Stratovarius is easily one of the most recognized names in the Power Metal scene, regardless of whether you include the Melodic classification to their style or not. The group formed back in 1984, and since then has released a steady discography of full-length materials and CD singles, though their more recent ventures seemed to miss th mark for quite a while. It wasn't until their last full-length album, Polaris, that the group seemed to be getting back into the swing of things, but just not quite there yet. Elysium, the follow-up full-length to that release, as well as thirteenth full-length studio recording from Stratovarius, finds the band back at their full glory once more, making for what is the strongest album from the group in a long while. However, given this material, it may only be a precurser at the time of this review.
One of the major notes to make about this recording is that it does not feature Timo Tolkki, who played guitar with the group since 1985, as well as handled vocal duties from that same time until 2004. Could his departure truly be one of the reasons why Elysium is such a fantastic offering compared to their more recent discography? It's unclear, but there surely will be no argument from the fans over this improved version of the group with his replacement, Jens Johansson, taking ovewr as guitarist. Of course, Elysium is essentially what fans have come to expect from Stratovarius, sticking to the same sound that has kept the band alive for so long. However, the main draw here is that the material is just stronger, far more energetic, and much tighter and catchier. Right from the opening track, "Darkest Hours", which is also the lead single off the album, the listener will immediately be caught up in the powerful and catchy material, showing a finely crafted beauty that has not appeared in the group's recordings in what feels like ages. Atop of that, the energy level on these recordings are just fantastic, and often show more precision in the music then before, giving the vibe that right from the start, the members involved were having a lot of fun and wanted to make this album, whereas compared to albums like their self-titled 2005 release, it just felt like they recorded it to put something out.
While the band shows off the beauty of their music nicely on the opening track, "Darkest Hour", it's not until "Infernal Maze" that it really hits home, building up moreso with each passing track until this moving and powerful track kicks in to take the listener's breath away. The song manages to pack a good amount of speed and heaviness to the recording, all the while crafting a beautiful atmosphere-rich recording that easily reflects the artwork associated with the album, as if staring at a natural wonder in the most sirene of places. But that's not all, as there are plenty of other tracks that seem to focus on beauty, such as the following track, "Fairness Justified", which is a very well done Power Metal ballad that shows some traces of the old Hard Rock power ballad compositions here and there. The solo on this track is well suiting and, unlike the rest of the faster track's and their rather complex solos, this one is very laid back and, at times, can give off a haunting sound to it. The additional choir chanting in the background during the chorus of this song really adds to the overall epic atmosphere of the song, enriched nicely by the heavy guitars and well matched bass that drive the song with drums that synch up with everything perfectly, including those chanting vocals in the background.
For the most part, the album basically follows the foundation laid out by "Darkest Hours", except for "Infernal Maze" and "Fairness Justified", which are spectacular and beautiful tracks. And, technically speaking, the album seems to actually end with the track "Event Horizon", which is another great track, though feels just a little weaker then the rest on here. But, there is a countdown at the end of the song, leading to a rather anticlimactic ending before the title track, "Elysium" chimes in. This song is easily the centerpiece of the album, and not just due to it's over eighteen minute length, but because of the band's approach to it. The track takes the better parts of their song writing skills to compose a track that comes off as a ballad, but is clearly more epic and has more strength to it, building up periodically throughout the song, and having sections that ride off that epic building. There are also some really quirky, odd keyboards for the Power Metal style throughout the recording, and they add a nice touch of Space Rock/Metal to the mix, working perfectly for their little solos and during specific bridges to make this track stand out against the seven tracks that came before it. Of course, for the most part the song carries the beautiful atmosphere, but that doesn't stop the band from changing directions in the song, as the track can take a rather dark turn of pace with operatic-sounding keyboards replacing the Space keyboard sounds at times, leading to a very beautiful, epic, and operatic-sounding climax that couldn't make for a better closing to such a beautiful album.
While the main seven songs of the album are very spirited and have plenty of energy, "Event Horizon" does feel like a bit of a filler track, and "Move the Mountain", the track before, also shows some signs that the band was running low on fresh ideas, but not enough to truly hurt the song. Elysium captures all the best aspects of the band, and really breaks Stratovarius out of their rut with beautiful songs that easy to get into, regardless of how much edge is on them, and a fantastic climactic track that any fan of an epic sounding band will both love, as well as respect. Elysium marks an important step for the group, and the departure of Timo Tolkki is to blame for such a monumentous album that feels more like a comeback release then Polaris was, then who's to argue with the departure? Stratovarius prove with this release that they are far from done, and still have the ability to release some of the most awe-inspiring Power Metal possible.
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