Shame on us! Us mortals have not started a thread about Stratovarius yet, one of the most influential power metal bands around. And what's more, the keyboarder is the brother of our great beloved drummer Anders. Why haven't we done this before? Bleeding disgrace. It is with great shame and humbleness that I make the first post in this topic [/weirdo mode off]

So, anyone expecting their new album?

I'm not listening to them that much so I don't expect the new album, but I know many songs... I have Infinite album. They're good. It's really shame for not having the thread about them, but we don't have threads about many great bands here yet...

Strato is amazing.
One of my definate favorites.
Actually only the second band that is permanately in my top-3 band list.

I'll be boring, but I have to ask. Which album do you think I should get next?

Well if I may say so, you started well with Infinite, it's my favourite Stratovarius album. I'd go for either Visions or Destiny. Destiny contains two ±10 minutes tracks, that are not boring at all, Visions seems to be their most highly rated work.

Infinite is also the one most closest to the Elements albums that however are quite different compared to other Strato creations.

Heavy Metal era (with Tolkki on vocals)
Fright Night: Bad production and still a lot of things to improve. Nice energy.
Twilight Time: One of the heaviest albums and a pretty good one too. Classics like Hands of Time and Twilight Time.
Dreamspace: A weird and big album. One of the biggest classic albums too. Amazing progressive songs like Dreamspace and also fast and simple songs like Reign of Terror

Early Kotipelto era
Fourth Dimension: Production is still leaning towards heavy metal but the music is getting more and more techical and it is also turning to be power and neoclassical metal.

The Golden Age
Episode: a really big one. Not an easy album to listen to but with time it will open up.
Visions: The classic. No bad songs on this one. Pure 10/10 quality from the the very first note onwards.
Destiny: One of my favorites. More modern sound with lots of keyboards and some of Tolkkis most emotional guitarplaying.
Infinite: Well this one you already know.

Early 2000s
Intermission: A compilation with B-sides, Bonus tracks, covers and fresh new songs. I really recomend this one.
Elements 1: Big and symphonic. Really techical and very bombastic.
Elements 2: Calmer and more proggier than the other elements album.
Stratovarius: This one you should not buy until you have all the others. Not a bad album but really really weird and not really that much of a Strato-album as the name makes you think.

New era
Polaris: Some fresh sounds but still a lot of the old stuff. A good album but not something to best the classics.
Elysium: Will be released next week. More discussion on that then.

I guess I'll get Visions of Destiny then. I "have the experience" with 10 minutes long songs from some other bands that are really good, so I believe you Andreas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB7dol-NtRY
It's not just him. I highly recommend those too.
If that song doesn't blow you away we can announce you officially dead.

E: this is my favorite song of all times. The live performance on Polaris live is really good too.
And on a sidenote The Live album Visions of Europe is the very best live album ever IMHO.

Oh and I had no idea you Andreas had bought Destiny. I remember you buying Visions a few years back but this was something I must have missed.

I didn't buy Visions a few years back, more like half a year or so. I think more

And Destiny was my very first Stratovarius album, I got it for my 19th birthday, so it was 10 november 2008. It was the second power metal band I got an album from. And for your information, like two months later I bought Infinite, and in September 2009 I bought Polaris. There ya go And Destiny might very well be one of my favourite metal songs.