Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Stratovarius > A Million Light Years Away > Reviews
Stratovarius - A Million Light Years Away

Rock! - 85%

Iron_Thunder, December 4th, 2003

The EP from "Infinite" contains some perks which the album did not. For one, it has a CD ROM feature (music video and some other stuff). The EP starts off with "A Million Light Years Away" which, though not a demo, is slightly different than the album version: it's cropped. I have no idea why it's changed, but since this is the first version I heard of it, in my mind this is how it's supposed to sound... 'Celestial Dream," the gentle, floating piece which concluded the album is the same version which graces this EP. The live tracks ("Phoenix" and "Infinity") were recorded in Lyon, France in May of 2000, proving my theory that live performances either enhance or ruin a song. As you can gather from my generous rating, both performances were added to (partially because of an enthusiastic audience).
"Phoenix" was great, but "Infinity" is absolutely amazing. It contains a magical energy which was not captured in the studio recording. Every member's performance was outstanding-especially Jorg Michael (drums) and Timo Kotipelto (vocals). Michael stands out on these two demanding pieces, and appears to hold everyone together. Since they were following a click track the band requires a tight drummer to follow. Nobody misses a beat-there were no mistakes, and the production is great. Kotipelto gives it his all, proving that he's a capable live performer, adding screams and various other notes which wer enot in the original. I hadn't paid so much attention to "Infinity" until I'd heard it live.

Yet another commendable aspect of the EP was the art... great stuff. Better than the album! Alright... go and listen to this, it adds a whole new dimension to some stuff from "Infinite," and is their best EP.