Stratovarius

Stratovarius


Location :Helsinki, Finland
Website :www.stratovarius.com
Genre(s) :Progressive , Power , Melodic


..:: Biography ::..

Although Helsinki, Finland heavy metal band Stratovarius was formed in 1982 by drummer Tuomo Lassila, the group did not record its debut album, Fright Night, until 1989 (after which Lassila departed). 1992's Twilight Time established a fan base in Japan, becoming the biggest-selling import of that year; Stratovarius consolidated its Japanese popularity with an extensive tour of the country behind 1994's Dreamspace. Following 1995's Fourth Dimension, the lineup shifted to include vocalist Timo Kotipelto, guitarist Timo Tolkki, bassist Jari Kainulainen, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen keyboardist Jens Johanssen, and drummer Jorg Michael. This lineup added a choir and orchestra for 1996's Episode in 1996 and 1997's Visions, the latter of which was released in the U.S. early in 1998. American reissues of most of Stratovarius' previous output followed over the course of the year, and in the spring of 2000 the group issued Infinite. Intermission appeared the following summer. With every album, their fame and fan-base expanded, and they started gaining a stronger following outside Scandinavia, 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 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.The rest of 2004 was virtually complete silence from the band.



Fright Night - 1989

Antti Ikonen ( Additional Keyboards)
Jyrki Lentonen (Bass)
Timo Tolkki ( Vocals, Guitar)
Tuomo Lassila (Drums)

Twilight Time - 1992

Antti Ikonen (Keyboards)
Jari Behm (Bass)
Timo Tolkki ( Vocals, Guitar)
Tuomo Lassila (Drums)

Dreamscape - 1994


Antti Ikonen (Keyboards,Computers)
Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Timo Tolkki ( Vocals, Guitar)
Tuomo Lassila (Drums,Percussion,Flute)

Fourth Dimension - 1995

Antti Ikonen (Keyboards)
Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitars,Backing Vocals)
Tuomo Lassila (Drums)

Episode - 1996

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)
Visions - 1997

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki ( Guitar)

Visions of Europe - ( Live) - 1997

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki ( Vocals, Guitar)
Destiny - 1998

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)

Infinite - 2000

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki ( Guitar)

Intermission - 2001

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)

Elements Pt.1 - 2003

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)

Elements Pt.2 - 2003

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)

Stratovarius - 2005

Jari Kainulainen (Bass)
Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)
Timo Tolkki (Guitar)

Polaris - 2009

Jens Johansson (Keyboard)
Jörg Michael (Drums)
Lauri Porra (Bass)
Matias Kupiainen (guitar)
Timo Kotipelto (Vocals)