I'm a bit behind on my PP prep. I have their latest release, Nemesis. Which of their other discs should I pick up?
Stratovarius help
- Thread starter Bamafan
- Start date
Harvester
The Promoter
I'd just grab the "Best of" disc:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Ones-Stratovarius/dp/B00002MZ5H[/ame]
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Ones-Stratovarius/dp/B00002MZ5H[/ame]
IMO the best-of disc is a good start, but it seems they've also been playing a fair bit of material lately that came out after the best-of disc was released. Also, looking at their latest setlists, it seems like they've been choosing a few surprising tracks from the older discs as well. Combine that with their promise to play a few rare tracks, and this is becoming the hardest ProgPower setlist in years to predict. 
nomisofsiman
Member
If you don't have visions, shame on you. One of the top power metal albums of all time imo. I would at least get that one.
The live album, Visions Of Europe, has pretty much all the best songs up to that point.
Sir Exar Kun
Member
MUST OWN: Episode (my favorite), Dreamspace (by far the quirkiest Strato disc), Visions (where the power formula comes together fully for the first time for them), Destiny (where they PERFECT the power formula)
NICE TO HAVE: Fourth Dimension (in between the quirk of Dreamspace and the panache of Episode), Infinity (good power metal, but rehash of Visions / Destiny without upping the game), Elements Part I (half the album features an orchestra, and is pretty solid, but doesn't really achieve what Timo set out for), Polaris (good return to form album)
SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY: Fright Night / Twilight Time (both very early albums with Timo Tolkki on vocals; fun to hear, but bear no resemblance to the modern stuff), Elements Part 2 (sounded like a sad set of leftovers from Elements Part I, and really warned of the band chaos that was to follow), s/t Stratovarius (band was in turmoil at this point, and this recording shows it; few passable tracks, but overall completely forgettable)
There is a TON of good stuff in the back catalogue if you look in the right places, but there are also albums that will have you scratching your head in puzzlement.
NICE TO HAVE: Fourth Dimension (in between the quirk of Dreamspace and the panache of Episode), Infinity (good power metal, but rehash of Visions / Destiny without upping the game), Elements Part I (half the album features an orchestra, and is pretty solid, but doesn't really achieve what Timo set out for), Polaris (good return to form album)
SAVE FOR A RAINY DAY: Fright Night / Twilight Time (both very early albums with Timo Tolkki on vocals; fun to hear, but bear no resemblance to the modern stuff), Elements Part 2 (sounded like a sad set of leftovers from Elements Part I, and really warned of the band chaos that was to follow), s/t Stratovarius (band was in turmoil at this point, and this recording shows it; few passable tracks, but overall completely forgettable)
There is a TON of good stuff in the back catalogue if you look in the right places, but there are also albums that will have you scratching your head in puzzlement.
Justin G
Member
I'd go with Dreamspace, Visions and Elysium, just to get a feel for their early, middle and late material. Pretty much anything they released in the '90s is worth getting though.
Visions, Destiny, and Infinity are really the 3 must have. But the 3 post-Tolkki albums of Polaris, Elysium, and Nemesis are all pretty great.
Diamond45
Terminate Bad Music
NorseBlood
franks n steins
Metal Archives is always a good resource to find out more about a band.
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Stratovarius/216
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Stratovarius/216
SkiBumMSP
Member
Visions is a definite must-have! For a good feel for their really early stuff, Dreamspace and Fourth Dimension are interesting. However, more than likely, you will probably be hearing their later material at ProgPower, so it is worth checking out Destiny, Infinity and Intermission, as well as their most recent albums (Polaris and beyond).
I do agree that their self-titled album can be pretty much forgotten. I have a copy, but I can definitely tell that was created at a time when the band was pretty much in turmoil. Hell, after Elements Pt 2., I was pretty certain that the band was all but done.
Elements Pt 1, is actually pretty decent and worth checking out, in my opinion.
I have pretty much have their entire catalog (even their debut album, which, although interesting, is not really worth trying to get unless you really want to be a completionist). I really like Stratovarious and have been one of my all-time most favorite bands (next to Rush), turmoil or not. Considering, this was the band that got me to go to ProgPower in the first place. (and now I am friggan SPONSORING them! Talk about coming full circle here ).
I do agree that their self-titled album can be pretty much forgotten. I have a copy, but I can definitely tell that was created at a time when the band was pretty much in turmoil. Hell, after Elements Pt 2., I was pretty certain that the band was all but done.
Elements Pt 1, is actually pretty decent and worth checking out, in my opinion.
I have pretty much have their entire catalog (even their debut album, which, although interesting, is not really worth trying to get unless you really want to be a completionist). I really like Stratovarious and have been one of my all-time most favorite bands (next to Rush), turmoil or not. Considering, this was the band that got me to go to ProgPower in the first place. (and now I am friggan SPONSORING them! Talk about coming full circle here
).
Justin G
Member
Diamond45
Terminate Bad Music
Good point. Another album I'd rather forget.
The three "older" ones I listen to are Visions, Destiny, and Infinity. And I listen to all the new ones.
Thank you all for your input. The band's history makes for interesting reading, to say the least.
Agreed, they are... yet I still maintain that the self-titled album wasn't a universally terrible album. It just wasn't what people were expecting (and what the band seemed to be promising) upon reuniting after the breakup and bizarre sideshow that occurred for a couple years there. For the most part, the album just sounds like a fairly generic mid-paced euro power metal album. Not terrible, but nothing remarkable as far as standard mid-paced euro power metal goes either... and aside from a couple tracks, nothing much relating to the Stratovarius name.
Now, if you want to hear a truly bad album, look no further than Timo Tolkki's 2002 solo album Hymn To Life...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSQ311Qou1w
Sir Exar Kun
Member
To be fair, if we want to delve into Timo's side catalogue, "Hymn" is INIFINITELY better than the "Saana - Warrior of Light" project. Truly one of the most heinous albums I have ever had the misfortune of hearing.
