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)
Fantasy
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Climb a hill, learn a skill, all of your dreams you can fulfill
Take a dream, make it real, don't let yourself give in to fear
Come with me you can make it anywhere
Sing along, to this song, and let it show that you're strong
Don't pretend, help a friend, they are with you until the end
You will see, you can be whatever you would like to be
Come with me you can make it anywhere
You will see, fantasy can become reality
Come with me, this is my fantasy
I believe, fantasy can become reality
Can you be my fantasy
Take your time, it's not a crime cause life it's always in its prime
Show you care, if you dare, because true friendship's really rare
Take a dream make it real, don't let yourself give in to fear
Come with me you can make it anywhere
Fantasy, I want to meet you there
You will see, fantasy can become reality
Come with me, this is my fantasy
I believe, fantasy can become reality
Can you be my fantasy
The song "Fantasy" by Stratovarius is an uplifting and motivational anthem about following your dreams and being true to yourself. The lyrics encourage the listener to reach for the stars, learn new skills, and fulfill their wildest aspirations. The song also emphasizes the importance of friendship, compassion, and perseverance.
The first verse urges the listener to aim high and not give in to fear. The second verse emphasizes the importance of taking one's time and showing care towards others. Both verses ultimately lead to the chorus, where the singer declares their belief in the power of fantasy and the potential for it to become reality. The song thus presents a message of hope and determination, encouraging listeners to pursue their dreams with passion and confidence.
Overall, "Fantasy" is a powerful and inspiring piece of music, perfect for anyone in need of motivation or encouragement. Its lyrics and melody are both catchy and memorable, making it a popular choice for fans of rock and metal music.
Line by Line Meaning
Reach a star, travel so far or find out who you really are
Explore your potential and your true identity, strive for greatness and self-discovery
Climb a hill, learn a skill, all of your dreams you can fulfill
Make an effort to improve yourself and work towards achieving your goals
Take a dream, make it real, don't let yourself give in to fear
Be courageous and determined in realizing your aspirations, don't let fear hold you back
Come with me you can make it anywhere
Join me on this journey towards success and we can conquer any obstacle together
Sing along, to this song, and let it show that you're strong
Let the music inspire you and give you strength to face life's challenges
Don't pretend, help a friend, they are with you until the end
Be genuine in your relationships and support your friends, they will always have your back
You will see, you can be whatever you would like to be
Believe in yourself and your potential, you have the power to become who you want to be
Fantasy, I want to meet you there
Embrace your imagination and creativity, let's explore the world of possibilities together
You will see, fantasy can become reality
Dream big and have faith that your aspirations can become a reality
Come with me, this is my fantasy
Join me on this adventure, let's make our dreams come true
I believe, fantasy can become reality
Have faith in the power of imagination and the possibilities that it can manifest
Can you be my fantasy
Can we share our dreams and inspirations, and make them a reality together?
Take your time, it's not a crime cause life it's always in its prime
Don't rush through life, take your time to enjoy the journey, as life is always full of possibilities
Show you care, if you dare, because true friendship's really rare
Be sincere in your relationships with others, as true friendships are valuable and hard to come by
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Lauri Porra
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ewa R.
This song gives me so much hope and happiness, it's amazing!
w7class
The whole album is goosebumps from start to finish!...
Maria Vitória
Que nostalgia ❤
Yos
One of the most wonderful songs in existence
Mr. Nugget
I just discovered powermetal and especially stratovarius In lockdown and this is DEFINETLY one of my favourite songs.
Alex Sokolov
Listening to Eagle heart and Hunting hi and low
Raiden Derp
Ive been listening to power metal for 17 years and this is one of my favorites too, one of the best.
Stunning Cactus
Check out Deep Unknown, very great song of theirs from this era.
Mohammad Rababa
listen to kamelot the black halo the full album
Xavier Rodes Tami
This is amazing!!! Stratovarius is so talented :')