Stratovarius - Episode [1996]

The Stratovarius catalogue is a very perplexing thing. I mean, this has to be one of the most inconsistent bands to ever walk the face of the planet. First we got Fright Night, which was an extremely mediocre stab at Yngwie-style 80's metal. Next was Twilight Time, a big improvement and Stratovarius's first step in the modern power metal direction. Afterwards, Dreamspace and its dark brilliance descended upon us. Then, as if that hadn't even happened, Fourth Dimension, their first full fledged European power metal album, unleashed its unspeakably awful quality into the world like a plague. After that atrocity, I had no idea what to expect, if anything. Episode is a lot like Fourth Dimension, except for one crucial detail: it doesn't suck.

My slim hopes that this album wouldn't be terrible were raised within the first few seconds of Father time. Guitar! Real guitar, real riffs, a real production! Maybe this will actually be pretty good! And luckily for me, the victim of many unfulfilled promises, Episode is. It may not be completely great or outstanding at everything it does, but Episode does manage to be a solid effort from beginning to end. The lows are fewer and the highs are higher than on most of Stratovarius's albums, so there's really no risk of a traumatizingly awful moment like in Fourth Dimension. Episode is also much better about not ripping other bands (or themselves), so that's yet another improvement.

The biggest one, however, is the new production. Everything is distinct and the cold, distant air of Fourth Dimension is gone. The riffs now hit us with full force and even, dare I say it, heaviness! Everything about this album is better; seriously. The keyboards are lower in the mix and the tone is much less distracting than before. Vocals are performed better and the clear sound really brings out all the positive qualities of Kotipelto's voice. I think it's underrated how important the production of an album really is, because it affects virtually every aspect in it. Of course, the production also doesn't make an album, and Episode has plenty of good songs to complement its newfound sound.

Eternity is probably best here. Like many of Stratovarius's most successsful tracks, this one has a slow buildup that eventually erupts into an epic, bombastic chorus. Uncertainty is an oddity for the band; using a simple, heavy verse riff along with Kotipelto opting for a low range vocal performance, it almost has a modern rock feel rather than power metal. What's also odd is that something that sounds so terrible could end up coming out so good. The almost progressive Night Time Eclipse is another highlight, portraying a mood of wonder while slowly pacing itself. Finally, closer Forever, the sole ballad of the bunch (!), is pretty much brilliant. Sometimes this gooey acoustic ballad nonsense seems pathetic coming from Strato, but they really pull it off here.

I gotta hand it to Stratovarius: Episode is a pretty damn good album. After the putrid Fourth Dimension, (I know how many times I've said that, but I can't emphasize it enough) I didn't think this could be possible, but it's a reality. Sure, a lot of tracks aren't as memorable as others and it's still a bit too long for my tastes, but how much can you ask for out of this limiting genre? This is probably Stratovarius's fourth or fifth best album, (wow, that actually makes their discography sound good, doesn't it?) and it's not a bad place to start if you're interested in the band. Polaris is of similar quality and wouldn't be a bad choice, either. Just stay away from the self-titled album and Fourth Dimension and you'll be fine; I wouldn't wish those on my worst enemy.

   Overall: 7.5/10 (Good)