Stratovarius
Nemesis
earMusic
2013
Well, it seems that there’s life after Tolkki huh! Is that possible though? But let’s take things right from the start. Tolkki is Stratovarius and vice versa, let’s be clear! I can’t tell if leaving his brainchild to Kotipelto and disappearing was the right thing to do or not. Possibly when he finds his inner peace someday, he will be back for, in truth to be told, he made Stratovarius the second best European metal band, after Helloween of course, and “Dreamspace” is the band’s best work to date. He didn’t manage to beat that album neither with “Fourth Dimension” (which introduced Timo Kotipelto) nor with “Episode” even though they both came very close.
Nowadays, the “old ones” Timo and Jens are being surrounded by a bunch of new metal guys, the guitarist Matias Kupiainen, the bassist Lauri Porra and the newest member, the drummer, Rolf Pilve (Solution .45, Status Minor, The Magnificent, Random Eyes, Reversion etc.). That new blood has given the band a fresh air, even if it’s the old ones that are in charge of things here. “Nemesis” is a surprisingly good album, especially if we consider the fact, that the band’s two previous albums were, at best, average. It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that “Nemesis” is Stratovarius’ finest moment of the post-Tolkki era and of the last decade perchance.
Every so often, Jens is stealing the show on this album and that’s very enjoyable in every aspect. Timo is still a great voice and all the new guys are following them harmonically. The band has updated its sound a tad, by adding several modern, heavy, pop, prog, cinematic & melodic elements. “Unbreakable”, “Stand My Ground”, “Halcyon Days”, “Fantasy”, “Dragons”, “One Must Fall”, “If the Story is Over” are the stand out tracks of this album, according to me. The other ones are nice too. The production is top-notch and responsible for that as well as the mixing is the guitarist Matias. Mika Jussila has done the mastering. Also, the ex- Sonata Arctica guitarist Jani Liimatainen is participating in the album as he has co-written the songs “Out of the Fog” and “If the Story is Over”.
“Nemesis” is putting Stratovarius back in the game again. The most hopeful of all things is that Strato are uttering that there’s life after Tolkki with this release. I think that this album will bring a smile on the old fans’ faces, but it will also give a reason to the younger ones, to comprehend why Stratovarius were/are regarded as one of the best European metal bands of our time…
Nowadays, the “old ones” Timo and Jens are being surrounded by a bunch of new metal guys, the guitarist Matias Kupiainen, the bassist Lauri Porra and the newest member, the drummer, Rolf Pilve (Solution .45, Status Minor, The Magnificent, Random Eyes, Reversion etc.). That new blood has given the band a fresh air, even if it’s the old ones that are in charge of things here. “Nemesis” is a surprisingly good album, especially if we consider the fact, that the band’s two previous albums were, at best, average. It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that “Nemesis” is Stratovarius’ finest moment of the post-Tolkki era and of the last decade perchance.
Every so often, Jens is stealing the show on this album and that’s very enjoyable in every aspect. Timo is still a great voice and all the new guys are following them harmonically. The band has updated its sound a tad, by adding several modern, heavy, pop, prog, cinematic & melodic elements. “Unbreakable”, “Stand My Ground”, “Halcyon Days”, “Fantasy”, “Dragons”, “One Must Fall”, “If the Story is Over” are the stand out tracks of this album, according to me. The other ones are nice too. The production is top-notch and responsible for that as well as the mixing is the guitarist Matias. Mika Jussila has done the mastering. Also, the ex- Sonata Arctica guitarist Jani Liimatainen is participating in the album as he has co-written the songs “Out of the Fog” and “If the Story is Over”.
“Nemesis” is putting Stratovarius back in the game again. The most hopeful of all things is that Strato are uttering that there’s life after Tolkki with this release. I think that this album will bring a smile on the old fans’ faces, but it will also give a reason to the younger ones, to comprehend why Stratovarius were/are regarded as one of the best European metal bands of our time…