Stratovarius - Elysium

Stratovarius can be best described as the metal music equivalent of a Timex watch, in that they take a licking, but keep on ticking.  Bad joke aside, the band has seemingly been around forever, under many lineup changes.   In fact, they released their first album without any of the original members (Timo Tolkki, the last original member of Stratovarius, left in 2008) Polaris in 2009, which should tell you exactly how much drama there has been in the entire existence. 

This year, Stratovarius continues to persevere in the wake of Jörg Michael’s health issues in releasing Elysium.  Stratovarius will never reach the heights they did during the Visions days, but in Elysium, they do enough to remain relevant in an ever changing scene.

Like their previous album Polaris, Stratovarius relies less on the pompous, yet soft sounds that were on the band’s three albums prior to that.  Instead, Stratovarius seems to be a little more direct in its musical approach, even in Timo Kotipelto’s vocals remain the same as it ever was, and neither is a bad thing.  In fact, Kotipelto’s vocals have more lifting to do in terms of overall composition, and they are competent enough to do so, as evidenced on tracks such as “Darkest Hours” and “Infernal Maze.”  It is on “Fairness Justified” that Stratovarius finds its ballad side, which also hasn’t lost its luster.  The title track is the band putting it all together, although I would have liked for it to have either been a few minutes shorter or broken into two parts.  For all of the good about Elysium, it just simply doesn’t stand out, good or bad.  It will likely take multiple listens to truly get a grasp of the album, but patience may be at a premium when it comes to Stratovarius.

In recent years, Stratovarius has gone through the aging process when it comes to the music.  For the last two albums, however, they have reversed that process some of the time.  In others, the decline is quite evident, and both sides are never more evident than on Elysium.  It’s not as good as their best albums, which for me are Destiny and Visions, but it is worth a listen or two, if only to hear that the band still has something left.

Release Date: January 12, 2011
Label: Armoury Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Darkest Hours
2.  Under Flaming Skies
3.  Infernal Maze
4.  Fairness Justified
5.  The Game Never Ends
6.  Lifetime in a Moment
7.  Move the Mountain
8.  Event Horizon
9.  Elysium

Total playing time:  56:35

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter

March 1, 2011