So, when did you encounter Strato for the first time?

[DreamT]

(this has probably been discussed here a million times before, but what the heck.)

When did you hear Stratovarius for the first time? And what got you "stuck"?

The first song I heard was Legions, on my friend's walkman. It instantly blew me away, so I went to the local record store and bought Visions the next day. And the next is history.. The melodies, combined with the energy and rhe lyrical themes, is my reason for listening to Stratovarius since that day.

[foerg]

black diamond on a sample cd...

it was just the thing i was searching for a long time...

[exe knight]

Encounter...


...A WILD STRATOVARIUS APPEARS!

[Gossimoto]

I came across Stratovarius on Pandora a little over a year ago. Eagleheart was the first Strato song I heard and like foerg said, it was exactly what I was searching for.

They really opened my eyes to this kind of metal that I've been missing out on for the last 20 or so years. I've been trying to catch up ever since.

[Ragehead91]

Somewhen back in 2004. I think I found Black Diamond on Youtube or something.

[phoenix666]

My first contact with Stratovarius' music was in 1999, if i can remember well, first song i've heard was "Destiny"! I was in college with a friend of mine, and he played this song on walkman... I remember I jumped off the chair when the guitars begun, cuz i was shocked with the opposition betweeen the heavy guitars and those first seconds' angelic choirs!!! i laugh every time i remember this, even so many years later!!!

[Fuuso]

I think the first song I heard was S.O.S. in 1999. I didn't really listen to metal at that time, but when I heard some more songs from Destiny I decided to find out more about Stratovarius and metal music. So Stratovarius actually got me into metal. After that I found Iron Maiden and bought Brave New World in 2000. I'd say there was no turning back after that.
Iron Maiden and Stratovarius have been my two favorite bands ever since.

[Tero-75]

I saw the Black Diamond video in a Finnish TOP-40 chart program back in -97 and it hit me like a 3 foot log.
The rest is history...

[Oceansoul324]

It was in 2005 (when i was still a metal newbie), I heard the Infinite album and got hooked ever since.

[HinatAArcticA]

In 2005, I was surfing through Sonata Arctica's web and found on Tony's profile "I love Stratovarius" or something like that, and googled it, the first thing that came up was the Black Diamond video on YouTube.

[Noxica]

I already knew of Matias through various things, so I investigated when he joined. Have yet to investigate the back catalogue, but I'll get round to it one day

[Ragehead91]

In 2005, I was surfing through Sonata Arctica's web and found on Tony's profile "I love Stratovarius" or something like that, and googled it, the first thing that came up was the Black Diamond video on YouTube.

So you found out about the original via the imitator (On the first album they pretty much tried to out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. Not that this is a bad thing). A bit ironic, isn't it`

[icecab21]

stratovarius sure have a lot of songs about wolves

[Ragehead91]

stratovarius sure has a lot of songs about wolves

We already had that discussion. They were trying to out-Stratovarius Stratovarius. Their first album was HEAVILY influenced by the sound Stratovarius created. And you can't denie that.

[icecab21]

I for one would not think of making that piano intro for full moon , for example, after listening to stratovarius as something that stratovarius would do, but if you really think this song about wolves comes from trying to be stratovarius, ok. Stratovarius was one influence, main influence, but the band did not pull everything they did from the stratovarius catalog. This was not some actor studying to play a part and emulating every little detail of behavior after studding each pattern. I don't think any member of stratovarius thinks that sonata arcita made stratovarius albums.

[browneyedgirl]

About 1999 I saw the Against the Wind video on DirectTV channel MUCHMUSIC(now Fuse) on a show called LOUD. It was great! :headbang:
My son bought 4th Dimension. I bought Infinite and Infinite Visions videotape. And the rest is history!

[Ragehead91]

Listen to their first Album. Don't tell me they were not influenced by Sonata Arctica. I mean, it is REALLY obvious. Of course they had their own ideas and they didn't copy the songs 1:1 but one can't deny that they were HEAVIELY influenced by Stratovarius. And to me the whole album sounded like it could've been a Stratovarius album apart from a few minor things. That is my opionion. HOWERE, that Stratovarius was one of their, if not the main influence on the band is undeniable. Granted, they found their own sound over the years.

[browneyedgirl]

Wasnt Stratovarius like Sonata Arcticas mentor? I mean, Sonata came after Stratovarius so SA I guess was influenced by Strato. Plus, didnt SA tour with Strato later on? Or am I wrong about that? Anyway, I think SA and Strato are both really good bands with great music and it seems they really worked together at some point.

[Babylon]

They played in Guadalajara in 2000, and there were hardly any good shows here back then, so I decided to go to the concert, even tho I hadn't heard any songs, I had only heard OF them. A metal radio show played Glory Of The World a few days before the show. But when I saw them live, I was completely blown away and became a fan since then.

[Ragehead91]

Wasnt Stratovarius like Sonata Arcticas mentor? I mean, Sonata came after Stratovarius so SA I guess was influenced by Strato. Plus, didnt SA tour with Strato later on? Or am I wrong about that? Anyway, I think SA and Strato are both really good bands with great music and it seems they really worked together at some point.

Well, I think someone mentioned that Sonata Arctica see the guys from Stratovarius, especially Tolkki, as sort of mentor. I think that was Jens. And yes, in 2000 there was a tour involving Stratovarius, Rhapsody and Sonata Arctica.

[dirtclaw]

It was a progressive metal sampler CD that came with a Richard Marx album I bought for my sister. It was called Progressive Metal: The Metal Years, and it had a live version of Hunting High and Low on it.

http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/a ... 69,00.html

Pretty much every band on that CD is a band I absolutely love, especially Strato, Opeth, Ayreon and Steel Prophet.

[Empathica1928]

I was on the Internet looking for some new bands to listen to, and I just went to a message board I used to frequent all the time and asked for some awesome songs.

First response was Black Diamond. Loved it on the first listen, but didn't check out anything else for a long time. Black Diamond is still as amazing to me as it was on that first listen seven or eight years ago. Fucking great.

[Arkash]

A friend making me listen to something I will never forget and I consider those minutes spending listening to that for the first time some of the most awesome of my life:

I KNOOOOOOW I CAAAAAANT STAAAAAAAY FOREEEEEEEVEEEEER BY YOUUUUUUUR SIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE BUT I KNOOOOOOW I WOOOONT FORGEEEEET YOUR BEAUUUUUTY MY BLACK DIAAAAAMOND!!!!!

[mayhem-for-all]

The first one I heard was also Black Diamond but I didn't like it back then.
But later I decided to get to know them better.
Hunting High and Low, Eagleheart, Destiny, Speed of Light and Paradise really showed me what it really is about.

Strato must the band I apreciate the most and I still like all of the band eras and phases as every one of them has something.

[Tero-75]

I'm sorry but I'm too lazy to quote everything relavent here but...
Both Tony Kakko from SA and Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish have said in early interwievs, that they look up to Stratovarius as a model and that they and their music in the beginning was heavily influenced by Stratovarius.
A little later, after both had made some succes abroad they both thanked Stratovarius for "opening the gates for Finnish power metal".

[palarmux]

I'm sorry but I'm too lazy to quote everything relavent here but...
Both Tony Kakko from SA and Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish have said in early interwievs, that they look up to Stratovarius as a model and that they and their music in the beginning was heavily influenced by Stratovarius.
A little later, after both had made some succes abroad they both thanked Stratovarius for "opening the gates for Finnish power metal".

as he said...

[DreamT]

Encounter...


...A WILD STRATOVARIUS APPEARS!

You couln't ignore the opportunity, could you:-)

[Intiaani]

Normally I write it the long way, but I couldn't bother now so I just copy/paste from my Last FM profile page. It was early 2002.

I was a big professional wrestling fan at some point in my early to mid teens. I still think the concept is genius, something between sports and soap opera / just acting, depending on a federation. Anyway, I was watching one wrestling forum user's self-made video of these "more talented" independent wrestlers (non-WWE) and heard Stratovarius - Destiny playing in there. The song caught me the first time I watched the video. I watched that video many, many times since, mainly to hear the song again. It was so heavenly. And it was a rather long song, too, luckily. But the video was not enough in the end - I wanted the album. So I made my mom to buy it to me. After listening to Destiny, the first track on the album of the same name, I was just utterly amazed: the song lasted for even longer than in the video! It was over 10 minutes long - how could any song be?! - and the ending was even better than the beginning! That was the musical enlightenment of the 13-year-old me. And here I am, listenening to music when I don't have anything to do - and sometimes I don't do something so that I could listen to even more music - and obsessed with bands like my first and all time favorite Stratovarius, Helloween, Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian. I can enjoy many kinds of music, but I think melodic metal is my number one thing. Call me a power metal maniac if you must, I don't care, I just worship that music! Have no worries, for I like many other kinds of music, too, and try to listen to it as much as possible as well.

[NeonVomit]

Quite simple.

2000: I was into Iron Maiden, Metallica and other stuff. A guy in the class above me in high school who was a really great guitar player said he listened to Stratovarius a lot, so based on his recommendation I went out and bought Infinite. It rocked. One of my other friends said 'hey I've got another one of their albums, Episode'. I borrowed it and that was basically that. I was a die-hard Stratovarius fan from that point forward. Jari's playing blew me away and, along with John Myung, was one of the two players who inspired me to push myself as hard as I could on my instrument (Steve Harris and Geezer Butler were the ones who inspired me to pick it up in the first place).
Episode was also the album which gave me the hunger to pursue studies in music, and Stratovarius' music also sparked my interest in classical music.

So yeah, Strato have been a big part of my life

[Rebel]

Quite simple.

2000: I was into Iron Maiden, Metallica and other stuff. A guy in the class above me in high school who was a really great guitar player said he listened to Stratovarius a lot, so based on his recommendation I went out and bought Infinite. It rocked. One of my other friends said 'hey I've got another one of their albums, Episode'. I borrowed it and that was basically that. I was a die-hard Stratovarius fan from that point forward. Jari's playing blew me away and, along with John Myung, was one of the two players who inspired me to push myself as hard as I could on my instrument (Steve Harris and Geezer Butler were the ones who inspired me to pick it up in the first place).
Episode was also the album which gave me the hunger to pursue studies in music, and Stratovarius' music also sparked my interest in classical music.

So yeah, Strato have been a big part of my life

Jari was, admittedly, not a huge influence, nor was John Myung, for me at least.
Flea inspired me to pick up the instrument, Harris showed me a style I could excel at, and Jari I guess showed me "And despite your extremely fast fingerpicking, you'll never be as fast as me".
Lauri though, is a HUGE inspiration for his soloing.

A friend of mine just pushed me to listen to Strato because he LOVED it, I caught on quick. It was right around the time I Started listening to RHCP too.