All right then. We've looked at Doom Metal. We've listened to Death Metal. We've had a peek at Thrash Metal and we've even ventured into the murky, scary, noisy world of Black Metal. There is of course plenty still to come, but right now I want to feature the kind of metal I generally like, Power and Progressive. So coming bang up to date with one of the big names in the field of the former, here's the very latest from Finland's finest.
Nemesis --- Stratovarius --- 2013 (Edel)
One of the leading power metal bands in the Finnish scene, and acknowledged as one of the greats in the world, Stratovarius have been around since 1989 and have released a slew of albums during that time, making them synonymous with the power metal and symphonic metal genres.
A big guitar chord and rippling keyboards with choral vocals kick us off as "Abandon" opens proceedings, and the familiar hard and heavy rhythms we associate with this band are there in abundance. Great backing vocals really up the dramatic stakes and like most Stratovarius songs this one has a great hook to drag you in. Superb keyboard solo as even from Jens Johansson, matched by burning fretwork from Matias Kupiainen and it's a great start, matched easily by "Unbreakable", which is the first single released from the album. Beautiful lonely little piano line and synth backing is quickly joined by hard guitar and the tempo ramps right up. Easy to see why this was chosen to lead in the album: extremely catchy without being poppy, rockets along but still very airplay friendly and with a hook that lodges in your head and just won't let go.
Singer Timo Kopipelto has just the right shade of an accent in his voice, not annoying but not sounding too Americanised either, and it's certainly a powerful voice. "Stand my ground" is the fastest track so far, with a touch of industrial thrown in there, just a smidgeon, the vocal sort of mechanised in parts. Again it's a winner of a chorus as Timo sings
"No-one can bring me down/ I will defend my beliefs" then a fast and dramatic progressive-style piece in "Halcyon days", with Johnasson excelling himself on the keys. Each track just seems better than the last, and this certainly continues that trend. So many hooks in this album I had better be careful not to snag anything!
Strange little industrial sounds on the synth again, dark voices and then choral vocals as the song hammers to its conclusion, taking us into "Fantasy" with a big keyboard intro and punching guitars but somehow with a sense of electonic pop about it in the keyboard riffs. Could be another single. This album is just jam-packed with great tracks. The stately, majestic, anthemic "Castles in the air" has power and pomp, opening with a deceptively laidback neoclassical piano line, and should go down well onstage, while there's more almost electropop synth in "Dragons", though with plenty of hard rock guitar from Matias to keep it firmly in metal territory.
A slow rock cruncher then in "One must fall", again very anthemic with dark synth and grinding guitar, and a very nice bluesy end section with slow guitar and warbling keyboard, again very progressive in feel. Finishing on a big chorus and sharp guitar it leads into the only real ballad on the album, "If the story is over". Opening on soft acoustic guitar and fluty keyboard it has a gentle vocal from Timo and is a perfect power metal ballad. Orchestral synth swells in the background while choral vocals add in to the mix, and a stronger, more passionate vocal takes the song as it reaches its climax. Definitely see this featuring in "Velvet Fist" at some point.
The title track is the closer, and it does not disappoint, delivering a final wake-up slap upside the head in case you were falling gently to sleep after the last track. A big bubbly excited keyboard intro, choral vocals and hammering guitar rock along at a great pace for nearly a minute before Timo comes in with the vocal, strong and powerful. To be honest, I would have preferred this track to be at the opening of the album, as it's a little unsettling to have such a rocker after a ballad which I think should really have closed it. Nevertheless it's a great song and certainly ensures you'll be singing the title cut as you switch off the computer, pack the album away, or shut down your ipod.
TRACKLISTING
1. Abandon
2. Unbreakable
3. Stand my ground
4. Halcyon days
5. Fantasy
6. Out of the fog
7. Castles in the air
8. Dragons
9. One must fall
10. If the story is over
11. Nemesis
Although it's only been two years since their last album, it seems like ages since we heard from Stratovarius. In their absence there have been pretenders to the throne, but now they're back in a big way. Another triumphant album full of songs you can sing, pump your fist to, shake your head to. So move over, Sonata Arctica, Wintersun and Nightwish, and make way, cos the boys are back in town, and they never sounded better!
Read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratovarius