The Stratovarius Thread

[wolfking]

Finally getting around to listening to this new album.  It's very good.  Very Eternal, but that's no bad thing.  Some great vocal melodies and great riffing. 

[gazinwales]

I still haven't heard it, CD is waiting for me when I get home from my month long UK trip on Tuesday night.

[gazinwales]

Finally I've had a chance to fully digest 'Survive' and I'm pretty happy with what I've heard.
I'd give it a 8/10, solid all round, great riffs, melodies and strong production.
My partner commented in the car yesterday 'the songs all sound the same' as in similar tempo...

[wolfking]

Finally I've had a chance to fully digest 'Survive' and I'm pretty happy with what I've heard.
I'd give it a 8/10, solid all round, great riffs, melodies and strong production.
My partner commented in the car yesterday 'the songs all sound the same' as in similar tempo...

I think it's a really good album actually.  I like the vibe of the tracks being a bit similar.  For some reason I gravitate towards albums like that.  Really consistent.

[cramx3]

I gave it a couple listens last week, still need to listen more.  It's good and similar to the level as the last two albums, but maybe slightly less as good.  Album doesn't wow me at all really, but it's pretty consistently solid throughout. 

[cramx3]

Upon more listens, I'm enjoying this more than my initial reaction.  Really liking songs We Are Not Alone and Before the Fall. 

[gazinwales]

From TT Instagram, a reunion of some sort of the original Stratovarius line up:

They started it all 34 years ago...The Dreamspace lineup of Stratovarius has reformed, returning under the moniker TIMO TOLKKI'S STRATO. Featuring Timo Tolkki (vocals & guitar), Tuomo Lassila (drums), and Antti Ikonen (keyboards), these members recorded the classic Fright Night, Twilight Time, Dreamspace and Fourth Dimension albums. Released in 1994, Dreamspace was the last Stratovarius album to have Timo Tolkki on lead vocals and includes such fan favorites as "Chasing Shadows", "Hold On To Your Dream", "We Are The Future" and "Wings Of Tomorrow". Tolkki recorded his vocals for the Fourth Dimension album demos before deciding to focus on guitar only and recruited Timo Kotipelto as vocalist. Fourth Dimensionincluded a number of standout tracks including "Against The Wind", "Distant Skies", "Galaxies" and "Twilight Symphony".

In the summer 2022 Timo Tolkki, Tuomo Lassila and Antti Ikonen met to discuss ideas to reform the original line up, deciding to call themselves “Timo Tolkki’s Strato”. In all secrecy, they have rehearsed in Tuomo’s garage (real back to the roots!) since January 2023.This reconstituted lineup has signed a deal with Warner Music Japan, and is currently recording their debut album titled Return To Dreamspace to be released on 27.10.2023, preceded by the single “(Is this the) Brave New World?". A Japanese Tour is planned for spring 2024, and Timo Tolkki will visit Japan in November 2023 to promote the album -- his first time there since 2007. Tours of Latin America and Europe are also in the works. In concert the band will be performing songs from Return To Dreamspace, as well as from the Stratovarius albums, Fright Night,Twilight Time, and Dreamspace.

[Zydar]

Interesting. So Timo will do the lead vocals again? Has he done that ever since Kotipelto took over?

[wolfking]

This was talked about a couple years ago.  Cool to see its actually happening.

[Mladen]

That is pretty cool, interesting that the remaining guys sre still doing music. It's odd that Jari isn't a part of this, though.

[bl5150]

I'd be a lot more interested in the Fourth Dimension lineup....................close but no cigar 

[Grappler]

I'd be a lot more interested in the Fourth Dimension lineup....................close but no cigar 

Same here.  I'm not interested in hearing Tolkki sing at all. 

[cramx3]

Considering I enjoy the modern version of Stratovarius way more than the classic version, I don't have much interest but if the songs are good that can change. 

[nick_z]

I absolutely love Dreamspace, so this could (in principle) have potential…but somehow I doubt it will result in anything particularly exciting Tolkki seems to have run out of gas for a while now, unfortunately…

[Glasser]

Visions was the last album I liked.

[gazinwales]

I absolutely love Dreamspace, so this could (in principle) have potential…but somehow I doubt it will result in anything particularly exciting Tolkki seems to have run out of gas for a while now, unfortunately…

He might have, but he has subsequently stated on his instagram;
By the way: all the songs in the upcoming album is written by Lassila-Tolkki-Ikonen.

[nick_z]

I absolutely love Dreamspace, so this could (in principle) have potential…but somehow I doubt it will result in anything particularly exciting Tolkki seems to have run out of gas for a while now, unfortunately…

He might have, but he has subsequently stated on his instagram;
By the way: all the songs in the upcoming album is written by Lassila-Tolkki-Ikonen.

Nice! And, technically, Stratovarius was founded by Lassila, so we might well consider him the driving force 

Anyway, I always found his drumming and Ikonen's keyboards in early Stratovarius to be super-interesting and a big part of why enjoy those records so much, so I can't deny I'm at least a bit curious to hear what they come up with...