Sonata Arctica

Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band, formed in 1996 in Kemi, Lapland. The band was created in 1996 under the name Tricky Beans. It consisted of Tony Kakko, Tommy Portimo, Pentti Peura, as well as Jani Liimatainen and Marko Paasikoski. It was under this name that the band recorded three demos, Agre Pamppers and Friends Till the End in 1996, then Peacemaker the following year. The band played twice on Jyrki Sähkösirkus, a popular show in Finland. After the departure of Paasikoski and Peura and the arrival of a bassist, the band changed its name and became Tricky Means in 1998. They recorded a fourth demo, Fullmoon, in 1999, a record that allowed the band to secure a contract with Spinefarm Records. Tricky Means then changed its name to Sonata Arctica. The first single, "UnOpened", was released on 16 June 1999.