DESTINY

This is the album I have been waiting for, even before the title of the disc was officially announced.  When all it was, was a rumor that one of my favorite melodic metal bands was working on a new album.  And then I heard a clip of the song 4,000 Rainy Nights.   That clip changed my life, that clip made me go insane, and I actively began a campaign to put it into EVERYONE'S head that Destiny was album of the year.  Period.  I had not even heard anything else from the disc, but then again, the quality of sound over the computer speakers just doesn't do anything justice.  Other clips became available, but no, I made myself suffer, for I wanted to feel that assault of Stratovarius beauty wash over me for the first time.  So to me, Destiny would be album of the year.  In fact, I made myself sound like the biggest Strato-fan on the planet, when in reality the only cd I had of theirs was Episode and the first song I had ever heard of them was a clip of the song Black Diamond from Visions.   I remember a year ago I was saying Stratocaster who?  Oh how things change.   But no one can change their destiny.


The day it came in the mail was a day to remember.  I ripped the package open, I KNEW what it was, and yanked the cd out, tearing the plastic so it was flying all over the place.  This was Destiny.  I had waited what seemed like forever for this.  All of my hopes and dreams for a new Stratocd were about to either come true or fall into the depths of despair.  I had even gone so insane that I had acquired the entire Stratovarius collection, to give myself a feel for the band.  But here it was.  Everything else was just a prelude to this. 

So I pop it into the cd player with shaky hands, hit play......and wait.....breathlessly......and in seconds, I knew, it was everything I had hyped it to be.   Stratovarius does it all, plus more, unlike anyone else can.  They can write hooks that you can hang your hat on, ballads that cause you to crumble into a million sobbing pieces inside, 10 minute epics that are so good they seem like they are over in yet seconds, just waiting to be played again, and anthems that are truly inspiring.   But its not the whole band that writes this stuff, its the two Timos, guitarist extraordinaire, Timo Tolkki, and the voice of the band, Timo Kotipelto.  Their combined writing skills and passionate performances, make what is the core of Stratovarius.  Tolkki is a dream come true on the guitar, he easily blends the neoclassical beauty and over-the-top unbelievable soloing of Yngwie Malmsteen, and the tearjerking soulful playing and tasteful yet catchy riffs of Ritchie Blackmore.  Yet Tolkki puts his own spin on the guitarplaying, making it sound refreshingly original.   Timo Kotipelto has the kind of voice others can only dream about.  He has so much power and control, his voice becomes just another instrument of conveying the feelings and emotions captured on this disc.  He can sing most everything, and do it so well.  Jens Johansson is an all star keyboard player, having played in Dio and Yngwie and numerous other bands, and his keyboard playing is distinctly unique, yet it is becoming more and more, just another part of the Stratovarius sound.  It puts a whole new twist on the keyboard sections, allowing it to stand out, instead of just being part of the background sound.  Keyboards are usually way too overdone for my tastes in many prog metal bands, excrutiating to listen to, lengthy keyboard solos can be the one reason I shut the song off in the middle.  But with Stratovarius, that is never a problem, there are keyboard solos, but they are done so well and with so much flair for passion that they fit the rest of the song instead of thrown in for good measure.   The drummer is Jorg Michael, an awesome drummer, that has lended his talents to bands like Running Wild and Axel Rudi Pell.  He is one of the best in the business, and even makes those speed metal quickly pounding drum driven songs even bearable, and that's saying something.  Combine it all together, and throw in bass player Jari Kainulainen, and you have the greatest melodic band of all time. 

But the songs are what count.  And that's what makes Stratovarius stand out among others, they not only have talented players and are capable of producing superb songs, but they do it.  They make the grade.  The two Timo's keep popping classic songs out like its nothing, yet upon listen they speak volumes.  They are one of the few bands that have released more then one or two nearly perfect cd's in a row, instead Stratovarius has produced five, Dreamspace, Fourth Dimension, Episode, Visions, Visions of Europe Live, and Destiny will make number six.  Yes, its that good, no they haven't let us down. 

Destiny---The haunting choral passage opens the cd, standing alone, before the entire assault of sound kicks in.  The sound that is Stratovarius, that is greatness.  All of the beauty of their past epics are blended into one furious brigade of melodically metallic sound.   This song shows all sides of the band, the subtle beauty, the deafening power, the delicately performed passages, and the gorgeously memorable solos.  It has it all.   And more.  An excellent opener. 

SOS---The first single from the album, it also happens to be the one with the most commerical appeal in the hard rock area.  I don't think too many stations would be willing to play one of their ten minute epics every day so SOS was defintely the best pick of the bunch.   There are hooks galore, and more solos than you can poke a stick at.  All compacted under a not-so-restrained package that just screams greatness. 

No Turning Back---Fast and furious, this is the kind of song most Stratofans really want to hear from their band.   It happens to be one of their best speedy metal sounding tracks too.  Even I can get into this one, and just check out that keyboard.  Jens goes nuts a few times, which gives it that extra something that makes it stand out.  This will pound the breath right out of your chest, only to have it taken away by the next tune. 

4,000 Rainy Nights---Most songs I individually review have to be listened to while I review them to get that overall picture in my head, but this is one, that stands out so starkly that the silence helps to form its own picture.  This song, is song of the year.  Challenge it how you like.  I know alot of Stratofans will be turned off by this very commerical sounding power ballad, but its their loss.  This song has more emotion, more punch, more power, and more epicness than anything Queensryche could dream of doing.  The opening guitar solo is hands down one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.  The soul and emotion harnessed within the touch of the strings, is so sad and desperate sounding that its almost more than I can even take.  Timo Kotipelto's vocals round out the ballad perfectly, and it ends with the sound of rain falling, which is the topping on the cake, the final touch that shows that everything is well thought out, and it just fits.   This is the song that could catapult them to stardom, if only the year was 1988......

Rebel---The first time I heard this song, I had one through....Yngwie Malmsteen 1986, Trilogy.   Yep, this song has that Yngwie Trilogy sound stamped all over it, up and down and throughout and hidden in all the corners and crannies within.  Yet its also painted with that Strato sound. 

Years Go By---Get out the kleenexs, you are going to need them.  This song has a spirtually beautiful quality, so light and airy and delicate.  Spiritual in the sense that it will twist your spirit and crush it and fill it with such sadness that it will overflow, thus the need for kleenexs.  A gentle cry from the heart.  The chorus is so huge and epic that it really stands out against the rest of the delicate song...and the guitar solo....oh.....Timo Tolkki, how do you squeeze such drops of pure emotion out of that instrument?  There are so few guitarists that can create such sounds out of their guitars, but he does it so well, and with such elegance and passion.  He takes his time, and allows the notes to flow out, if this song doesn't touch your heart, then nothing will.

Playing With Fire---I have to say, this one of the songs that I thrive on.  I like my music catchy and with that metal punch that just reaches out and grabs you and screams LISTEN TO ME!  Well this song has got it.  I hope Stratovarius continues in this direction.  Check out that guitar, it has a hook that you hang that ever loving hat on, plus a few coats too...this just has that sound!  Its so hard to describe, it has to be heard to be understood.  The solo is also fantastic, and Kotipelto's voice was made to sing stuff like this, with that richly foriegn sound that puts such a new twist on every word that is delivered.  This song is another perfect one for Stratovarius, the perfect length, the perfect sound, and it reminds me alot of some of Yngwie's best material.  Hands down, one of my favorites.

Venus In The Morning---This song continues on the same path as Years Go By did, with delicate acoustic guitar work, similiar keyboard work, but even more delicately performed.  The lyrics are so beautiful, and catchy.  In fact, this song is the kind that just gets in your head and won't leave.  With lush passionate vocals, that carry the entire song, on the wings of beauty.  Much to my delight, there's more beautiful soloing by Timo Tolkki, which is slowly built up to by gentle vocals, then the sound explodes into spiraling guitar and keyboard tradeoffs, which bring the entire song to an epic crescendo before spiraling into violins and inspired guitar playing, that sounds so sorrowfully free, like a lost soul crying out, then the whole band just kicks in, another explosion of Stratovarius beauty, with the voice just showing its true capabilities, and then as it begins, it ends, gently, delicately, beautiful. Brilliantly beautiful. 

Anthem of the World---This song opens with violins, Stratovarius knows just how to use violins in their music, to make their epics more epic, and their anthems more anthemic.  This song has one problem with it.  They lifted the one thing in Nighttime Eclipse that made it so memorable, and put it in this song, and its one of the carriers of this song too.   I know Timo Tolkki said once that all their albums are improvements over the other, but tinkering with Nighttime is just blasphemy.  Well not that bad, but close.  This song has no other ties to the already mentioned Nighttime, however.  And it stands on its own.  The opening is beautiful, then moves into powerful, then moves into down right speedy.  The chorus is so huge and anthem-like that its hard to ignore it.  Then the song moves into the epic mode, complete with a chorus of voices, violin, and the inspiring lead vocals and guitar fusing it all together, the end is my favorite however, with Tolkki's beautiful guitar standing out among the violins and other epicish sounds, and the chorus repeating "Anthem of the world"   there is always Tolkki's guitar, even till if fades out till the very end. 

Cold Winter Nights---Uniquely Stratovarius, a blending of the fury of No Turning Back and the hook filled Playing With Fire, this is really a great song.  With more great lyrics.  This is one of my favorite speedier Stratovarius tunes.  It has such a great chorus and the overall sound is just inspiring.  With guitarwork that is Tolkki, the tradeoff duels between the guitar and the keyboard mixed right into the core of the song.  The guitar fanatic in us all, will adore this song.  

I now can officially announce, Destiny, as the greatest cd of 1998!!!   Timo Tolkki shows emotional sides to his guitarplaying that he only hinted at before, Jens demonstrates that he has really matured and further excerised his talents as a worldclass keyboardist, Jorg Michael pounds the skins with the kind of flair and talent that only veterans like Tommy Aldridge can lay claim to, and Timo Kotipelto is truly one of the finest vocalists of the 90s, possibly of all times.  If this cd doesn't make a fan out of you, nothing will.  Nothing!  you are lost to the melodic metal world!   That's one thing I love about this cd, it flows so beautifully, its   one gorgeous trip into dreamland, into the thoughts and emotions of another world.   A musical world, where the depths of emotion are given sound, graced with another power form to allow the inner meanings to come across to the listener. This is one flowing work of art, one that can't be missed.  The talented unleashed with this disc is overwhelming, and shows that the band has matured as songwriters, musicians, and performers in general.  Anyone that doesn't have this, should get it, immediately.   Its my vote for CD of the year.   Period.

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