By Jonny Bakes
Sometimes you come across bands who embody the Ship of Theseus paradox (perhaps more commonly known as Trigger’s Broom) where they have undergone so many lineup changes that not one original member remains. Sometimes this works and the force of the bands’ music and style develops its own entity that prevails despite changes in personnel, and other times its, frankly, a bit shit. Stratovarius can arguably be considered to fall into that former camp and despite a pretty chaotic history resulting in a number of lineup changes, and no longer having any original members, have still been dishing out well-received albums! It’s been seven seriously long years since we last had a new Stratovarius album, so I’d say it’s about time for a new one. Cue: ‘Survive’.
Anyone who dabbles in a bit of power metal has more than likely already heard of Stratovarius. Hell, it’s quite possible that they are one of the most influential bands of the genre, having been a staple of the genre since their inception in the late 80s. With 15 (now 16) albums under their belt, there’s a hell of a legacy there that has likely influenced many of the current crop of power metal bands – Edguy, Sabaton… you name it, the influence of Stratovarius is inescapable. There’s been twists and turns in the progression of that impressive discography, with some adventures into the progressive at points, but ultimately there’s always been a focus on melodic guitars and vocals to put the power in power metal.
‘Survive’ is no different in this respect by bringing big old heaps of everything you could want. There’s the impressive high vocals of Timo Kotipelto that have formed part of the signature sound since the 1990s accompanied by galloping rhythms, widdly guitar solos and harmonies, and a general sense of orchestrated epicness. It’s not all bombastic bursts of power metal though, as Stratovarius also show off their softer side with moments of soft ballad that convey powerful emotion to provide some variety in the energy given off by ‘Survive’. Then this all culminates in an 11 minute epic track, ‘Voice of Thunder’ that provides a fitting end to this album.
The first song to grab my attention was the title track, and the first out of the gate, ‘Survive’. It launched straight into a pretty heavy riff which made me question whether this was going to be a change in direction for Stratovarius, but shortly after the keys kicked in and it became exactly what I was looking for. ‘Survive’ has a seriously powerful chorus full of vocalisations so that you can sing along without having to learn any of the lyrics! The line “only the strong will survive” crops up a number of times as well, which is pretty apt really as you could definitely apply this to the band in general. Both in terms of their ability to survive the turmoil and reshuffles over the decades and because Stratovarius continue to be part of the bedrock of power metal and continue to measure off against the relative newcomers in the genre.
My other stand out track takes a different direction, in the form of the power ballad ‘Breakaway’. Despite having a pretty explosive introduction that draws all the flair of the opera, this quickly fades away to leave a simple guitar melody and Timo’s vocals that are layered with real emotion. It’s a pretty moving track that builds into a gut punching heavy ballad that seemed to motivate and spur me into action. And perhaps it stuck in my mind so much as it was exactly what I needed at the time, but if that’s the case for me then I am sure it will be for others too!
All in all, I would argue that Stratovarius have done more than simply ‘Survive’ with this 16th addition to their already impressive discography. As I’d expected, it’s a great example of everything I love about power metal – it’s energising, catchy, melodic and downright fun. I know there’s a lot of people out there who severely dislike power metal, but this isn’t for them. This is for you, the ones who want to bounce around, belt out your emotions while trying (and probably failing) to emulate the powerful wails, and just get a bit cheesy. And if that sounds like your kind of thing, then ‘Survive’ could well be the album for you.
- ‘Survive’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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