The Stratovarius Thread

[Scorpion]

The whole album is top 3 Strato IMO, and the title track is definitely one of their best efforts.

There are a few songs that I don't really care for which keep it from ascending past Polaris and Dreamspace as my favourite Stratovarius album (Fairness Justified and Move the Mountain), but it's a really great album. 

[wolfking]

Fairness is one of my favs.  Just shows the strength of the songs I guess.

[MetalMike06]

Polaris is a really awesome album. I am so glad they made such a strong comeback after they parted with Tolkki.

As for Elysium, "The Game Never Ends"...that unison has to be damn near impossible. I can't even see Petrucci/Rudess pulling that one off smoothly.

[gazinwales]

Still have to get this,  but to be honest, Kotipelto has always been an awful live singer.

He's kinda hit or miss I think. I've seen some great performances, some bad.

Hit and miss is a more appropriate description for me.
I've seen Strato in the flesh a few times and he nailed it every time.

[RazielSR]

NEW ALBUN SPRING 2013!! https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6ESAqwcQIFU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrwNLMMeKzY

[gazinwales]

I was hoping for a new Cain's Offering album, it's got Kotipelto's best singing for a long time on it.

[RazielSR]

I was hoping for a new Cain's Offering album, it's got Kotipelto's best singing for a long time on it.

That is true. Anyway, I didn't like Cain's Offering album.

[Scrub206]

i literally just picked up cain's offering and it was amazing. the only thing i didnt like were the vocal melodies. they felt forced.

[RazielSR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kuQydwpPEEk#!

[wolfking]

I preordered that acoustic album, but I'm not expecting much from it.  A new Cain's Offering would have been much better, I thought the album was excellent.

[RazielSR]

New interview, they talk a little bit about the new album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oT9HptLrSM

[RazielSR]

STRATOVARIUS RELEASE NEW STUDIO ALBUM "NEMESIS" AND EP "UNBREAKABLE"


We are proud and very happy to announce the release of “Nemesis” the new studio album by Stratovarius, to hit the stores as standard 11-track edition as well as 13 track special edition on February 22nd, 2013.

A taste of the new studio album can be enjoyed with the Limited Edition EP “Unbreakable”, released on January 25th, 2013.

Stratovarius are hailed as one of the most influential and successful Symphonic Metal bands in the world and they have managed to establish themselves as one of the metal scene’s heavy names. The new album “Nemesis” unites all the best traits of the band’s melodic, powerful, fresh and technically elaborated metal, all spiced up with an incredible sense for melody.

The album was produced and mixed by Matias Kupiainen and mastered by Mika Jussila from Finnvox studios, who has a long history with the band.
To shorten the waiting period for the album, January 25th, 2013 finds the release of the limited edition EP “Unbreakable”. It features five songs: the new album leading track “Unbreakable” and a selection of four songs from previous albums, remastered by Mika Jussila. Songs like “Falling Star” (taken from “Polaris”) and “Freedom” (taken from “Infinite”) show a different, catchy side of Stratovarius and guide the way to the new masterpiece “Nemesis”.

Matias Kupiainen about the new song: "’Unbreakable’ is a very important song to me and the lyrics have a lot of personal meaning. Sometimes you can snap out of your day to day fog and see what is important. And when you are in that special moment, when you have that special feeling, you are invincible, unbreakable; you should really stop and enjoy the feeling. Even, if the whole world falls apart tomorrow."

Timo Kotipelto adds: “This album has a darker and more modern sound. We, as a band, have gone through a lot and we have matured as songwriters. The making of this album was easier than before, because we could give it as much time as needed."

UNBREAKABLE TRACKLIST

01. Unbreakable (taken from the brand new studio album “Nemesis”)
02. Falling Star (taken from “Polaris”)
03. The Game Never Ends (taken from “Elysium”)
04. Freedom (taken from “Infinite”)
05. Why Are We Here (taken from “Intermission”)

Songs 2-5 remastered by Mika Jussila in 2012.


The band will perform the new songs live for the very first time headlining the Radio Rock Cruise in Finland from February 9th to February 10th , followed by their first club show in Helsinki on March 3rd., 2013. On March 20th, 2013 Stratovarius will kick-off for their Nordic Nexus Of Nemesis Tour 2013 with fellow Scandinavians Amaranthe, before they return to Finland mid April to play 5 more shows:

STRATOVARIUS LIVE 2013
09.02.-10.02.2013 (FI) Radio Rock Cruise (Headliner)
08.03.2013 (FI) HELSINKI / Tavasti *

NORDIC NEXUS OF NEMESIS TOUR Stratovarius & Amaranthe Double Headline Tour

20.03.2013 (D) MÜNCHEN / Backstage Halle
21.03.2013 (D) ERFURT / Stadtgarten
22.03.2013 (CZ) ZLIN / Masters of Rock Café
23.03.2013 (H) BUDAPEST / Club 202
24.03.2013 (SK) BRATISLAVA / Majestic Club
26.03.2013 (A) VIENNA / Szene
27.03.2013 (D) NÜRNBERG /Hirsch
28.03.2013 (D) BOCHUM / Matrix
29.03.2013 (D) HAMBURG / Grünspan
30.03.2013 (NL) UDEN / De Pul
31.03.2013 (F) PARIS / Cigale
02.04.2013 (F) STRASSBURG / La Laiterie
03.04.2013 (F) LYON / Le Kao
05.04.2013 (E) BARCELONA / Razzmatazz 2
06.04.2013 (E) MADRID / Arena
07.04.2013 (E) BILBAO / Rock Star
09.04.2013 (CH) PRATTELN / Z7
10.04.2013 (I) MILAN / Alcatrazz
11.04.2013 (D) LUDWIGSBURG / Rockfabrik
12.04.2013 (D) ASCHAFFENBURG / Colos-Saal
13.04.2013 (B) MONS / PPM Fest (Festival)
14.04.2013 (D) OSNABRÜCK / Rosenhof
16.04.2013 (DK) COPENHAGEN / Amager Bio
17.04.2013 (S) MALMÖ / KB
18.04.2013 (S) STOCKHOLM / Klubben


19.04.2013 (FI) LATHI / Finlandia-klubi*
20.04.2013 (FI) TAMPERE / Pakkahuone*
26.04.2013 (FI) MIKKELI / Vaakuna*
27.04.2013 (FI) JYVÄSKYLÄ, Lutakko*
30.04.2013 (FI) HELSINKI, Virgin Oil*

*Stratovarius only


www.stratovarius.com
www.youtube.com/earMUSICofficial
www.facebook.com/earMUSICofficial
www.twitter.com/earMUSICedel

https://www.ear-music.net/en/news/details/stratovarius-release-new-studio-album-nemesis-and-ep-unbreakable/

[Scorpion]

Excited, though I don't like the cover and 'Nordic Nexus of Nemesis' sounds pretty lame as well.

[MoraWintersoul]

Strategically placed sword.

[Zydar]

Strategically placed sword.

Sounds like a Rhapsody album title.

I'll be sure to give this Stratovarius album a spin when it is out.

[Mladen]

I'm really looking forward to this, their last couple of albums were really good, especially Elysium. The artwork is meh, though.

EDIT: Just realized that's the EP cover. Hopefully the album cover is more awesome. 

[wolfking]

Looking forward to the album but I don't understand the concept of the EP.  Four songs that have already been released and 2 songs that Tollki played on and one that he wrote??  I find this strange to say the least.

[ronnibran]

Am I really the only one that thinks that album cover looks schweet?  Sure, it's pretty cheesy, but more pleasing to the eye than lots of other covers.

[?]

Looking forward to the album but I don't understand the concept of the EP.  Four songs that have already been released and 2 songs that Tollki played on and one that he wrote??  I find this strange to say the least.

Yeah, the tracklisting is pretty random. I could understand if they released some of their hits on it, like Hunting High & Low and Black Diamond, to get some new/casual fans to buy it - like a cheap little "greatest hits" release. But now it only features songs that the dedicated fans have already and the casual fans don't recognize and 1 new song that will be released on the album anyway. I can't see this EP selling a lot!

Anyway, the talk about a darker and more modern style sounds promising!

[Fisi]

Well, Stratovarius is one of my favourite bands so I'm really excited about all this, but honestly, the cover of that EP is just horrible! Using (almost) naked women is always cheap, this computer made woman looks really really ugly, an angel with a sword looks like a real power metal cliché... And well, the red scenery looks quite dull also. When I first saw this cover, I really thought it was some kind of a stupid joke. Unfortunately it wasn't.  I'm hugely disappointed with this as I pretty much liked the covers in Darkest Hours and Elysium. But well, when talking about more essential things, I think that all sounds pretty promising. I actually think that their two latest albums were their best, so I find all the talk about more modern sound etc pretty intriguing. I'm also quite excited about the EP as I pretty much like all the four old songs on it, so I'm eager to hear what are the remastered versions going to sound like. And talking about the tour dates, I hope I would finally be able to see them live. 

[Scorpion]

I really like the cover of Darkest Hours, I must say, but to each his own.

[wolfking]

I'm also quite excited about the EP as I pretty much like all the four old songs on it, so I'm eager to hear what are the remastered versions going to sound like.

In all honesty, do these songs even need to be remasterd?  IMO they don't.

[ronnibran]

Good or bad album cover, not really an issue for me anyway.  I'll probably just buy the mp3 from amazon anyway.  Just looking forward to some new Stratovarius, I really liked their last release.  Polaris was pretty good, too.

[?]

I'm also quite excited about the EP as I pretty much like all the four old songs on it, so I'm eager to hear what are the remastered versions going to sound like.

In all honesty, do these songs even need to be remasterd?  IMO they don't.

Yeah, they will only be slightly louder than the original versions.

[RazielSR]

[MoraWintersoul]

Why is everyone but Jens and the new drummer looking at the photographer as if he were some sort of a homicidal maniac.
Oh, right, metal promo photos

[Scorpion]

Jens looks really goofy.

[RazielSR]

 

Jens is always goofy!
Rolf seems like a little child in that picture! 

[wolfking]

How old is that drummer, he looks no more than 18.

[RazielSR]

How old is that drummer, he looks no more than 18.

He is 24. but yes, in the picture seems younger

-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSbcVzDs97w

[?]

How old is that drummer, he looks no more than 18.

He is 24. but yes, in the picture seems younger

-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSbcVzDs97w

25, actually. But yeah, he looks pretty young!

[Adami]

Jens looks really goofy.

I once saw him play keyboards on Crazy Train with Nightwish.


Got nothing more to add, sorry.

[wolfking]

Jens is an absolute legend.  The Live in Lenigrad concert with Yngwie Malmsteen is incredible.

[Scorpion]

Bump, because today Move the Mountain, Lifetime in a Moment and Fairness Justified finally clicked for me. Elysium is now my favourite of theirs, so bring on the new CD.

[wolfking]

I think I could safely say that Elysium is top 3 Strato.