Fourth Dimension [Import]

Stratovarius | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 2, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Noise
• ASIN: B000PFU6RC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,386 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Against the Wind

2. Distant Skies

3. Galaxies

4. Winter

5. Stratovarius

6. Lord of the Wasteland

7. 030366

8. Nightfall

9. We Hold the Key

10. Twilight Symphony

11. Call of the Wilderness

Editorial Reviews

2007 digitally remastered reissue of this Finnish Metal band's 1995 album. 11 tracks. Noise.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good early stratovarius album, August 9, 2001

By 

Mr. S. J. Shuttlewood "strangehighways" (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourth Dimension (Audio CD)

im very impressed with this album, it has better drumming on it than the later ones coz jorg michael is far too repetative. some of stratovarius's greatest songs are on this album which include against the wind, winter, twilight symphony and nightfall. this is the first album with timo kotipelto on vocals and he does a fine job. definately a 5 star album :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First album with TK on vocals..., June 21, 2009

By 

Harry Ebbeson III (Cedar Rapids, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fourth Dimension (Audio CD)

This album was right after Dreamspace and right before Episode. This is the first album that TK lead sang on. Their style is a little more open than Dreamspace, but much less commercial than Episode and what was to follow. TK certainly knows how to sing and it shows. Musically, there are good points on the album. They are as follows:

1. Against the Wind - very good melodic speed metal song. You can hear Strato playing very well here, but have no idea what is to come on following albums. There is a BIG difference.
2. Distant Skies - really does nothing for me.
3. Galaxies - I realyl like this song. Keyboard-wise, it is kind of sparse but a good song. As a keyboardist, I use many more layers in my music and so I gravitate toward that. This is good though too.
4. Winter - does nothing for me.
5. Stratovarius - instrumental song. Not bad and to me, the typical instrumental song.
6. Lord of the Wasterland - does nothing for mw.
7. 030366 - this song is neat and sounds very different than the other songs on the album. I like this one a lot.
8. Nightfall - I like this one too. It is slow and has a real Queensruche style to it and really works well.
9. We Hold the Key - I like this one too. It is slow, but has a great body to it.
10. Twilight Symphony - many people like this song, but to me, it is just okay. Lots of great musicianship in it though and certainly qualifying itself in the classical-metal genre.
11. Call of the Wilderness - does nothing for me.

Overall, I do like the album. As a musician, it is really neat to see where they were at the time. When I first heard them, I was already enjoying Episode and some newer material which is completely different than the first few albums. It is neat to hear them progress and mature as a band by listening to the albums in 'year-released' format. This is the last one they would sound like this. Episode is very power-metal in format and completely different than this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tuomo Lassila's farewell, August 12, 2005

By 

Gustavo D. "GDG" (Rio de Janeiro , Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fourth Dimension (Audio CD)

Fouth Dimension was recorded in 1995 and was the first Stratovarius
effort with Timo Kotipelto(vocals), but the last with the skilful Tuomo
Lassila(former drummer). I read in their official website that Tuomo wasn't prepared
to play the band's new material when he was fired, according to Timo Tolkki.
Oh! This thought has nothing to do with recruiting a poorer drummer.
He must have forgotten that Lassila was one of the band's founders.
The originality of this album surpasses the later ones.
Timo Tolkki's backing vocals here are so evident that sounds like
a duet with the talented Kotipelto (Kotipelto sings with some accent,
but no problem all in all).
I don't give it 5 stars because of 030366 and some chorus repetitions.
Track descriptions:

We hold the key - My all-time favourite Stratovarius song.
Tuomo does 7 different beats here (yes, I counted!). I wonder where on earth
Jorg Michael will do it. I love that piece between 4:19 and 5:23, fantastic.
Don't forget that chorus: "We hold the key to the door, of salvation
eternally, we hold the key to minds, to the future of mankind". I keep on thinking why Timo Tolkki didn?t instruct Jorg to do the same as him.

030366- The intro is the only good thing: a deep guitar with attractive keyboards.
We can hear Tolkki at lead vocals on chorus and Kotipelto with a computerised
voice. They wanted to put an electronic climate, but it turned into
a boring song, unhappily.

Twilight symphony - The intro is amazingly creative: a shift between Timo
Tolkki's guitar mixed with Jari Kainulainen's bass(in harmony,at the same
time) and Anti Ikkonen's Keyboard.
Other of best songs in the album.

Night fall- This is a ballad (but it doesn't run away from rock and roll)
I like the guitar,keyboard and drums played at the same time(other harmony)on chorus
before Kotipelto sings the next "Nightfall" , it gave an interesting effect.
Timo Tolkki's slow guitar solo in 2:30 is very beautiful.

Galaxies - It starts with a sweet keyboard. The melody is perfect besides
the repetiton of the chorus(great) in the end. The lyrics talk about
a normal battle that usually happens in outer space fiction films

Lord of the wasteland - I enjoy the sounds that Anti Ikkonen does here.
The drums are double-bass, but compare it to Jorg Michael's. 100 times better.
The riff in 0:29 is kinda cool (at the same note as Anti's intro)

Stratovarius - A nice instrumental. Tolkki knew how to use his dexterity in this
track. His best solo: 5:16

Distant skies - It has a good chorus and an distinct beat. The backing
vocals really helped a lot. Just like "Against the wind", which has videoclip.
In Against the wind, 1:53 mark, the guitar sounds like keyboard.
When Tolkki did what I described in the previous sentence (in the clip), my chin fell off because of the incredible fingers speed I saw on that blue guitar arm.

Call of wilderness - Another instrumental featuring an acoustic guitar-like sound.

Winter - The keyboards really fits with winter. It's a ballad like Night fall.
Kotipleto's performance calls attention.

Even if you don't like this cd at first, listen it several times and it
will grow on you. Believe me. There was a time when I had Infinite and Intermission together with it. I used to consider Forth Dimension the worse, but now the growth ,as time passed, made me change my opinion completely. Buy it and discover its value. Feel what is to have Tuomo Lassila at the drum kit.