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)
Fantasia
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Close the gates
You've come from far away
I've been expecting you
You are the holders of the key
To the story that never ends
Fantasia
Leave your worries far behind
Fantasia
Let the freedom ring the bell
Let us all unite
Borders made of hate are gone
Nations singing the song of peace
In Fantasia
How would it be? A world without hate
Without heaven, without hell
No wars, no arms, no religion, no God
Just your own truth
(Fantasia can arise in you)
Fear and darkness prevail
But finally they will fail
Fantasia
Resides deep in your heart
Leave your worries far behind
Fantasia
Let the freedom ring the bell
Let us all unite
Borders made of hate are gone
Nations singing the song of peace
Fantasia
Fantasia
One day when love conquers all
Mankind will prevail
No more jealousy
Fantasia
No more envy no deceit
The nothing is gone
Future's bright and glorious
We are all victorous
We are kings in Fantasia
The song "Fantasia" by Stratovarius is a call for unity and peace in a world filled with hate, fear, and darkness. It is an invitation into the world of the singer that holds the key to a story that never ends, a world where borders made of hate are gone, nations sing the song of peace, and love conquers all. The song imagines a world without division, without religion or God, where everyone can find their own truth.
The repeated refrain of "Fantasia resides deep in your heart" is an indication that this place of peace and unity is within the individual listener. It is a call to leave their worries behind and come together as a united human race. The song acknowledges that fear and darkness prevail in the world, but it encourages the listener to hold hope because those things will eventually fail, making way for a brighter future in which love conquers all.
Overall, the song is a powerful plea for the world to come together and live in peace and harmony. It acknowledges that this won't be an easy task, but it is one that is possible by looking inward and discovering the Fantasia that resides within each person.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to my world
The singer is welcoming the listener to a special place or state of mind he/she inhabits
Close the gates
The singer is asking the listener to enter in the given state of mind by shutting themselves away from the outside world
You've come from far away
The singer acknowledges that the listener has traveled a long way before finding this place/state of mind
I've been expecting you
The artist is aware of the listener and has been waiting for them to arrive at this place/state of mind
You are the holders of the key
The listener possesses or holds something valuable that can unlock or uncover what the artist has to offer
To the story that never ends
The singer is referring to an eternal, timeless tale that goes on without stopping
Fantasia
The singer is pointing to a whimsical or imaginative world/place/state that only exists in the listener’s heart/mind
Resides deep in your heart
The artist claims that Fantasia is within the listener’s very being
Leave your worries far behind
The artist instructs the listener to put their anxieties aside when entering the world of Fantasia
Let the freedom ring the bell
The artist is asking the listener to celebrate the liberty they possess when inside the world of Fantasia
Let us all unite
The singer wants the listener to come together with others to share and build the world of Fantasia
Borders made of hate are gone
The negative barriers built by malice are absent in the world of Fantasia
Nations singing the song of peace
Countries that were once enemies are now joined together celebrating tranquility in Fantasia
How would it be? A world without hate
The singer is describing a fictional reality where there is no malignant emotion or attitude
Without heaven, without hell
The hypothetical world that the singer describes has no representation of afterlife or spirituality
No wars, no arms, no religion, no God
The artist is imagining a world that has no violent confrontations, no weapons or reason for them, no worship of divine entities, and no deity
Just your own truth
The artist wants the listener to not be swayed by the truth of others, only by their own beliefs and principles
(Fantasia can arise in you)
The singer hints that the listener can bring the world of Fantasia to life merely by letting it take root in their soul
Fear and darkness prevail
Negative emotions like apprehension and malice control the listener’s life outside of Fantasia
But finally they will fail
These negative emotions will ultimately fall apart and cease to dominate
One day when love conquers all
The artist is positing a time in the future when love will be the strongest force in the world and have overpowered all else
Mankind will prevail
Humans as a whole will come out on top due to this love conquering everything
No more jealousy, No more envy no deceit
Negativities such as jealousy, envy, and untruthfulness would not exist in such a scenario
The nothing is gone
There is no absence of anything like emptiness or worthlessness
Future's bright and glorious
The singer is envisioning a future that is optimistic and spectacular
We are all victorious
This future and its triumphs belong to everyone and not just a select few
We are kings in Fantasia
Fantasia is a democracy where one is not ruled, but regarded as a king. Everyone has equal say, and there is no hierarchy.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIMO TAPIO TOLKKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Valeria Rojas Espinoza
Es la más perfecta canción de la historia. Que me hace muy feliz escuchar
Carlin
@A.G.C.V a mi me transmite gloria y felicidad, es Stratovarius una banda surreal
A.G.C.V
@Johnny Hunter gay!!! .I.
Johnny Hunter
@A.G.C.V Mi Ano Se
Dilato Al Máximo Al Escucharla!!
Fue Riquisimo...
A.G.C.V
que piensas mientras la escuchas?
Anderson cordeiro
eu também mim sinto assim
Jose Artavia
Stratovarius = Perfección
cristian emanuel Hernandez
made in heaven
A.G.C.V
stratovarius en su género es de las unicas bandas donde sus letras contienen mucho más significado y contenido logico... Es una lástima que el maestro Tolki ya no forme parte así como jörg y jari ...
José Maurício Gonzales Praxedes
As far as I know , Jari left before Tolkki ...