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Electronic bleeping is the first thing heard when playing the latest Stratovarius album, a sound that may surprise one that expects to hear a power metal song. Despite the unorthodox beginning, the tracks that follow reveal Stratovarius to be a by-the-numbers power metal disc. All the usual elements of a Stratovarius album are present here, with power metal stylings influenced with a bit of progressiveness. The musicianship as always is top-notch and can be witnessed on the many solos scattered throughout. On top of everything are the operatic vocals of Timo Kotipelto, which are a perfect fit for the band. The Finns have been at it for over 20 years and seem to be sticking with a sound that has worked for them.
“Maniac Dance,” the first track on the album, was released as a single and could even be seen as the band’s attempt to sell out. The band even released a video for it featuring scantily clad women! However, the main riff introduced by the aforementioned beeping gets kind of old fast, and the chorus failed to get my attention. Further weaknesses can be seen in some of the longer tracks. “Gotterdammerung (Zenith Of Power)” starts out fine but degenerates into over three minutes of repetition of the line “see the power.” It would have been better to end the song after four minutes instead of stretching it out in an attempt to make it a more “epic” track.
For the most part, Stratovarius do not deal with bad metal clichés such as sorcery or Satanism in their lyrics. However, the absurd lyrics they chose to use instead are just as bad. What exactly is a Maniac Dance and why is it on a metal album? Also, “Fight!!!” should never be allowed to be a title for a metal song. Titles such as these are certainly as ripe for parody as anything put out by Hammerfall or Manowar! Of course not all is bad with this album. “Gypsy in Me” is an awesome power metal track, with a driving melodic riff that carries the song. Also, the band certainly could have made a worse ballad that “The Land of Ice and Snow,” which has a graceful folk inspired melody. The song’s slow build up to a bombastic verse including marital drumming gives it an epic feel. It is safe to say that Stratovarius fans will dig this album. The band’s brand of power metal has won it many fans over the length of its career, and those fans should enjoy Stratovarius. For everyone else, I can’t help but think that there are better albums to choose to get into the band or genre.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Maniac Dance |
| 2. Fight!!! |
| 3. Just Carry On |
| 4. Back To Madness |
| 5. Gypsy In Me |
| 6. Gotterdammerung (Zenith Of Power) |
| 7. The Land Of Ice And Snow |
| 8. Leave The Tribe |
| 9. United |
: 49.16
| Buy other Stratovarius albums |
