Stratovarius - Eternal (SOtD MDCLVIII)

Once the Power Metal kings, the Finnish band Stratovarius, is enjoying a second life of success, after the crisis that nearly ended the band.
Eternal is their fifteenth full-length album.

Stratovarius - My Eternal Dream

Back in 1995 - Stratovarius (SOtD MDCXVII)

Back in 1995, Stratovarius released Fourth Dimension.
It was the fourth album released by the Finnish legendary Power Metal band.

Stratovarius - Distant Skies

Back in 1994 - Stratovarius (SOtD MCCLXVI)

Back in 1994, Stratovarius released the album Dreamspace.
It was the third album released by the Finnish Power Metal band.

Stratovarius - Eyes Of The World

Stratovarius - Elements Part II (2003) (SOtD DCCCLXXXIV)

In the same year, they released the second half of their Elements opus, Elements Part II.
An even weaker effort by the Finnish Power Metal legends. But it was still Stratovarius, so it had a few good songs.
Here is one...

Stratovarius - Alpha & Omega

Stratovarius - Elements Part I (2003) (SOtD DCCCLXXXIII)

Elements Part I was the ninth full-length album from Stratovarius.
Although the Finnish Power Metal band was already in the descending phase, that culminated in a long crisis between 2004 and 2008, this is still a pretty good album.

Stratovarius - Eagleheart

Stratovarius - Nemesis (SOtD DCCIII)

Two years after Elysium, the Finnish Power Metal band Stratovarius returns with Nemesis.

Stratovarius - Unbreakable

Stratovarius - Twilight Time (SOtD DXLII)

Twilight Time was the second album from Stratovarius.
This one still with Timo Tolkki doing also the Vocals and with a more Heavy Metal tone, but already with a sound completely identified with the trademark of the Finnish band.

Stratovarius - The Hands Of Time

Song Of the Day - XLIV - Top 7 Male Singers w/ Clean Vocals

If we forget the dark year of Stratovarius, 2004, Timo Kotipelto is the vocal trademark of the band since 1995, which includes their golden years, their dark ages, and their rebirth. His singing style is not consensual, but for me it blends perfectly with Stratovarius music. He is one of the Top 7 Male Singers with Clean Vocals.

Stratovarius - Hunting High and Low

Song Of the Day - XXXIII - 7 Great Albuns of 2011

2011 is being such a great year in Metal releases, and I have so little time to do proper reviews, that I decided to save a few weeks of the Song Of the Day to show the new releases of the year (reviewed or not).

The first one is an album that I reviewed, so no need to give details, just read the review here.
I chose the title song from the album, eighteen minutes of pure Stratovarius.

Stratovarius - Elysium

Stratovarius - Elysium

01. Darkest Hours
02. Under Flaming Skies
03. Infernal Maze
04. Fairness Justified
05. The Game Never Ends
06. Lifetime In A Moment
07. Move The Mountain
08. Event Horizon
09. Elysium
Bonus tracks:
10. Castaway (Japan bonus)
11. Last Shore (Collector's Edition bonus)
12. Hallowed (Collector's Edition bonus)

Released worldwide in 14th of January, Elysium is the 13th full length album of Stratovarius, the 2nd after the troublesome departure of guitar player and main composer, Timo Tolkki. If the previous release (Polaris) was the joint effort of a band without their main composer to rise again from the ashes, this new release is more solid and witnesses the emergence of a new main composer for the band in the body of Tolkki's replacement in the guitar, Matias Kupiainen, leaving for Timo Kotipelto most of the lyrics.

What to say about Elysium? It's not Destiny, Visions, or even Infinite, but oddly enough, with all these changes, it's still Stratovarius. I think part of it is due to the unique tone of Kotipelto's voice, and also the way Johansson handles the keyboards, but other part I believe is something that is already part of the band as a whole, no matter who is composing or who is playing, and that was quickly embodied by the new members.
So I believe that this record is the second step of Stratovarius second life, and maybe in the future they can present us something as good or even better than the best of the band previous life, they are going in the right direction, but Elysium is not at that level yet.

One last word about the title track, Elysium, with it's 18 running minutes is the best song of the album, and the one that better portraits the revival of one of the legendary Symphonic Power Metal bands out there. It's a long song but never gets boring and is definitely worth listening, even if Stratovarius is not really your cup of tea.