Customer Reviews

Infinite/Hunting High & Low

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sure this album is similar to their past works, but if a formula works, why change? Why not do what Strato has done and polish the formula to perfection? They have takenb their signature symphonic speed sound to great new heights. Hunting High and Low and Infinity may be their best songs ever. Totally absorbing and fun to listen to, this band just rules. All the songs have their own catchy identities (A Million Light Years Away being the catchiest. Definitely Strato's best work yet. Be on the lookout for guitarist Timmo Tolkki's 2nd solo work later this year

I'm a new fan of Stratovarius. I had only read in magazines about them and thought that I would buy their newest CD. Oh, man. It's awesome. The mix of great vocals, guitars and other instruments is absolutely awesome! Buy this CD and you will not be dissapointed. I only have one complaint about this CD; It's too short. Only about 50 minutes. I want more!

This is my first Stratovarius CD and I have to say that I really enjoy it. I listen to bands such as Rhapsody, Gammaray, Blind Guardian, etc... and I find Stratovarious stands up to my favourites. I don't really care for the 2 slower songs here, Mother Gaia and Celestial Dream. The best songs, in my opinion, are Hunting High and Low, Millenium, Phoenix, Million Light Years Away and Freedom.

A good Stratovarius album, if that's what's your thing. And by this stage of their career you should know if it's your thing. And hard to argue when there is great stuff like moving ballads (Million Miles Away) that had a cool video to accompany it and rockers like the darn excellent Hunting High & Low. Sure, it all gets a bit silly in places with the whole melodic rock peddling of keyboard laced pomp, which for this listener tends to dilute the enjoyment of this particular band.

While reviewing this album I should also point out that the tour for this disc makes up a lot of the footage used on their first home video and certainly that's a release that any fan of the band should get.

In some ways I think of this as the last proper studio album of Stratovarius' rise to power, for after this the Elements would close in for a couple of albums and take the wind out of their sails (and sales too presumably).

Plain and simple stratovarius create the most melodic heavy metal on the face of the earth. The first album i got, visions, is my personal favorite power metal c.d. of all time. But this one rates up their as well. Favorite tracks would probably be hunting high and low and phoenix. Everything on this album is great (keyboards, drumming, damn jorg kicks ...!!) Vocals Timo Kotipelto in my opinion rates right up their with Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian as one of the best vocalists in the power metal genre. Timo Tolkki is great as well. Great band. Great album. STRAT RULES!

I had never heard of Stratovarius before two days ago. Now I'm going to buy every single one of this Finnish band's CDs -- post haste.

Infinite is perfect in every way. I was hooked from the very first track ("Hunting High and Low"). And awed by songs like the stirring "Glory of the World," the brisked-paced "Millennium" and the anthemic "Freedom."

One of my biggest gripes with most of today's metal and symphonic rock/metal bands is that they've forgotten how to *rock*. They wank. They noodle. They break eardrums. They scare small children. But they play with all the heart and soul of a metronome on speed. They just don't rock.

Stratovarius rocks. Like a big dog.

The guitar riffs are actual riffs. Big, air-guitar beauties the way they were done by master shredders like George Lynch (Dokken), John Sykes (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy), Lanny Cordola (Giuffria), Michael Schenker (UFO) and John Norum (Europe). Sure, many of the riffs on Infinite are fast, fast, fast. But they never lose their anthemic sound. And the guitar tone is superb. (And those solos. Wow!)

Actually, the reference to John Norum and Europe isn't that far off. Stratovarius has a Europe sound, with swirling keyboards, soaring vocals and killer riffs. The recording quality is pristine, too. Really amazing.

Stratovarius' guitarist (Timo Tolkki) knows how to play catchy air guitar riffs like they used to in the '80s and '90s. Yet he can also shred like Yngwie or Michael Romeo in that fleet-fingered neo-classical way. Tolkki is one hell of a guitarist.

The drummer (Jorg Michael) is no slouch, either. He has the double-kick ferocity and precision of Mike Portnoy -- yet he also knows his basic chops, including how to accentuate a song without bludgeoning it to death.

But I think I must award full marks to vocalist Timo Kotipelto. It was his voice that really got me excited about Stratovarius. Kotipelto doesn't growl. Or scream. Or turn one syllable words into two (the way Matthew Barlow of Iced Earth does). Kotipelto's voice is clear, smooth and soaring. He can actually *sing*. And his voice fits perfectly with the anthemic/symphonic/melodic rock style of Stratovarius.

This is awesome music, folks. Really nice, uplifting, stirring songs that are worth hearing again and again.

I highly and wholeheartedly recommend Infinite.

I have just recently acquired a copy of Infinite and I have to say that is is by far the best melodic metal recording to come out of Europe since bands like Def Leppard and Europe broke in the US in the 80s. A combination of solid vocals that remind me of a cross between Joey Tempest of Europe fame and Geoff Tate of Queensryche combined with searing guitar work by Timo Tolkki and the classical elements that the band brings into their recordings makes this CD a must for anyone who loves solid, powerful melodic metal. I strongly suggest this CD to anyone.

I think I've heard this before.I rated it higher than "Destiny",because I think that the guys couldn't fall lower than the way they did with that album. This is a good album,anyway,but the guys are stuck too much in the same ol' riffs and blah,blah blah.It seems to me that they don't care as much as they used to do about lyrics.Some of them are good,the kind of heroic but realistic lyrics that are the trade mark of the band.Who can forget about "Hold on to your dream"? From the very first seconds of "Hunting high and low" I started to convince myself that no innovations were intended with this album.The highest point of it is,in my opinion,"Infinity", a return to their golden creativity days.You can put it in the "Episode" album,and it would fit perfectly.A great song with some more brains in the lyrics. Definitely,their two years(at least)break will do the guys really good.Let's see if they come back with new ideas,and a more fresh sound.At this moment,I'm starting to think that the guys are really,really tired...

ok, the boys came with another album that ought to be better than the last one. and they did it. it shows somewhat of the new formula that Stratovarius is trying: some cool ballads, some speed songs (with the normal dose of virtuosism from messers Tolkki and Johansson) and some tunes that one feels that are nostalgic-that-the eighties-are-gone. like somebody said of their previous album, Strat sometimes play something that sounds like hairy 80's band music. but it's still cool. Much better than listening to Korn or other...(stuff) like that.

This is great, not a bad song on it. The only thing is that the best songs from here, are not better than the ones from Episode and Destiny. Still is an incredible album. Stratovarius has always stayed up there, since the release of Episode, but its so hard to match up the quality of the previous I mentioned. So this is a perfect follow up, just as Visions before Destiny. I bet next one is another masterpiece! Highlights are the emotional "Freedom" the beautiful although short "Celestial Dream" And the best of all "Mother Gaia" These were my favorites, but the rest are also so good. However, if you are gettin into Stratovarius for the first time, get Episode or Destiny.