Finnish melodic metal heroes, Sonata Arctica, will release a very special Christmas gift for their fan base: a new single called “Christmas Spirits”. This year the handing out of presents will happen six days early as the single will be released on December 18th via Nuclear Blast. It will be released via digital download and as a limited edition EP, only available at the Nuclear Blast Online Shop.

The band commented: "Hello everyone out there! Christmas is just around the corner so we decided to cheer you all up with a nice Christmas story. "Decided" might be a bit strong in this context since the “Christmas Spirits” song has been around for about ten years now, we just never had the time to record it. Finally during the Pariah's Child sessions we managed to do the basic tracks and this autumn we finished the song. I guess the main reason for the delay was getting the lyrics done, it’s nearly impossible to get into the Christmas mood unless it’s actually… you guessed it, Christmas. Hats off to Tony since he did it anyway, this autumn, and without any snow, we might add. Be that as it may, here’s our latest piece of art: “Christmas Spirits”!”