Stratovarius - Elements 1 & 2 (2006) WMA320

FOR ELEMENTS PART 1:

Few CDs, if any, have such a large percentage of songs on it that I love. You know that feeling? How many of your CDs do you spend most of your time listening to just waiting for your 2 favorite songs? I do that a lot. Not on this CD (or any of Stratovarius's CD for that manner). The album is about 62 minutes long, also.

It is important for you to know that I own 12 Stratovarius CDs (Fright Night, T.T., D., Fourth Dimension, E., V., Visions of Europe, D., I., Intermission, Elements 1, and Elements 2), the DVD Infinite Visions, and a shirt for this band. Only one other band do I own more than 3 albums by. And that band is Nightwish. Needless to say, I enjoy Stratovarius a LOT. About 45 of my about 400 favorite songs are by Stratovarius - far more than by any other band. Off this album, those songs include Find Your Own Voice, Fantasia (fav. of the album), Papillon, Stratofortress, Elements, and A Drop in the Ocean. Get that? 2/3 of the songs! Sorry - I don't find Eagleheart that great. Its also the least Strato-like song I think they've ever recorded, musically.

What most people hate about this album is what I love - orchestration, Timo's wailing, 2 epics, and the instrumental Stratofortress. What I don't like is the no double-bass songs. Well... at least `not enough' of them. I know we're never gonna get another Father Time since the band's no more, but it would have been nice to have another song to be similar to that. It seems that the really fast songs were only on their older albums.

The funny thing with this album is the atmosphere. The cover art really does make you feel like you're in the sky! Just give Elements or A Drop in the Ocean one listen and try to tell me different. The solos on Stratofortress also give that feeling. The whole album does, but it's the strongest at the end of the album.

The albums "real" opener is Soul of a Vengabond, which I am not too fond of at the time. Find Your Own Voice is the closest to older Stratovarius you'll hear on the album. Fantasia's a lot like Mother Gaia and The Power of One in the sense that its like "what would our world be like if there were no wars or religion?" Learning to Fly is semi-filler to me, but Papillon is one heck of a powerful song. Its wicked slow, but in-your-face loud. Lots of wailing in that song, and in the title track. I recently looked at the lyrics to Elements (the song) closely - it looks like its simply a guy (Timo) asking "why are humans so selfish?" and such, and the answer he gets is 8 elements in 2 sets: wind, water, fire, earth, and then fear, anger, sorrow, joy. That song should give you chills, even though its not quite as good as it could have been. I've read that A Drop in the Ocean is Celestial Dream, Part II (from Infinite), but I'm not sure about that. They're both drumless ballads, but I don't see the relationship.

Seriously - for any fan of euro metal of any kind (or if you like Rammstein for the orchestration), you just gotta give this album a (2nd, in some situations) try. As a whole, this is my favorite Stratovarius album. Visions, Fourth Dimension, and Infinite are in a close 2nd. Then probably Twilight Time and Destiny. Episode and Elements 2 are next, and I don't wanna go further than that.

I hope I helped you in deciding whether to or not purchase this (wonderful) album. If I helped, please say so! I have a lot of other reviews (and now, I have my own list here on amazon!), so read them when you get a chance. Type in "Tunnelvision" and you should get to the list.

by Matt Stoessel


FOR ELEMENTS PART 2:

Elements Pt.2, which comes almost right out after Pt.1, is completely different from its predecessor. This album is more direct, in-your-face music. If you were unhappy with the heavy use of orchestration in Pt.1, then you should be pretty happy with Pt.2, as orchestration is not at the spotlight this time.
This album sounds like a cross between the Stratovarius of old (namely Episode and Visions albums), borrowing some elements form more recent albums (such as Infinite) while still retaining the fresh sound that was found in Elements, Pt.1. One thing that may turn fans away from this album is that the ratio of fast to slow songs is the same as that found on Pt.1: there are two very fast songs, two mid tempo songs, three ballads and two slow, yet powerful and hypnotic songs.

Another of the main complaints with Pt.1 was Kotipelto's use of high notes, which could turn annoying some times. In Pt.2, high notes are used only in choruses and not throughout the song, and this time around they are done very well. There's only one song, though, in which Kotipelto's use of high notes can be annoying, and that song is Alpha & Omega.

Let me give you a short review of all the songs in the album:

1. Alpha & Omega (4.0/5.0) - This can be considered the epic of the album, but is not so much of an epic. The song starts with the sound of rolling waves, which would be the link between Pt.2 and Pt.1, because the latter ended with the sound of waves. Still, I think is a poor choice for an album opener. This is a very slow, powerful song with hypnotic drumlines. The bridge to the chorus is ballad-like. Overall a nice song, but Kotipelto's voice can be annoying some times.

2. I Walk To My Own Song (4.5/5.0) - The single of the album. Your classic mid-tempo Stratovarius song. The melody gets in your ears quickly, and the solo is amazing.

3. I'm Still Alive (5.0/5.0) - An awesome fast song which could've belong to the Visions album. Great chorus, and the vocal performance is very good here. There's a very good drum solo at the end.

4. Season Of Faith's Perfection (4.5/5.0) - If you're a sucker for ballads, like me, you'll love this song. This is an orchestral ballad (like Papillon from Pt.1, but only in style). The song starts very nicely until a very haunting keyboard interlude. The chorus is awesome.

5. Awaken The Giant (5.0/5.0) - Soul of a Vagabound, Pt.2. Much more heavier and direct than Vagabound. Again, another hypnotic song with a very nice drum beat.

6. Know The Difference (5.0/5.0) - A lightning-fast masterpiece. Sounds like a cross between Stratofortress and Find Your Own Voice, without the annoying high vocals of the latter. The chorus is excellent, and the use of keyboards is really good. Watch out for the cool solo.

7. Luminous (3.5/5.0) - The weakest song in the album. A very peaceful ballad. If you've ever listenned to Into Deep Blue, Pt.1's bonus track, then you know exactly how this song sounds. Great lyrics, but overall it doesn't do too much to me.

8. Dreamweaver (5.0/5.0) - A very agressive song. Easily the best one in the album. The song is mostly mid-tempo, but it can get fast at some points because of the constant time-changes. The chorus is one of the best for a Stratovarius song.

9. Liberty (5.0/5.0) - A power-ballad and a fantastic finale for the album. This feel-good song is the complete opposite of Forever, and I predict it will become the official closer for Stratovarius concerts.

All in all, a very good album which sounds very fresh. Personally, I found this album waaaay better than Pt.1, which was less-direct music because of the heavy use of orchestration. Pt.2 is more direct, and that's what I like when listening to power metal.

Heavily recommended.

by Ashkael

TRACKLIST:
Disc 1:
01 - Eagleheart.wma
02 - Soul Of A Vagabond.wma
03 - Find Your Own Voice.wma
04 - Fantasia.wma
05 - Learning To Fly.wma
06 - Papillon.wma
07 - Stratofortress.wma
08 - Elements.wma
09 - A Drop In The Ocean.wma
10 - Run Away.wma
11 - Eagleheart (Demo Version).wma

Disc 2:
01 - Alpha & Omega.wma
02 - I Walk To My Own Song.wma
03 - I'm Still Alive.wma
04 - Season Of Faith's Perfection.wma
05 - Awaken The Giant.wma
06 - Know The Difference.wma
07 - Luminous.wma
08 - Dreamweaver.wma
09 - Liberty.wma
10 - Forever (Live).wma
11 - Black Diamond (Live).wma

WMA 320Kbps 44100Hz STEREO

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