''Polaris'' is the twelfth studio album by

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Stratovarius Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...

, released on 15 May 2009. It is the first Stratovarius album to feature bassist

Lauri Porra Lauri Porra (born 13 December 1977) is a Finnish bass guitarist and a composer who has written scores for films and other media, as well as commissions from orchestras such as the Lahti Symphony and the Finnish Radio Symphony. He is also known fo ...

and guitarist

Matias Kupiainen Matias Kupiainen (born 11 May 1983 in Helsinki) is a Finnish guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the current guitarist in Stratovarius. Kupiainen was chosen as the new guitarist for the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius after Ti ...

, following former bassist

Jari Kainulainen Jari "Jartsi" Kainulainen (born 29 April 1970) is a Finnish bass guitarist. He is best known for having been the bass player of the power metal band Stratovarius from 1993 until 2005. Kainulainen is currently the bassist of Masterplan, having j ...

's departure from the band in 2005 and former guitarist

Timo Tolkki Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...

's departure in 2008.

Timo Kotipelto Timo Antero Kotipelto (born 15 March 1969) is a Finnish musician best known as the lead singer of the power metal band Stratovarius, whom he joined in 1994, as well as fronting his own band Kotipelto. Biography He studied vocals at the pop/ja ...

, who at the time of ''Polaris release had been a member of Stratovarius the longest (since 1994) among the current members, considered ''Polaris'' to be "the album that saved the band" and said that "without it there would not be any Stratovarius."Timo Kotipelto photocard released with Digipak edition CD of Stratovarius' ''Elysium''. More time passed between the release of Stratovarius' eponymous album ''Stratovarius'' in 2005 and the release of ''Polaris'' than between any other two consecutive albums released by the band. Stratovarius in 2006"TIMO TOLKKI: 'STRATOVARIUS Is No More'"
Blabbermouth. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2014-12-22. had recorded a demo album called Revolution Renaissance, performed one Revolution Renaissance song live in August 2007 ("Last Night on Earth") and according to Kotipelto had intended to release a completed version of the album in 2008."Stratovarius - Last Night on Earth (WOA 2007)"
YouTube post of a 2007 Wacken Open Air (WOA) concert. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2014-12-22. However, the songs of that album were re-recorded and released in 2008 as ''New Era'', the first album of Tolkki's new band,

Revolution Renaissance Revolution Renaissance was a multinational power metal band founded by guitarist Timo Tolkki after he left Stratovarius in 2008. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2010. History ''New Era'' The studio lineup for the '' N ...

, which acquired the album's prior name. ''Polaris'' reached No. 2 on the

Finnish albums chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

, as well as reaching the top 70 in five other countries.. (in Italian).

FIMI The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

. 2009. Archived fro
the original
on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2014-01-09. " Deep Unknown" was released as a single, reaching No. 20 on the

Finnish singles chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

."Stratovarius - Deep Unknown (song)"
''finnishcharts.com''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-09. In its first week of release, the album sold around 800 copies in the U.S."Stratovarius: 'Polaris' First-Week Sales Revealed"
Blabbermouth. 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-09.

Track listing

Personnel

Stratovarius

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, background vocals,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

(vocals, guitar, bass), production *

Jens Johansson Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist who currently plays in the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow. He is notable for his high-speed neoclas ...

–

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, background vocals, engineering, production *

Jörg Michael Jörg Michael (born 27 March 1963) is a German drummer who is known for playing with numerous groups, including the power metal band Stratovarius, with whom he played from 1995 to 2011. He has also been a member of Mekong Delta, Rage, and many ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, production *

– bass, background vocals, production

Additional credits

*Seppo Rautasuo –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

(track 11) *Heikki Hämäläinen – strings (track 11) *Heikki Vehmanen – strings (track 11) *Kari Lindstedt – strings (track 11) *Perttu Vänskä – strings

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

(tracks 1, 8), strings programming (tracks 1, 8), engineering (

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

; track 11), additional

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

editing *Pessi Levanto – strings arrangement (track 11) *Alexi Parviainen – background vocals *Marko Waara – background vocals *Tipe Johnson – background vocals *

Tony Kakko Toni Kristian "Tony" Kakko (born 16 May 1975) is a Finnish musician, composer and vocalist. He is known as the vocalist, primary songwriter, and creative lead of the band Sonata Arctica since 1996. Biography Kakko was born in Kemi, Finland and ...

– background vocals *Tommi Vainikainen – engineering (strings; track 11) *Mikko Karmila – mixing *Mikko Raita – mixing (track 11) *Svante Forsbäck – mastering

Release history

Following ''Polaris original release, a

Digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

edition was reissued on 21 May 2010, containing a bonus disc of live recordings from the 2009–10 ''Polaris'' world tour."Stratovarius: 'Polaris' To Be Reissued With Live CD"
Blabbermouth. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2014-01-09.

Chart performance

Album

Singles

References

External links

Polaris
at stratovarius.com {{Authority control Stratovarius albums 2009 albums Edel AG albums Victor Entertainment albums