Under Flaming Winter Skies - Live in Tampere

Stratovarius have consistently put out quality power metal albums despite a veritable rotating door of musicians throughout their lengthy career. Originally formed in 1984, Stratovarius has not seen an original member since 1987. “Under Flaming Winter Skies” features the line up from their much lauded “Polaris” and “Elysium” albums. If there's anyone out there wondering if this newer lineup can pull off the classic staples, the answer is yes, yes they can.

One thing that's common knowledge about Stratovarius is that every person in the band is excellent at what they do. As poppy and flowery as some think they are, there is no denying that Stratovarius boasts excellent musicians. “Under Flaming Winter Skies” is exactly what anyone would expect it to be: a live power metal album performed by excellent musicians. If you don't like Stratovarius before hearing this, you won't suddenly have a change of heart after hearing this. If you love Stratovarius, then this is a great example of how the band sounds live, and you will eat it up.

Those middle of the road listeners that neither love nor hate the band will find “Under Flaming Winter Skies” a fairly useless affair, as there are plenty of Stratovarius compilations out there to sample what the band has to offer. If you've listened to Stratovarius you know exactly what to expect here. These songs sound exactly like their studio counterparts, except played live: nothing is sloppy or skipped over. If anything, the band adds extra embellishments in the form of guitar, drum, bass and keyboard solos, but nothing is glazed over or removed.

If you've never listened to Stratovarius (shame on you) the best way to describe them is as power metal of the Euro variety. Hell, their sound is what Euro power bands go for. The guitar lines are crisp, with plenty of palm muting and shred style licks and flair. The solos are impressive: fast and technical, sounding extremely neoclassical. The keyboards are rather tasteful with piano lines and standard key lines. They sound awesome during the wanky solo battles with the guitars, but these sections tend to get a little overboard after repeated listens.

The rhythm section is great, with the bass lines following the chugging palm muting. It's high enough in the mix to be audible, but not to the point of overbearing annoyance (anyone who's been to a concert with a loud bass amp can testify to the annoyance I speak of). Some great wandering bass lines pop up, such as during “Hunting High and Low”. The drums, courtesy of the legendary Jörg Michael, are a real highlight here. They are definitely standard power metal affair, with tons of running double bass and fast double kick sections, but Jörg Michael adds some exciting rolls and fills to make it much more interesting.

Timo Kotipelto speaks with the crowd in between each and every song. I have no idea what he talks about because it's all in Finnish. He seems to have a pretty good connection with the crowd during the concert, with all the cheers and clapping going on in the background during his speeches, but his words are lost to me. During the songs, his vocals are spot on. There are no sections that sound forced or strained. Kotipelto's vocals are of the higher register and exceptionally clear, with a tendency of trailing off higher than he started. Yes, he does have an accent that comes across during his vocals, but rather than being a detractor, it helps to set his voice apart from the massive crowd.

One of the great things about Stratovarius is their uncanny ability to be poppy and heavy at the same time, and “Under Flaming Winter Skies” emphasizes this. Many of the bands associated with power metal nowadays owe some portion of their sound to Stratovarius. They are legends, they really are, as some of their releases are the greatest examples of Euro power metal in history. “Under Flaming Winter Skies” shows Stratovarius in all of their power metal glory in the live setting. The production is great, as far as live albums go: everything is audible and just about right in the mix.

Ultimately, “Under Flaming Winter Skies” serves as just another live album. Granted, Stratovarius' last live album was 1998's “Visions of Europe” (a mere fourteen years earlier), but there are much better things to spend your cash on. If you're a big fan of Stratovarius, then by all means get this, but if you're just a casual listener, look elsewhere. This really serves no purpose aside from being another live album for the diehards to buy, but a high quality one at that.