The genre leading power metal merchants return
with the second and final installment in the Elements story.
Now I had been giving Elements Pt.1 quite a few spins in anticipation
of this release and the first part is a very impressive album
in its own right. Now I sort of expected more of the same
on Elements Pt.2 and generally that's not what I got!
Lets start with the sound of this album, one word
sums it up - HUGE! This has never been an area Stratovarius
have had to worry about over the last few albums but this
one is just stunning. Comparing it to Elements Pt.1 the guitars
are more in your face, the drums sound stunning again (but
don't sound like Metallica's Black Album as they did on Pt.1)
and Timo Kotipelto sounds much more natural in the mix - his
vocal power has lost nothing. Jens Johansson has some blistering
solos and adds great embellishments to all tracks, whilst
the rhythm section of drummer Jorg Michael and bassist Jari
Kainulainen are super tight throughout and the synth bass
sounds have for the most part gone - phew.
Opener Alpha & Omega
is relatively mid tempo, combining a great vocal melody with
rich backing. Timo Tolkki makes great use of electric and
acoustic guitars, whilst the orchestration adds a strong backbone.
First single I Walk To My
Own Song is an absolute corker. Starting with Jens
Johansson doing a quirky keyboard part the song quickly explodes
into life with a simple yet very strong riff. The chorus is
typical Stratovarius magic, very catchy yet manages to avoid
sounding cliched. The guitar solo is superb with Tolkki getting
an extended workout mixing slower melodies with pure shredding.
Its one of the best straightforward tracks I have heard from
Stratovarius.
I'm Still Alive sees
the tempo pick up even more for this blistering double bass
drum power metal track. This is generally the kind of thing
Stratovarius pound out in their sleep but it seems to bristle
with added energy thanks to the production. The chorus sees
Kotipelto's vocals soar ever higher and whilst being nothing
new it does deliver the goods. We get two solos here, Tolkki
followed by Johansson - great stuff.
Season's of Faith's Perfection
sees the tempo drop considerably. Starting out with simple
strummed acoustic guitar, vocals and a slightly buried keyboard
melody it creates a very strong contrast that the sonic assault
I'm Still Alive offers. This track really shows how the band
have matured over the years, its all very strong stuff with
Kotipelto's vocals really breathing. The chorus sees the electric
guitar come back in, yet its not overdone with just straight
power chords outlining the progression. Orchestration again
adds depth to the music and it works exceedingly well. Tolkki
then takes the spotlight with a very beautiful yet haunting
solo, very melodic and making the most of the chords underneath
to dictate the direction his solo takes. The chorus then sees
the track out, and you are totally satisfied.
HUGE drums lead off Awaken
The Giant, a mammoth riff then leads for the rest of
the band to enter. Here the production of the album is at
its best, full of power and bristling with energy. Relatively
slow in tempo its still super powerful. The pre-chorus has
a great melody line before the simple chorus rings out over
the main riff. The track really is pretty simple by Stratovarius
standards but the whole structure and arrangement are great.
Know The Difference
sees the first real neo-classical sound enter the fray thanks
to the fast doubled riff between Tolkki and Johansson. The
track then leads into more straight ahead Power Metal on the
verse, Kotipelto's vocals reach the skies again. Sadly the
track is let down a little by the very plain chorus which
sounds very dull by the rest of the album standards. The instrumental
section in the middle sees lots of stopping and starting thanks
to its quirky melody, Jens then takes the reigns with a very
smooth solo that reminds me quite of bit of Eddie Jobson's
work on the classic U.K. album. A track that is generally
very good apart from the chorus.
The tempo drops again for Luminous
which is home to a quite spacey verse yet grows nicely into
a very strong chorus. Its generally pretty straightforward,
a short solo from Tolkki leads the track back into a looped
ending of the main melody.
Dreamweaver is the
most progressive track on the album with a lot of different
parts, opening with a keyboard/guitar motif before some drum
fills lead into a very fast ascending and descending line
(doubled with orchestra) before the intro riff is backed by
bass and drums fully. This then breaks down to a bass guitar
part which is followed by arpeggiated chords and Kotipelto
delivers a low vocal. This has great strength in depth with
a very strong melody. The chorus sees the track go up another
gear with some great cross vocal harmonies before the main
intro riff again leads into another verse. Tolkki throws in
a rather Blackmore influenced solo (just in the feel). Another
highlight.
Liberty sees the
album out, and as the name implied its very majestic - almost
anthem esque. Its quite a contrast to the rest of the album
as its the closest thing to a power ballad that Stratovarius
have wrote. The orchestration on the album is at its most
prominent here, and it shines. A nice (albeit relaxed way)
to end Elements Pt.2.
For the most part Stratovarius have returned with
another very strong body of work. Its more straight ahead
than Elements Pt.1. Is it better? Well that's for you to decide
- to me they're different.With Pt.2 the band appears to have
gone for a more metal album, there's a more straightforward
vibe to the album - sounding almost as if the band had not
wanted to go into the super technical aspect of Pt.1 again.
There are some very strong tracks here and everything else
has the Stratovarius "class" stamped all over it.
Overall Elements Pt.2 (and Pt.1) shows the band are back at
the top of their game and fans new and old of the band will
lap this up.
