Elements Pt. 2
2003 studio album by Stratovarius
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Elements Pt. 2 is the tenth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 4 November 2003 through Nuclear Blast.[1] The album reached No. 4 on the Finnish albums chart[1] and its single, "I Walk to My Own Song", reached No. 9 on the Finnish singles chart.[3]
| Elements Pt. 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover art by Derek Riggs | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 November 2003[1] | |||
| Recorded | April 2002 – February 2003 | |||
| Studio | Finnvox Studios and Helka Hotel, Helsinki; Hastfittan; Studio Presidentti | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:37[2] | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Timo Tolkki | |||
| Stratovarius chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Elements Pt. 2 | ||||
| ||||
"Know the Difference" track refers to Serenity Prayer in its refrain.
This album brings elements of doom metal as seen in the first song on the album, "Alpha & Omega," shown as a reaction to the first part in which Tolkki suffered a Bipolar II disorder and manic depression that made him mentally ill and caused him to compose confusing lyrics.[4]
Critical reception
James Christopher Monger at AllMusic gave Elements Pt. 2 three stars out of five, describing it as "borrowing liberally" from Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys series, and praising the album's "inspired moments" which "succeed with bombast and Queensrÿche-like melodrama." He noted "Alpha & Omega", "Awaken the Giant", "Season's of Faith's Perfection" and "Liberty" as highlights, but remarked that the album "may disappoint some fans with its lack of epics and torch-heavy balladry".[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Timo Tolkki, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alpha & Omega" | 6:38 |
| 2. | "I Walk to My Own Song" | 5:03 |
| 3. | "I'm Still Alive" | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Season of Faith's Perfection" | 6:08 |
| 5. | "Awaken the Giant" | 6:37 |
| 6. | "Know the Difference" | 5:38 |
| 7. | "Luminous" | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Dreamweaver" | 5:53 |
| 9. | "Liberty" | 5:01 |
| Total length: | 50:37 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Ride Like the Wind" (Jens Johansson) | 4:49 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alpha & Omega" (demo) | 6:35 |
| 2. | "Vapaus" (demo) | 6:07 |
| 3. | "Season of Faith's Protection" (demo) | 6:18 |
| 4. | "Soul of a Vagabond" (live) | 8:02 |
| 5. | "Destiny/Fantasia" (live) | 9:07 |
| 6. | "Father Time" (live) | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Hunting High and Low" (live) | 5:10 |
| 8. | "Paradise" (live) | 5:42 |
| Total length: | 51:59 | |
Vinyl edition
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alpha & Omega" | |
| 2. | "Season of Faith's Perfection" | |
| 3. | "Awaken the Giant" | |
| 4. | "Dreamweaver" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Walk to My Own Song" | |
| 2. | "I'm Still Alive" | |
| 3. | "Know the Difference" | |
| 4. | "Luminous" | |
| 5. | "Liberty" |
Personnel
- Stratovarius
- Timo Kotipelto – lead vocals, arrangement
- Timo Tolkki – guitar, arrangement, engineering, record producer
- Jens Johansson – keyboards, arrangement
- Jörg Michael – drums, arrangement
- Jari Kainulainen – bass guitar, arrangement
- Additional credits
- Veijo Laine – orchestral arrangement, choir arrangement, production (orchestra, choir)
- Riku Niemi – orchestral arrangement, choir arrangement, conducting (Joensuu City Orchestra), production (orchestra, choir)
- Mikko Karmila – engineering, mixing
- Kuken Olsson – engineering (keyboard)
- Pauli Saastamoinen – mastering
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] | 4 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[7] | 74 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 75 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] | 38 |