Stratovarius (album)
Stratovarius is the self-titled eleventh studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 5 September 2005 through Sanctuary Records.[1] The album reached No. 4 on the Finnish albums chart as well as the top 100 in six other countries.[1] "Maniac Dance" was released as a single, reaching No. 4 on the Finnish singles chart and the top 100 in three other countries.[3]
| Stratovarius | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 September 2005[1] | |||
| Recorded | April 2004 – March 2005 | |||
| Studio | Soundtrack Studios and Sonic Pump Studios, Helsinki; Goldenworks; Timo Tolkki's home studio; New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:17[2] | |||
| Label | Sanctuary | |||
| Producer | Timo Tolkki | |||
| Stratovarius chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Stratovarius | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
It is the last album to feature the band's longest-standing line-up which had been consistent since Episode (1996), as bassist Jari Kainulainen would leave Stratovarius later in the year, followed by guitarist and bandleader Timo Tolkki in 2008.
Overview
The release of Stratovarius came after a highly troubled period for the band in 2004, during which they temporarily split up following a nervous breakdown suffered by Tolkki. After a year-long hiatus, they reunited in 2005 and embarked upon a worldwide tour for the album, playing for the first time in the United States and Canada.
Stylistically the album displays a dramatically noticeable shift from the symphonic power metal sound of previous albums: the songs are more hard-edged and slower, with Tolkki's signature neo-classical shred soloing almost completely absent. Keyboardist Jens Johansson's role is particularly restricted, as well as Jörg Michael's drumming, which features hardly any of his signature double bass playing. Singer Timo Kotipelto also attempts a different vocal approach, mostly avoiding his usual high vocal range. Tolkki has since stated in interviews that he was unsatisfied with the end result of the album due to it being too far removed from the band's true style.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maniac Dance" | Timo Tolkki | Tolkki | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Fight!!!" | Tolkki | Tolkki | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Just Carry On" | Timo Kotipelto | Tolkki | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Back to Madness" | Tolkki | Tolkki | 7:42 |
| 5. | "Gypsy in Me" | Kotipelto | Tolkki | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Götterdämmerung (Zenith of Power)" | Tolkki | Tolkki | 7:12 |
| 7. | "The Land of Ice and Snow" | Tolkki | Tolkki | 3:04 |
| 8. | "Leave the Tribe" | Tolkki, Jens Johansson | Tolkki | 5:42 |
| 9. | "United" | Tolkki | Tolkki | 7:04 |
| Total length: | 49:17 | |||
Personnel
- Stratovarius
- Timo Kotipelto – lead vocals
- Timo Tolkki – guitar, engineering, mixing, record producer
- Jens Johansson – keyboards arrangement, orchestral arrangement (track 7)
- Jörg Michael – drums
- Jari Kainulainen – bass guitar
- Additional credits
- Max Lilja – cello (track 4)
- Petri Bäckström – tenor vocals (track 4)
- Marko Vaara – background vocals
- Kimmo Blom – background vocals
- Pasi Rantanen – background vocals
- Anssi Stenberg – background vocals
- "Starbuck" – spoken vocals (track 4)
- Mikko Oinonen – engineering (drums)
- Svante Forsbäck – mastering
Chart performance
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Finnish albums chart | 4[1] |
| Swedish albums chart | 37[1] | |
| Italian albums chart | 52[6] | |
| German albums chart | 58[1] | |
| French albums chart | 88[1] | |
| Swiss albums chart | 92[1] | |
| Spanish albums chart | 93[1] |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Maniac Dance" | Finnish singles chart | 4[3] |
| Spanish singles chart | 17[3] | ||
| Swiss singles chart | 82[3] | ||
| German singles chart | 93[3] |
References
- "Stratovarius - Stratovarius (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- Stratovarius (CD release "MYNSP040").
- "Stratovarius - Maniac Dance (song)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- Prato, Greg. "Stratovarius - Stratovarius". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- Priest, David (2007). "The Legacy Of Stratovarius!" at the Wayback Machine (archived April 18, 2007). On Track Magazine. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
- "Classifica settimanale dal 09/09/2005 al 15/09/2005 (Negozi specializzati)" at the Wayback Machine (archived August 6, 2012). FIMI. 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
