Listening to this new Stratovarius again, I think it's fantastic. Jani writing a few songs seems weird and there's at least two that are direct copies of Cain's Offering stuff, but overall it's really good. The epic is a grower, but I like this better than Nemesis. There's less filler and it's less bloated. I don't think there's any filler on it really. I could do without the ballad, but it's alright.
The melodies and some of the structures here are really mature and wonderful to listen to.