CD Review: Stratovarius - Nemesis

Written by Petra Whiteley Wednesday, 27 February 2013 15:03

Artist: Stratovarius
Title: Nemesis
Genre: Power Metal / Symphonic Metal
Release Date: 22nd February 2013
Label: earMUSIC/Edel

Album Review

So the fourteenth STRATOVARIUS album is finally here. After all the changes the band has been through they came out with more focus on keyboards and some interesting vocal approaches and sound. They also sound like they’ve recuperated from all the turmoil and are on top form and crystallised as a new line-up proves to work well. The super-catchiness with the sound effects may affect a trans-genre feeling, at least in its first half of the LP – for example ‘Stand My Ground’ veers more towards pop-rock than its supposed home-genre sound which is still there just to pull it away from ...cheesy song it’d have been without it. Then there are quite anthemic songs such as ‘Fantasy’ with an epic chorus that turn this slight feeling of cheesiness into unbridled sense of fun, and somehow reaches to the great Metal days of yore – which makes it slightly generic-stamped though still a great song to listen to.

‘Out Of The Fog’ gets out into a more serious track and gets to sound more classic to the genre. One gets an impression that the band may have tried to steer the sound towards the darker shores, the stress lies on for me on an attempt – but then, as I see it, it’s the ‘feel-good’ factor, the way it buoys up the mood, that is a great plus – you have to have albums that bring you up rather than just down too. The biggest let-down of ‘Nemesis’ is ‘If The Story Is Over’, which feels like a mere filler; a mediocre ballad, which should have at least been rescued with interesting lyrics, but this is not, sadly, the case. Though ‘Nemesis’ feels more commercially minded it’s also highly enjoyable album and one that offers strongest material that they’ve turned out in some while, and as such it should be applauded.


Tracklist

01. Abandon
02. Unbreakable
03. Stand My Ground
04. Halcyon Days
05. Fantasy
06. Out Of The Fog
07. Castles In The Air
08. Dragons
09. One Must Fall
10. If The Story Is Over
11. Nemesis


Line-up

Timo Kotipelto – Vocals
Matias Kupiainen – Guitars
Jens Johansson – Keyboards
Lauri Porra – Bass
Rolf Pilve – Drums


Websites

http://www.stratovarius.com / https://www.facebook.com/stratovarius


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10