Stratovarius was founded in Finland in 1984 from former members of the band Black Water. They went through a number of personnel and musical changes before the band found its own voice. In 1984, the name was changed to Stratovarius (a portmanteau of Stratocaster and Stradivarius), an idea of Stråhlman's. By 1984, Timo Tolkki entered the band, replacing Stråhlman in the guitar. He took up the vocal duties as well. Tolkki became the driving force and mastermind of the band assuming almost complete control of the song writing. He brought along not only strong rock influences but also a neo-classical tinge. The band released a demo to various record companies by 1987, finally being picked up by CBS Finland. In 1989, their debut album Fright Night was released followed by two singles.
After being dropped by CBS the band went through several member changes but they managed to release on another label and they also toured a bit. In 1994 they released their third album, Dreamspace, featuring new bass player Jari Kainulainen, (who joined the band when 70% of the new material was already recorded) which was a great success. Tolkki decided to stop singing for the band and they hired a new full-time singer, Timo Kotipelto. The release of Fourth Dimension in 1995 was a great success, but internal differences in the band particularly about the style the band was going for, prompted the departure of long-time drummer Tuomo Lassila and keyboardist Antti Ikonen. Two new non-Finnish members were recruited: Swedish keyboardist Jens Johansson of Yngwie Malmsteen fame; and German drummer Jörg Michael. With the fifth release Episode, Stratovarius had finally found its sound and had a strong, diverse line-up. Episode was a grand project featuring a large choir and a string orchestra. It spawned some of the all-time greatest Stratovarius hits, such as "Father Time" and "Will The Sun Rise".
This line-up released three hugely successful albums over the years: Visions in 1997, Destiny in 1998, and Infinite in 2000. With every album their fame and fan-base expanded and they started gaining a stronger following outside the Nordic countries particularly in Japan.
In 2003 the band released its most epic project yet, the two album suite named Elements. With these albums they reached a peak in their progressive and symphonic style of power-metal. The first album, Elements pt. 1, was released in early 2003 followed by a world tour. Elements pt. 1 was naturally followed by Elements pt. 2, also released on Nuclear Blast records in the same year with the hit single "I Walk To My Own Song".
In late 2003 the band broke up with Timo Kotipelto and Jörg Michael leaving after a very vaguely explained conflict. Tolkki hired a new singer, Katriina ''Miss K'' Wiiala, and Anders Johansson of Hammerfall (Jens's brother) temporarily on drums. Tolkki's behaviour rapidly began to become extremely strange. He published a long news article on the band's website, detailing how he had converted to Kabbalah after reading Madonna's autobiography and being contacted by Jesus himself. He wrote extensively on the principles of Kabbalah but according to some Jewish forum members, this has nothing to do with any actually practised form of it. The webmaster removed the news article from the site. Then Tolkki even stabbed himself in the shoulder first claiming that a crazy Spanish fan had done it because of band had broken up. Tolkki also phoned Anders Johansson, speaking nonsense about Adolf Hitler – Anders freaked out and left the band. Nobody really understood the situation and fans were worried about Timo's mental condition. In April 2004 he was hospitalised with chronic depression and a nervous breakdown and, after being released from the mental hospital, negotiations and attempts at reconciliation with the rest of the band began. The rest of 2004 was virtually complete silence from the band.
In January 2005 an announcement was released that Stratovarius had reunited with the old line-up. Tolkki seemed to have recovered from his strange illness. In June 2005 Timo Tolkki announced that the band's bassist, Jari Kainulainen, had left the band due to personal reasons. He was later replaced by Lauri Porra.
Stratovarius then released the self-titled album Stratovarius in September 2005 featuring the popular single "Maniac Dance". During this time Stratovarius began a world tour starting in Argentina. It also included a North American leg where they toured the United States and Canada for the first time in the band's history. They played at such events as Atlanta's "Prog Power", and in well-known venues such as "B.B. King's House Of Blues" in New York and Philadelphia's "Trocadero Theatre". The tour also included some European and Japanese cities.
On April 2 2008 Timo Tolkki announced on his official website that the band has officially stopped due to various issues between the band members.
Timo Tolkki has formed a new band, Revolution Renaissance. He released his first album on june 6, 2008 and it featured guest appearences by Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) and Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia)
The band has since made an announcement on the Stratovarius website stating that the band will continue without Timo Tolkki.
After the announcement, the band began to search for a new guitar player, making the announcement on the band's official forum and in soundi magazine that Matias Kupiainen would replace Timo Tolkki and that 15 songs had already been demoed for the new album.
On May 13 2009 Stratovarius released their 12th studio album, Polaris, now with the new members Lauri Porra and Matias Kupiainen playing bass and guitar respectively.
Early 2011 saw the release of their new album, Elysium, containing the songs that were written during the Polaris tour. Also during 2012 saw the departure of long-time drummer Jörg Michael for personal reasons and his replacement Rolf Pilve.
2013 saw the release of their newest album "Nemesis".
Studio albums:
- Fright Night (1989)
- Twilight Time (1992)
- Dreamspace (1994)
- Fourth Dimension (1995)
- Episode (1996)
- Visions (1997)
- Destiny (1998)
- Infinite (2000)
- Intermission (2001)
- Elements, Pt. 1 (2003)
- Elements, Pt. 2 (2003)
- Stratovarius (2005)
- Polaris (2009)
- Elysium (2011)
- Nemesis (2013)
Black Diamond
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gaze, those eyes are tantalizing openly
Inviting me to get close to you
Can't help myself, there's fascination in the air
I try to fight this strong sensation
But there's no chance to escape from this temptation
Feels like I've known you before
I know I can't stay by your side forever
But I know I won't forget your beauty, my black diamond
I know I can't stay by your side forever
But I know I won't forget your beauty, my black diamond
I know I can't stay by your side forever
But I know I won't forget your beauty, my black diamond
I can't forget
But I can't stay
By your side
The lyrics of the song Black Diamond by Stratovarius speak of a mysterious and enchanting woman - a black diamond - who seduces the singer. He is entranced by her inviting gaze, and despite his attempts to resist the temptation, he feels a strong attraction towards her. The lyrics suggest a sense of familiarity and repetition, as if the singer has known this woman before or has experienced similar feelings before. However, he also acknowledges that he cannot stay with her forever, but he will always remember her captivating beauty.
The song presents a common theme in music and literature - the idea of a beautiful and mysterious stranger who captures the singer's attention and draws them in. The lyrics suggest a sense of romanticism, as the singer is overcome by the woman's charm and cannot resist her. At the same time, the use of the metaphorical "black diamond" suggests something darker and more dangerous, as if the woman has a hidden side that is both alluring and potentially harmful.
Overall, the lyrics of Black Diamond are well-written and convey a powerful sense of attraction and temptation. The dark and mysterious imagery adds an element of danger and intrigue, while the sense of familiarity suggests a deeper connection between the two characters. The song is a classic example of the power of music to evoke strong emotions and tell compelling stories.
Line by Line Meaning
Again I see you standing there watching me
The person singing is once again seeing someone they are captivated by, and that person is staring back at them.
Your gaze, those eyes are tantalizing openly
The person singing is describing how the object of their fascination has eyes that are enticing and seductive.
Inviting me to get close to you
The object of the person's fascination seems to be inviting them to come closer and engage.
Can't help myself
The person is acknowledging that they are powerless over their own impulses and are consumed by their attraction to the other person.
There's fascination in the air
The person senses a strong feeling of mutual attraction between themselves and the other person.
I try to fight this strong sensation
Despite their better judgment, the person is struggling against their intense attraction to the other person.
But there's no chance to escape from this temptation
The person realizes that they are completely powerless to resist the other person's allure and attraction, and are resigned to giving in to it.
Feels like I've known you before
The person is overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity with the other person, even though they may have only just met.
Repeating phrases
The person is hearing repeated phrases or snippets of conversation that seem to be significant or meaningful.
But I yearn for something more
Despite their intense connection with the other person, the person feels that there is something missing or incomplete about their encounter.
I know I can't stay by your side forever
The person realizes that their intense attraction to the other person is ultimately doomed to fail or expire, and that they can't stay connected forever.
But I know I won't forget your beauty
Despite the transitory nature of their encounter, the person is certain that they will never forget the other person's captivating beauty and charm.
My black diamond
The person is referring to the other person as their 'black diamond', a symbol of rare and priceless beauty and sparkle.
Lyrics © JOSEPH BIHARI LIVING TRUST DBA MODERN MUSIC PUB COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Timo Tapio Tolkki, Timo Kotipelto
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eride
Again, I see you standing there watching me
Your gaze, those eyes are tantalizing openly
Inviting me to get close to you
Can't help myself
There's fascination in the air
I try to fight this strong sensation
But there's no chance to escape from this temptation
Feels like I've known you before
Repeating phrases
But I yearn for something more
I know I can't stay
By your side forever
But I know I won't forget
Your beauty
My black diamond
I know I can't stay
By your side forever
But I know I won't forget
Your beauty
My black diamond
I know I can't stay
By your side forever
But I know I won't forget
Your beauty
My black diamond
I won't forget
But I can't stay
By your side
ayrela17
la primera vez que escuchas esta cancion se te eriza la piel....
gunterkm
solo la primera vez?? a mi se eriza siempre!! xD
veneca115
Y la segunda y tercera, y así xd
jalor74
todas las veces que uno vuelve a escucharla
Alonso gonzales
@gunterkm me ganaste el comentario lol
Rey Kus
Да и не в первый раз.
sergio leigue
This is timeless art, eternal badassery, decades may pass and each listening is better than the last.
Kurt Mölgg
obr mll
DoomTastic
Nothing to add!
Carlos Mancini Jr
Totally true