Stratovarius Community

These reviews sound great; makes the waiting to August all the more difficult, but I know it will be worth it!!!

I got the DVD today. Had to order it because I couldn't get the blu-ray in time due to lack of stock in Amazon.

I really liked the setlist, though I would have changed those covers which have zero interest to me to some good song from Destiny or Infinite...

Band played great, sound and mixing are amazing (M. Kupiainen seems to be growing really really better before the mixing desk).

Only complaints beside the covers thing are:

1. Kupianen completely changed some solos into something different but great, but the new Visions solo is just not good at all.

2. The under-average performance of T. Kotipelto. Many times he is struggling to hit the right notes without success, even though the music is now tuned 1/2 step lower, it doesn't get any better. I suppose Kotipelto is working with this issue and maybe he should consider having a rest to his voice or things will get pretty ugly in the future...

^ 100% agree.

Listening to the CD version for the first time, I had the impression that DVD/bluray sound is better than the CD sound - seems like the video impact adds a good lot to the satisfaction factor

About Timo, his voice was pretty weak in the beginning, but grew during the songs. Paradise was kind of a downpoint, but Legions and Father Time were great!

I've seen it for quite a few times now and the things I love most are
- the DVD managing to transfer their energy, passion and joy of playing one always feels during their live shows 1:1 to the viewer
- Lauri ordering another beer and his bass solo, especially the Finlandia part at the end
- Matias' key contributions during Black Diamond
- the setlist, with one exception: the Behind Blue Eyes cover, one more new song instead would have been perfect.

Oh man, I'd waited so long for this DVD! I was really moved the whole time. Can't wait for my copy to arrive.

The mini documentary is really beautiful, it's fantastic to look back all those years, there has been so much history, we've been through so much, good and bad times.

I'm so glad for Stratovarius to be alive and well. This DVD means a lot to me.

I understand that in some ways we could criticize Kotipelto, but after watching a lot of times this awesome DVD I have to say that, despite of his 43 years, he's doing an awesome job.

I remember seeing videos of 1997's shows and his performance was not as good as now. I mean, he had the voice and the power of his vocals chords, but he was unwilling to try to be on the tune, he was all power but anything else. (I have to say that in the earlier 2000's he was outstanding on the stage!)

Nowadays it seems that he tries to be as perfect as possible in everysong knowing that now he has some limitations that he hadn't before. Perhaps is just my opinion, but he is doing and awesome job nowadays.

Some people try to compare him to Kiske and there is non sense comparision. Kiske hasn't played "high pitched" songs since the 90's and Unisonic's songs are not in that way. Koti has struggled for 17 years his vocals chords in order to rock!

Perhaps, what I miss those years on the stage is that Koti is not moving on the stage as before, but on the other hand it's reasonable on that DVD because the Tampere's stage isn't big at all.

I liked a lot Burn, it seems that it's like a Stratovarius classic (It fits perfectly with the band!). Awesome I Walk To My Own Song, Deep Unknown and Father Time!

#1 on Finnish music DVD charts:

http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/virallinen- ... vd/2012/27

I think right now that this is the greatest Metal DVD i've ever seen. Timo Kotipelto's performance warmed my heart in a rarely moving way especially! Lauri Porra's individual solo was also nothing short from astounding, perfect. Hail Sibelius, our national composer!

The only thing i wasn't too keen into, was the cover of "Behind Blue Eyes".

Well, I'm a bit disappointed with the DVD...

-The band's performance was really below the average; some mistakes here and there and the groove wasn't there on some songs (like on I walk to my own song, they played it very fast and it doesn't have any "feeling").

-The voice of Kotipelto was buried too much in the 5.1 mix.

-The setlist is also disappointing; I mean, Polaris and Elysium have a lot of killer songs!! why play Legions, Paradise, Kiss Of Judas when you can play your current material? (and more representative of how the bands is right now) like Forever Is Today, Falling Star, Infernal Maze, Event Horizon or even Elysium...

- But the most annoying thing in the DVD is Jens!! Jens, please (with all respect you deserve) if you are reading this, stop messing around on ALL the songs! seems like you don't care about the right performance of the song, and you only want to show off your playing!

Apart form that, The dvd is good, specially Speed Of Light, Father Time, Coming Home, Winter Skies, and Under Flaming Skies.

Please don't kill me, its just my opinion

Yes, it's a respectable opinion of course! Anyway it seems that you wanted a super DVD shooted in Wacken with big focus and a big stage and of course thousands of people around there...

I think, and that is my opinion too, that this DVD has a lot of good things:

1-Jörg drumming was excellent. EX-CEL-LENT, you can see him playing everything with good conditions.
PD: Jörg give your transparent drum set to Rolf!! He will kick ass with it haha!

2- Despite of some people perhaps wanted from the DVD, I love the close atmosphere that you can see during all the DVD making this recording something intimate between the band and the viewer.
I really love seeing Lauri smiling everytime, Matias playing the keyboards in some songs, Jörg doing his speech, etc.
It's all very close to a kind of concert between the band and you. I really loved the part when Jörg said that the band really know what they were doing on that concert saying that Kotipelto had spoken all the time in finnish: that part summarizes all this big paragraph: it was a kind of intimate concert for Jörg after all those years, and I think that it is a gift for us (the fans) to watch it in the TV.

3- I am impressed for the solos, really cool, they are into the atmosphere, and the dialogues during all the concert which let the people see that there is a really good friendship between the musicians. To compare it to something: Sonata Arctica's DVD was really good on the aspect of performance and some fireworks or the assembly of the stage, but you can not see those good mood and friendship between the musicians (I really liked that DVD too, don't get me wrong, just to compare an aspect).
It impressed me when Lauri said something like "Matias isn't half bad" or something like that, it was so cool.

And the most negative part, just to deffend Jens Johansson (who has the permission to everything that he wants to his solos which are being played for him since 1996):
The camera does not focus the camera pretty well to Jens' keyboard when he does his own solos!! Fuck, I want to see him shredding!!

I think that it is an excellent, perhaps for some people "good" DVD if you know what are you paying for, if you know the meaning of the concert and understand the will of the band to do something with a close atmosphere.

And just to point out... does really "I Walk To My Own Song" need "feeling"? I mean, it's a powerful song just to move the fucking skeleton with a speedy song. If you search feeling you will find it with the songs that need to have this "touch" or "feeling": "Coming Home", "Winter Skies", "Behind Blue Eyes", "Visions" or perhaps "Black Diamond"...

And another thing interesting to discuss: the setlist. For me was pretty okay, I mean, for me it represents the career of Jörg during those years in Stratovarius with some covers that Jörg demanded to do.
On the other hand we can not see any material of Fourth Dimension, and the previous albums were summarized in that fantastic intro (that was not in the DVD as a full song... this intro is insane, or was, I don't know if this intro is still opening Strato concerts ) which gives accuracy to the argument that this setlist was only of Jörg songs.
Why after Jörg's Farewell Tour we can now see again "Against The Wind"? that makes me thing that the setlist was made in that way, and a setlist of 1996-2012's songs demand some songs of every album (oh, it appears "I Walk To My Own Song" after 9 years in a live setlist, what a surprise ) that perhaps explains only 4 "new" songs.

That is just my opinion after seeing this DVD again and again every week at home... First you still demand more and more and after some views you start to understand what was this DVD all about... and when you see clear what Stratovarius pretended to do with that DVD, you get into the live recording as if you were there that evening (or it happened just in my case, I don't know).

Anyway, peace and love hahaha, everyone has his own ideas of that DVD, which is normal!

PD: Despite of other opinions I enjoyed more "Behind Blue Eyes" cover that "Burn" and of course of "I Don't Believe in love which does not appear XDDD! Perhaps is for the way that they developed the song into a "power metal ballad" or something like that...

You describe the exact feeelings one had at the Finnish farewell shows! I didn't understand a single word, but the atmosphere was exactly that: you had the feeling like being allowed to watch a bunch of good friends having fun and playing a little bit of music on stage, very intimate and maybe also a little bit melancholic. The DVD catches that mood, it wasn't meant as a large triumphal blow-you-away, it doesn't look like one, so you shouldn't expect one.

RePoLLo wrote:Well, I'm a bit disappointed with the DVD...

-The band's performance was really below the average; some mistakes here and there and the groove wasn't there on some songs (like on I walk to my own song, they played it very fast and it doesn't have any "feeling").

-The voice of Kotipelto was buried too much in the 5.1 mix.

-The setlist is also disappointing; I mean, Polaris and Elysium have a lot of killer songs!! why play Legions, Paradise, Kiss Of Judas when you can play your current material? (and more representative of how the bands is right now) like Forever Is Today, Falling Star, Infernal Maze, Event Horizon or even Elysium...

- But the most annoying thing in the DVD is Jens!! Jens, please (with all respect you deserve) if you are reading this, stop messing around on ALL the songs! seems like you don't care about the right performance of the song, and you only want to show off your playing!

Apart form that, The dvd is good, specially Speed Of Light, Father Time, Coming Home, Winter Skies, and Under Flaming Skies.

Please don't kill me, its just my opinion

Umm I dont know what you are talking about but the only messing around Jens did was having fun on stage. Other then that the mans performance was pretty much flawless like always. Should call him jens "lord" for jon would be proud!

RePoLLo wrote:The voice of Kotipelto was buried too much in the 5.1 mix.

Depends on the settings of your speaker. Mine's OK.

TKs voice was indeed buried but only in the first half of the concert.
And Jens was amazing. He didn't have such a huge spotlight on him unlike the rest of the guys but the things he has added to the songs live are just great. I just love how he doubles the guitar riffs on Speed of Light and Legions.

And while I would prefer a setlist consisting of newer songs I think the fantastic performance of these songs was just great. + Strato has so few official live recordings that most of these songs are on a live album for the first time even though they are old songs already.

The blu ray edition rules. Ok, the tracklist is not the best, but at least we have good quality performances by Stratovarius. Let's hope they'll do the same with the new album and tour. It could be EPIC!

And well... after seeing more times this amazing Live Under Flaming Winter Skies, I have to say that the whole concert is wonderful and the whole band plays really well. TK for me sounds excellent. So, no complaints about it at least for me. But, for me, the best in the whole disc is the documentary. I had mixed feelings while seeing it. I was happy, I was sad, I was looking for the future, thinking about the past...I don't know...it is just really really emotional and I love this band, and I'm eager for more. Can't wait to see them live again and to have more and more albums from this new AMAZING and GIFTED new lineup.

Many thanks for this, Stratovarius!