UMUR "Intermission" is a compilation album by Finnish power metal act Stratovarius. The album was released in June 2001 though Nuclear Blast Records. The liner notes in the booklet explains that "Intermission" is meant as a way to fill the gap between albums as the members of Stratovarius at this point needed a longer break from band activities to refill the batteries. After having released four consecutive successful albums in "Episode (1996)", "Visions (1997)", "Destiny (1998)" and "Infinite (2000)" and having toured almost constantly in support of those albums, the members of the band were burned out and needed a break and who can blame them? "Intermission" features four new tracks, a couple of cover tracks, a couple of live tracks and a lot of B-sides and tracks that have only previously appeared as bonus tracks on various limited editions of the above mentioned studio albums. So this is not a best-of compilation but rather a compilation of rarities.

While most of the material on "Intermission" are what I´d catagorize as "typical" B-side material we´re still talking Stratovarius in their prime, which means that even their leftover tracks are of pretty high quality. High level musicianship, professional songwriting and professional sound production. Nothing could compete with Stratovarius in those days. "Intermission" was the end of the most successful and musically consistent era of the band´s history though and trouble lay ahead. While "Intermission" may not be the most interesting entrance to Stratovarius music, and as most rarities compilations probably speaks most to the hardcore fans, it´s still a quality product deserving a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating.

UMUR "Stratovarius" is the 11th full-length studio album by Finnish power metal act Stratovarius. The album was released in September 2005 by Mayan Records/Sanctuary Records. It was the last album to feature the "classic" Stratovarius lineup that had been consistent sice 1996, as bassist Jari Kainulainen was fired shortly after the release and guitarist Timo Tolkki decided to leave the band in 2008. Leading up to the recording of the album the band had been through some rough times. Timo Tolkki suffered a nervous breakdown in early 2004 and the band went into a year long hiatus while Tolkki was treated and eventually diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. Tensions were building and "Stratovarius" is a product created by a band on the brink of destruction. It´s quite misleading that the closing track on the album is titled "United".

The album sees quite a departure from the band´s usual power metal style. It´s not that you can´t hear that it is Stratovarius playing but the band have chosen to include more traditional heavy metal elements than ever before and at the same time abandoning some of the most traditional power metal elements that are otherwise trademarks of their style. That means sparse double bass pedal drumming, few neo-classical elements and actually few solos from both guitar and keyboards. Instead most tracks are kept in mid-pace and the riffs are heavier. One other thing is that lead vocalist Timo Kotipelto also moderates his use of high pitched vocals. He has quite the pleasant mid-range vocal style too though and I think his more varied vocal approach on this album suits him well.

"Stratovarius" is an album that among fans of Stratovarius are generally regarded as a "black sheep" in the band´s discography. Personally I welcome the change in style and I actually think it´s a pretty good release. It´s not a revelation in any way and it probably shouldn´t be counted as one of Stratovarius "classic" albums, but I think few would despute that it´s well produced, well composed and well played. The album is probably a bit too far removed from the band´s usual style to satisfy the most conservative power metal fan, but if you can appreciate Stratovarius playing a mix of traditional heavy metal and power metal this album ain´t too bad. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.

adg211288 Although Elysium is the thirteenth album to carry the name of long-running Finnish power metal act Stratovarius in reality what we have here is a major case of Trigger’s Broom, with lead vocalist Timo Kotipelto being the longest running band member, having joined in 1994 in time for the group’s fourth album, 1995’s Fourth Dimension. Whether you’re for or against such things is irrelevant, as Stratovarius serves up a solid dose of melodic power metal on Elysium.

Being my proper introduction to the band, I have to say that Elysium sets a really fine first impression. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about the album though. Although I’d never really properly checked them out before now I was well aware of the existence of Stratovarius for many years. More specifically I knew that their main writer was guitarist Timo Tolkki and that he parted ways with the band a couple of albums back, and losing your main writer is never a good thing. Secondly I’d seen that the couple of albums prior to Elysium, one with Tolkki and one without, hadn’t exactly been received with open arms, although the first post-Tolkki album, 2009’s Polaris, was admitted better received than Tolkki’s final work with them, the 2005 self-titled effort. Given these two things I was kind of expecting Elysium to be the work of a band well past their prime struggling to relive their glory days. That isn’t the case in the slightest. I don’t need to hear those not so well received last couple of albums to say with confidence that Stratovarius is most definitely back and they mean business.

While the crowning achievement here is the title track, an eighteen minute piece with three sections that takes the album into progressive metal territory, there is plenty of power metal goodness on offer. An early highlight is Under Flaming Skies, which I feel is the moment where Elysium really picks up because to be honest I’m not overly fond of the album’s opener Darkest Hours. I think it’s a patchy song. Fortunately from Under Flaming Skies onwards things maintain a higher level of quality, although Lifetime in a Moment doesn’t make best use of its 6:39 duration and is only saved in its early stages by Kotipelto’s stunning vocal delivery, allowing it time to pick up into quite an interesting piece. Aside from these couple of hiccups we’re dealing with some top notch power metal that has all the elements required to be great, and it is great, but I can’t help feeling that without those small issues we’d be instead listening to something exceptional. Other highlights of the album would be Event Horizon, a very neoclassical infused track, along with Move the Mountain.

I’m overall feeling very positive about Elysium and would easily recommend it to any power metal fan or to a metal fan in general for that matter. Based on this I’m looking forward to checking out the band’s back catalogue because by the sound of things I’ve been missing out. Having checked out the album Visions from 1997 before finalising this review, I can also safely say that Elysium, while not as good, sits with pride beside it.

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven, scored at 8.2/10)

UMUR "Elysium" is the 13th full-length studio album by Finnish power metal act Stratovarius. The album was released in January 2011 through Armoury Records. Stratovarius is one of the few top drawer Euro power metal acts out there that most people know. At least by name.

If you are familiar with the previous work by Stratovarius you won´t be in for many surprises on "Elysium". The 9 tracks on the 56:35 minutes long album, are driven by outstanding musicianship. Lead vocalist Timo Kotipelto has a very high pitched and distinct vocal style that is one of the trademarks of Stratovarius sound. He is an extremely skilled vocalist but also a bit of an aquired taste. The fast and neo-classical inspired solo work is shared by guitarist Matias Kupiainen and keyboard player Jens Johansson. The rythm section is hard hittin´ and precise. The album is well balanced between fast double pedalling Euro power metal tracks, heavier mid-paced tracks, a power ballad ("Move the Mountain") and to close the album Stratovarius have chosen to include the 18:07 minutes long epic title track.

So "Elysium" is basically Stratovarius by the numbers. The band sound more or less like they´ve always done. For better or worse. One thing I´ve always had a hard time appreciating about Stratovarius is how formulaic vers/chorus structured most of their tracks are and the fact that their heavy mid-paced tracks have a tendency to come off repetitive and slightly boring isn´t exactly a plus in my book either. When Stratovarius are great they are really great though and they are best when they just pound away IMO, which they thankfully do to a satisfactory level on "Elysium". I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star rating is warranted.

Diogenes Well, here we are with the second of the two Elements albums. Despite being named Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, being released around the same time, and having cover art with some half-person reaching up to a glowing ball, these albums don’t really have a lot to do with each other. While Elements Pt. 1 was a delve into broader and more symphonic territories, Pt. 2 shows Stratovarius returning mostly to a sound that’s more, hmm, Stratoesque.

Strangely, the few songs on Elements Pt. 2 that continue the band’s experimentation are also the ones that I find to be the most memorable. The album opener Alpha and Omega breaks the traditional Stratomold of leading with a short, upbeat number; its haunting atmosphere and slower pace make you feel as if you’re hovering above vast oceans and plains. This song absolutely NAILS the “epic” sound that Stratovarius whiffed on in the first part of the Elements project. Dreamweaver, too, is a solid track, being more of a midtempo hard rocker than a power metal song. The chorus to this one is great. And I know I’m in the minority here, but I really like Awaken the Giant. It’s slow, but still headbangable, and the distorted vocals actually work here for reasons that I will outline later. Regardless, all three of these songs strike the perfect balance between progression in the Stratovarius sound and typical melodic power metal.

Other than that, it’s business as usual for Tolkki and company. This means that the power metal songs are, erm, heavily inspired by earlier Stratovarius, and the ballads are forgettable. I Walk to My Own Song, I’m Still Alive, and Know the Difference will probably sound pretty damn familiar if you’ve hear anything this band has recorded before 2003. But therein lies the problem: it’s a little too familiar. The lack of originality isn’t as blatant as it would become later on (there are no recycled riffs or anything here), but these tracks are still very much alike to those you would find on Episode or Visions. That might appeal to you anyway, but be warned: the individual performances aren’t as good here. Save for the always steady Jorg Michael on drums, Stratovarius sounds like they’re just going through the motions. The once-mighty Timo Kotipelto, with less choirs and tri-vocal layering on this album, sounds weak and tired from the beating his vocal chords have taken over the years. He’s still hitting the notes, but sings with noticeably less power than on previous Stratovarius releases. Tolkki’s riffing is, again, repetitive, and his solos don’t add anything other than taking up part of the songs. Jens Johannsson appears to be playing his keyboard just because he’s in the band and Tolkki can’t figure out how to incorporate him in the songwriting. That’s more or less the impression that I’m getting from listening to the fast tracks. They’re solid alone, but underwhelming when all put on the same album.

On the surface, all of the ballads might seem pretty bad. Slow songs have never been Tolkki’s forte, even at the height of his creativity, but in truth, these aren’t so horrid. They aren’t good, but they aren’t bad either. Season of Faith’s Perfection and Luminous are just sort of there, but Liberty is actually a decent song with a catchy guitar solo, and I might have upgraded it a little more if it wasn’t another album closer (STOP ENDING ALBUMS WITH BALLADS!!! I swear…) I’m having a hard time saying anything else about these, so that should give you an idea of how effective they are.

So, there’s a lot of repetition, three of the songs are taking up blank space, and I still don’t like Tolkki. Then why the hell am I giving this three stars? Um, there really isn’t anything that’s BAD on Elements Pt. 2. Yes, there are only a few good songs that will stick with you, but there aren’t any moments where I’m inclined to hit skip or painfully rip out my headphones. It’s true that the ballads aren’t spectacular and the songs where Stratovarius usually excels aren’t that memorable either, but after filling their previous album with pointless and bland crap, Stratovarius have made an album with direction and some idea of what they’re doing. That, and it still might be of some value for the band’s hardcore fans because it actually sounds like Stratovarius this time.

Giving Elements Pt. 2 another leg up on its predecessor is the production. Again, it doesn’t sound a lot different than any Stratovarius albums except for Elements Pt. 1, but that’s mostly good news. Michael’s drums don’t sound nearly as triggered, and the whole thing isn’t as flat. Making more room for the actual METAL instrumentation, perhaps?

So I guess this isn’t the worst album you can get. It’s definitely not where you would want to start in the Stratovarius discography, and you still might prefer Elements Pt. 1 over this, depending on your tastes and tolerance for overlong and boring songs. Elements Pt. 2 is a fun listen, although pretty unfulfilling, and would be the last decent effort by the band for quite some time.