Tag Archives: stratovarius

Music, Reviews

“Armoury Records/Eagle Records 2009 Sampler” by Various Artists

Leave a comment

Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Armoury Records/Eagle Records 2009 Sampler”
Label: Eagle Records
Release Date: 8/11/2009
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

As far as free samplers go this is a relatively strong one as it presents music that was released on not only Eagle & Armoury Records, but also material that originally hailed from the now shut down Spitfire Records. As a Metal fan I generally loved what Spitfire was dishing out for they had a number of bands that I was passionate as a supporter of the genre and since their closure both Eagle and Armoury have kept this charge pressing forward. The bands that are presented are very well known to fans and you really cannot go wrong with any of the tracks when it comes down to it. Here’s some thoughts on what you get for those fans that are looking to update their music library and perhaps have these songs assist them in future purchases. We get two tracks from Black Label Society who I like but have never regarded as one of my favorite bands above any others. I was not sure why they gave us two songs but perhaps with Zakk’s continued popularity this was the case. I would have preferred a heavy tune from the Black Crowes as opposed to a second one from the NJ Berzerker. There are four live tunes by way of Dio, Poison, Rainbow and Napalm Death and each of these showcases just how good those acts are in the live sense. The Poison one might intrigue people quite a bit since it features Richie Kotzen on the lead guitar as opposed to C.C. DeVille. Dio’s number of course is a legendary staple from his debut album and performed to crushing perfection and he is also the singer for the Rainbow tune which comes from his tenure in the famous band created by Richie Blackmore. Speaking of Blackmore we also get a recent tune from his former band Deep Purple which now finds guitarist Steve Morse slinging the axe.
Continue reading “Armoury Records/Eagle Records 2009 Sampler” by Various Artists →

Features, PiercingMetal Says

PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2009: The Music Part 1

4 Comments

Logo - The Best Of

I don’t think anyone is going to argue about 2009 going by like a train without brakes and yet here we are at the part of the year where we line out what we viewed to be “The Best” of the year in terms of albums, videos, concerts, events and books. We’ve aimed at making this a yearly thing and while it’s a lot of fun to share with you it’s also quite a bit of work; This is especially the case when you go way over a small list and keep on writing. With this this installment I’ll be offering up the albums that I got to listen to and liked the most out of the rest of them during the year. Sure we probably missed some that you are expecting to see here but you don’t get your hands on everything in this line of work no matter how you try. So sit back and relax and lets get to onto the main event.

The Best Albums Of 2009:

Mastodon “Crack The Skye” (Sire Records): Mastodon continually push their own musical envelope and this release finds them more a Progressive Psychedelic Rock outfit than a Metal band and the band’s following didn’t mind a bit based on the incredible music that was to be found on this one.

Epica “The Classical Conspiracy” (Nuclear Blast Records): Their 2nd effort for NB is this incredible concert experience that finds the band presenting mostly film score classics and then their greatest numbers with a full orchestra accompanying them. A wonderful experience and one that will impress the most difficult of fans – my hope is that this comes out on DVD sometime soon.

Heaven And Hell “The Devil You Know” (Rhino Entertainment): The most anticipated release for the first half of the year would be this new “Sabbath” album and it did not disappoint at all. Nice and heavy and loaded from beginning to end with solid Metal memories. Hoping this lineup hangs around a lot longer before pursuing other projects.

KISS “Sonic Boom” (KISS Records): Whether you support the fact that a couple of new faces wear familiar makeup or not, the band released a strong album and offered a great batch of extras with it to boot. The Wal-Mart exclusive nature of it made it a best seller that was actually a lot of fun.

The 69 Eyes “Back In Blood” (The End Records): Thanks to producer Matt Hyde The 69 Eyes were indeed back to raw Goth Hard Rock basics and moving on from the glitz they were steadily approaching. Lots of catchy stuff on this one and let’s hope this direction maintains course.
Continue reading PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2009: The Music Part 1 →

Events, Reviews

Stratovarius @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (9/16/2009)

Leave a comment

Logo - Stratovarius

Artist: Stratovarius
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Opener: Pagan’s Mind, Ethereality
Date: 9/16/2009
Label: Armoury Records

Even though I had missed the last time that Stratovarius toured around these parts it has still been a few years since they were able to come back and do some gigs and this is based on the band being in a bit of a limbo for awhile. This status first came from guitarist Timo Tolki who eventually decided that he was done and that the band had been broken up, but when Timo Kotipelto informed the world that they were indeed alive and breathing and that music would continue, it was just a matter of time before the right player was found to replace the now absent Tolki. Tonight the scene of the action would be the Nokia Theatre in Times Square where the band would present their newest material from the smoking “Polaris” CD along with their long revered classics and introduce us all to their new guitarist Matias Kupianen. They would be touring with Pagan’s Mind as direct support and our area show found some local boys from New Jersey called Ethereality kicking off the fun. Here is how the night went down.
Continue reading Stratovarius @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (9/16/2009) →

Music, Reviews

“Polaris” by Stratovarius

Leave a comment

Artist: Stratovarius
Title: “Polaris”
Label: Armoury Records
Release Date: 5/26/2009
Genre: Power Metal
Rating: 4/5

A band has two options when one of its primary creative forces chooses to move on from the lineup and that is to either cease to exist and begin other projects or rise from the ashes of disruption, find a replacement and get back to business. Such was the dilemma faced by Stratovarius when key member and guitarist Timo Tolki decided to quit the band and leave it hanging out to dry. Lucky for the world’s Stratovarius fans the guys were more than willing to press on and soon found the talented Matias Kupiainen handling the necessary duties on the axe. In the public eye this was a pretty big pair of shoes to fill as Tolki had written some 95% of the bands material since 1989, so not only would his successor need to be adept on his own but also be able to handle all of the acrobatics that were regular practice for Tolki. So how do the new guy and new album sound? Well in a word this is probably the strongest material that Stratovarius has released in years and stands high above the utter garbage that was their last album “Stratovarius”. Matias is an exceptional guitarist and to quote my Dad I can say that “no one is irreplaceable” and in the end I think that new life has been breathed into this band that will make their fans proud. I was instantly drawn into the tasty riffs that were being dished out as opener “Deep Unknown” blasted through the stereo but it was in tracks like “Blind” and “Forever Is Today” that did the most for me and had me not only repeating them but also playing them louder and louder each time while playing either air guitar or air drums.
Continue reading “Polaris” by Stratovarius →

Events, Reviews

Stratovarius @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/21/2005)

Leave a comment

Logo - Stratovarius

Artist: Stratovarius
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: Into Eternity
Date: 9/21/2005
Label: Sanctuary Records

It’s really a great thing when you are able to participate in a bands first appearance to your City. I find it is all the more special with me being a native New Yorker. This will the second time in two weeks that this would be the case many others who form the Metal Legions in the Big Apple. Last week it was Therion and this week the one and only Stratovarius would be coming to pay us a visit. Similar to Therion’s show; the band Stratovarius would also be a featured performer at the ProgPowerUSA Festival while in the States. This band in particular has had a dramatic couple of years which featured break-ups and line-up changes among them. Lead singer Timo Kotipelto left for a solo career very briefly after bad in-fighting with guitarist Timo Tolkki and was replaced. This year the band mended fences and reunited and recorded a new CD entitled very simply “Stratovarius”. Touring was soon to follow this release and rightly so for the group has long been recognized as one of the key forces in Melodic Heavy Metal music. They are well known for their catchy musical experiments and powerful shows with a lineup that is made up of some amazing musicians. Timo Kotipelto on vocals, Timo Tolkki on guitar and Jens Johannson on keyboards are legends in the genre and all are held together by drummer Jorg Michael and new bassist Laurie Porra. The band recently had lost bassist Kainulainen who left shortly after the album was released.
Continue reading Stratovarius @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/21/2005) →