Stratovarius - Twilight Time [1992]

Coming off the heels of the mostly worthless Yngwie worship of Fright Night, Twilight Time -or II- represents Stratovarius's first steps into modern power metal. No, this album won't have a lot of soaring choruses or catchy parts as it is still mostly a crunchy, 80's type of record, but there's a few flickering embers of what's to come to be found. The sour aftertaste of the debut can still be felt throughout this thing, but it doesn't completely ruin this album as it did that one. However, another similarity between the two is the amount of filler tracks.

First of all, there are quite a few highlights here. The Hands of Time is a wonderful track that I would rank among the greatest power metal songs of all time. Built around an awesome (if somewhat dated) keyboard intro, an excellent verse riff, and the epic, inspiring chorus, this is just about the best Stratovarius has to offer. The title track kills as well, with its slow, winding passages and nostalgic feel. A welcome improvement on this album is the fact that the longer songs aren't horrible and boring. Madness Strikes at Midnight is a good example of a lengthy track that manages to hold your attention throughout thanks to its interesting buildup.

Unfortunately, Twilight Time really falters after its midpoint, sinking fast until it's really hard to care anymore. Let's see here: first we have the weird The Hills Have Eyes with its overlong intro, then Out of the Shadows and its predictable structure, and finally, the forgettable ballad of Lead Us Into the Light. Oh, yeah, and that instrumental Metal Frenzy is pointless, as well. So basically, what we have here is half a good album and half tripe. Couple that with the fact that the generic air of Fright Night is still somewhat here and problems really start to arise. Once again, this is a release for hardcore Stratovarius fans only. Trust me and just stick to Dreamspace.

   Overall: 6/10 (Fair)