SONATA ARCTICA Confirmed For Next Year's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival

Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Wacken, Germany. Also scheduled to appear are IRON MAIDEN (headliners), CHILDREN OF BODOM, AVANTASIA and KREATOR.

SONATA ARCTICA recently parted ways with guitarist Jani Liimatainen and replaced him with Elias Viljanen.

The band's new album, "Unia", was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 15,000 copies. This brings the band's total number of gold albums to seven, with their debut LP, "Ecliptica", and "best-of" compilation, "The Collection", reaching gold status in the past few weeks.

Recorded and mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, "Unia" — which has been available in North America since May 22 — landed on the following international album charts: Finland - #1; Japan - #7; Sweden - #27; Germany - #35; Switzerland - #40; Austria - #62. The "Paid in Full" single (video available for viewing here) also secured the #1 single position in the band's native land.

SONATA's third North American tour begins September 12 in Fort Worth, Texas and includes a headlining performance at the ProgPower USA VIII festival in Atlanta Georgia. Complete tour dates can be viewed at this location.