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)
Fairness Justified
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone who's so alike
The way you think, I feel it in my heart
It is so hard to see
What's happening to me
Two souls united that can't be apart
All these lonely nights and days
Waiting for a light, this feeling
I have been denied, I'm redeeming
Heavenly divine, awareness purified
I make it through the night, am I dreaming?
Waiting for a sign, I've seen it
Heavenly divine, so fairness will finally
Be justified!
If there's a past life
I know you've been all mine
You are forever the one divine
All these lonely nights and days
Let me start
I watch you when you sleep
And listen as you breathe
I'm close to you and keep you warm
The lyrics to Stratovarius's song Fairness Justified convey a feeling of love and unity between two souls. The singer expresses that they have found someone who they feel is very similar to them in terms of their thoughts, and this connection can be felt in their heart. Despite the difficulties they may face as two united souls, they cannot be apart from each other. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been waiting for a light, hoping to redeem themselves, and has finally found a sign that brings a feeling of heavenly divinity, which will ultimately justify fairness in their lives.
Moreover, the lyrics suggest a strong sense of devotion and commitment towards their partner. The singer believes that if there's such a thing as a past life, their partner has always been theirs. They are forever the one divine and the singer is ready to start all over, the loneliness of the past will be replaced by the love they have now found. Even when the singer watch the partner sleep, they can feel their breath and are close to them, ensuring they stay warm.
Overall, the lyrics convey a feeling of pure love and connection between two people. The singer expresses a willingness to wait for their partner, redeem themselves and find fairness in their lives. It is a powerful love song with a message of devotion and unity.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I could not find
I believed that finding someone so similar to me was impossible
Someone who's so alike
Someone who shares the same thoughts and feelings as I do
The way you think, I feel it in my heart
I can feel your thoughts and emotions deeply in my heart
It is so hard to see
It is difficult to understand
What's happening to me
What is going on inside of me
Two souls united that can't be apart
We are two souls joined together that cannot be separated
All these lonely nights and days
During all the times of isolation and loneliness
Let me start
Allow me to begin
Waiting for a light, this feeling
Anticipating a moment of clarity, this strong emotion
I have been denied, I'm redeeming
I have been turned down, but now I am making up for it
Heavenly divine, awareness purified
A pure and heavenly awareness
I make it through the night, am I dreaming?
I survive through the darkness, is this just a dream?
Waiting for a sign, I've seen it
Seeking a signal, I have found it
Heavenly divine, so fairness will finally be justified!
A pure and heavenly fairness will inevitably prevail!
If there's a past life
If there is a previous existence
I know you've been all mine
I am certain that you have always been solely mine
You are forever the one divine
You will be forever the one divine
I watch you when you sleep
I observe you as you sleep
And listen as you breathe
And listen to the sound of your breathing
I'm close to you and keep you warm
I am near you and keep you warm
Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nill Rocks
The new album is perfect and this song is divine! Stratovarius forever!!!
Gabriel Gomes
Eu choro com esse solo, toca profundamente minha alma! Q perfeição!
Joao Headbanger
Muito Linda! Sem Palavras para descrever tal Canção. Realmente o Stratovarius Surpreende mesmo.
M477HI4SS
2:22 One of my fav solos of Strato 👌
Marcia Feron
Eu amo...diz tudo!!😢
Katerina Panagiotopoulou
Fantastic song!!!I love the lyrics!!!
Eduardo Russo
música loka demais!!!!
salud y riqueza
Me encanta.
Vagner Vegeta BLÚE POWER NOCCE
Esse som é foda galera loca do diabo 🤘🤘🤘
Alexander Carimarcony
muitos fãs brasileiros aqui, e aí pessoal com bom gosto !