Stratovarius

Christ, this power metal shtick is getting old but fast. Actually, to be precise, it's been a lifeless corpse for at least two years now, but no one's mentioned that to Stratovarius, kings of the whole deal. No one can deny that they do a great job of this stuff; they practically have a legal patent on the double-bass drum-led inspirational anthem thing, but at this point in their long career, it's self-parody. Sure, song titles like "Find Your Own Voice" and "Learning To Fly" promise wonderful, epic things, but we've heard this album before, ten times over, from this band. Three albums ago, Stratovarius provided some great life-affirming anthems, but they just so desperately need to incorporate some new ideas into their music. Count me out for part two.