Stratovarius are one of those bands, that are either loved or loathed. There's usually no middle ground about this, but I actually do. When I started to get into power metal, these Finns were one of those bands, that always left me kind of cold.

First, Timo Kotipelto's voice is, at its uniqueness, a tough element to get into (he's here for the second time with Stratovarius). His high-pitched vocals (at their highest, he goes over to falsetto singing), with not so big a range, and quite shoddy English is surely a big obstacle to get over. He does handle his position well, because he is easily recognizable and still possesses a good voice for this kind of music. He was always the toughest bit of the band for me to get into them, but nowadays I respect his deeds, even though he might at times remind listener of Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween).

Secondly, positive-sounding melodies were another huge obstacle for me to get into. Okay, Helloween did it for me, as well as Gamma Ray, so why not these fellas? The reason was guitarist Timo Tolkki's fancy for baroque music and incorporating it to the band's sound made me lose most of my interest for them. Guitar virtuosos Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie J. Malmsteen must be influences for Mr. Tolkki. Well, with time I've managed to get into these baroque and buoyant elements, performed together with keyboard wizard Jens Johansson (ex- Yngwie J. Malmsteen). There's now so typical guitar solo / synth solo duelling to be heard. The rhythm section is Jari Kainulainen on bass and Jörg Michael (Headhunter, ex- Running Wild, ex- Grave Digger, ex- Mekong Delta, ex- Rage, ex- Axel Rudi Pell etc. etc.) on drums.

This was the first album with no original members on the line-up. Still 'Episode' is more than the sum of those elements. 'Father Time' is a fast song with NWOBHM style riffage, and definitely not overtly happy-scented stuff (albeit its chorus and "ooh-ooh" parts are, in anthemic sounding way). 'Will the Sun Rise' is Malmsteen-ish classical metal piece. Epic 'Eternity' takes a turn towards darker feel with Sibelius choir, catchy melodies, some orchestral and soundtrack-ish bits, and slower pace. Very Finnish sounding (read: melancholic as hell) instrumental title track (guitar, bass, synth) is a bit weird where it is. Another fast one, 'Speed of Light', is a typical Stratovarius song, that was to be heard on consequent albums, meaning lightning-fast playing and classical music influences. Mr. Kotipelto's 'Uncertainty' is more about heavy metal, featuring great bass-driven and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) style guitar work on its verses, and if that's not enough, also one of the catchiest choruses ever written in history of metal music!

'Season of Change' begins the second half of the platter, and is the second of four longer songs on the album. Again, filled with Finnish melancholy, the songs builds up into an epic in a fantastic way, without a single irrelevant note on it. It features many a fine turn into unexpected places, one prime example being that eerie choir part. 'Stratosphere' is a neo-classical power metal meeting Finnish melancholy instrumental, showing the skills of the instrumentalists. 'Babylon', is without any surprise, very Mid-Eastern sounding song. Another heavy and long epic, this kind of stuff has been heard so many times before, and Stratovarius' take isn't among the better ones. It just does not get off, really, no matter how much guitar and synth soloists duel. 'Tomorrow', being a bloody typical positive power metal song, actually enlivens the album again. What a fine piece of energetic blasting, this one! And again, back to melancholic epic ones with 'Night Time Eclipse'... The song doesn't go into many places, but still it works better than 'Babylon' does. Somehow the "piano" melody reminds my of the movie "Halloween", hehe. 'Forever' is about string section, acoustic guitar and vocals, plus a flute! Or the other way around. A nice one, surely.

The album feels quite front-loaded, as the first 7 songs are goodies, as is 'Tomorrow'. Other songs are listenable, definitely no skipping needed, but this is patchy. Soundwise there is no problem. This sounds clear, but also punchy. Of course 15 year gap can be heard, mostly because lower tones are scarce. The album was recorded by Timo Tolkki with producer guru TT Oksala, and mixed with another known metal man Mikko Karmila. Plus for using real choirs (Sibelius Choir and Pop/Jazz Conservatory Choir) and strings (Sibelius Strings Orchestra). The lyrics are mostly about living, from personal points of view. Time itself is the focal point, sometimes depicted with in fantasy setting (e.g. 'Eternity'). Sometimes, they are okay, some other times they feel lame. Beautiful cover art is pretty simple in its painting quality, but when compared with computer generated stuff, this wins hands down.

This Stratovarius episode is filled with some fantastic metal music. That's easy to notice, because I heard the album for the first time in early 2011, and still it hits the nail on its head! If you want some classic European power metal meet melancholic heavy metal, then get your hands on this one, no matter if it has a few less excellent pieces on it.

Rating: 8- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
10/29/2011 14:41