POLARIS ALBUM
Stratovarius have never been a band I listen to very much. I had only five of their albums before I opted to get their latest one, 'Polaris'. So, I'm not a fan of their music, so why did I bought it? There was two reasons, and both of them truly moderate: The single cut 'Deep Unknown' is fucking awesome and so is the sci-fi style cover art. On the other hand, I got every Kotipelto album, and while two later ones are quite average, I love his debut. So, I decided to wager on this...
This is the first Stratovarius album without the forming guitarist Timo Tolkki. Couldn't care less. Want to hear the story why he is out now? Okay, here we go: Piss off and read it from somewhere else if interested about metal music soap operas! The new guitarist is Matias Kupiainen who also plays in Fist In Fetus and played in The Sinkage. Never heard either one. Anyway, he knows his axe. The bass also is played by a new face, Lauri Porra, who's known from his appearance on the Kotipelto album 'Serenity' (2007) and plays in TunnelVision. Yeah, he too knows his axe. As a non-Stratovarius follower, I can say there is nothing wrong with the musicianship on this album.
It is no news, that a Stratovarius album does go from good-time songs to ballads and to melancholic ones, too. People have complained, that there are no catchy-as-fucking-catchiest-songs here. What the ffffff... If the opener 'Deep Unknown' does not drill itself into your brain on the first two goes, you've probably been lobotomized. This ass-kicking good-time song has it all: Catchy vocal lines, riffing that varies from straight to classical and proggy stuff, as do the synths too, and finally, ist has really driving beats. The best Stratovarius song I've ever heard, and yes, I've heard all the hits even if I don't own all the albums. Surprisingly, already the second song 'Falling Star' hits more melancholic mood with its slower pace. It still rocks, though. 'King of Nothing' sticks to the slower pace, but the mood is more offensive. 'Blind's baroque keyboard work is also rather snail-paced, but suddenly the song explodes into action: A truly Stratovarius-style speed-piece, and about time to. 'Winter Skies' takes the album back to the heavy melancholic mood. Roughly the half-point of the album. So, it's been unexpectedly slow tempo first half.
'Forever Is Today' is what the fans want: Anthemic power metal speeder. And 'Higher We Go' is another one. Now it's rolling! 'Somehow Precious' is the most melancholic piece with a lead melody, that is just a must to hear all over again and again. Epic 'Emancipation Suite' refuses to step on the gas pedal during the Mid-Eastern tinged 'Part I: Dusk', while 'Part II: Dawn' gets calmer and proggier. And how the album ends? With the middle age-meet-Finnish national romanticism style ditty called 'When Mountains Fall'...
To sum it up is not very easy at all. First, the song material is quite slowish in general. Maybe quite dark, like Kotipelto's latter albums, but much more coherent. The instrumentalists' performances leave me mouth open, because so good, interesting and multifaceted they are. The drummer Jörg Michael has found the power again, but does not forget those tasty tricks. The keyboardist Jens Johansson playes anything from prog to space stuff and from classical to baroque. New axe-wielders do it with style, showing their skills but without getting pompous. The guitar shreds, goes wildly classical, hits straight heavy metal gear, shrieks and whatnot, and the solos are simply make one go "wow". It's just so bloody multi-level! The bass backs it all with style. It sounds like it all is coming from the guys' hearts. The high-pitched vocalist Timo Kotipelto sounds enthusiastic too, but he overdoes it, ending up "shouting" and "screaming" everything out, even the calm ending ditty sounds very, very strained. But every song has fantastic and catchy vocal lines, no doubt about that, and Kotipelto's vocals still are a vital part of what is Stratovarius, no matter how big Finnish accent he has. The album needs a lot of spinning, before it opens up. I've spinned this dozens of times and still there are songs that need more, or then they'll never open up for me, hard to say.
Production-wise this is, in one word, perfect. The sound is powerful, clean and well-balanced. There are a billion and one nuances to be heard on 'Polaris', and I am truly astonished with all the big and the little details the band have worked on to be here. The cover artwork is fantastic too. well, I'm a sci-fi freak so it just grabbed me. The lyrics are about human emotions, be it determination (which this album just exhales), warring, love and loss.
A positive surprise after the bland 'Stratovarius' (2005). I can whole-heartedly support 'Polaris', even though not being a Strato-fanboy, but because it is a fine album anyway. If you love power metal with some proggy touches, then I suggest you grab this one ASAP!
(Originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com in October 2009)
Daftar lagu
1. Deep Unknown 04:28
Taking a chance
Go again
To the great unknown
Taking a chance
Going again to the great unknown
Facing your fears and feel
what's on your mind when you're alone
Fall into the sea
So you will be free
Into the deep
You disappear
Dive deeper into the ocean
You'll find more about your emotions
As you go far beyond imaginary borderlines
Into the deep unknown---
Need to breath, might drown
You can't inhale
No one around, sliding down
Time passes by, you can not fail
As light fades away
There's so much to gain
You're holding on
It's not in vain
Dive deeper into the ocean
You'll find more about your emotions
As you go far beyond imaginary borderlines
Dive deeper into the ocean
You'll find more about your emotions
As you go far beyond imaginary borderlines
2. Falling Star 04:33
Feel the night time growing nearer
From amidst the darkness
I will start my flight
See the stars are shining clearer
Turn around before you're
Blinded by the light
I am made of burning flame
Cast from coldest ice
There is nothing that can stop me
CHORUS:
Now I ride above the sky
It cannot hold me back
I dive within the deepest
Darkest space
See I vanish in the light
You cannot find me there
No one can ever catch
The falling star
Feel the heat is growing stronger
Everything that's in my way
Will be destroyed
See my journey's growing longer
For eternity I'm doomed
Within the void
I am made of burning flame
Cast from coldest ice
There is nothing that can stop me
CHORUS:
Now I ride above the sky
It cannot hold me back
I dive within the deepest
Darkest space
See I vanish in the light
You cannot find me there
No one can ever catch
The falling star
solo: Johansson
CHORUS:
Now I ride above the sky
It cannot hold me back
I dive within the deepest
Darkest space
See I vanish in the light
You cannot find me there
No one can ever catch
The falling star
3. King of Nothing 06:43
In the year before we lost our empire
We were children on the march
We were told we had to serve
Our empire and die
In our wake we only left destruction
Sent their children to the grave
In the year before we lost
Our empire and died
CHORUS:
The war was lost
But we went on
Our king was dead
And in the end nobody won
We were told to march
To death and glory
We were told it's for our land
In the end our tribe was left
With nothing and died
In the time when all
Our hearts were frozen
We are soldiers for the king
In our wake we left their castles
Burning and died
CHORUS:
The war was lost
But we went on
And when the harvest came
We found our king was gone
solo: Johansson
CHORUS:
The war was lost
But we went on
And when we paid the price
We found our king was gone
The war was lost
But we fought on
The war was lost
And in the end nobody won
4. Blind 05:28
When you tell me that your truth
will set me free
Don't believe you and i wish
you'd let me be
From the cradleto the grave
i feel your pain
But i'm trying to erase
you from my brain
Carry me to the shore i can't stand it anymore
I am blind but ican see you in my mind
I am blind but i can see you
I am blind
When you say you have a way
to make me talk
I just wanna turn around
and start to walk
Can't you see, don't want
to be inside your mind
Set me free leave me be
and make me blind
5. Winter Skies 05:50
Walking by a frozen lake
Silent snow in the air
Dreaming of the summer day
Carry me til I'm there
Winter skies, leave me alone
When i lose my way Winter skies
You call me home
Bring me back when i am lost
Far from your embrace
Bring me silence, bring me frost
Your familiar face
Winter skies, leave me alone
Wen i lose my way, northern star
You call me home
Winter skies, leave me alone
When i lose my way
Northern land
You are my home
6. Forever Is Today 04:40
I'm dreaming awake
My thoughts won't let me go
Feels like my mind
Has turned into my foe
The fear of tomorrow
The fear of today
I'm trying to stay
I'm trying to run away
My life is at stake
My time is running out
Feels like I live
My life in constant doubt
The fear of tomorrow
The fear of today
I'm trying to stay
I'm trying to run away
Each moment shall pass
Will never return
Your fate is what
You make of it so
Seize your day
I will waste no more time
Leave my worries behind
I live for this moment alone
Let me tell you my friend
All things come to an end
Forever is today
So don' delay
7. Higher We Go 03:47
Feeling so sad and tense
Confusion on my mind
Nothing makes any sense
Things are entwined
Hopeless soul in the haze
Trying to find the way
Out of this wicked maze
To a new day
We will rise out of agony
And find a way to victory
Higher we go
Climbing up to the skies
Higher we go
A new day will arise
When all is crashing down
I know the time will heal
In this insanity
We'll find what is real
Together we are so strong
Holding our heads up high
We will carry on
'Til the day we die
We will rise out of agony
And find a way to victory
Higher we go
Climbing up to the skies
Higher we go
A new day will arise
8. Somehow Precious 05:37
Yesterday
Seems so far away
Some projection in a dream
Sweaty sheets
I am back to reality
I walk out to my own scream
All the bad things that were said
Will not leave me be
I need to get them out of my head
What have I said?
What have I done?
Can I have another chance?
What I said late
No one has won
Give me a glance
don't deny
That I am somehow precious to you
And today
I still feel the same
Even though you are so near
I try to talk
my lips are whispering now your name
but the words have seem to dissapear
All the bad things that I said
Will not leave me be
Once again I'm all alone in my bed
What have I said?
What have I done?
Can I have another chance?
What I said late
No one has won
Give me a glance
Don't deny
That I am somehow precious to you
9. Emancipation Suite (Part 1: Dusk) 06:57
I'm staring at the last rays of the sun
The final night's begun
Shadows fall and hide
The earth beneath them
My land has fallen deep into
The hands of men with evil plans
Times have gone when peace
Reigned over all lands
It's time to break these chains
And head to freedom
It won't be long, I swear to you
I will see, I will feel, I'll be free
A new day will be dawning
CHORUS:
Emancipation
I will break free
Determination
Just leave me be
Into the darkness I have been confined
The last one of my kind
Wayward soul still fighting
To be set free
It's time to break these chains
And head to freedom
It won't be long, I swear to you
I will see, I will feel, I'll be free
A new day will be dawning
CHORUS:
Emancipation
I will break free
Determination
Just leave me be
solo 1: Matias
solo 2: Johansson
solo 3: Matias
solo 4: Matias & Johansson
10. Emancipation Suite (Part 2: Dawn) 03:40
And the burning sky
Flames are raising high
Ground is turning red
All but one is dead
Dying man, his hands above his head
Through the ruthless night
Fought with all his might
Made his final stand
Made the last demand
Paid the price
His dying time is at hand
Nothing left to feel
Nothing left hear
Heroes die alone
Then he sees first light dawning
solo: Matias
11. When Mountains Fall 03:12
It was just like yesterday,
When you chose to leave and I to stay
It was a warm and sunny day
But my heart felt as heavy as stone
Never told me where you went,
Then again I never tried to ask
Now I know in life you have one chance
And you better use it well
When the mountains fall and the oceans flood
I'm still in search of you
Only thing I want to say -
I'm still in love with you
Finally I found your place,
Sadly I came three summers late
Now I am sitting by your grave
And I sing this song for you
When the mountains fall and the oceans flood
I'm still in search of you
Only thing I want to say -
I'm still in love with you
One last thing I have to say -
I'm still in love with you
***Disclaimer***
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for any of this material!
Copyright belongs to Stratovarius
and ear MUSIC Recordings!
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