Stratovarius--Dreamspace

Stratovarius--Dreamspace (1994/Modern) Rating--8.0

Tolkki's voice continues to smooth out and improve, at times even sounding a bit like a lower-toned Halford. This will be his last stab at handling the lead duties, however. Musically, this release tends to stray a bit from ?Twilight Time's' "in your face" solidity and focus. However, still lots of solid tracks.
A good pickup in "Hold on to Your Dream" gives it a bit of a Helloween-like feel, and following a calm intro the title track gives way to a bobbing riff frame. Some nasty, rude riff grinding makes "Reign of Terror" the disc's top spot, bar none.
Numerous other tracks stand out, including the slower-paced "4th Reich" and "Eyes of the World," steady tracks "Chasing Shadows" and "Abyss," and the energetic cut "Shattered." "Thin Ice" is a disjointed-sounding instrumental, but has a nice roll-rhythm at its end.
TRACK LIST: Chasing Shadows/4th Reich/Eyes of the World/Hold on to Your Dream/Magic Carpet Ride/We Are the Future/Tears of Ice/Dreamspace/Reign of Terror/ Thin Ice/Atlantis/Abyss/Shattered/Wings of Tomorrow

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