Infinite

This is for sure a Stratovarius album. For some it's gonna be "yahoo a new Stratovarius album !!", and for others it's gonna be : again & again... I'm telling you, on my first listening I was bored to hell, even though the disc starts with a very catchy song it immediately sounded like other Stratovarius releases... not only sounded, but almost like only the lyrics had changed. After a lot more hours into it, I must confess that it's probably now my favorite Stratovarius album. Unlike Destiny which included a richer variety of songs styles (ballads, slow, heavy, speed,...) this album is almost on the same tone all along, except perhaps the break on track 3 (Mother Gaia), which let's be frank, has nothing to do at this position... should be around track 8 or 9... because it's actually killing the ascend that the two first tracks wonderfully created. But let's forget about all that cause after really listening to this album you'll probably reach the same conclusion I have : details. So, the more you listen Infinite, the more it grows on you - makes room in your mind and grows by itself... at the end, the album almost hypnotized me. Some nice new guitar riffs appeared on some tracks (Phoenix mainly) adding a bit more aggressiveness and that's cool. Production is perfect as always and I'd just like to add that the cover art is amazing, technically and visually... the message behind this wonderful illustration is crystal clear. A must have to all Stratovarius fans and also a perfect album for others to start their Stratovarius collection. (I didn't say buy it this time... even though it's written all over my review :) ).