Fun but flawed 1

By separating from his drummer Jörg Michael (on the request of the latter), Stratovarius comes (again!) To turn a page in its history. Certainly, the members of the group's golden age seem to leave the ship one after the other (the bassist Jari Kainulainen first, then Timo Tolkki guitarist, and now Jörg) ... However, the Finns already shown real capacity to rise from the ashes and they seem determined to move forward. Their latest album, Elysium, was very good, and these gentlemen have already found a new drummer in the person of Rolf Pilve. The story so ... but Mr. Michael, who still spent seventeen years with Stratovarius! So we do things well we organize a final concert with the Teutonic drummer behind the drums and immortalizes all. The group can now release his first real DVD (or Blu-ray) live in the form of a show event that the fan can not pass up. Here is my opinion on the hot double CD.

Let's be practical. Twenty tracks for an hour and forty two minutes live music is what this Under Flaming Winter Skies offers. Among the titles offered, many classic (six extracts of the cult Visions anyway) but also some newer songs (Deep Unknown, Winter Skies ...) and too little for my taste, of Elysium extracts pieces (two Only Under Flaming Skies and Darkest Hours). Instrumental demo lovers will not have less than three solos to their teeth: a rather successful short guitar solo for quite musical, bass demonstration impresses hard but maybe a bit too long (more than four minutes) and a short (one minute) intervention Jens Johansson on keyboards. Curiously, the only one who has no right to his "moment of personal glory" is Jörg Michael ... Finally, note that, for the occasion, the group offers twice coming bring a touch unexpected to their setlist: Burn Deep Purple and Behind Blue Eyes by The Who. Few minor songs here after that will depend on personal taste (in my case, Eagleheart or I Walk To My Own Song are far from conventional figure and I would have gladly replaced by other compounds) ...

Now we come to the two main questions that arise when we put our hands on a live album. First, there is the sound to the task? Then, the delivery of musicians she commands admiration? Verdict: mixed. In either.
A word about the production to start. It is not shameful, far from it. We are, fortunately, far from the wreck found on the last live album of Sonata Arctica, for example. However, it is not perfect and it is clear that Visions Of Europe (1998) and Polaris Live 2009 offered better sound quality. Here, it is not bad and not all sluggish but it sounds so sometimes a bit confusing. Sometimes the rhythm section and keyboards take precedence over the song and the guitar. However, even though the balance between all the instruments and the public is not always easy to get, one must admit that the sound a bit crude this album has something authentic and it is obviously much higher quality that of a bootleg. Not bad ... if not excellent.
Turning to the performance of the band. Obviously it plays well! We expected no less from such musicians! Special mention to Matias Kupiainen that honors the guitar parts composed by Timo Tolkki while imposing his paw. The others are all excellent technicians and do not have to be ashamed of their performance. All ... except one. In fact, as was already the case on the previous live tour, the voice of Timo Kotipelto has damn lost its luster. I already perceive the outraged reactions of fans who will argue that the singer is always on top ... but it's just the truth, Stratovarius frontman is not (or more) a great live singer. It hardly reaches the high notes, lack of power and offers us even some falsehoods. Listen, for example, the chorus of Paradise, pure killing ... we went wrong for him. While it is still pretty good sometimes, he is doing very well on some tracks (I am thinking of Legions or Father Time, on which, oddly, it seems more comfortable), but quite regularly, performance is a bit limited and below the studio versions.

While this live album is listened well, has a number of qualities, and that the group is obviously not made of penguins, the performance against Timo Kotipelto-still pulls all down. As much his voice and his studio skills involved in personality and strengths of the group, as it seems evident that concert, the singer is definitely not an asset for Stratovarius. Passing phase or harsh reality that we will have to do (or not)? The future will tell. Meanwhile, I feel like saying "damage", as it grazed the excellent live album ...

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