stratovarius polaris

Released: 18 May 2009 Label: ear-music

Polaris is Stratovarius' first new studio album in four years, and twelfth in total. It’s the band's first album featuring new members, guitarist Matias Kupiainen and bassist Lauri Porra, and also the first Stratovarius album not featuring long-time guitarist Timo Tolkki who left the band in 2008. The band have been dragged through lengthy legal conflicts with Tolkki and their previous label, and fans were waiting to see if the loss of long-time songwriter Tolkki would have an impact on the band’s progression. Seemingly it has.

The keys are stronger on this album, which is a welcome sound, and of course front man Timo Kotipelto’s unique, powerful and recognisable soaring voice helps define the band. There’s a real mix of tempos on the album with deep and intricate compositions. If you’re looking for eleven tracks of 4-minute catchy power metal classics to rival rousing crowd pleasers like Hunting High and Low you’re in for a bit of a disappointment though.

Although Forever is Today and Higher We Go are more like the old skool commercial Strato, with catchy sing-a-long choruses, there are also many exploratory tracks on here. Tracks that weave their way through keys and guitars solos at length, and there are also slower anthems such as the exquisite and hauntingly pretty Winter Skies.

This is still solid Stratovarius, and this album has some stunning compositions and performances on it. but fans will be split as to whether it is a classic Stratovarius album or not, and in what direction are they now going. I personally prefer some of the older and more immediately catchy material, this is almost too clever and experimental, and as a result, doesn’t grab me and make me want to listen to it again and again. Others will announce it as a musical masterpiece. It’s definitely thought provoking and demands attention.

by Lynn Wyeth