Search - Stratovarius :: Dreamspace

Best old-school Stratovarius record

Sam Allen | Newburyport Mass. | 01/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It took a bit longer than expected, but I finally got my copy of 'Dreamspace' (1994), the third studio record from Finland's metal gods, Stratovarius. I must say that I own 'Visions' as well as this, and I must say, comparing this to 'Visions' is like comparing apples to oranges.



1. There are only four members, just two of which played on anything after 'Fourth Dimension' (1995).

2. Antti Ikonen is more of a backing keyboardist, there are no keyboard solos.

3. The basic sound of the guitar and bass is COMPLETELY different than the more modern Stratovarius. The bass sounds much cleaner (as opposed to a more slapstick sound used on later releases), and the guitar sounds a lot crunchier.



All those differences aside, 'Dreamspace' is a terrific album, and for the time, the production by Timo Tolkki is certainly far from bad. Timo Tolkki is not as good of a singer as Timo Kotipelto, but when listening to this record, I could instantly picture Kotipelto singing a vast majority of the songs from this album. Jari Kainulainen is his usual self, though at the time of this record's release, it would be hard to say that, since this was the band's first recording with him on bass. I really must say, I don't pay as much attention to Antti Ikonen as I would to the godly keyboardist Jens Johanssen (who replaced Antti not long after 'Fourth Dimension.') Drummer Tuomo Lassila is actually a lot better than his replacement, Jorg Michel. It's not that he's BAD, it's just that Tuomo has a bit more technical skills.



And now, the highlights of this album. Opener "Chasing Shadows" is a typical power metal opening tune: fast and frantic. Very heavy, with a bone chilling intro riff. Track 4, "Hold On To Your Dream," is my personal favorite of the album, the little lead at the beginning is really cool, and I love the buildup of the song, it begins with the lead, then for the first part of the verse, we get no guitar, just a simple bassline, but then the guitar kicks in for a simple tune that crunches along at a perfect tempo. Then, there's the title track (track 8), which has a very interesting intro. The riff is one I can expect to hear in a planetarium, and the bass line...I picked it up right off the bat, it's not hard at all. However, it is one of the lengthiest tunes on the album (a straight 6 minutes) and really shifts around a lot. Ultimately, this is the band's most unpredictable album, and I would highly recommend it to fans of any of Stratovarius' other albums: 'Fright Night,' 'Twilight Time,' 'Fourth Dimension,' 'Episode,' 'Visions,' 'Destiny,' 'Infinite,' and the Elements series. Also recommended for fans of Finnish metal like Nightwish, Thunderstone, Sonata Arctica, and Children of Bodom or power metal like Helloween, Edguy, Blind Guardian, and Gamma Ray.



DEATH TO FALSE METAL!-Manowar"

Their BEST album

AAK | Lapland, Finland | 07/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though this album might sound strange and very different than their other albums, it might also be the reason why Dreamspace is their best. The songs are very varied, emotional and progressive at the same time. Something you can't find from any of their other album. The sound is very cold, some may say it's flat, but I think it suits this album perfectly. It might be even intentional, who knows, not a lack of production. This is the creative peak of Tolkki and could actually be his solo album rather than 3rd Stratovarius album, it's that much experimental. This is the Strato album I listen to most.



"Chasing Shadows" has a haunting guitar sound with irresistible drive.

"4th Reich" has the most creative sound in this album, something I can't even describe.

My absolute favourite piece is "Eyes of the World", pure genius! Tolkki sings so beautifully in this one and the lyrics are really touching, not to mention the guitar solo that is one of his all time best (it's not about how fast you play, it's the emotion you deliver and how great it fits into the song overall). Only con is that it might get too repetitive in the end but it doesn't bother me really cos I like the chorus sooo much.

"Hold on to Your Dream" is one of those incredibly catchy and positive songs.

"Tears of Ice" is very beautiful ballad with great atmosphere.

"Dreamspace" is the most progressive song they've ever made and also one of their best. Includes some finest riffing in the middle of the song and also notice how high Tolkki reaches with his yell.

"Reign of Terror" is very angry song with crunching riffs and funny lyrics. It's about the time when Matti Nykänen (skijumper champion from the 80's) made a horrible song in the beginning of the 90's and it was somekind of a "success". Lyrics go like this: 'What the hell is going on, skijumpers making music that sells gold'. Very funny indeed.

"Thin Ice" is the only track I still don't understand.

"Abyss" one of the best with great keyboard melody.

"Shattered" a nice trash metal piece with the most furious riffs ever from Tolkki.

"Wings of Tomorrow" a great ending and one of those cheerful and positive songs.



I could go on forever. Too bad this album seems to be heavily underrated by many people who just want to listen to those stereotypical power metal songs. Tolkki actually sings quite well and his voice definitely fits these songs better than Kotipelto's would. On their DVD "Infinite Visions" is a bonus acoustic live video of "Hold on to Your Dream" sung by Kotipelto and it sounds quite bad. He tries to reach too high with his voice and just messes the whole song, too bad. I recommend this album to everyone who likes the band or doesn't like (yep, it's that different, believe me). No matter what kind of albums Stratovarius makes nowadays and in the future, these oldies will live forever!"