Fright Night

So, it's year 1989 and a certain band from Finland begins its journey. Heavy metal was already established as a music genre and certain sub-genres such as thrash metal and power metal were already a reality. Still, it was far from the multidimensional music world we're used to nowadays, but as for power metal the likes of Helloween already had produced 2 big power metal albums, so the musical influence was there. Stratovarius, might be most known as power metal pioneers nowadays, but back in 1989 they didn't relate that much to the power metal sound, not even close to what Helloween were doing.

That brings us to their first album, "Fright Night", a much darker, technical and -dare I say- progressive heavy metal. If you heard Stratovarius late 90's or 00's albums before this one, you'll actually get difficulties in relating the sound of "Fright Night" with Strato. Not even the line-up is something non-die-hard fans can relate to easily. Apart from Timo Tolkki, the other names aren't involved in albums like "Visions", "Episode" or "Infinite". Yet, Tolkki is there with a double role, both as a guitarist and as a singer (and songwriter, but when wasn't he?). He isn't exactly Kotipelto, but he fits the album's darker concept with his spooky and doomy voice.

And spooky is actually the concept of this album, a true testimony to the name "Fright Night". That's what I found surprising and revolutionary when first heard this album, considering its release year. The theme of witches and stuff had been covered before, but never with this particular sound of dark and heavy guitar riffs, leading bass lines and all of it followed by the atmospheric keyboards. And that's all audible from the first seconds of "Future Shock". What's even more impressive it their perfect production for the period of time. You can listen to all instruments, but at the same time, they are mixed perfectly.

As for the songs themselves, most of them are around 5 minutes long, not greatly diverse, but it's a short album anyway, only 40 minutes. Others are fast and technical songs, such as the opening two, "Future Shock" and "False Messiah", while others give you a bit of the 80's heavy metal vibe, such as "Black Night" and "Witch Hunt", with the bass in a prominent place. The ones that stand out and differ from the others, though, are the longer ones, "Fright Night" and "Darkness". "Fright Night" is a prelude to the epic tracks that Tolkki would write over the next years, tries to be epic, has slow and faster parts and good atmosphere. The standout song though, and my personal favourite, is "Darkness". Keyboard-led and with a glorious chorus, this is the first real epic effort by Tolkki. The way the atmosphere is built in the chorus is mega, until the chilling final line "When the darkness enters into your room". Makes you really imagine ghosts.

The album contains two instrumental tracks that serve little to no role and that's why I don't really consider it a complete effort. But, judging it for what it is, a dark heavy-speed metal album, it really delivers. I haven't really heard something like it, it's dark heavy metal, unlike what most bands did before and especially after it. And if you're careful enough you can notice the later Stratovarius elements here and there, the excellent songwriting and the atmosphere, yet it's not what you're used to as 'Stratovarius'. Still it's a pretty unique album for me, despite not being the final article. The signs where there, not for what exactly would follow, but definitely these were a bunch of talented and inspired kids.

Stratovarius has always been my favorite power metal act. This is mainly because I think Timo Tolkki is a genius. He's one of the most technically brilliant guitarists you'll ever find and he's also very proficient in writing killer riffs and beautiful melodies too. Finding a guitarist that is that good at all of those facets is very rare. Tolkki has certainly hit plenty of bumps in his life (we'll get there), and if you want to argue that he has lost his magic in recent years, that's one thing, but there's no denying he was at the summit of power metal for a very long time. For those of you only familiar with Strato's famous material, the band started as a slightly darker and more varied power metal act centered around Tolkki himself, who provides vocals for the first three albums, and incredible drummer Tuomo Lassila. Their debut album "Fright Night" is rounded out by a one time bassist and keyboardist Antti Ikonen.

I'll get this out of the way and say that I LOVE Timo Tolkki's voice. While Strato star Timo Kotipelto has a much more traditional power metal voice that soars with high notes, Tolkki's has so much character to it. He has a much more unique voice for the genre to me, and during the later albums, he can hit high notes with the best of them, too. However, on "Fright Night," he hadn't quite hit his singing stride yet. I don't think his voice is bad on this album, but he definitely sounds a little bit awkward in some places. It's as if he's trying to do things his voice doesn't really fit into here that he'd learn from later.

The title track illustrates that better than anything. The song's very atmospheric intro is a wonderful tone setter, and builds very, very nicely when it starts to get heavier and slowly pick up to its core tempo. The main riff that Tolkki sings over is absolutely fantastic. It has the pace the song needed and still has a biting aggression to it. It's catchy, but not in a traditional power metal way. Tolkki's voice is just fine during the verses, and he does an AMAZING job at building into a higher register right before the chorus. The chorus itself is a highlight of the album. The eerie keyboards and plodding drum beat help Tolkki capture the emotion it needed. It's after the stunning solo that things start to derail a bit. The track goes to an acoustic part with some flavorful marching drums by Lassila behind it. While this is great at giving the song space, Tolkki's voice sounds a bit lost here. He's not singing at a high enough register to cut through and shine atop this section, but he's also not using enough gruffness or emotion to add to the atmosphere that this section is trying to fuel instrumentally. He has a small background whispered line that just kind of sounds silly. He doesn't have a creepy enough voice to get away with that. A very good title track beyond this, though.

"Fright Night's" gem is without a doubt "False Messiah." The track really shows how technically savvy Tolkki and Lassila are. The first minute and a half of the song is just a magical instrumental part. Everyone gets a chance to show their chops during it. Every single section of this opening just dances and flows from one brilliant part to the next flawlessly. The opening has a rushed start and stop feeling with small guitar and bass solos interspersed. It flows into a more riff oriented groove that maintains a start/stop nature, but in a different way than what came before. The verses are strong and straight to the point. The chorus is driven by mystical keyboards under a really cool, unique melody from Tolkki. "False Messiah" is a treat every second of its runtime. "Witch Hunt" is another underrated gem off the debut. Tuomo Lassila is really the star of this track. His tasty beats and fills which open the song and then progress give Tolkki the backbone his riffs needed. The main chorus riff before the verses begin has a distinctly classical feel, but still bites and cuts deep. During the verses, it's all Lassila. His drumming almost sounds like he's going off the rails, but still maintain a flow and artistry that might have been lost if performed by someone else. The chorus is also another very catchy and frantic one.

On the other side of the coin, "Night Screamer" is definitely the biggest dud the debut has. The main riff flows alright, but it's a fairly standard one that doesn't progress too much. Tolkki's vocals are absolutely at their worst of all time on this song. Every melody he has on this song is whiny and ear piercing. The verse melodies sound bored and have absolutely ZERO flow over the riff. The chorus as well has a neutered whininess all across it. It has no fire and no passion behind it. It's sung as if it's meant to be a catchy power metal staple, but it's so uninspired and cringe worthy. I also find "Black Night" to be a pretty subpar track. It isn't nearly as bad as "Night Screamer," and has a really cool opening and solo, but I just don't think it goes anywhere at all. The riffs are just so boring. Every riff on "Black Night" is just your standard boring power metal chugging with no character. Riffs that take no effort in writing. You've heard the riffs on "Black Night" a million times over. The vocal melodies have some promise, but the absolute lack of interesting instrumental elements behind it stop it dead in its tracks.

Stratovarius' debut shows all of the promise that the band would be a big deal, but lacks a lot of the final polish and refinements they'd need to really break out of the pack. I always appreciate that early Stratovarius has a bit more fire and intensity than your typical power metal release. Many of the choruses are still very catchy as you'd expect, but aren't solely reliant on the catchiness either. If you've only known Strato for their hits, and need a bit more aggression, "Fright Night" is worth checking out. Strato would only climb from here, considering this album was one for them to learn on, but that doesn't mean "Fright Night" isn't a very solid and enjoyable release.

If you are a fan of power metal and its many sub genres, I’d assume that many would be familiar with Stratovarius because of albums such as “Visions” or “Destiny”. But what many may overlook is Stratovarius' early material, namely the first three with Timo Tolkki on both vocals and guitar. Those first three records act more as a stepping stone for the band, only getting better with each release. “Fright Night” though, is more of the black sheep in the bands discography as it is an album that isn’t as well known nor as memorable as later releases. It also is a lot more similar to a speed metal / heavy metal record than it is power metal so that could be another reason some don’t care to venture this far back.

“Fright Night” starts off with probably one of the best songs on the album, “Future Shock”, as it has a really nice, catchy hook and the chorus is pretty catchy as well. Honestly the best thing going for this album is how catchy the riffing and solos are though the songs as a whole feel more like the extras off a Helloween or an early Blind Guardian album. That isn’t a negative per say, it’s just the band doesn’t really get their own identity here and find their stride. The solos are extremely tasty, especially in “Black Night” and “Witch Hunter”, as Timo fingers around with neoclassical influences with their compositions. For the most part, all the songs follow a similar pattern, opting for fast simple rhythms and the occasional neoclassic solo. That isn’t entirely the case as there are some songs that do something a little different such as “False Messiah” which opts for a slower crawl as if it’s influenced by some doom metal with a ton of abrupt stops and “Goodbye” being a slow emotional instrumental acting as the closer that has Timo performing solo on the guitar. I guess one thing I could note is the darker nature and atmosphere that “Fright Night” and the next two albums have compared to the rest of Stratovariuses discography. The instruments are much more heavy and the use of the keyboard as a background sound than another key player in the instrumentation creates an eerie feeling, something that I feel that I could find out of a King Diamond or Mercyful Fate album.

If there is a standout here then is had to be Timo Tolkki on the guitar. He is a skillful guitar player here, being able to weave speed and rhythm very well and his soloing is top tier. I find though, even with his skill, that he doesn’t really create his sound or identity here as his influences take center stage than he really does. I believe once he moves away from the more progressive playing style in his early career into the more traditional power metal speed and melodic sound with the abundance of neoclassical phrasing that he would finally have a sound of his own. Timo is also the singer here and he does a decent job. He is no where a great singer, as he does have some strains and cracks in places, but he’s decent at best. Jyrki Lentonen is fairly good on the bass guitar here as he is very on point and able to follow Timos shredding leads even though the bass lines aren’t that complicated in the first place. I really like how noticeable the bass is on this release; as if he’s rhythm guitarist, especially in songs like “Night Screamer”, “Darkness”, and “Witch Hunter” where I find it to be the most noticeable.

Founding member Tuomo Lassila gives a varied performance here on the drums which I feel at times goes a little out of rhythm with some of the songs. I don’t know if he was majorly influenced by thrash metal at the time but his use of speed and double kick feels like it would perfectly fit in a progressive thrash metal band of the late 80s. I like in “Fire Dance” where he’s just kinda left to his own devices and experiments with his sound a little. Finally we have Antti Ikonen on the keyboard and he is definitely in the back of the album and isn’t given the time to shine. His performance is regulated to background sounds and doesn’t really offer much out of that sadly.

If there’s a big disservice here it has to be the production found on “Fright Night”. The guitars may be heavy in the sense of tuning but as a whole with the rest of the album, it lacks any substantial power. I guess it all just sounds weak, as the guitars are thin, the drums being fairly quite, and Timo’s vocals not having much impact on the sound. The one thing I really do like is that the bass is loud in the mix but maybe that’s because everything else is so weak and quite. It sucks that this album sounds so cheaply produced as I feel some songs like “Future Shock”, “False Messiah”, and “Fright Night” (funny the best songs all start with F) could really shine more with some kick to the overall sound.

In the end, “Fright Night” is fun a fair, nothing more, nothing less. It’s not an album I’d say anyone should have to seek out and hear but it’s not a bad listen. There’s plenty to enjoy here as it is full or catchy melodies, shredding, and some great solo work but it’s nothing groundbreaking or that hasn’t been done before. So if you want to have a fun listening experience that is fairly short, good ahead and listen to “Fright Night”, but if you want to really listen to something great done by Stratovarius, you’d probably would want to skip this release and go to one of their later albums.

When people talk about Stratovarius, they use to talk about releases as Infinite, Visions or even the newest albums of the band (those ones that do not include Tolkki anymore). Rare is the occasion when I find someone who is a fan of the old Stratovarius era (that one composed by mainly Tolkki, Lassila and Ikonen and the bassist in turn). Yes, I met Stratovarius by listening to songs from the albums previously mentioned, but my first real approach towards the band was with the album Dreamspace, as it seemed curious to me the fact that nowadays this band doesn't include any of its original members, so I wanted to compare the sound of the different line-ups that have shaped it.

Fright Night is an album that I recently could listen to; it is actually the last album that I listen to from the first Stratovarius era, as I have already checked Twilight Time and Dreamspace. It's a curious album, I don't think it is a masterpiece, but I definitely enjoyed several moments of it.

First of all, it is great for me to listen to a different Stratovarius facet. The album has in its majority a more speed metal-oriented facet, but apart from that, there are some occasions where I think the band sounds a little like a melodic doom metal band (more talking about the atmosphere of the songs instead of the execution or the style, this because of the kind of dark atmosphere that the album has). However, there were already some power metal vestiges that nowadays feel like a preamble of what the band would become with the time.

The musicians are excellent. Timo Tolkki already had that neoclassical influence in its guitar style and this is notorious in the solos, riffs and melodies. He was already an excellent musician at the time; you may argue that he was not the best singer in the world, but he was competent both in his singing and guitar technique. Jyrki Lentonen (who is nowadays a ghost member as nobody knows anything about him) is also very good. His sound is sharp, his execution is very precise and these aspects as a whole makes his participation pretty notorious and remarkable. Tuomo and Antii are good and make a good compliment, but the only problem is that Antii Ikonen is a little relegated in the album owing to his little participation in it. I really like the moments when he participates, but, unfortunately, they are few and makes me wonder how he should have felt when the band played these songs live.

Fright Night has a collection of 8 songs and an acoustic guitar melody that serves as an epilogue (I really like that melody, to be honest). My favourite songs are Future Shock, False Messiah and Fright Night. I consider them the best tracks of the album. Fright Night is fast and incorporates a great guitar solo from Tolkki. False Messiah is special; its slow parts, guitar melodies and keyboards are hooking and make the song feel like a mix of dark power metal with a bit of doom metal (again, more because of the atmosphere instead of the execution). Fright Night is a curious case; the song is quite good and it could have worked as the last track f the album, but what I found funny is that after the keyboard interlude, the song takes a similar structure to Halloween from Helloween (the riffs, the notes and drums sound pretty similar, check it by yourself).

On the other hand, the rest of the songs are pretty standard. Black Night, Witch-Hunt and Night Screamer are barely good as speed metal songs, Fire Dance is a curious instrumental experiment where what stands out the most is Tolkki's solos, and Darkness is maybe the least interesting song of the album. The albums have 3 very good tracks, a good epilogue and 5 songs that go from passable to boring. This makes that Stratovarius doesn't have a great debut album, and that's the main reason why almost nobody talks about it.

However, I consider this album as a curiosity; a record that shows the humble beginning of a now split-up legendary band (taking into account the current line-up, of course) and that Stratovarius already had some vestiges of the later sound that they would adopt with the time. It is not a masterpiece, nor a great album, but it's an album that I recommend you to listen to if you want to check the very beginning of the power metal legend that is Stratovarius nowadays, and the quite peculiar sound that they started with.

Deemed as prototypical rather than a masterpiece, Stratovarius' debut efficiently introduced a new concept which was polished in further albums. Its dark sound, which is reminiscent of everything that sounds like 80's traditional metal, provides a scary atmosphere perfectly described by the cover of the album. Moreover, the technical abilities of Timo Tolkki make this album enjoyable, since the listener has a good variety of progressive and speed metal stuff in which its possible to find guitar soloing techniques and shredding inspired by Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen, and neoclassical metal riffs mainly used by Scandinavian bands, such as Silver Mountain.

The album shows an amateurish band that started a long search for a definitive sound, but their technical skills offset said amateurism, and their elaborated compositions made of this album a very promising debut. Rather than being plainly a progressive metal album, the album also features some neoclassical power metal stuff which was carefully alternated so that the listener is not castigated by an unstoppable charge of slow and mid-paced songs. As a way of example, the album opens with the fast, aggressive and catchy "Future Shock", which in some way recalls the tempos and riffs of the Motörhead song "Ace of Spades". Then, the tricky proggy number "False Messiah" insanely shifts its frenetic neoclassical intro into a more peaceful song whose memorable chorus is somehow similar to the one featured in the Sweet Cheater song "The Curse". Thereafter, the album follows a similar pattern which is broken by the instrumental prelude "Fire Dance" (that heralded the speedish "Witch Hunt") and the nice acoustic outro "Goodbye" which sounds like a slower version of Black Sabbath's instrumental "Orchid".

Even though Tolkki is not exactly the greatest vocalist, his vocals match the epic atmosphere of the album. It is incredible the way in which he evokes in the listener feelings of stress, insanity and power. All these virtues compensate his lack of talent, and fortunately they did not affect the quality of the songs when all is said and done. Regardless of the lack of a decent production work, the album overcame the demanding requirements of a subgenre that experimented a boom in Europe during the second half of the 80's. Given the fact that many fanatics of the band started to listen the mid 90's stuff, they would not find the magic inside this album. Therefore, is highly recommended for those who love the 80's power metal stuff.

Perhaps Stratovarius's debut album comes as something of a surprise, particularly since I don't envisage this being very popular when it was released back in 1989, most people finding it by backwards searching rather than original knowledge. For all that 90s Stratovarius tended to push fast and complex power metal, 'Fright Night' is on some levels a mile away from that sound and knocking on its door at other moments. The way I understand this album is that it's a bit like a demo for a band that was still waiting to happen, because there's no way in hell that Timo Tolkki was supposed to be the singer for this kind of project, whatever he may have thought of his own abilities. It comes close to Candlemass's 'Ancient Dreams' demo, which also laid down some fantastic ideas and included Leif Edling's rudimentary vocals as markers for a future performance. That demo similarly left a gap between the band's ambition and their current state, so 'Fright Night' is a "warm-up album" in my mind.

The first thought that usually comes to mind with demos is the production quality and 'Fright Night' does contend with this problem. The issue with the production and mixing quality is that, like with some other older cheaply recorded albums, the different instruments don't totally gel together and leave a lot of gaps in the sound, so that we're dealing with a lack of power for much of the album. The drums are a bit quiet and weak, the bass is easily audible yet definitely percussive, while the rhythm guitar stays thin unless it's joined by melodies or leads, which is thankfully often. There are also some dated-sounding effects, especially from the keyboards, that don't quite get away with their own cheesiness and tackiness; the title track, for example, attempts the same kind of midnight atmospherics as Mercyful Fate's 'The Oath' and it appears that the band had neither the budget nor the necessary sense of drama to pull it off. The sound effect at the end of 'Future Shock', however, gains a point for being amusing: I think it's supposed to be a nuclear or atomic explosion, but it sounds more like a handgun misfiring.

That said, there are plenty of things to get excited about on their own merits, even if the recording is showing its age nowadays. The main attraction must be Tolkki's guitar playing, which is an odd mixture of the virtuoso and the imitator. His leads and melodies are top-drawer for the most part, showing his ability to shred in full-on adrenaline mode in the opening of 'Black Night', to create catchy hooks in 'Witch-Hunt', and to gently elevate the chorus of 'Future Shock' with a light melodic weave. The solos are almost all delicious and toe the fine line between technical skill and aural satisfaction, meaning that there are no massive Dream Theater instrumental breaks or guitar project indulgence, just pure heavy metal thunder and lightning. However, Tolkki's riff work leaves a little to be desired, borrowing heavily from Helloween's original template and thinking of little in songs like 'Night Screamer' that builds on the work of any number of bands influenced by Iron Maiden and wishing to play faster. The other curious thing about his guitar work on 'Fright Night' is the surprisingly solid rhythm tone that he uses. It's wide and heavy, in the sense that it struggles to make the palm-muted riffs really take off and fly at faster speeds, although that drawback is tempered by many slower and deliberately forceful riffs, such as the flatter hard rock/Judas Priest style of the main riff in 'Darkness'. These simpler riffs are sometimes effective, but probably need a tone and production close to what Savatage had in the mid-80s, since the effect aimed for is somewhat close.

The other instrumentalists are arguably there for very different reasons and have less individual moments, though are not limited to merely supporting roles. The drums are useful tools for providing Tolkki with platforms for licks and trade-offs, while the opening of 'False Messiah' has a short solo spot for guitar, bass, and drums. Keyboards are also present at times and fill the sound a little more, yet don't do much for the songs, as the levels are a bit messed up. Tolkki's vocals, while clearly not the final product, can still carry a tune and sometimes are pretty fun when he's ranting through 'Witch-Hunt' or crooning softly at the back of 'Darkness'.

As far as the songs go, it's the fun ones that fare better, with the explosive and catchy 'Black Night' and 'Witch-Hunt' my personal picks. Oddly enough, these are the ones that remind of other bands: 'Black Night' has a certain 'Highway Star' feel to it in the after chorus section, then 'Witch-Hunt' comes weirdly close to Overkill's 'Feel the Fire' in its snappy delivery, plus there's a riff that reminds me of 'Hammerhead'. 'Future Shock' is perhaps the most solidly-written song on here, while the title track and 'Darkness' have their moments, though both are overlong. The mid-paced likes of 'False Messiah' and 'Night Screamer' really need more character and stronger performances to carry them through, which makes me wonder (somewhat fruitlessly, since I know it won't happen) what the modern Stratovarius line-up could do with these songs. Really, for most Stratovarius fans this is going to be a curiosity more than a necessary listen, since it doesn't bear much resemblance to the later work of the band and is a weaker attempt at the classic 90s style. Nevertheless, there's some fun to be had and the solos are wicked.

This first and not very well known album by Stratovarius has not yet the diversity, uniqueness and catchiness of the second and third effort and sounds especially quite different from what one might now from the actual works of what has become one of the most important and well known European power metal bands.

Many songs on this first record are quite straight and have not always something to do with power metal. "Black night" for example reminds a lot of Iron Maiden's "Aces high", it has almost the same main riff and only has a less catchy chorus and a more dynamical drumming and a chaotic ending. "Witch hunt" goes in the same direction and reminds rather of Iron Maiden or Judas Priest in their early years than of power metal bands that were popular at the time of the release. This song is not that original, but it sounds different from the usual stuff of the band and is enjoyable.

Most of the songs have this heavier approach but remind a lot of what would come from this band on the next albums because of slightly progressive keyboard passages and high speed guitar solo passages. The well thought and diversified "False messiah" as well as "Night screamer" would have fit on the following record for example and surprise with catchy bass tones, a tight drumming and the typical playful guitar riffs by Timo Tolkki. I must admit that I am missing that kind of straight forward energy in the shorter songs of the band nowadays that is present in the opener "Future shock" for example. This raw energy is underlined by the production that doesn't really deserve its name and let this album sound like a demo recording if you don't get your hands on a re-mastered edition. But this makes somewhat the charm of this later on quite polished band.

It's only in the second half that the band sounds like an actual power metal band. The brilliant epic title track reminds of a mixture of Helloween and Dio with an opening sequence inspired by Alice Cooper. The song is much diversified and the raw and very audible bass gives a unique heaviness to the track that is in contrast with the atmospheric and somewhat smooth chorus. "Darkness" focuses even more on the atmosphere and has a very dreamy and floating approach where Timo Tolkki shows what a great and underrated singer he is.

The band finally shows its big potential on this first strike that is a charming and convincing record because it is heavier, edgier and straighter than what you might expect from the band. The power metal vibes are only present in the two epic and promising longer tracks; the other songs have rather a heavy or speed metal approach and make this record an interesting experience. It's sure that the band hasn't yet found its very own style and the song writing is not yet as brilliant as on the following outputs, but this record is truly energizing and different from the other stuff of the band. Those who find the band too cheesy, commercial or predictable nowadays should check out the first three albums of this group and may be surprised while the usual fans of the band won't be disappointed with that album anyway.

It took me some time before this album eventually grew on me but when it finally grew, it did it hugely and I really like the first steps of the band. It's surely not yet a masterpiece of an album, it is eventually quite short and some songs might not be better than good fillers, but it is a different experience compared to the later works and worth a few tries.

Everyone has to have a beginning-one of the biggest names in power metal made theirs with this humble little debut. Despite the general simplicity of "Fright night," it's a solid album, though it would probably only be enjoyed by Stratovarius fans ad those interested in early power metal.
At this time, Stratovarius only consisted of three and a half members (the half was the sometimes-used keyboardist, Antti Ikoenen). Tuomo Lassila (drums), Jykri Lentonen (bass) and Timo Tolkki (vocals and guitar) made up the rather thing, though still rockin' sound. I have a feeling that the somewhat muted sound was due to production as opposed to the performance, as all the guys definitely weren't without merit. Tolkki's awesome riffs and solos still reigned, while his vocals, for the most part, were surprisingly strong (despite an occasionally strained sound and a couple of cracks here and there). There are a lot of cleverly written drum lines, though percussion wasn't so prominent at that time. Keyboards existed merely in the background, as at this time Stratovarius wasn't so progressive.

Lyrically, "Fright Night" is uncomplicated, in some places not entirely making sense-though thankfully, it's easy to understand what was trying to be communicated. The ideas are good, some of which recur throughout the band's ensuing albums. However, there are references to witches for instance, and other things which do not appear in other work. The dark feeling is not only musically, but lyrically-there are countless references to darkness and night, which is the thing that unites all the songs.

The music is, as I said, darker and more power. There are many time and melody changes, as well as more musical interludes and longer introductions. Anyone who complains about Strato-anthems should pick up this album: there aren't any.

Starting off the album is "Future Shock," a great song discussing the vision of a nuclear holocaust. Stratovarius still plays around themes of this sort, though it's been expanded. Track two, "False Messiah," is one of my favorites. Like the previous song, the topic is still carried through in later works. With a 1:25-long intro, "False Messiah" contains some nice time changes and a unique chorus... there's something oddly delicate about it. "Black Night" is fast and heavy with some notable guitar work from Tolkki, and again, a great chorus. "Night Screamer" and the title track also contribute to making the album worth owning. "Fright Night" contains two totally opposite instrumentals-the heavy "Fire Dance" and "Goodbye." The latter showcases Tolkki's talent, proving he's capable of more than just heavy riffing.

"Fright Night," though a bit understated, is a solid and very diverse album. I don't feel enough attention is paid to Stratovarius' early work, so here I am, spreading the word.

It's too bad that these songs aren't on Stratovarius's setlist anymore, because some of these songs would absolutely SLAY live, especially with Kotipelto's vocals.

By Stratovarius's obscenely high standards, of course, these songs aren't that great. As an actual album, however, this is good stuff. The best part is the guitar work, as even in the early days we still had Mr. Timo Tolkki to be the heart and soul of the band. Tolkki's influences are as easy to read as a picture book in this first album--a Black Sabbath foundation with Megadeth-style riffage and Iron Maiden melodies and soloing (and the occasional Yngwie-trademark fast-as-fuck solos), with a little bit of Judas Priest sprinkled on top. In other words, he has taken the best parts of the best bands in metal and mixed them together into one ass-kicking guitar player. There are a few wrinkles in the overall guitar sound, and it takes another album or two before Timo irons it out and creates a style that is 100% original and completely his own. In the meantime, however, the riffage is strong and furious, with extremely fast solos and opening chord progressions that simply kick the shit out of you before the actual song even begins.

The other instruments are pretty good, too, although they need some work before they become key parts of the band. The bass work is very solid, although it can barely be heard at times and often stays too close to the drum, preventing it from emerging as a seperate instrument. The drum is furious, and Tuomo is obviously very talented; however, you can tell even here that his style conflicts with the guitars and the songs as a whole. Tuomo's drumming is very aggressive and thrash-oriented, with him often mirroring the rhythm patters of the guitars and therefore drowning the other instruments out. Not only that, but he gets a lot of short little solos--a lot more than are neccessary, or even ideal, for the songs. And yes, the vocals are terrible. Timo is not a vocalist by any stretch of the imagination, and Stratovarius's vocal parts are some of the most difficult of any band I have ever heard--definitely something that should be left to someone who knows what they're doing (Kotipelto).

Overall, though, the sound is a rudimentary version of perfection, and that's not bad at all for a debut album. If you bought some of the later Stratovarius material made during the era of the Fab Five, then don't expect the same thing in their first three albums. It's still worth a purchase, though, if only for Timo's excellent guitar work.