Stratovarius - Nemesis
For me, Stratovarius is like comfort food. It isn’t the best stuff on the planet, but there is a consistency and a familiarity about it that can’t be beat. When you want good Power Metal, you need not look any further than Stratovarius. Even at their worst, they still run circles around most lesser bands. The problem with Stratovarius isn’t that they don’t know what they’re doing or that they’re not good at it. These guys have the formula down to a science, much like the other top bands in the genre. The thing about Stratovarius is that you know what you’re going to get from them before you get it from them. Blazing guitar solos? Check. Soaring vocals? Check. Epic keyboard swaths full of atmosphere and bombast? Check. Are the songs well played? Like only Stratovarius can. Do the songs kick ass? You better believe it. Their last album had all that too. And so did the one before that. Nemesis is the latest in a long line of solid, well-played and ass-kicking Power Metal albums. Perhaps what makes me think this band is in a rut is the fact that all of their albums have been consistently good but they have that “sameness” about them. They’re predictable to the point where you don’t have to listen to the album to know where they’re going with it. If you do listen to the album, though, you will bang your head to the songs. They have that effect on you, regardless of whether you’re a new listener or a longtime fan. If you like Power Metal in general, you probably don’t need me to tell you that Nemesis kicks ass. You likely already own it. If you’re only a casual listener (as I am), this continues a long legacy of solid, rocking Stratovarius albums. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it isn’t a disappointment by any means.
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