ELYSIUM ALBUM
Originally published at http://suite101.com
I can honestly say that this is the first Stratovarius album that I’ve ever been excited for. I could never get into the material helmed by former guitarist Timo Tolkki and I only bought Polaris in 2009 to see how much damage it was going to cause. Of course, no such train-wreck ever took place and it was one of the strongest albums of that year, effectively serving as a new beginning and hinting at a bright future. Two years later, the band is still going at a steady momentum and has already put out their thirteenth studio album. But while this album was the first to top the charts in their native Finland in nearly a decade, it may also be their last with longtime drummer Jorg Michael, who is departing on a quite friendly note due to illness.
On a superficial basis, there are many tropes on here that align with the sounds of the last release and Stratovarius albums past. The keyboards and guitar constantly compete for supremacy, the vocals are high-pitched and thickly accented, a number of symphonic elements are employed, and the songwriting is almost always uplifting and enthusiastic. But while Polaris was a very direct affair with occasional nods to prog metal, Elysium does have a noticeably more progressive feel. Even the power metal tunes get some structural complexity with the opening “Darkest Hours” having a classic Dream Theater feel and “Infernal Maze” has a soft, elaborate introduction before it goes into faster paced fare. And that’s not going into the closing title track, which is the longest Stratovarius song to date with an over eighteen minute duration!
And with everything going on, the band members manage to sound pretty good though there aren’t too many dramatic deviations from their usual performances. The keyboards and vocals are among the more noteworthy contributors as Jens Johansson brings forth a variety of effects and Timo Kotipelto show off some smooth vocal lines that make up for his occasionally goofy phrasing. But the real standout member on here is guitarist Matias Kupiainen. While the guitars are the most important part of any power metal band and Polaris certainly had plenty of great guitar moments, he really comes out on his own here as both a songwriter and performer. The former is especially worth noting as he is responsible for writing more songs on here than on the previous effort, effectively making him out to be Tolkki's most fitting successor.
Going off that, there seem to be three kinds of songs at work on here. While the title track appears to be a song all its own and encompasses the rest of the album’s elements, the rest of the release seems to go between fast and mid-tempo songs. Predictably, the faster songs are the most immediate and arguably most enjoyable that the album has to offer. The previously mentioned “Darkest Hours” and “Infernal Maze” are enjoyable for their upbeat tempos and complexity, but “Under Flaming Skies” and “The Game Never Ends” are probably the most entertaining. The former is made memorable by its eastern touches while the latter is a sugary power metal run-through with a particularly memorable chorus that should make “Eagleheart” eat its heart out.
The slow songs also manage to be pretty solid. “Moment In A Lifetime” manages to be another highlight as it is a slow, dramatic track in the vein of “King Of Nothing.” In addition, the transitions on “Move the Mountain” work quite well and “Fairness Justified” seems to go between the two songs with its snail pace and uplifting chorus. As expected, the title track manages to be pretty noteworthy. While its extensive length makes it a song that I personally don’t play often, it does go through a bunch of sounds in its three-part cycle. The first part with its soaring mid-tempo melodies is probably the most memorable segment on here though the second part’s faster hooks are also quite welcome and the third part is another sweet ballad.
If Polaris was the reborn Stratovarius’ debut album, then Elysium is surely the sophomore release that thoroughly avoids the slumps that are normally associated with albums of that nature. I hate to say that Tolkki was holding them back all this time, but the success of these last two albums and the mixed feelings that have come with his own recent projects does make one think along those lines…
If you liked Polaris, then I would definitely advise you to give this album a chance if you haven’t already. I’m not sure if it’s quite as powerful but it is an enjoyable release that follows it up nicely and a lot to offer on its own terms. Hopefully this can work for a while longer; I think European power metal is starting to get its balls back!
Current Highlights:
“Under Flaming Skies”
“Infernal Maze”
“The Game Never Ends”
“Lifetime In A Moment”
“Move the Mountain”
Daftar lagu
1. Darkest Hours 04:11
These frantic memories
They bring me down, tormenting peace
The darkness drowns me
I'm restless without sleep
When day breaks, I'm still awake,
I recall my mistakes
I'll be never alone, never again, never alone,
I'll be never alone, never again, never alone...
When all my hope is gone,
I'm waiting for the dawn
I raise my head and find my own way out of the dark
I've left my past behind
I'm reaching for the light
I'm not afraid to live my life - I'll take what is
mine.
I'll make my way through the darkest hours of my days!
Those frozen memories
Laid out for me, all I can see
The night surrounds me
Destroying harmony
What lies beneath, demising me?
I've lost my purity
I'll be never alone, never again, never alone,
I'll be never alone, never again, never alone...
When all my hope is gone,
I'm waiting for the dawn
I raise my head and find my own way out of the dark
I've left my past behind
I'm reaching for the light
I'm not afraid to live my life - I'll take what is
mine.
I'll make my way through the darkest hours of my days!
[Solo]
When all my hope is gone,
I'm waiting for the dawn
I raise my head and find my own way out of the dark
I've left my past behind
I'm reaching for the light
I'm not afraid to live my life - I'll take what is
mine.
2. Under Flaming Skies 03:52
The wind is blowing
There's ashes in the air
The heat is flowing
You stare in despair
Hear the warning
The times are changing fast
The Earth is crying
With a thundering blast
Hear the ground speaking
The powers unknown, a release
The ground's speaking
The freezing past
Wheel of the night
A shelter from light
The skies are burning
Wheel of the night
Hide from the light
The winds are burning
You're under flaming skies
The sacred fire
Is spreading, destroying all
The exploding spire
Will finally fall
Hear the ground speaking
The powers unknown, a release
The ground's speaking
The freezing past
Wheel of the night, the skies are burning
Wheel of the night, the winds are burning
You're under flaming skies
3. Infernal Maze 05:33
You faded away
And woe is all that remains
And I have gone astray
My mind full of theory and states
I'm carrying a seed of insanity
A burden of faded memories
Delusion, destruction,
Salvation
Go on without saying
Hate in this creed
Awareness so numb this time
Underneath the skin
You're still drooling in
And what I've come to find
A state of mind
I need to find
A way to carry it
For my soul will once again be free
But first I need to bare it instead:
Infernal Maze
I'm lost within an internal game
Infernal Maze
The demons are calling out your name
Infernal Maze.
Infernal Maze
These demons, these demons,
Haunting me, Infernal Maze!
Infernal Maze!
Infernal Maze.
4. Fairness Justified 04:21
I thought I could not find
Someone who's so alike
The way you think, I feel it in my heart
It is so hard to see
What's happening to me
Two souls united that can't be apart
All these lonely nights and days
Let me start
Waiting for a light, this feeling
I have been denied, I'm redeeming
Heavenly divine, awareness purified
I make it through the night, am I dreaming?
Waiting for a sign, I've seen it
Heavenly divine, so fairness will finally
Be justified!
If there's a past life
I know you've been all mine
You are forever the one divine
All these lonely nights and days
Let me start
I watch you when you sleep
And listen as you breathe
I'm close to you and keep you warm
5. The Game Never Ends 03:54
Crocodile tears from industrial giants,
Apologies counting for nothing!
Graveyard obssessions and shallow confessions,
The game never ends in a draw.
An eternal horizon that reaches the sky
When we're standing together, we cannot ever die
And we're chasing the darkness away without cry,
Never die, never die,
We never die.
Fragile and cold by the side of a mountain,
Big hopelessness bearing to promise,
Brothers and sisters of metal together
We'll conquer the evil as one.
6. Lifetime in a Moment 06:39
From the dark, I watch you go away
I will never see you, again...
Every passing day prolongs my pain
I am slowly fading, into the void...
Fades without a sound,
A sound that no one cares to hear
A second round to live your life
Just passed away!
Moment in a lifetime
Lifetime in a moment
Seize the day, don't let it slip, away...
Cherish every moment, before it's gone...
Fades without a sound
A sound that no one cares to hear
A second round to live your life
Just passed away!
Moment in a lifetime
Lifetime in a moment
Moment in a lifetime
Lifetime in a moment
Moment in a lifetime
Lifetime in a moment
7. Move the Mountain 05:34
Would you move the mountain
Would you build that tower
Would you drink the sunshine
Like a wilted flower
Would you waste that hour
If you knew this full moon would be, the last one you'd see
Or would you gaze in wonder
While the world was turning
While the moon made quiet
All the years of yearning
Would the flame keep burning
If you knew the powers that be, would set you free
Donno why you had to go
In the stormy night a flame in the darkness
And we'll never really know
If you'll ever see me again
Swam around in circles
In the angry ocean
And your dream of safety
Just a lost emotion
Could a faded notion
Make you find your way back to shore, looking for more
So we head for safety
But we never get there
And I brush the shadows
From your scary nightmare
On the road to nowhere
Would you help me carry my cross, and set me free
8. Event Horizon 04:24
Standing outside in darkness
My breath is steaming
The skies open wide
I hear the silent screaming
Deep in the dark, somewhere in space
Spinning around, leaving no trace
Nothing escapes
And the boundaries been breached
All matter and shape
Destination's reached!
The star dies, collaping in its core
End of the journey, it won't be seen anymore!
I can see the point of no return
And when the light is slowly turning to red
Life gives away, there's no concern
A force that carries the event horizon lies ahead!
9. Elysium 18:07
I've never felt like this before
Am I awake? Am I drifting?
There's a hole in the sky!
Am I alive? Did I survive?
Broken pictures on my wall
A story of fallen heroes
Now stare ahead with their blind eyes on
A lost horizon
Sometimes the dream is sublime with you
I feel in my mind in heaven
I'm reaching this feeling
It's misleading me away from you
Tonight, I find what I've been searching for
To go look for my wings once more
I'm not afraid anymore
I'm not afraid anymore
Sometimes the dream is sublime with you
I feel in my mind in heaven
I am ready to fall
I'm not afraid anymore
I am lying on the frozen ground alone
I got lost on my way, my time is up
I'm gone!
I need to find the key
To eternal life and see
The joy, the smile,
The overwhelming love of God
Is what I need!
Give me a sign, and show me the way
To the sacred place!
I can hear you calling my name
From the distant skies
I am holding (a) falling angel
In my arms
Your shadow lurking in the corner of my eye
I'm losing sense of what's real and what's a lie!
I need to find the key
To eternal life and see
The joy, the smile,
The overwhelming love of God
Is what I need!
Give me a sign, and show me the way
To the sacred place!
Eternal calling at your fame was not mine
Remedy this falling lie!
I feel it burning with me ahead
The earth is turning to red
I'm staring at the flaming skies
To try not to fight
A chance (to) close my eyes
I am holding a falling angel in my arms
This life has been too long
There's hope everywhere I go
Do you believe in hope and faith
Or eternity?
In the end, you will see
Let thy soul be free
Eternal light
Blinded my eyes
Pain and sorrow
Joy will follow
Now in turn
Elysium
Do you beleive in hope and faith
Or eternity?
In the end, you will see
Let your soul be free
Be afraid no more,
Just take my hand, I'll guide you through the storm
We're finally home
We're finally home
***Disclaimer***
I do not own any copyright
for any of this material!
Copyright belongs to Stratovarius
and ear MUSIC Recordings!
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