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)
Liberty
Stratovarius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sky is so blue
I'm filled with hope
It's promising
The course my life is taking
Searching of my truth has brought me here
Facing things with confidence
That all will be okay
Life goes on
Memories remain
I break the chain of misery and pain
Marching to a different drum
Shines my liberty
It's growing stronger every day
I feel it in me
Leading me to a different world
Freedom shows the way
It's there for you and me to find
It's heaven on earth
I'm standing here today and understand
There is no reason to hide anymore
So many things to see so many things to gain
My life is not in vain
The lyrics to "Liberty" by Stratovarius is a song that speaks about hope, confidence, and finding one's freedom. The opening lines of the song convey a sense of positivity and optimism, as the singer talks about the sunny sky and the promising outlook on life. The lyrics go on to mention how the singer has arrived at this point in their life by searching for truth, and now they face things with confidence, believing that everything will be okay. The past is recognized, but the focus is on moving forward, breaking free from the chains of misery and pain.
The chorus then speaks about the singer's journey towards their own freedom, marching to a different beat and feeling their liberty growing stronger every day. The freedom they speak of leads them to a different world, where the way to find it is to embrace it and realize that it's there for anyone to discover. The lyrics express a sense of empowerment and hope, as the singer stands firm in their understanding that there is no reason to hide anymore and that there are so many things to see and gain.
Line by Line Meaning
Sun is shining
The day is bright and happy
Sky is so blue
The sky is a deep clear blue
I'm filled with hope
I am optimistic and positive
It's promising
The future looks hopeful
The course my life is taking
The direction my life is headed in
Searching of my truth has brought me here
Looking for my true self has led me to this point
Facing things with confidence
Approaching things with self-assurance
That all will be okay
That everything will turn out fine
Past is gone
The past is behind me
Life goes on
Life continues to move forward
Memories remain
Memories stay with me
I break the chain of misery and pain
I am breaking free from sadness and suffering
Marching to a different drum
I am proceeding in my own unique way
Shines my liberty
My freedom is radiant and strong
It's growing stronger every day
It is becoming more powerful every day
I feel it in me
I sense it within me
Leading me to a different world
Guiding me towards a new life
Freedom shows the way
Freedom reveals the path forward
It's there for you and me to find
We can discover it for ourselves
It's heaven on earth
It is an idyllic, perfect existence
I'm standing here today and understand
I am present now and comprehend
There is no reason to hide anymore
There is no longer a cause to conceal oneself
So many things to see so many things to gain
There are numerous experiences to have and gains to be made
My life is not in vain
My existence has meaning and purpose
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIMO TAPIO TOLKKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Reverend
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Lyrics
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Sun is shining, sky is so blue
I'm filled with hope, it's promising
The course my life is taking
Searching of my truth has brought me here
Facing things with confidence
That all will be okay
Past is gone, life goes on
Memories remain, I break the chain
Of misery and pain
Marching to a different drum
Shines my liberty
It's growing stronger every day
I feel it in me
Leading me to a different world
Freedom shows the way
It's there for you and me to find
It's heaven on earth
I'm standing here today and understand
There's no reason to hide anymore
So many things to see, so many things to gain
My life is not in vain
Marching to a different drum
Shines my liberty
It's growing stronger every day
I feel it in me
Leading me to a different world
Freedom shows the way
It's there for you and me to find
It's heaven on earth
Marching to a different drum
Shines my liberty
It's growing stronger every day
I feel it in me
Leading me to a different world
Freedom shows the way
It's there for you and me to find
It's heaven on earth
Key!
One of the greatest songs. I feel completely free.
Junior Tech
Come to Jesus
mamlasu
One of the most beautiful masterpieces ever made.
Ricky Tee
I've been searching this song for a long long time ago man.. Its been many years now cos I forgot the song title.. But now I found it in 30. June. 2021 and it really still one of the best song.. So heart-to-heart touching song..
Dante Corpse
Just a beautiful song 😊
Rob B.
Very positive and uplifting, not to mention badass. Music in general needs more of this.
Aleksandar Gospić
Amazing song, just epic! Could repeat it 20 times per listening, one of those songs that you never get fed up with
perdida total
i remember when this album pt 1 and 2 came out in 2005, listening in CDs back then. great times and great music. cheers to everyone still listening stratovarius
Ernesto Minghella
Awesome. Melody, sound, vocals, all epic.
David Snake Doe
generally I don't like Stratovarius' lyrics so much, but this song is really great.
And the guitar player is magnificent.
Mr Tolkki deserves a great respect for what he has done in the past.