Stratovarius

Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Their material contains elements of power metal and symphonic metal. To this day the band has sold over 2.5 million records worldwide. Stratovarius was founded in 1984 in Finland under the name Black Water. The founding members were Tuomo Lassila, Staffan Stråhlman, and John Vihervä. In 1985, the name was changed to Stratovarius (a portmanteau of Stratocaster and Stradivarius), an id... more

Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Their material contains elements of power metal and symphonic metal. To this day the band has sold over 2.5 million records worldwide. Stratovarius was founded in 1984 in Finland under the name Black Water. The founding members were Tuomo Lassila, Staffan Stråhlman, and John Vihervä. In 1985, the name was changed to Stratovarius (a portmanteau of Stratocaster and Stradivarius), an idea of Stråhlman's. In 1985, Timo Tolkki joined the band, replacing Stråhlman on guitar, as well as contributing vocals and assuming most of the songwriting. He brought along not only strong rock influences, but also a neo-classical style. The band released a demo to various record companies by 1987 and was picked up by CBS Finland. In 1988, they released their first two singles, "Future Shock" and "Black Night," followed by their 1989 debut album Fright Night. Their "Future Shock" single was filmed the same year, becoming their first music... less