Stratovarius
Stratovarius, the battle-scarred mastodon of the Finnish power metal, is back and perhaps stronger than ever before. The drama and sudden changes surrounding the band have been abundant, but let's leave the yellow press to mull over them. We that do not so much care for such niceties can concentrate on being amazed by the fact that the current line-up Kotipelto-Kupiainen-Porra-Michael-Johansson has manufactured such miracles in studio that the rumours of the band's rebirth are not in the slightest bit exaggerated. The brand-new album Polaris testifies that the band's skills and thrills are still there, in spite of the slightly elongated four-year gap since their latest release.
By mid-July, the songs of the new album have been tried and tested with a lengthy European tour, and the Ilosaarirock Festival audience gets a chance to welcome back a band that's at their best and most entertaining, ready to pour the nuggets of their old and new songs to the audience. And hey, in spite of the advanced years of both Stratovarius and the Ilosaarirock Festival, this one is going to be our first-ever date together! Just me and you and the 22,000 festival guests, isn't that going to be romantic?
www.stratovarius.com
myspace.com/officialstratovarius
