Stratovarius - Survive
The official music video for the LP's title track will premiere via the earMUSIC YouTube channel on Friday, June 3
- CD
- 2-LP
- 2-LP, Coloured Vinyl
- 2-LP, Limited Edition
- 2-LP, Transparent
Tracklist
1. Stratovarius - Survive
2. Stratovarius - Demand
3. Stratovarius - Broken
4. Stratovarius - Firefly
5. Stratovarius - We Are Not Alone
6. Stratovarius - Frozen in Time
7. Stratovarius - World On Fire
8. Stratovarius - Glory Days
9. Stratovarius - Breakaway
10. Stratovarius - Before the Fall
11. Stratovarius - Voice of Thunder
Only the truly dedicated can keep the flame burning for nearly four decades. With an abundance of creative vigour and endless class, Stratovarius have earned the right to be considered true legends. Nearly 40 years after they formed in Helsinki, Finland, the melodic power metal masters are poised to release their most heartfelt and epic album to date, the mighty Survive. The title says it all. Stratovarius are still unstoppable.
Emerging from a vibrant metal ‘80s metal scene, Stratovarius swiftly made their mark with early albums like gritty debut Fright Night (1989) and its more sophisticated follow-up Twilight Time (1992). Contrary to the accepted narrative about metal’s fortunes in the ‘90s, Stratovarius spent the decade becoming increasingly successful, effectively defining the European power metal sound single-handedly and touring relentlessly all over the world. Meanwhile, a steady succession of acclaimed albums, including certified genre benchmarks like Visions (1997) and Destiny (1998), broke the melodic mould.
Despite multiple line-up changes, the Stratovarius spirit always remained proud and true, and a new millennium ushered in the band’s most productive period yet. 2000’s Infinite was widely hailed as a masterpiece, while the two-part Elements project (2003) pushed the Finns’ creativity to dazzling new heights. Recent years have seen Stratovarius sustain their exalted status as power metal gods, with each successive album adding new shades to the band’s melodic colour spectrum, while always delivering the jolting dose of heavy metal power that fans demand. From the raging return to top form of Polaris in 2009, to the artful blend of old and new school power metal that informed 2015’s Eternal, Finland’s finest have been resolute in delivering the goods.
Fast forward to 2022 and Stratovarius are making up for lost time. Seven years after the release of Eternal, Finland’s melodic masters have finally conjured a new, full-length album. After several years of global turbulence, Survive is exactly the album metal fans have been craving. Dark and heavy but endlessly uplifting, it is the end result of a refreshed and rejuvenated creative process for this veteran ensemble. As long-time members Timo Kotipelto (vocals) and Jens Johansson (keyboards) explain, Survive is their most authentically collaborative album yet.
“For me, I got a little bit bored with the way we used to write,” Jens admits. “Everybody would just come up with ideas and the songs were set in stone, even before pre-production. I hoped that we could find it in our hearts to write together more, and I think we did that with this record. That makes me happy, and I also like the material more, because there were certain conclusions that you don’t come to when you’re writing by yourself.”
“I totally agree. I think it’s important that we changed the way we compose,” adds Timo. “There was never any time to arrange things properly. This time, we took the time. We started composing for this three years ago, but then Covid came. We wanted to be in the same place, so we did most of the stuff here in my studio, in the middle of Finland. But then we couldn’t fly, and it was hard for Matias [Kupiainen, guitarist] to come over. But now here we are and we have the album ready.”
Although Survive is instantly recognisable as the work of Stratovarius – completed by bassist Lauri Porra and drummer Rolf Pilve - there is a freshness and exuberance to these new songs that speaks well of the band’s decision to change their approach. With an immaculate, state-of-the-art production job, all handled by the band themselves, and an enhanced sense of artistic togetherness, the new album feels like the beginning of a new chapter in Stratovarius history.
“I don’t think there’s any conscious thing going on,” says Jens “We still have the same production set-up, in a way. We haven’t consciously tried to change the sound. It’s just better writing, I think. We have taken the time to argue more about stuff! Which I think is a healthy thing. Some bands make new material just because they can, like it’s some kind of habit. I didn’t want us to turn into that kind of band. We actually spent much more time writing it than recording it this time, which I think is the right way to do it.”
“Sometimes in the past, I was supposed to record vocals for a song and I’d get the lyrics five minutes before I started singing,” notes Timo, with a grin. “But what if it doesn’t fit, you know? [Laughs] But this time we actually rehearsed and we checked everything before we recorded it. It was a huge difference from the past, because I was comfortable with the melodies.”
From the explosive bombast of the opening title track and the intricate emotional clangour of Broken, to the brilliantly succinct and inspirational Heroes and the towering, symphonic colossus of grand finale Voice Of Thunder, Survive is a wild and varied ride through every aspect of Stratovarius’ sonic world. With nothing to prove and no external pressure, the Finns have simply done what comes naturally.
“We didn’t think when we were composing that songs had to grab the attention of this or that kind of fan. We just compose and see what comes out. Some songs are a little poppier, although we’ve had songs like that in the past, and some are probably more like classic hard rock and heavy metal. Broken is the song that is very progressive and very difficult for the guitarist and drummer to play! It doesn’t sound like it, but I know it is!”
A blistering comeback from one of heavy metal’s most seminal bands, Survive is full of dynamics and drama, feeding on a wide range of emotions along the way. But the core message that this triumphant endeavour conveys is one of struggle, defiance, hope and victory. Best exemplified by its profoundly rousing title track, Survive is the Stratovarius spirit in exquisite musical form, with all the darkness and light that goes with it.
“We spent five or six days solid, trying to come up with the lyrics for that song,” notes Jens. “When we finally settled on that punchline for the chorus, it was a good song about survival and it all just seemed to fit. It fits with the history of the band too, because we managed to survive as long as we have. This band has been through some strange days! The original line-up formed in 1984, so it’s been a long story. It was the middle of the summer, there were forest fires everywhere, there was a global pandemic and all kinds of crazy shit going on. Some of the lyrics are perhaps less uplifting than they could have been, but that reflects our mood at the time. There’s a lot of positive stuff on there as well!”
ewly enthused about the whole creative process, Stratovarius hope to return to active service over the coming months. Armed with their finest album in a very long time, the Finns are back to push their story into, perhaps, a fifth decade. Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?
“I might think differently in a year, but I have a feeling that this might be our best album in 20 years,” Timo concludes. “Infinite was released in 2000 and that was a great one. This time, I like all the songs and I didn’t always like all the songs on our albums! [Laughs]”
“When you’ve been around this long, it’s the norm to put out records, because the label wants it and it becomes a routine,” Jens states. “In this case, we did it because everybody agreed that we wanted to put these songs out, because they sound so good! We’d finalised the album before we ever gave it to the label, you know? We had a plan, and it worked!”
Dom Lawson, April 2022
More information: nienke.hoogenberg@v2benelux.
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