Power Metal Nemesis

When you've been going 25 years it becomes harder and harder to impress people. Most metal bands who manage to hit that mark become cabaret acts delivering what the fans want – their 'classic' material often recorded decades earlier. A couple of years ago this was Stratovarius' fate. After a string of poor albums and the soap opera of founding member Timo Tolkki's departure, the band was at a very low ebb. Fast forward to 2013 and Stratovarius has risen from the ashes with a superb new album in Nemesis, which melds the band's timeless brand of melodic power metal with a penchant for experimentation.

“The response to the album has been really good and as a band we couldn't be happier with how the songs turned out,” confirms Porra. “It's really interesting actually, some fans think the album sounds like older Stratovarius – you know, Fourth Dimension or Visions – but other people tell us that they think the album is more experimental than what we've been doing. When people react so differently you know you've made a good album because it means different things to different people. To be honest, we didn't start writing the songs with any goal except to do the best we could. We had no idea how the songs would be received – you never really know – we're just grateful people like the album.”

As modest as the band remains about their craft, they are more than happy to admit that their future is now far brighter with all the intrigue regarding line-up changes over and done. “Of course when Timo left things were pretty hard for us because of all the things being said in the press,” admits Porra. “But really this band has always had the attitude that everything could end tomorrow. We've never taken anything for granted – and I think that attitude helped us get through the Timo situation and carry on.”

As for their upcoming first-ever Australian tour, Stratovarius are understandably excited, and Porra promises that the band will be marking the occasion with suitable aplomb.

“To be finally coming to Australia is a dream come true for the entire band,” he says. “We've wanted to come for a long time but because we're not a big band over there we never really had the chance. Instead of playing a lot of the new album we're going to try and give you a bit of everything because we know most people coming to the shows will never have had the chance to see Stratovarius live. So if you liked Visions or the Elements albums – or really any of our albums – there will be something for you. I think the band is tighter than its ever been and because we've all being looking forward to this for such a long time I think our Australian shows will definitely be ones to remember – both for us and for you guys.”