Stratovarius
Eternal
earMusic
2015
Stratovarius did manage to almost become the next big thing for a brief moment in the past as they managed to bring their rather standard power metal with some quite virtuosic performances from certain members and a series of pretty good albums with key “classic” songs and a singer in Kotipelto that sounded more impressive than he actually was “good” to the masses, at the right time... but then some weird $#it hit the fan.
Since the whole “soap-opera” that the “divorce” with Timo Tolki was the band has released some three albums with only the drummer changing if I’m not mistaken. So the band by now and after the replacement of their long time drummer Jorg Michael only features two people from their most recognizable/classic era and it’s probably down to Jens Johansson being quite a genius that these albums are listenable… don’t get me wrong Kupianen is a totally sufficient guitarist whenever you can hear him, Kotipelto with his diminishing range nowadays sounds better than he did back in the day when he sounded as if someone had given him a helium balloon and then a kick in the nuts.
Stratovarius on their fifteenth album, the fourth after the departure of Tolki, sound like themselves older but only a tad more sophisticated still doing the same thing they’ve been doing since forever but only managing to sound stale like bread that has gone a few days old. You can still eat it and you won’t be disgusted in all probability you’ll be able to tell it’s bread but it won’t be fresh or have the taste it did when it was made. Probably the fear of letting go something that they had dedicated a number of years of the professional lives doesn’t let these guys explore other avenues… I’m pretty sure Johansson might have been happier with something a bit more adventurous and well Kotipelto has his solo albums and Cain’s Offering as well, none of them are as successful as these guys ever were so… it only makes sense to keep doing this until kingdom come.
Opener “My Eternal Dream” has some merit but the most impressive tracks for me where the two credited to Johannson, the progressively heavier but in its heart tender “Fire in Your Eyes” and the non MJ cover “Man in the Mirror”. “The Lost Saga” a track credited to Matias Kupiainen, who also signs as the producer veers for more than ten minutes that it hardly manages to justify, in its piratic/Viking saga... it reminded me past its fifth minute of those boring to tear later day Luca Turilli epics of similar length. One good riff – can’t really go on and on and support a ten minute song and with all the solos and changes of pace, the track just loses scope pretty soon.
Not terrible, but then only Ivan was! It might be time to either break this up or return to “Dreamspace”, if they can… (do a reunion and then call it quits)
Since the whole “soap-opera” that the “divorce” with Timo Tolki was the band has released some three albums with only the drummer changing if I’m not mistaken. So the band by now and after the replacement of their long time drummer Jorg Michael only features two people from their most recognizable/classic era and it’s probably down to Jens Johansson being quite a genius that these albums are listenable… don’t get me wrong Kupianen is a totally sufficient guitarist whenever you can hear him, Kotipelto with his diminishing range nowadays sounds better than he did back in the day when he sounded as if someone had given him a helium balloon and then a kick in the nuts.
Stratovarius on their fifteenth album, the fourth after the departure of Tolki, sound like themselves older but only a tad more sophisticated still doing the same thing they’ve been doing since forever but only managing to sound stale like bread that has gone a few days old. You can still eat it and you won’t be disgusted in all probability you’ll be able to tell it’s bread but it won’t be fresh or have the taste it did when it was made. Probably the fear of letting go something that they had dedicated a number of years of the professional lives doesn’t let these guys explore other avenues… I’m pretty sure Johansson might have been happier with something a bit more adventurous and well Kotipelto has his solo albums and Cain’s Offering as well, none of them are as successful as these guys ever were so… it only makes sense to keep doing this until kingdom come.
Opener “My Eternal Dream” has some merit but the most impressive tracks for me where the two credited to Johannson, the progressively heavier but in its heart tender “Fire in Your Eyes” and the non MJ cover “Man in the Mirror”. “The Lost Saga” a track credited to Matias Kupiainen, who also signs as the producer veers for more than ten minutes that it hardly manages to justify, in its piratic/Viking saga... it reminded me past its fifth minute of those boring to tear later day Luca Turilli epics of similar length. One good riff – can’t really go on and on and support a ten minute song and with all the solos and changes of pace, the track just loses scope pretty soon.
Not terrible, but then only Ivan was! It might be time to either break this up or return to “Dreamspace”, if they can… (do a reunion and then call it quits)