Stratovarius

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STRATOVARIUS – Final Show With Drummer Jörg Michael Announced

Posted by Stargazer on October 14, 2011
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STRATOVARIUS will be in Mexico, Circo Volador, Mexico City on January 28th, 2012. This will be the last ever show with drummer Jörg Michael who, after 15 years with Stratovarius, has decided to leave the band for personal reasons.

Jörg joined the band in 1995 and the first Stratovarius album he played on was Episode (1996). He played on nine albums and performed nearly 1,000 shows with the band.

“The rest of us just has to accept Jörg’s decision with a lot of sadness and wish him all the best for the future. But we can also assure that the band will still go on“, says the singer Timo Kotipelto.

The band and Jörg are not going completely separate ways though, since Jörg will still be working for the band with his booking agency Twisted Talent Concerts.

“Our long journey of over 15 years together has not ended yet, as Jörg remains among our background forces – and we couldn’t be more happy about that. Not only has he been a great drummer but also a close friend and a true professional. We’re honoured to have Jörg by our side for this farewell Tour. We can’t wait to rock with our ‘German Steamroller’ one last time! These shows will be unforgettable for all of us,” Kotipelto continues.

Source: Bravewords.com

STRATOVARIUS Drummer Quits

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 15, 2011
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Drummer Jörg Michael has announced his plans to leave the Finnish melodic metal band STRATOVARUS for personal reasons. Jörg, who has been in the group for sixteen years, will play all the remaining tour dates until the end of January, and will celebrate with a special Finnish “Farewell Jörg” tour from November 18 to November 26.

Jörg joined STRATOVARIUS in 1995 and made his recording debut with the band on the “Episode” album (1996). He has appeared on nine full-length releases from STRATOVARIUS and has played nearly 1,000 shows with the band.

Commented STRATOVARIUS singer Timo Kotipelto: “The rest of us just has to accept Jörg‘s decision with a lot of sadness and wish him all the best for the future. But we can also assure that the band will still go on.”

STRATOVARIUS and Jörg will not completely go their separate ways, however, since Jörg will still be working for the band through his booking agency, Twisted Talent Concerts.

“Our long journey of over fifteen years together has not ended yet, as Jörg remains among our background forces — and we couldn’t be more happy about that,” added Kotipelto. Not only has he been a great drummer but also a close friend and a true professional. “We’re honored to have Jörg by our side for this farewell tour. We can’t wait to rock with our ‘German Steamroller’ one last time! These shows will be unforgettable for all of us.”

Jörg Michael Finnish farewell tour:

Nov. 18 – Mikkeli, Mikaeli
Nov. 19 – Tampere, Pakkahuone
Nov. 23 – Jyväskylä, Lutakko
Nov. 25 – Oulu, Club Teatria
Nov. 26 – Helsinki, Tavastia

Michael was diagnosed with cancer last year and had his entire thyroid removed.

Source: Blabbermouth.net

STRATOVARIUS: New video released

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 14, 2011
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STRATOVARIUS has issued the following update:

Here is the new video for “Under Flaming Skies”! The song comes off the band’s thirteenth full-length studio album, “Elysium”, which entered the official chart in the band’s home country at position No. 1. The CD was released in Europe on January 14 through earMUSIC/Edel and in North America on January 18 via Armoury Records.

STRATOVARIUS’ ‘Dreamspace’-Era Lineup To Release New Album In January

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 25, 2011
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Former STRATOVARIUS leader and current SYMFONIA guitarist Timo Tolkki has teamed up with fellow ex-STRATOVARIUS members Tuomo Lassila (drums), Anti Ikonen (keyboards) and Jari Kainulainen (former member of EVERGREY) to record a new studio album. The CD, which will be released in January 2012, will celebrate STRATOVARIUS‘ 30-year anniversary and will feature the same lineup as the one that recorded STRATOVARIUS‘ “Dreamspace” LP, originally released in 1994.

For legal reasons, the band’s original name — PROJECT STRATO — had to be scrapped. More than 20 songs have been written for the project, including “Return To Dreamspace”, “Digital Jesus”, “Santiago”, “Chevaliers De Sangreal”, “Full Circle” and “Farewell No. 2”.

“Return To Dreamspace” will see Timo Tolkki handling the vocals again and the fans of the “Twilight Time”/“Dreamspace” era will surely not be disappointed.

Regarding the musical direction of the CD, Tolkki previously said, “It has been [17] years from [STRATOVARIUS‘ ‘Dreamspace’] album, so it will be interesting, for sure… It’s not a ‘remake,’ but a brand new album. A closure for [what] I consider to be the end of STRATOVARIUS. It completes the cycle and returns to the beginning.”

In 1982, Tuomo Lassila (drums) formed STRATOVARIUS and came up with the band’s name. Timo Tolkki (guitar) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards) joined the band in 1984 — that is some 25 years ago, and as a result the group recorded such classic albums as “Twilight Time”, “Dreamspace” and “Fourth Dimension”. After the departure of Lassila and Ikonen in 1995, STRATOVARIUS went to more neo-classical sound and style exploring Timo Tolkki‘s songwriting and producing skills earning the band a Finnish Grammy and sales exceeding over two million records.

Tolkki drew up and signed an official waiver on May 20, 2008 giving up all rights to the STRATOVARIUS name. The remaining STRATOVARIUS members — Timo Kotipelto (vocals), Jens Johansson (keyboards) and Lauri Porra (bass) — have since recorded and released two additional STRATOVARIUS albums with guitarist Matias Kupiainen.

Source: Blabbermouth.net

Stratovarius Among Confirmed Bands For 70000 Tons Of Metal

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 18, 2011
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MY DYING BRIDE, PESTILENCE and STRATOVARIUS are among the first confirmed bands for next year’s edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which will set sail from Miami, Florida to Cayman Islands on January 23, 2012 and return four days later. A total of 40 acts will perform on the cruise.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

ELUVEITIE
GRAVE DIGGER
MY DYING BRIDE
PESTILENCE
STRATOVARIUS
THERION
TRISTANIA

“Metal Zone” host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone has posted a 10-minute video report on this year’s edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise — which set sail from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on January 24, 2011 and returned four days later. You can now watch the footage below.

Source: Blabbermouth.net