Just a little over a week ago (Sept. 18th, 2009) marked the return of the mighty Stratovarius to The Opera House in Toronto, Canada. It's been well over 4 years since the band had been out on tour and with all the turmoil revolving around the split with their former leader and guitarist Timo Tolkki, it's nothing short of a miracle that this band has survived. Recruiting a young Finnish guitar wizard by the name of Matias Kupiainen, they have since recorded and released Polaris, a fine return to form and one of their better albums in many years. Toronto was just the second stop on the North American leg of their current World Tour that includes stops in Japan, China as well as lots of European dates.

This night featured 4 bands with Norway's Pagan's Mind taking up the official support slot. Two local Toronto bands opened the show with Borealis kicking off the night. These guys are a young band with a strong local following as witnessed by the many fist pumps near the front of the stage during their set. With a sound that blends a little Kamelot, Evergrey and Dream Theater, their songs are epic, heavy and feature keyboards and the excellent duo lead guitar work of Kenny Fobert and Matt Marinelli, who also doubles as the band's lead vocalist. Matt's voice is very strong and powerful, giving the band an intense sense of melody. With material from their self-produced album World of Silence, I was very impressed with their songs, overall stage presence and sound. Up next was Lords of Hera, fronted by Carla Segura. With a retro sound that includes Judas Priest, Metallica and Iron Maiden influences, this band seems so cliche with Carla Segura striking the all too familiar poses with the fist pumps, kicks etc. and really copies the whole Dora Pesch, Lee Aaron "metal queen" persona. I recognized the track Within the Shadow and guitarist Joel Bwyer put on a real lead guitar clinic, but nothing else really matched the intensity and originality of Borealis' set. Pagan's Mind took to the stage a little later and ripped through 45 minutes of a very solid set of music that covered both the melodic, progressive material of their first album as well as the more modern, aggressive sounding material of their more recent albums. Songs included Through Osiris' Eyes, the ever quirky Alien Kamikaze and their excellent cover of David Bowie's Hallo Spaceboy. Lead vocalist Nils K. Rue is an excellent front man with a solid and very powerful voice. Their set was energetic, heavy and very entertaining. Pagan's Mind are about one more solid album away from headlining on their own.

After a 40 minute change over, the lights dimmed to the opening chanting sounds of Destiny from Stratovarius' album of the same name. They ripped through that track followed by Phoenix, Hunting High and Low and Kiss Of Judas. The band was in good spirits and sounded just fantastic. Guitarist Matias Kupiainen is much younger than the rest of the band but seems to have fit right in. Timo Kotipleto once again showed how great a front man he is as well and was also in fine voice. The crowd loved everything and the smiles on the band members seemed to signify that they were finally back in their rightful place. Speedy tracks like Speed Of Light and Legions seemed to be the strongest crowd favorites with the set also including Eagleheart, Twilight Symphony, Million Light Years Away and a trio of new songs from Polaris including Deep Unknown, Forever Is Today and Winter Skies that were also very well received. Winter Skies, written by keyboardist Jens Johansson, was highlighted by some stunning and emotional extended solo instrumentation by the Finnish keyboard master. Bassist Lorri Porra takes on a more prominent role in the live situation with their new show and at one point shares a beer with guitarist Matias Kupiainen during a duo solo guitar/bass battle interlude that was quite entertaining with both of them trying to outdo each other. Drummer Jorg Michael was his usual frenzied self with both feet and arms going seemingly non-stop. The encore featured rousing versions of the classics Father Time and Black Diamond which were both excellent choices to finish off the night.

The overall mood, sound and intensity was even better than the last time I saw them with Timo Tolkki and in interviewing bassist Lorri Porra (to be posted soon!) before the show, you really can sense a new excitement and rejuvenation with Stratovarius. By finally putting the Tolkki turmoil behind them, they are more relaxed, very excited about this tour and are really having a lot of fun onstage. The set list for this tour covers a wide range of classic material, including songs that haven't been done in a while, as well as a few new songs. It's a well balanced set that not only celebrates the long standing tradition of these power metal pioneers, but puts forward a very solid and positive outlook on the future; something the band hasn't been able to do for a very long time.