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)
Castaway
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Need to find my way back home
Dig a hole and hide inside
Live to see the morning break
Just a wayward soul
Played the last card, lost it all
All is gone, but one remains
In your hands I place my life
Wash away the sin
Make me whole again
In your sanctuary
Hide away
I'm your castaway
Let me fall asleep
Wake up to a brighter day
The lyrics of "Castaway" by Stratovarius convey a sense of being lost and seeking refuge, both physically and emotionally. The singer admits to being lost for too long and expresses a strong desire to find their way back home. The line "Dig a hole and hide inside" suggests a need to retreat from the world and take solace in solitude. The mention of living to see the morning break implies a glimmer of hope for a fresh start or a new beginning.
The lyrics further describe the singer as a wayward soul who has gambled everything and lost it all. Despite the despair of losing everything, there is still one thing remaining: placing their life in someone else's hands. This indicates a plea for help and support, trusting in another person to guide them out of their current predicament.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's desire to be taken in, cleansed of their sins, and made whole again. The sanctuary referred to is a symbol of safety, a place where they can be protected and find peace. Being a castaway, they long for a chance to escape their current state and wake up to a brighter day, suggesting a yearning for a fresh start and a renewed sense of hope and optimism.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been lost far too long
I have been feeling confused and directionless for a significant amount of time.
Need to find my way back home
I have a strong desire to rediscover my sense of belonging and purpose.
Dig a hole and hide inside
I feel like retreating from the world and isolating myself to find solace and introspection.
Live to see the morning break
I long to survive through the darkest times and witness the dawn of a new day as a symbol of hope and renewal.
Just a wayward soul
I am someone who has strayed from the path and lost my sense of direction.
Played the last card, lost it all
I took my final chance or opportunity and unfortunately failed, losing everything in the process.
All is gone, but one remains
Although I have lost almost everything, there is still one thing left that holds value or significance to me.
In your hands I place my life
I am surrendering myself and entrusting my existence to someone else.
Take me in
Please accept and welcome me into your life and heart.
Wash away the sin
Cleanse me from my mistakes, regrets, and past wrongdoings.
Make me whole again
Restore my sense of completeness and heal the broken parts within me.
In your sanctuary
Within your presence or a place of refuge and safety that you provide.
Hide away
Seek shelter and seclusion from the outside world, finding comfort and peace in seclusion.
I'm your castaway
I am willingly relinquishing control and allowing myself to be guided and cared for by another person.
Let me fall asleep
Grant me the tranquility to peacefully rest and escape my troubles temporarily.
Wake up to a brighter day
I hope to awaken to a future that is filled with optimism and positive possibilities.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Lauri Porra
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ari-Ara
A beautiful song redone beautifully.