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STRATOVARIUS
www.stratovarius.com
Longtime exponents of the symphonic power metal subgenre, Finnish stalwarts Stratovarius are back with album number fifteen, 'Eternal', and their fourth since signing to earMUSIC. Predominantly, not diverging from a tried and tested path, they've opted to continue their post-Timo Tolkki journey doing precisely what they do best. Thus we have another platter of predictable, yet thoroughly entertaining anthems, characterised by high energy power metal underpinnings, symphonic bombast, melodically catchy hooks and, dare I say, on occasion, a Europop sensibility (more in the feeling engendered by compositional structure than overt style).

Vocalist, Timo Kotipelto, not a founding member of the band, yet their longest surviving one, delivers the goods once again, colouring his tonally wide-ranging voice with a discernible twang of Finnish pronunciation, and his singing sounds more grounded and heartfelt as a result. The other four members, of which keyboardist Jens Johansson is the veteran, have succeeded in capturing, and preserving the essence of, what many regard to be that classic Stratovarius sound through both songwriting and performance. Bassist Lauri Porra, guitarist Matias Kupiainen and sticksman Rolf Pilve prove, once more, just why they've earned their place in the band's lineup, alongside Kotipelto and Johansson. Interestingly, the newest recruit from that latter trio, Pilve, has been described in press blurb as "one of the best drummers of his generation". Hmmm... to my ears, based on 'Eternal' and his Stratovarius recording debut, 2013's 'Nemesis', it's a bold claim that's not backed up by the constraints of his performance. He simply seems to have picked up precisely where longtime drummer Jörg Michael left off (the latter now has a management role within the band's camp). If he is "one of the best drummers of his generation" then he certainly isn't able to flourish as such with the context of Stratovarius aesthetic, although he does provide a solid, driving rhythmic impetus to the music.

With the majority of tracks clocking in between the formulaic 4 and 5 minutes mark, the album climaxes with an 11+ minute piece that adds more of an epic dimension to their sound. And that's not just epicness inherently derived from the longer track length; rather, the extended playing time of this closer is almost the antithesis of their, otherwise, restrictive and compact paradigm exercised elsewhere on the album. In 'Lost Saga', the extra breathing space has allowed various stylistic deviations and a little innovative progression to the album's prior predictability. It's a great climactic number that adds a refreshing blast of variance. On the whole, though, 'Eternal' is all about Stratovarius' sonic schema and, if you approach this record with no expectations other than that, then you won't be disappointed. This is another fine example of this Finnish crew doing what they do best.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
earMUSIC
Album
ETERNAL
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Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
54:22
RELEASE DATE:
11th Sept 2015
TRACK LISTING
1) My Eternal Dream
2) Shine in the Dark
3) Rise Above It
4) Lost Without a Trace
5) Feeding the Fire
6) In My Line of Work
7) Man in the Mirror
8) Few are Those
9) Fire in Your Eyes
10) Lost Saga
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Finland
"...another platter of predictable, yet thoroughly entertaining anthems, characterised by high energy power metal underpinnings, symphonic bombast, melodically catchy hooks and, dare I say, on occasion, a Europop sensibility..."
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