Stratovarius
Twilight time

In 2005, the release of "Maniac Dance" reignited, for better or worse, debates and discussions about the Finnish Stratovarius, amid rumors of a female vocal replacement, fan assaults, the bassist's departure, and the ongoing concerns about the mental health of founding guitarist Timo Tolkki. After numerous internal conflicts within the band, they seemed to have somewhat moved away from a crisis situation, albeit disappointing many expectations. Nonetheless, they have played an important role in the metal scene, at least regarding the "Power" genre. Many consider "Vision" the best melodic metal album, and certainly, if one day the band should completely wither away, what is certain is that they will remain in the memory of many for having created very beautiful and distinctive albums.

What I'm reviewing today is a rather different Stratovarius, the Stratovarius of 1993, in their second release (after building a rapport with JVC, which initiated distribution in the East) balanced on the edge between huge success and notable recognition. The voice is that of the guitarist, and Tuomo Lassila is still on drums. It will be the entry of Kotipelto that adds the missing element to the structure. In "Twilight Time," the band had not yet set aside a musical innovation, which consists of melodicizing metal through a wild and extreme melodicity of complex solos, of monstrously notable technique. It is still Heavy Metal with epic and mystical elements that somewhat forcibly step out of classic schemes but do not yet approach what then becomes a distinct style, completely different from various imitations. "Break the Ice" is a purely Heavy Metal track with interesting but not yet developed solos, somewhat aggressive with the usual repeated chorus indicative of a classical adherence. Ikonen, instead of the superior Jansen (surely the best power metal keyboardist), introduces "The Hands of Time," a track that will remain historical, a track that fascinated many listeners; the solos perfect themselves and showcase "something new," a combination of instrumental revelations particularly supported by the overall context structure with abundant doses of mysticism and choir that later becomes the group’s recipe. "Madness Strikes at Midnight" is melodic and melancholic, and introduces another essential aspect for the band's future developments: the frantic tempo changes, which go from fast to very fast, Tolkki begins to practice his "Surfism" on the strings, something that he is more recognized for than other guitarists. "Metal Frenzy" is instrumentally paced and anticipates the most important song of the album: "Twilight Time" very peculiar on its own. The first setback comes with "The Hills Have Eyes," which introduces and represents nothing interesting, but is compensated by the following "Out of the Shadows," where the keyboards enhance its melodic power aspect. It concludes with "Lead us into the Light," calm, acoustic, and melancholic, to be the template for many other songs of a similar mold.

Relistening to this album was interesting, as it is always intriguing to analyze the transformations of all musical groups; it reveals that in the origins, sounds are hinted at that only years later are fully and more satisfactorily represented.