Album: Elysium by Stratovarius

Setting the scene

Stratovarius were one of the pioneering bands in power mental yet they were also a band of incredible bad luck. Considering that Stratovarius have faced internal disputes, were plagued with record label catastrophes, legal battles and emotional traumas its a miracle the band still stands.

There is no hiding that the current line up is completely different to that of the first two albums, but some how despite seemingly endless changes to their line up Stratovarius have created consistently quality albums that are all recognizable. Their previous album Polaris was still very much a Stratovarius album but also heralded a change in the wind.

According to Timo Kolipelte; 'Polaris was the album that saved the band. Without it there would not be any Stratovarius. With "Elysium" we are showing the people that Stratovarius are back at the top of power metal!' Even with a new diplomatic system of organisation and a 'burst of creative energy' can Elysium really live up to the hype and re-crown Stratovarius?

The Box

I found when my Pre-ordered copy of the album arrived it was the special edition, which will certainly stand out in a CD collection as the box made from hollific shimmering metallic card. Also included are small post cars from each band member with their thoughts on the album that are great for any fan and a quality booklet. All the imagray is of the style seen in the album cover. 

The Album

My first thoughts were of heart break, it was not at all what I was expecting and in fact I was very disapointed. Dispite this I placed it in my car CD player and after listening to it serveral times I began to understand that Eylsim is a great album.  Eylsim offers variety of tracks with some ballad like tracks such as 'Fairness Justified' but also high pasted power metal tracks like 'The Game Never Ends'.

Notable Tracks

I think everyone will pick their own favourate track from this album, personally I love the first track Darkest Hours, its an uplifting power metal athem with classic Stratovarius stamped all over it. ;Move the Mountain' is notably moving.

Summary

Does the album live up to all the hype, is it one of the great metal albums of all time, no. Although Elysium is a good album and I would not discourage anyone from purchasing it, its not amazing. You get the feeling Stratovarius could do better with this album, although it has more depth than Polaris its not much of a stride forward. 

4.0/5 - Elysium is a display of potensional opposed to a master piece, deffinatly take a listen but don't expect to have your mind blown. 

Buy it herenyone cares to disagree, please comment away :-)

Album: Twilight Time by Stratovarius

It seems strange that the first review on this blog is of an album made before I was born! Yet I said I would review the next album I received in the post and this was it! Thats right I did say, in the post.. not downloaded! After all who could resist a proper album when they are for sale for under £4. Given its a in a box lets quickly skim over that.

The Box
The cover for this album is actually quite nice, one of Stratovarius' less garish albums covers! The text is very retro though but it all adds to the feel. It has a very cheep feel though once you take a look around the box, the lyrics are printed in Times New Roman on a white back ground.. and the only band picture is a postage stamp size and very pixilated. Although the plastic thing that the CD clips into was reenforced on my copy which is very good, I've had band experiences with other albums breaking there. For their second album on not much money, I should cut them some slack!

The Album
Now this is very important, as with any early Stratovarius: Listen to the album, Listen to it again.. go to bed wake up listen to it... let the songs sink into your head then play it very loud that evening! It sounds a bit odd but on the first listening of this album I hated it! Same with Dream Space, Fourth Dimension and Episode! Its mostly likely the nature of the genera that does this to you.
'Breaking the Ice' opens the albums with nice heavy punch, which is not Timo's strong point but it works.. just. The rifts as you would expect from stratovarius, very good, and the solos are too.
Besides 'Breaking the Ice', 'Metal Frenzy' is pretty heavy (by my standards!)
Anyone who has listened to Stratovarius will know they tend to include a 7minute + song, this is the song that keeps you coming back and I think for this album I would be 'Madness Strikes at Midnight'  when combined with 'Twilight Time' these tracks have a catchy enough chorus to bring you back in to enjoy this album that you would otherwise probably forget!
Theres no overal feel to the album but the tracks are slotted well together, it is an album not a collection of songs.

Notable tracks
Besides what I've mentioned earlier 'The Hills have Eyes' is an eerie feel, its a fantastic song. Its nice to hear some unusual sounds and despite the crititism that Timo Tolkki gets his voice does range and certainly does not spoil the album, the song has a great beat too it as well.
'Lead us into the light' does not do it for me though, its the classic Stratovarious finisher that could be compared to 'Wings of Tomorrow' or 'We hold the Key' but it just lacks the quality that could have really helped this album.

Summary
If you stick it out this album does reward you, it begin in my iTunes liberary with one star.. then the next day two and now I've raised it to four stars! Thats around what I'm giving this album, 3.75 stars. It lacks the real quality tracks or theme and has some weak links calling a five out of question but it really grew on me. Its a bit forgettable but when you do come back to it, it will be a pleasure. I'd give it four but its bettered by later stratovarius albums.

3.75/5 - Don't judge it too soon, its a must have for Stratovarius fans, but not amazing.

Buy it Here

I'm a big Stratovarius fan so if anyone cares to disagree, please comment away :-)