Sonata Arctica | |||
| Sonata Arctica chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
Track listing
All songs written by Tony Kakko
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Abandoned, Pleased, Brainwashed, Exploited" | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Gravenimage" | 7:00 |
| 3. | "The Cage" | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Silver Tongue" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "The Misery" | 5:08 |
| 6. | "Victoria's Secret" | 4:43 |
| 7. | "Champagne Bath" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Broken" | 5:18 |
| 9. | "The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me" (Japanese edition bonus track) | 4:22 |
| 10. | "The Ruins of My Life" | 5:14 |
| 11. | "Draw Me" (In the Japanese edition, the silence after 5:05 between studio outtakes are removed.) | 9:27 |
| Total length: | 54:57 | |
Personnel
- Tony Kakko – vocals, keyboards
- Jani Liimatainen – guitar
- Marko Paasikoski – bass guitar
- Tommy Portimo – drums
- Jens Johansson – keyboard solos on "The Cage", "Silver Tongue", "Victoria's Secret" and "Champagne Bath"
Technical personnel
- Recorded by Ahti Kortelainen at Tico Tico Studios in September–November 2002
- Mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios and mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in November–December 2002.
- Produced by Sonata Arctica
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] | 3 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[8] | 63 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 88 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] | 18 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[11] | Gold | 24,986[11] |
