Fourth Dimension

There are many, many bands out there that have very clear transitional albums. When its apparent that the group is going from one style or direction to another. Stratovarius' fourth album aptly named "Fourth Dimension" is one of those. It's also my favorite album they've ever put out (at least at time of writing, although I'd be VERY shocked if that changes.) "Fourth Dimension" features the same lineup that "Dreamspace" had, only Tolkki decided to focus on his guitar work, and handed lead vocal duties to their much more famous vocalist Timo Kotipelto. At the same time, Tolkki still provides a lot of backing vocals on this record to help the audience with the transition progress. Once again, considering how much I love his voice, I wish he'd at least continued to provide backing vocals. Unfortunately, after this album, he gives up on singing entirely besides a few scattered backing vocal sessions here and there (and a GREAT cover of Rainbow's "Kill the King.") "Fourth Dimension" is a clear picture of what Stratovarius will shoot for for the rest of their career, but also has elements of their previous era here and there, which make it the perfect merger for me.

A few other 'housekeeping' facts about "Fourth Dimension" that I'd like to point out. This album is drummer Tuomo Lassila and keyboardist Antti Ikonen's last. While I'm not sure of the reasoning for Antti leaving, Tuomo has said he didn't like the new direction Strato was going in, and opted out after this record. It's a shame for me, because I think he's unquestionably the best drummer they ever had. No offense intended to their two future drummers, but Tuomo's style was so 'real' and unique. He always added so many different and tasty little nuances to his playing that might not go as noticed. I always found that their future drummers, while technically fantastic too, are more 'robotic' than he was. You can also find demos of Tolkki singing the entire album before they got Kotipelto with only a slight few modifications in lyrics, so it's more than likely that Kotipelto had little or nothing to do with the writing of this album, and just gave his voice after Tolkki had pretty much all of it laid out.

"Winter" and "Nightfall" are the two tracks on the album that are most like the previous era of Strato. In fact, Tolkki had been singing an early version of "Nightfall" as far back as the "Twilight Time" live shows. "Winter" is as cold and biting as the name would suggest. Kotipelto's vocals are a great fit here, and despite him not being known for singing many somber songs in his career, his higher register really cuts like a biting chill perfectly. The song has a slow, trudging nature that demonstrates a fatigue as if marching through snow. It's one of Kotipelto's shining moments on the record, but also has one of my favorite Tolkki guitar solos of all time, too. "Nightfall" is such a beautiful track. It still has that old-style Strato vein, but in a slightly more upliftingly beautiful way. The accenting keyboard work is excellent at fitting the mood, and the chorus is where the song hits hardest. A statement you'll hear a few times during this review. The dueling yet differently sped chorus lines from Kotipelto and Tolkki behind him end up so catchy. It's very possible that hearing Tolkki's voice so clearly on this track makes me enjoy it more than I otherwise would, considering I love his voice, but without a doubt "Nightfall" is one of the catchier and more poetic tracks on "Fourth Dimension."

"030366" is one of the most unique Stratovarius tracks you'll ever hear. The title is a clever one from Tolkki, as it is simply his birthday made to look like computer code. The song itself has a very obvious and interesting technical feel to it. The drum and bass work stomp after the intro in an odd, almost randomly timed pattern that again make it feel like code. The distortion placed on Kotipelto's voice across certain moments of this track add to the tone that this song delivers. Again, I commend Kotipelto on this track, because he really shows skill going out of the comfort zone that might now be expected of him here. "030366" is as different as it gets for Stratovarius, but also ends up being a skilled masterpiece. Especially the pseudo drum solo towards the end. "We Hold the Key" might be the track on the album that represents the album as a whole best. This track in particular is a 'transitional' track in their style much as this album is. "We Hold the Key" has everything that Stratovarius would become except the speed. The riffs, the chorus, the solo...everything about this track is what Strato looks for in the future, but it's a slower paced one that doesn't rely on speed. The keyboard work in the intro as well as the acoustic guitar portion that go into the first verse really set the table for an epic number. Like a lot of power metal, the chorus is everything, though. It soars with power and catchiness. Kotipelto could have easily made his legacy on a chorus like this itself. If you listen to this song entirely once, I can guarantee you'll be humming the chorus for a few minutes after.

From this album on, pretty much every Stratovarius release for the rest of Tolkki's tenure has a full fledged instrumental track that stands on its own. They aren't just intros to other songs. They are true tracks worthy of your attention. The self titled track "Stratovarius" is the first of these, and I rank it right in the middle of their instrumental efforts. The main riff is extremely technical without going full force like Tolkki would in the future. It almost sounds like a siren to me, which gives it a frantic atmosphere. I think this particular one is a bit too long, though, which might be why most of their instrumentals after this are shorter. Each section of "Stratovarius" could have been cut by a measure or two. The bland outro could have been lopped off entirely too. In general, it's an AWESOME track, though. "Twilight Symphony" is one of the albums biggest apparent looks into the future. It also is the perfect demonstration of Tolkki's neo-classical style. The harmonized intro is chef's kiss levels of tasty, and even though the verse riffs themselves aren't anything special, Kotipelto's varied vocal melodies carry the load. The chorus is another absolute banger. You can scream this one from the rafters. The pre-chorus shouldn't go without praise, too, as the simple chugging guitar work and double bass lay a very nice framework to build to that chorus to make it even better. The short interlude of pure classical stringed playing followed by a killer solo are worth the price of admission.

But for me, the album gets no better than the first two tracks it opens with. "Against the Wind" is in contention for my favorite Stratovarius track of all time. The speed gets the blood pumping, and the swap between single bass drum and double bass drum patterns fuel it and have a 'give and take' atmosphere that keeps it flowing. The chorus is everything a power metal chorus needs to be. It's beautiful and epic; landing the 'chasing' feeling and uplifting energy as perfectly as one ever could. The harmonization between Kotipelto and Tolkki during it is the single best thing the album offers. It's so strong and catchy, but Tolkki's voice carries a very, very slightly sad quality to it that make it feel nostalgic. I always get the mental picture that Kotipelto's voice is the forefront of your brain telling you to keep trying to succeed no matter what the cost, meanwhile Tolkki's backing vocals are that realistic part in the back of your brain telling you to be careful and cautious while trying. Kotipelto caps it off with some incredible high notes too. "Distant Skies" is the track that I begin every single plane ride I've ever taken with for my adult life, too. The harmonized riff between guitar and keyboards, Tuomo's ride cymbal pattern during the pre chorus...so much about this song is just masterfully done with technical excellence. "Distant Skies" delivers more than you can hope for. The chorus is also a lesson in building epicness. Once again, Kotipelto absolutely crushes the ball out of the park, but Tolkki's backing vocals push him over the edge and change the chorus from 'great' to 'incredible.' This song is textbook Stratovarius in the best way the band showcases. It's another song that fits that mood of flying to success so perfectly.

"Fourth Dimension" is one of only a handful or two of albums I've heard that I think has no bad tracks. This album has no filler, and I truly don't think there's one moment on the record from start to finish that wavers in the slightest. I can listen to this record every day and never get tired of it. It has some of the strongest elements that I love about the band, but also has a lot more variety than most of their future releases. I definitely think it's a bit ironic that my favorite Strato album ends up being the one where they're bridging styles, but I think it's the fact that this album marries two eras of the band together that I love that makes me adore it most. Even though their next album is the first one with their 'complete' and most famous lineup, "Fourth Dimension" should not be passed over. It is as good as the band gets. I only wish they decided to do a few more albums in between their core eras after this one.