The Finns are back with a super heavy and melodious album as ever
By Luiz Athayde
The brand new meaning has returned to the discography of Finnish melodic metal aces. After much anticipation generated by strong singles released in the middle of the way, Stratovarius has released the album Survive via earMusic.
If in their previous albums, but already in the post-Timo Tolkki era, the listener was faced with a different band even musically, here it seems that we are facing a new chapter.
Vocalist Timo Kotipelto and keyboardist Jens Johansson have been running the ship for almost 15 years, and with them, a line up stabilized since 2012, also with Lauri Porra (bass), Matias Kupiainen (guitar) and Rulf Pilve (drums). This cohesion could only yield something at least on par with 2015’s Eternal. But it went further than that.
Considering the standard version of the album, with 11 tracks, we have a work that borders on perfection in terms of how they managed to synthesize elements of Pop music, AOR/Melodic Rock and even Emo/Metalcore and in their traditional melodic power metal, and make it works in a masterly way.
The production and also the mix was signed by Kupiainen at 5 by 5 Studio in Helsinki, and at Estúdio Eiffel, in Santo André, Brazil. Elmo Syrjäläinen was the mixing assistant, and the mastering was done by Ermin Hamidovic at Systematic Productions.
The play is already on the title track “Survive” shows a nice slap in your face with a thrash metal riff, and its progression follows with a new surprise, especially to those who love bands like Soilwork and Amberlin. Nothing short of sensational.
“Demand” comes on the same way, blending the classic Stratovarius sound with subtle modern grooves. As if that were not enough, “Broken” appears even heavier, bringing explicit flirtations of metalcore, djent and progressive in its structure. But all guided by the prism of melody.
By the way, “Firefly” is practically a sonic tribute to Survivor, one of the pillars of AOR. Great tune. “We Are Not Alone” opens the “Stratovarius being Stratovarius” session. It is worth warning that this is not an auto-copy. On the contrary: the kitchen comes with the recipe and Kotipelto finishes with a sticky chorus.
With “Frozen in Time” the angelic vocals reminds to records such as Destiny (1998) go far beyond nostalgia. Its theme is about the Pompeii tragedy that occurred in 79 AD, when the volcano of Mount Vesuvius erupted and killed almost all of its population.
In “World On Fire”, the order was for dynamism. One of those tracks that could be on any album from the 2000s on. An easy bet for future setlists. But it is in “Glory Days” that the time travel takes shape: riff with the magnifying glass in Episode (1996), double bass in command and chorus at high levels.
Ballads are not the main thing in a record, but they serve to hit the brakes before the next faster and more aggressive track, or both. “Breakaway” is that and then some, as it endorses the choirs made up of musicians from the local scene, among them former Sonata Arctica guitarist and composer Jani Liimatainen.
The symphonic power in the intro of “Before The Fall” is also chilling, but the motto followed by these sides is that of thrash. “Voice Of Thunder” closes in epic fashion. Even though it is 11 minutes long, musically it also sums up the album by going through a range of nuances explored in the previous tracks.
It is still too early to speculate on how much Survive will reverberate before the Finnish brigade’s big discography, but there’s one certain thing: Stratovarius of 2022 is so inspired. As good as the glorious days.
Great album, from a great band that is far from needing to prove that it still deserves to be among the giants of melodic heavy metal. Just push play.