Sonata Arctica to release re-recorded debut album

"When it first was suggested to us by our Japanese label that we'd re-record our debut album Ecliptica, it felt a bit weird, but somehow the idea grew on us. Being that only Tony [Kakko, vocalist] and Tommy [Portimo, drummer] played on the original one, we thought that it would be a fun thing to do, to give these great songs another run. We're definitely not trying to re-write history: the original Ecliptica is the starting point of this band and a very special album with a certain feel of innocence and enthusiasm which cannot be recreated as such since we're not teenagers anymore. Having said that, this new version is more of a tribute and an update on how these songs sound when played by our current line-up. We wanted to stay true to the original album as much as possible and not turn this into some weird re-arranged project where you couldn't tell which song was being played. So here it is, the 15th Anniversary version of Ecliptica. Hope you enjoy it. We certainly had a good time digging into these songs and laying down the tracks."