The roller-coaster ride that is the career of Finland’s Stratovarius hit its definitive peak with 1997’s Visions. The band, emboldened by the success of the previous year’s Episode, along with a promotional push courtesy of Noise Records, put together a body of tunes that is the standard-bearer for 90’s European power metal. Neo-classical guitar licks, rampant double-bass, and soaring vocals of Timo Koltipelto quickly became the template for several hundred wannabes to copy. But no one did it better than Strato on Visions.
The’s penultimate cut is probably “Forever Free,” but since there isn’t an official video for it, “Black Diamond” gets the nod for our vintage video of the week. Led by Jens Johansson’s memorable keyboard line and Kotipelto’s sky-high belting in the chorus, “Black Diamond” remains one of the band’s most enduring songs. Power metal at its finest.