Darkest Hours serves as a taster of the Finnish Metallers upcoming thirteenth studio album, Elysium and along with a demo version of the title track this 5 track release also includes two classic live numbers taken from the Polaris tour.
With all of the turmoil surrounding the departure of Timo Kollki now confined to the history books this is very much the sound of Stratovarius moving on as they prepare for their second full length release without their original guiding light. The generally warm reception afforded to Polaris evidenced that the band could still function without the influence of Kollki and Darkest Hours represents another step forward. A keyboard driven gallop with a strong emphasis on melody it gives way to the guitar fuelled battle cry of "Infernal Maze" and both suggest that Elysium will be an album that will sit comfortably with the rest of the bands back catalogue. Stratovarius continue to be one of the leading exponents of the European Power Metal scene and despite effectively having to prove themselves all over again they still retain the desire, passion and ability to do so.
Track Listing 01. Darkest Hours 04:11
02. Infernal Maze 05:33
03. Darkest Hours (demo) 04:34
04. Against The Wind (live) 04:01
05. Black Diamond (live) 07:29
Added: January 1st 2011 Reviewer:Dean Pedley Score: Related Link:Band Website Hits: 1931 Language: english
Stratovarius: Darkest Hours (EP) Posted by Carlos Canales Vega on 2011-01-04 12:25:53 My Score: Althought I love their last album, Polaris, based on what you can hear in this EP, the new album is shaping up to be one of their best ever.More complex in arrangements, melodies and technicaly more intricate, the two new songs are winners in my book.Black Diamond is given a brilliant live treatment with a keyboard intro to die for and a drum solo finale that is a powerhouse in it's own right.
The score is not high enough only based on the fact that there are, after all, only a few songs for your hard-earned cash.
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Darkest Hours serves as a taster of the Finnish Metallers upcoming thirteenth studio album, Elysium and along with a demo version of the title track this 5 track release also includes two classic live numbers taken from the Polaris tour.
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