Stratovarius--Episode (1996/F.A.D.)
Rating--7.8
Father Time--RealAudio
Not quite as sharp-riffed an offering as the next two releases will be; for some specific musical comparisons, see those
two reviews. While the group's sound here is certainly not straight keyboard-dominated progressive metal, it's (again) not quite up
to the "power" prog level that they will soon attain. The songs seem to be a bit hard to grasp in places, which probably lends
to the aforementioned assessments. However, petty complaints aside, still a lot of fine, fine moments from a group that deserves
mucho respect.
Fast and swift songs show up in the forms of "Father Time," "Will the Sun Rise?", "Speed of Light," and
"Tomorrow"--the last featuring some excellent vocal blending.
The more methodical "Night Time Eclipse" has some of
those patented sharper notes, which are also accompanied by biting riffs. The slower "Season of Change" is a nice light
and heavy mix, and "Forever" is a great all acoustic song, with beautiful orchestration.
The band really kicks it up
a notch will the followup 'Visions'. Any fan of Dream Theater,
Queensryche, and the such should eat these guys up.
TRACK LIST: Father Time/Will The Sun Rise?/Eternity/Episode/Speed of Light/Uncertainty/Season of Change/Stratosphere/
Babylon/Tomorrow/Night Time Eclipse/Forever/When the Night Meets the Day
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