Stratovarius - "Infinite"
(Nuclear Blast)

INFINITE is for sure the most original thing you have heard the latest time!? Maybe not! The bad thing is that it is too overdone with Stratovarius, who keep on trying to offer their fans something new every year, by failing deplorably, unfortunately. If you consider Destiny as a mediocre album, then INFINITE is the band's worst release until this day. The same ideas in the riffs and the solos, the same smirky refrains but, something new as well: A rumination of the same cliche lyrics. It seems like Tolkki has totally dried up from ideas and only thinks of money. You see, it's not everything about being a great performer (Johanssen, Tolkki, Jörg) in order to write good music, but also to have ideas. Listen characteristically to INFINITY (Visions wanna-be), Millenium but also to the only song that tries to be distinguished, "Hunting High And Low". I know that some non-open minded Stratovarius fans will disagree, but it's gonna be good for them to get back to the first and only albums.

Mike "Caesar" Stavrakakis

PS: Finally, the only good thing in this album is the cover.