aaamusic | On 24, Nov 2010

Kids, get your leather jackets at the ready, we’re off to see some heavy metal. But this isn’t a blokey rockfest, this is Finnish power metal pioneers Stratovarius with their latest sacrifice to the altar of sound, an expansive single entitled ‘Darkest Hours’. To the vanilla crowd, power metal is the branch of metal that features the metalhead fetish for playing loud and fast blended with the frills, melodies and even some instrumentation of Baroque. Think Bach of the 1700s meets Bach of Skid Row.

Starting off with a gritty distorted guitar riff swirling with operatic bells and whistles like a frontman shrouded by dry ice, the spearhead track ‘Darkest Hours’ is a melodramatic outpouring of heavy metal bombast and classical flourish. The guitarwork is based on solid metal chord riffery, with melody supplied by keyboards. The approach is distinctly Finnish, showing the national flair for creating highly accessible niche metal: this is an unapologetic cut of power metal, and yet baroque lunacy has been crafted with expertise into something that is incredibly listenable. The demo version is a lo-fi, more percussive version that offers an opportunity to hear the band stripped of studio magic. This rawness in fact serves to highlight that the band can happily stand on the merits of their playing, as although this is rougher, it is undoubtedly a diamond in the rough.

‘Infernal Maze’ is a cinematic affair, floating the melodic yet emotional and powerful vocals on a buildup of tinkling keyboard before the heavy metal opera kicks in. The meat of the track is the power metal tradition of playing hard and fast while retaining grandeur, a hard feat the band have a pristine and practiced handle on.

The last two live tracks are random yet enjoyable: ‘Black Diamond’ is a seven-minute epic opening with a guitar solo that is lapped up by the enthusiastic crowd. The song itself is an exercise in power metal at its very peak, with harpsichord galloping alongside chugging guitars and expressive pseudo-opera vocals. The sound quality is crystalline, and the band are on fire; the track doesn’t challenge them so much as they challenge the track, pushing their style to mind-bending and admittedly self-indulgent extremes that may alienate laymen. ‘Against The Wind’ is no less anthemic and overblown yet much more concise. Visceral guitarwork contrasts string section flourishes and vicious drumming with clear peaks and troughs in the mood. Harmonised solos are kept reined in here to the casual listener’s relief.

Power metal is, lyrically and stylistically, the fantasy epic novel of the music world: nerdy, with a cultish edge. Stratovarius ploughed entire fields of the genre, and as a result are good enough to not only have rulership of the niche, but a degree of extended appeal. To power metal fans, you’ll most likely welcome this release with open arms as another great moment in the band’s considerable history. As for the rest of us, yes it is wanky, ridiculous metal with classical pretense, but when it is played this well, you can’t help but get a kick out of it.

Author: Katie H-Halinski