Polaris - Your Review

[RazielSR]

Well, that was the Tolkki's opinion an other people opinion too. That Tk sounds forced...I dont see it that way. But maybe there are some strange things regarding Polaris that some of us will see, and others won't see. It is real? It is not? I don't know. I just know that Polaris "suffered" a strange creation process. Many factors around; TT was not in the band, a lot of pressure regarding all the things we know...

I think is an excellent album and it is in my top 4 Stratovarius discography. I hope the next will be even better.

[nefertari]

In my mind Timo´s singing in Polaris is very good, he sings enthusiastc with great passion and emotion, very relaxed to me. And his singing as live was good, very high notes

[palarmux]

In my mind Timo´s singing in Polaris is very good, he sings enthusiastc with great passion and emotion, very relaxed to me. And his singing as live was good, very high notes

100+ I agree! I loved Kotipelto's singing in polaris too!

[Eugenia]

Well, that was the Tolkki's opinion an other people opinion too. That Tk sounds forced...I dont see it that way. But maybe there are some strange things regarding Polaris that some of us will see, and others won't see. It is real? It is not? I don't know. I just know that Polaris "suffered" a strange creation process. Many factors around; TT was not in the band, a lot of pressure regarding all the things we know...

I think is an excellent album and it is in my top 4 Stratovarius discography. I hope the next will be even better.

I agree with you! I am lloking forward to hearing their next album!

[hiro23]

I also loved the album, however I will agree that certain words sound funny, but then again I think almost every band suffers from that.
I was listening to "Free Falling" from Tom Petty the other day and to me it sounds like he's singing "Free Balling"

[lalodrums2]

I was listening to "Free Falling" from Tom Petty the other day and to me it sounds like he's singing "Free Balling"

[Irinia]

And in Sonata Arctica's Last Drop Falls, I keep hearing "one room full of BALLS", instead of "one room full of WALLS"

[hiro23]

That's my point, there seem to be two big complaints in regard to Polaris.

1.The way Timo sings, this one is more personal preference so I really can't say anything about that.

2.The way certain words are pronounced, Now this one I can say something on, it is rather silly that people would not like a song simply because of how certain words are pronounced, as we've been pointing out for the last little while I think almost every band is guilty of that, even the one's that can speak so-called proper english. One other song I can think of is one by Loudness called "heavy chains" now in one part of the song Minura Nihaara sings "Heavy chains like a knife, into her heart, keeping her down" However it sounds like he says "Heavy chains like a wife, into her car, flicking her gun"

[icecab21]

Sometime I need to put a book together of heavy metal misheard lyrics.

there are also the ones where the words blend like the one arosmith song where he sings "love in an elavator" and it sounds like "loving a elavator"

in last drop falls the woman cheated so maybe she did have one room full of balls

[Irinia]

Sometime I need to put a book together of heavy metal misheard lyrics.

in last drop falls the woman cheated so maybe she did have one room full of balls

I'd buy that book Icecab

Hahaha.. Indeed, she is referred to as a not so lovely woman, so it could be a possibility

[hiro23]

Well a common misheard lyric from Jimi hendrix is his purple haze song, in it he sings "excuse me while I kiss the sky" most people think he says "excuse me while I kiss this guy"

So as I said, I can understand not liking the album because it's not to your taste however not liking it because of misheard lyrics I think is rather silly.

[GachovariuS]

hey, does anybody knows why the album is called polaris?
is there any concept behind this name or its just because?
awesome album

[mayhem-for-all]

hey, does anybody knows why the album is called polaris?
is there any concept behind this name or its just because?
awesome album

Lauris idea.
Usually the strato album titles were one word with some big meaning.
Polaris just was a word like that.

[UnaInZodiac]

Stella Polaris is the only almost steady star in the northern sky which has been leading tired men home for centuries in the Northern countries...
It is mentioned also in Winter skies -lyrics

[Intiaani]

As requested in the Finnish talk forum, I translated my rather new Polaris review into English. So, here goes.

After a rather long wait since their previous work, Stratovarius releases a mighty album Polaris, their first ever without the guitar player Timo Tolkki. The opening track, the single of the album Deep Unknown already tells us that we hear pure Stratovarius regardless of changes in guitaring and composing slots, though the music is bit more progressive than before. The second song, hard rocking Falling Star would’ve been more typical “hit-song”. Its hooks get attached to your head already on the first listening, and the song is a rather nice cup of tea anyway. Unconsciously I also searched this song for possible Tolkki references, and I think I found them. It’s funny to think that the ‘I’ of the song would be Timo Tolkki himself, the Falling Star.

These two opening songs already represent some great music to a true fanboy like me, but overally they leave a vapid taste to my mouth. You surely can hear and recognize the old band from the playing and composing, but the ultimate pomposity is nowhere to be found while the music itself is more popish and progressive than on the previous records.

Luckily King of Nothing shuts up those who didn’t believe Strato could compose good songs with this line-up. Though the opinions truly might vary with this song, you can’t denie that it’s full of feel. This rough piece, starting with a march music like intro, doesn’t have much lyrics at all, which to me, together with its roughness, works as a device: a perfect argument about King Tolkki’s kingdom fall wasn’t the idea in the first place. These preferences together intertwine into perfect rant which the composer, keyboarder Jens Johansson strikes towards their ex-guitarist Timo Tolkki.

King of Nothing isn’t just aggressive, but the Swede’s composed heck of solos for the song, too! The first super dramatic keyboard tones already make my skin go all goose bumps for the first time on this album. The Ultimate Strato Grandiosity is present during the whole song really, with huge choirs and instrument walls there, very much stuff, and it all bound together masterfully by the “sixth Strato member” Mikko Karmila.

A characreristic feature for Stratovarius and specifically for Timo Tolkki, (over)bombastic elements are pretty rare on this record. It’s like a spice here, giving flavour here and there, until everything’s finally unleashed into full blossom in the end.

The next song, Blind, is the first traditional fast power metal song of the album. The scarcity of guitar’s dominance, already noticeable on the first three tracks, gets to you expecially on this song in which the main attraction is on Timo Kotipelto’s vocal melodies and Jörg Michael’s drum work. The keyboards by Johansson also become more visible towards the end of the song. The guitar is there, however. It doesn’t “steal the show” at all. The playing of the band is clearly more diplomatic than before, surely mostly because of there’s no certain Timo on the guitar and composing every song anymore. Special thanks for the great, quick keyboard solo once again to the pioneer of the style, Jens Johansson. He still seems to drop the younger keyboarders with this solo, for instance.

Lyrically Blind continues the read-between-the-lines Tolkki grudge, being at least second song a row to do this. And once again it’s Johansson’s song.

The fifth song on Polaris is Winter Skies, a song that reminds me of some Intermission album ballads, although it’s more solid. There’s already pretty much Strato’s trade mark grandiosity on the chorus, and we hear light piano playing and some heavy riffs from Matias Kupiainen in perfect balance. For the first time on the album the guitarist Kupiainen is in his elements and even manages to play one of the best Stratovarius solos ever! The last quarter of the song is pure gold anyway: the cardinal Nordic lines “Winter Skies leave me alone / when I lose my way / Northern Land you are my home” coming from almost every Strato member’s mouth – yes! – at the same time, with authority, just sensitizes a Finnish listener. Far-fetched, all this winter skies and Northstar fuss might be some kind of resistance to Tolkki’s Visions (Southern Cross) and its legacy Tolkki looks to enlighten again according to his own words. Or maybe not. At least you can’t denie that Polaris is far more closer to Visions feel than Tolkki’s Revolution Renaissance’s new album.

The row of great songs reaches four already with the next song, Forever Is Today. The song in question is clearly the best power metal speedster of the album and maybe even the best of the last few years overally, if you count everything in! Kotipelto, who interprets the whole album well, seems to get some extra boost for this song, as he sounds younger and brighter than in any other song. It seems that the 40-year-old, at least red wine sipping TK still handles even the traditional high & loud style masterfully. There are also separate guitar solos from Kupiainen. In the first one he shreds very well as the second roams as if it’s taken from Helloween guitarist Michael Weikath’s book. Otherwise this catchy tune, although I prefer singing it an octave, or two, lower, with a technical and ballsy bassline deserves much credit.

At this point Polaris is almost a perfect 10/10 album, but it unfortunately loses this status with the next two songs. First one of these is Higher We Go. Though a catchy and uplifting tune, it’s after all the second, and worse, speedy song in a row, uninteresting heard straight after Forever Is Today. I’d have had it as the opening track as it’s a brisk short piece that might’ve been even better single than its colleague, literally deeper, more progressive diving song Deep Unknown. Higher We Go isn’t a complete disaster, though, as it’s at least listeneable. It reminds me of the Elements, Pt. 1 song Eagleheart, but it’s more boring.

The other song in my book that doesn’t get my full acceptance is Somehow Precious. I don’t believe I’ve heard anything like it, ever. That is, it’s somehere between a power metal anthem and a syrupy love song. The song blends light, cold keyboards and pretty brutal bass lines, among other things, and it lacks identity. It tries to represent too many kinds of music without being about anything in the end, and the too sappy lyrics ruin the song completely. The best part in the song is Kupiainen’s pleasant guitar playing. The melodies and accompaniment are in fit, as are those pretty long and entertaining solos that sound like trademark Kupiainen without taking anything away from Stratovarius sound still.

If the all-present bombastic sound on Visions is only mainly a device on Polaris, it’s all gotten loose on the epic song of the album, on Emancipation Suite Part I: Dusk. In the intro, the angelic choir synthesizer sounds and Jörg’s drums thunder together as some of the most majestical rhytms I’ve ever heard start roaming forward, only to silence into very atmospheric, narrative singing of Kotipelto accompanied with such tender music. I got instant goose bumps of this. Next, the song grows bigger and bigger towards the chorus, and “a new day will be dawning / Emancipation – I will break free” pathos is already part of the top A class Stratovarius music, and music in general, I’ve ever heard anywhere! The violins and other orchestral arrangements are now fully released, crying like the eyes of the Strato epic fans hearing this song for the first time. Especially on the keyboard solo, the Strato refiner mills with biggest possible grandiose rounds, just like in maestro Tolkki’s biggest works at their best! The song of course loans much from those, especially from the song Elements, but it’s still a puzzle worth more than its pieces, a fully intependent song written by Tolkki. Err… except for it’s Lauri Porra’s! The bassist shows unbelievable ability to, like, transform into the composer Stratovarius has always had! He’s also so versatile: he’s composed hard rock, power metal, and also this epic masterpiece for this album, the masterpiece that by the way ends with heavenly joint solo where every band’s musician has turns to shine.

…and continues to its second part, Dawn, gaplessly, with an especially loud doomsday bell toll. The atmosphere unwinds and Emancipation Suite continues with narrative, restrained Kotipelto singing, after which the singing once more intensifies all the way to the very highest pitches. After this starts the Matias Kupiainen Show as the guitar guru cans marvelous harmonies in the air in this showcase of his, one of the few. The guy is impressive through the album, especially in this song.

Emancipation Suite isn’t bombastic only musically, but with lyrics, too. It’s a picturesque story of the last living man seeing the end of the world, the end caused by the human race itself. Although standing on the burning ground, this man still believes in better tomorrow. In the end, he receives the ultimate price, the “dawning first light” – the heaven’s gates. So this song duo states that to survive, you must face the difficulties head held high and believe in yourself. That’s classic Stratovarius message.

After the breathtaking pair of songs, there’s still one more song, unnecessary ballad for little girls, When Mountain Fall. The only good thing in this song is a sort of gramophone sound made with violins. A ballad ending similar to this has been with Stratovarius since Forever, a very emotional, fragile ballad. After this most of the ballads haven’t been working, such as A Drop in the Ocean right after the huge epic Elements. When Mountains Fall suffers the exact same fate. I even waited for a ruthless instrumental, so that even the mountains might fall when it hits the speakers, but I was awfully mistaken. So, the song disappointed me in many ways. As these seem unfitting ending songs time after time, too sappy after the huge song, Stratovarius needs to stuff this necessary, or so it seems, ballad into a different slot next time.

Overally Polaris caught my eye as not being as guitar-driven album as I’ve used to with this band. Especially Jens’ keyboards have a bigger role than usually. It’s not that they’re hiding Kupiainen, it’s that they brought equality to the musicians. And why not, since they’re all professionals and real masters on their own instruments, respectively. Jörg’s recognizeable but not that self-repeating and self-evident drum bridges; Jens’ various keyboard intros and solos; Lauri’s Jari Kainulainen-style bass playing; and especially Timo Kotipelto’s timbre, rather bad pronunciation and, it feels like they’ve already been heard a hundred times, vocal melodies bring comfortable familiarity to the album. Why change something that doesn’t need to change?

At start the weakest and now, I think, the strongest links on the album are lack of those synth and keyboard elements that brought bombastic feel to Tolkki era Stratovarius. These are mostly used only as a spice on the album, and an experienced listener feels that with Tolkki gone, the band has lost its way to create these most epic sounds. But like King of Nothing and Emancipation Suite proof, the ability is still there. Now the music itself seems to play the major role, not effects.

The songwriting is divided pretty evenly to Johansson, Porra and the Kupiainen/Kotipelto axis, and there are still a lot of good songs. I can’t help but to thank the band for this success – it was feared that they can’t really do it without Tolkki. Of course also the production and mixing are top-class, thanks to Mr. Karmila.

Stratovarius manages to provide an evenly balanced album full of great music, with only little disappointments, whatever the reviewer’s perspective. The band has become more mature with the album.

9½/10, the Album of the Year so far on par with Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know.

[Ragehead91]

tl:dr

And about King of Nothing
The song is NOT about Tolkki. Jens already said that. It is NOT about Tolkki.

[hiro23]

What's funny is that none of the songs are about Tolkki yet seem to get taken that way.

anyways good review I like it

[Ragehead91]

Well, if "King of Nothing" really is about Tolkki, Jens must really hate him.

[icecab21]

In the year before we lost our empire
We were children on the march
We were told we had to serve our empire and die
In our wake we only left destruction
Sent their children to the graves
In the year before we lost our empire and died

The war was lost but we went on
Our king was dead and in the end nobody won

We were told to march to death and glory
We were told it's for our land
In the end our tribe was left with nothing and died
In the time when all our hearts were frozen
We were soldiers for the king
In our wake we left their castles burning and died

The war was lost but we went on
And when the harvest came we found our king was gone

The war was lost but we went on
And when we paid the price we found our king was gone
The war was lost but we fought on
The war was lost and in the end nobody won




march to death and glory, stratovarius sure did that. they are all dead now and sent children to their graves in the process

[hiro23]

I don't get it either, I'm thinking the titles get read and not the lyrics which is why this is the conclusion they reach.

[NeonVomit]

Icecab delivers

[Intiaani]

I recognize everything in the lyrics aren't true, but I couldn't imagine what they could tell if not a Stratovarius story. I thought "We were told to march to death and glory" mean that the band must've stayed together regardless how bad their chemistry is, musical or personal, because either the fans, management or Tolkki or some other direction has said so. An answer to those "Please don't quit :´(" or "Don't quit or else... (we have a contract!)" messages there sure have been, that's why they were forced to march to death and "glory", ironically. More sold products, chart positions...

I also thought sending children to the grave was clear, the children being those bands that were influenced by Stratovarius in their music, quite possibly even founded in the first place because there was Stratovarius.

So, basically I think this is how it went, exaggerated:

In the year before our band gone bad
We were doing good
We were told/in a mood to play in this great band 'til death do us apart
After us there was nothing
We left no legacy to those bands that were influenced by us
In the year before our band gone bad and split

A member/some "war" against him or someone else/what else was going on... that court case?/whatever was going on I have no clue was lost but we went on
Tolkki left and in the end nobody won

We were told: "don't quit or out faith in you disappears, do it still and do it well!"/smth
We were told it's for the honor/money/music/best
In the end we were left with nothing and "died"
In the time when our hearts were frozen(*)
We were playing in the band with Tolkki in the lead
In our wake we left management/other bands/stuff in shit/stuff and vanished

A member/some "war" against him or someone else/what else was going on... that court case?/whatever was going on I have no clue was lost but we went on
And when it was time to answer for that we found Tolkki was gone from the band

A member/some "war" against him or someone else/what else was going on... that court case?/whatever was going on I have no clue was lost but we went on
And when we had to pay for that we found Tolkki was gone from the band
We fought to continue together
In the end nobody gained anything with this shit (=won)

It all just matches together too well so it has to have at least something to do with the band. Some references. Maybe not the whole song, but some. Some things of course don't go that well together. Those I thought were exaggerations or artistic liberty used by Jens.

(*)the line "In the time when our hearts were frozen" first convinsed me this has to be about Tolkki. Guess who always states something like that when he criticizes people's attitudes and ways of life? That just nails. It's also delivered such bitterly by Kotipelto.

[Ragehead91]

Why the fuck can't ppl just accept that the song isn't about Timo Tolkki? Why does there have to be a "we hate Tolkki" song? Jens HIMSELF said that it isn't about Tolkki. THE MAN WHO WROTE AND COMPOSED THE SONG SAID IT HIMSELF! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

[Intiaani]

Why the fuck can't ppl just accept that the song isn't about Timo Tolkki? Why does there have to be a "we hate Tolkki" song? Jens HIMSELF said that it isn't about Tolkki. THE MAN WHO WROTE AND COMPOSED THE SONG SAID IT HIMSELF! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

Well, it isn't, then? I just told you why I thought it was about Tolkki anyway, because you seemed so refusal with the idea it might include even a hint of Tolkki. I still can't imagine what the lyrics mean if not this. And, it ain't about hating Tolkki, is it? It's an eruption of feelings towards all that shit the band went through recently. At least I can't read any hate towards Tolkki from those lyrics. You seem to be able to, though. :I Or maybe you just misunderstood what I was saying...?

[Ragehead91]

Well, the lyrics are about an army that fights a was that is already lost. Their king is dead and they either don't know about it or won't accept it and keep fighting. No one wins in the end.

Point is that the song isn't about Tolkki. Jens said it himself. Maybe it is an eruption of Jens' feeling after all the shit he went through and nobody can say what he was thinking while writing his song. But Fact is that it isn't against or about Tolkki. I doubt that Jens would write a Tolkki hate-song since from all the member he seems to be most willing to repair this broken relationship. Maybe Timo Kotipelto would write a song about Tolkki (In fact he already did on one of his Solo Album) or Jörg if he would write stuff. But not Jens.

[Mormegil]

Why the fuck can't ppl just accept that the song isn't about Timo Tolkki? Why does there have to be a "we hate Tolkki" song? Jens HIMSELF said that it isn't about Tolkki. THE MAN WHO WROTE AND COMPOSED THE SONG SAID IT HIMSELF! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

Well, it isn't, then? I just told you why I thought it was about Tolkki anyway, because you seemed so refusal with the idea it might include even a hint of Tolkki. I still can't imagine what the lyrics mean if not this. And, it ain't about hating Tolkki, is it? It's an eruption of feelings towards all that shit the band went through recently. At least I can't read any hate towards Tolkki from those lyrics. You seem to be able to, though. :I Or maybe you just misunderstood what I was saying...?

Jens once explained it on this forum. The song tells about megalomaniac Swedish king who is trying to create a huge Swedish Empire.

I think he was Karl XII ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_XII_of_Sweden ) but I'm not entirely sure.

[Intiaani]

Of course it does. And there are absolutely no references to Tolkki. No. Not at all. I was completely mistaken.

Anyway, my review is drowning because of this King of Nothing subject. I only translated it in English for more feedback. But, well, that's what I've been getting after all...

[shg]

I think, Intiaani, that in your review there is many good parts! Hopefully, others will notice them too! Although I think many things in different ways.

[hiro23]

Intiaani:I actually loved your review, I don't know if my comment came off as an attack but it wasn't meant as one, if it did I'm sorry.

I was just saying that Jens has said the song is about a Swedish king who became drunk with power, I mean if there are hints at Tolkki in there I'll accept it.

[Babylonian]

Polaris is good album, but there's one problem with it - it doesn't sound like Stratovarius IMO.