Nemesis Tracklisting and Artwork Released!

[brought2ubyletterC]

Unless they are flaming? I imagine a gay dragon would be pretty fierce!

[Texidor]

Unless they are flaming? I imagine a gay dragon would be pretty fierce!

LOL! Sickening

[NeverendingAbyss]

Unless they are flaming? I imagine a gay dragon would be pretty fierce!

I wouldn't get a blowjob from them.

[AGAG]

Unless they are flaming? I imagine a gay dragon would be pretty fierce!

I wouldn't get a blowjob from them.

That was my opinion on dogs before meeting the RIGHT dog. Never say never

[browneyedgirl]

Unless they are flaming? I imagine a gay dragon would be pretty fierce!

I wouldn't get a blowjob from them.

Why not, it would be pretty hot!

[VictorTDD]

10 - Fireborn (Special Edition Bonus Track)
11 - Hunter (Special Edition Bonus Track)

09 - Kill It With Fire (Japan Bonus Track)

[Shogakat]

10 - Fireborn (Special Edition Bonus Track)
11 - Hunter (Special Edition Bonus Track)

09 - Kill It With Fire (Japan Bonus Track)

Powerful Track Names, obviously Dragonbo...ehm! Fireborn and Playiiiiiiiing With Fireeeee, Fir.... okey... I must say Kill it with fiiiiiiiire!

I really liked the bonus tracks on Polaris and Elysium: Second Sight was very modern and fresh, on the other hand "Hallowed" and "Last Shore" were good midd-tempo compositions (not as good as the other tracks on Elysium) and CastAway was a song to be on Elysium album.

The greatness of the thing is that we will have 14 tracks released to enjoy and listen, one thing that has not happened since the Dreamspace one (taking into account that this is album + bonus tracks)

[Ilsekena]

10 - Fireborn (Special Edition Bonus Track)
11 - Hunter (Special Edition Bonus Track)

09 - Kill It With Fire (Japan Bonus Track)

Now you see, its all about ME! ^___^

[Betlodocus]

09 - Kill It With Fire (Japan Bonus Track)

Nice title!

[brought2ubyletterC]

Sweet! Bonus tracks!

[RazielSR]

Let's hope the bonus tracks won't end in a vinyl version...PLEASE.
Anyway, is there some info from the artwork for the special edition?

[Texidor]

Let's hope the bonus tracks won't end in a vinyl version...PLEASE.
Anyway, is there some info from the artwork for the special edition?

I am hoping for least some samples soon as well

[Rebel]

I really hope they've figured out that we buy albums to hear fast songs and shredding, and not Kotipelto croon for 6 minutes on 3 different songs. I was talking to a record company exec. about this a few weeks ago and he said he questioned whether or not a band could call themselves metal if they had more than 1 ballad on an album. I'm not going to hate the new album if it has 2-3 ballads as per the usual, but I would seriously enjoy them wising up and just giving us faster or at least mid-paced songs. Stratovarius has released every point on the ballad spectrum from pretty good/great (Forever) to absolute garbage (Fantasia, Mother Gaia or 4000 Rainy Nights). I remember when I was reviewing Elysium and thinking "these are good ballads, maybe they'll stick", and even though they're good ballads, this band, and especially this singer, is just not right for that kind of song. I mean, I even challenge the readers to, without looking at Elysium, name the ballads that were on the album, no need to post your results, but I'd bet a good number of you couldn't name them if you were put on the spot.

Especially enraging is that perfectly good bonus tracks are cut to make room for these wretch-fests.

</rant>

[HinatAArcticA]

Mother Gaia

Speak for yourself. I love that song

[Rebel]

Mother Gaia

Speak for yourself. I love that song

Love it all you like, I think Kotipelto sounds awful when he croons. Even if you love it, there's no need for more ballads. I've seriously never encountered a critic, fan, or listener who has ever said "You know what this metal album needs is more ballads". But evidently lots of musicians feel that way

[HinatAArcticA]

Mother Gaia

Speak for yourself. I love that song

Love it all you like, I think Kotipelto sounds awful when he croons. Even if you love it, there's no need for more ballads. I've seriously never encountered a critic, fan, or listener who has ever said "You know what this metal album needs is more ballads". But evidently lots of musicians feel that way

From Mother Gaia what I like the most are the instrumental parts. For some reason I think of it like Elements' little sister song

As for the rest, I agree that one ballad is more than enough on a metal album. Now... mid-tempo songs, I think the album should have the most of those. Because they charge you up for the fast double-bass songs, which are usually the highlights. But too many fast songs... and you end up with a 2003 DragonForce record...

[Betlodocus]

DragonForce record...

StudioForce....

[rikkertje]

I for one love every Strato ballad out there. Especially Move The Mountain and Fairness Justified. TK's voice for me is better to sing in those ranges in stead of higher than high notes and agressive stuff that he cannot pull off in a live setting anymore.

Of course I love the Unbreakable kind of songs and heavy songs should definitely reign on a metal album. But to just say they shouldn't do ballads anymore, while in recent years their ballads have become increasingly powerful and good is a bit overenthousiastic I think.

*plays Fairness Justified, sits back and listens in a trance*

[browneyedgirl]

Mother Gaia

Speak for yourself. I love that song

Amen! So do I. I like 4000 Rainy Nights, too, a good lost-love song.

[RazielSR]

I like almost all the ballads from Stratovarius. I don't see a problem having some ballad, it's typical in the metal scene. What I'd like is to hear is more mid tempo songs with the style of Eternity for example, or at least not so many fast songs. I think this album will be something like that. And yes, TK feels better singing not as high as he used to sing. I think everybody can hear that. I think he is singing now the way he wants to sing, and that's really important.

[robocop656]

I hope it's a 2 CD set of monster ballads. How are you supposed to make love with the music on if it's fast songs and shredding? Listen to Kotipelto croon while taking off all of your clothes.

[mocobhc]

I'm known for not particularly liking ballads in special, but still they're an important part of music, and Stratovarius music even more, so I wouldn't want them to spare that kind of song just because it's already been done up to a level of perfection or because "there's no need of more ballads" - sometimes ballads just add to make an album a whole and round piece of work. Take Elysium as an example, the ballads build a neccessary counterweight to the faster and heavier songs - this balance is one of the reasons why this album is so great to listen to as a whole. And Rebel, why on earth shouldn't TK be the right singer for ballads? There's not many vocalists who can put as much feeling and expression into singing ballads as he does

I think he is singing now the way he wants to sing, and that's really important.

Well said.

[Shogakat]

Thw whole thing makes me laugh!

For god's sake, Stratovarius has always released ballads, and perhaps for a person that only needs Metal to headbang and to broke his/her neck the best is "Father Time" and only double bass drumming but for a musician, if he wants to release a balanced and solid metal album (and if we are talking about Stratovarius, a power/melodic metal album) has to balance fast tracks, with mid-tempo tracks, and obviously ballads.

And, just to add, Stratovarius has always composed good ballads: starting with Lead Us Into The Light, Tears Of Ice, Forever, Coming Home, Before The Winter, 4000 Rainy Nights, Years Go By, Celestial Dream, the long Mother Gaia, Will My Soul Ever Rest in Peace?, Dream With Me, Keep The Flame, Papillon, Into Deep Blue, A Drop In The Ocean, Season of Faith's Perfection, Luminous, The Land of Ice And Snow, Somehow Precious, When Mountains Fall, Move The Mountain... hey, and I am not putting into it Winter Skies or Fairness Justified for having a heavy midtempo style and powerful chorus...

If you want to have a balanced album, in Power Metal, you must put a ballad track, and that's what a professional band want to release, a mature, solid and balanced album.

I hope that this CD will bring mid-tempo songs, the treasure in every Stratovarius album is always the mid-tempo song! ; )

[HinatAArcticA]

Thw whole thing makes me laugh!

For god's sake, Stratovarius has always released ballads, and perhaps for a person that only needs Metal to headbang and to broke his/her neck the best is "Father Time" and only double bass drumming but for a musician, if he wants to release a balanced and solid metal album (and if we are talking about Stratovarius, a power/melodic metal album) has to balance fast tracks, with mid-tempo tracks, and obviously ballads.

And, just to add, Stratovarius has always composed good ballads: starting with Lead Us Into The Light, Tears Of Ice, Forever, Coming Home, Before The Winter, 4000 Rainy Nights, Years Go By, Celestial Dream, the long Mother Gaia, Will My Soul Ever Rest in Peace?, Dream With Me, Keep The Flame, Papillon, Into Deep Blue, A Drop In The Ocean, Season of Faith's Perfection, Luminous, The Land of Ice And Snow, Somehow Precious, When Mountains Fall, Move The Mountain... hey, and I am not putting into it Winter Skies or Fairness Justified for having a heavy midtempo style and powerful chorus...

If you want to have a balanced album, in Power Metal, you must put a ballad track, and that's what a professional band want to release, a mature, solid and balanced album.

I hope that this CD will bring mid-tempo songs, the treasure in every Stratovarius album is always the mid-tempo song! ; )

+1

Also, I just heard Umbreakable on YouTube, and... I don't like the mix
Timo sounds so far away in the background. I can bearly listen to him... I hope is just a YouTube thing being low quality, because the voice is almost lost from what I can hear there

[brought2ubyletterC]

Everyone knows I've always been fond of the Stratoballads, and can't wait to hear the new ones.

[crostrato]

Thw whole thing makes me laugh!

For god's sake, Stratovarius has always released ballads, and perhaps for a person that only needs Metal to headbang and to broke his/her neck the best is "Father Time" and only double bass drumming but for a musician, if he wants to release a balanced and solid metal album (and if we are talking about Stratovarius, a power/melodic metal album) has to balance fast tracks, with mid-tempo tracks, and obviously ballads.

And, just to add, Stratovarius has always composed good ballads: starting with Lead Us Into The Light, Tears Of Ice, Forever, Coming Home, Before The Winter, 4000 Rainy Nights, Years Go By, Celestial Dream, the long Mother Gaia, Will My Soul Ever Rest in Peace?, Dream With Me, Keep The Flame, Papillon, Into Deep Blue, A Drop In The Ocean, Season of Faith's Perfection, Luminous, The Land of Ice And Snow, Somehow Precious, When Mountains Fall, Move The Mountain... hey, and I am not putting into it Winter Skies or Fairness Justified for having a heavy midtempo style and powerful chorus...

If you want to have a balanced album, in Power Metal, you must put a ballad track, and that's what a professional band want to release, a mature, solid and balanced album.

I hope that this CD will bring mid-tempo songs, the treasure in every Stratovarius album is always the mid-tempo song! ; )

I Love you.

[Rebel]

"Balanced" is extremely overrated in power metal. Having heard a LOT of the genre, there are a ton of great metal albums without ballads, and a ton of bands, Rhapsody of Fire is another one, that insists on releasing absolutely awful sounding ballads. It just boggles the mind.

If you want to know why I say we don't need balance, hear "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" by Lost Horizon.

I do agree about the mid-tempo stuff, this is a much more effective way to play to Kotipelto's strengths and break up fast songs on an album, than completely forgettable ballads.

[ggonza43]

Keep the tendency of an album with no ballads and we'll end up with a power metal-ish Reign In Blood. As much as I love Slayer and that album, there are bands that are meant to be like that, but Stratovarius has proved us over the years that the perfect combination of fast, mid and slow songs is what works for them. Besides, as far as we know, there is only one ballad in this album, and it appears nearly at the end of the CD, so why start whining about something we barely have info about?

[HinatAArcticA]

completely forgettable ballads.

The problem is that we all have very different definitions of what that means.

What if Nemesis happens to have the two best ballads you've heard in your life?

If they didn't make them, you could never know.

[brought2ubyletterC]

Jeez, it's not like we're in the era of vinyl or cassette anymore; if you don't like the ballads, just skip over them or don't put them on your playlist. Simple as that.