PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Finnish power metal band Stratovarius are due to release their new studio album, Nemesis, on 25th February. Fans have already had a taster of what to expect with the song “Unbreakable” having been released as an EP last month.
Brief comments on a few tracks
The opening to ‘Unbreakable’ with its keyboards reminds me strongly of some of the Robert Miles songs on his Dreamland album – it’s a very similar sound, but once the rest of the song kicks in then any similarities quickly vanish. The guitars and drums soon kick in, followed soon after by the vocals. It sounds fantastic – the vocals are great, there’s plenty of power from the guitars and drums, and the keyboards and samples add a lot to it – a great song.
‘Stand my ground’ is a great song – plenty of energy, great music and a strong chorus.
‘Out of the fog’ tells the story of a young man forced to march into battle – the sort of lyrics you’d expect from folk metal rather than power metal, but the song is certaintly not folk metal.
‘If the story is over’ starts with a slow gentle introduction with keyboards and whistling before the soft vocals start with just the keyboards as accompaniment. The song picks up pace and power slightly after a minute or so, but not significantly – it stays as a lovely gentle song till three quarters of the way through. At this point the music swells in power and the vocals increase in power too, but still with that slow ballad feel. It’s a really nice change of pace and is a great song. My favourite track on the album.
‘Nemesis’ is another great album from Stratovarius. Power metal with a bit of pop and a lot of melody thrown into the mix, it sounds great and I’m sure fans are going to love it.
Nemesis will be released on 25th February 2013
Rating: 8.5/10
Track listing:
1. Abandon
2. Unbreakable
3. Stand my ground
4. Halcyon days
5. Fantasy
6. Out of the fog
7. Castles in the air
8. Dragons
9. One must fall
10. If the story is over
11. Nemesis
