Artist: Stratovarius
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release Date: 3/28/00
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Title: Infinite Artist: Stratovarius Label: Nuclear Blast Release Date: 3/28/00 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Here we go again. Abyss gives a couple of good reviews to a couple of power metal bands, and that gives the powers that be the green light to open up the flood gates. The newest powerful platter I've been assigned is Infinite, and, how can I put this…I don't like it. It's just a little too flowery and upbeat for me. Anything that makes Blind Guardian seem pretty fucking heavy probably won't do much for me. But please understand, that this is coming from a non-power metal fan, and I do have to admit that there is some good stuff on this but I think it was all done before by Helloween. And Helloween, in my opinion, did a much better job. There are some cool parts though, "Phoenix" has some really good riffs in it and has a bottom-heavy, thick segue in the middle that I think should be the sound this band injected into the meat of the album. "Millennium" also has a hook to it that is not unpleasant, if one can get by all of the melodrama that surrounds this genre. And my biggest defense is that I find myself liking this more with repeated listens, so the average power metal fan should be quite content with it.
"Of course all of this is just personal taste, I'm just getting tired of trying to find nice things to say about power metal bands that aren't really doing anything very special." Beware though, it takes one with a high tolerance for power metal to even attempt to listen to this, because for every good point there are a couple bad ones. The epitome of this is the track "Mother Gaia" which has the dubious distinction of being the crappiest song I've heard in quite some time. It makes "Looking Through Her Eyes" from Dream Theater sound inspired.
Of course all of this is just personal taste, I'm just getting tired of trying to find nice things to say about power metal bands that aren't really doing anything very special. It is equally tiring to hear a cool intro, like in "Infinity", just to listen to it lose everything once the song gets into full swing. Only for the powerful.
Death's Review:
An old friend recently wrote me regarding his reactions to the Demons & Wizards album, and his comments revived my consideration of the distinction between the European and American styles of power metal. For whatever it is worth, Stratovarius are probably the most "Euro- sounding" power metal band I am really digging right now. To me, Stratovarius' Infinite sounds like a combination of Helloween, Crimson Glory, Yngwie Malmsteen, Queensryche, Blind Guardian, Dream Theater and Iced Earth. This is a good thing.
The perfectly hypnotic tempo of the catchy opener, "Hunting High and Low," sets the stage, reminding me of something Helloween might have done in the Keeper of the Seven Keys Part I era. "Millennium," track two, digs deep with Jon Schaeffer-style riffing, although ends up being one of the album's weaker moments. Instead, it's the subtle complexity of ballads like the brilliant "Mother Gaia," with its heavily emoted vocals, glass-shatteringly high register climaxes, Savatage-emulating-Queen staccato piano parts and Dream Theater-does-Elton John lonely guitar melodies that raise this album up a notch to a full four skulls. What's more, "A Million Light Years Away," is one of the best "commercial power-metal" songs I've heard this year (commercial like Crimson Glory can be commercial). Timo Kotipelto's voice sounds spectacular throughout.
"When it all comes together, the epic scope of it all takes us through hallowed metallic halls, at once evoking Zeppelin, Floyd, etc., on through to Maiden and Savatage before ending up in Iced Earth territory." What keeps this from getting five skulls is the somewhat tedious nature of a few of the tracks ("Phoenix," for example). The classically inspired guitar lines and tasteful Timo Tolkki soloing are consistent throughout, but some of the songs on Infinite just aren't nearly as memorable overall as some of the others. Still, when it all comes together, like on the awesome "Infinity" ("Where do we go from here?"), the epic scope of it all takes us through hallowed metallic halls, at once evoking Zeppelin, Floyd, etc., on through to Maiden and Savatage before ending up in Iced Earth territory with the modern metallic greats. And it is this most metal of combinations, the classical mixed with the classic, which make Stratovarius so interesting to listen to. If you like power metal, this is highly recommended.
Hel's Review:
The cover art might just be my favorite part of the album. I like its flip-side aspect and the colors used, particularly on what I think of as the "bright" side. Additionally, I think it suits the music on the album. You can listen to it while looking at the cover and they seem like they belong together.
"You must like your metal songs to be beer-stein swinging anthems or you will not like much of this album." The music inside is dramatic. All of the songs are epic and sound larger than life. The album progresses from a keyboard-laden, anthem-filled beginning to a classical, orchestra-laden ending. The tracks start being accented with orchestra and choir early on, and with increasing frequency with successive tracks.
There are a few things the listener must be prepared for in order to enjoy Infinite pleasure. You must like your metal songs to be beer-stein swinging anthems or you will not like much of this album. You also need to be able to appreciate drumming that could replace a metronome, and shredding guitar. You should appreciate instruments of all types being played with skill and authority.
Finally, but most importantly to some, you won’t find any vocals other than singing here, so if you dislike anything intelligible in your vocal lines, you shouldn't waste your time here. But if you are looking for all of the above and well-executed melodic singing with a few high notes here and there, well, you can stop looking. Stratovarius is for you.
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