Metal Storm logo
Stratovarius - Fright Night review



Reviewer:
8.5

261 users:
6.72
Band: Stratovarius
Album: Fright Night
Release date: May 1989


01. Future Shock
02. False Messiah
03. Black Night
04. Witch-Hunt
05. Fire Dance
06. Fright Night
07. Night Screamer
08. Darkness
09. Goodbye

The debut album by Stratovarius. For crazed fans of this band (like myself) this is just as great to listen to as every other release. For people who want the same power metal they heard in Visions... expect something very different. This album has been given quite a high rating, because many people rate this low, forgetting that this album is one of the pioneering key orientated power metal albums. It is a significant album and if you like a much older sounding and heavier power metal style, this is for you.

So what are the good things in this album? It is creative (as a whole), especially the guitar work. You can also hear elements of Visions and Episode at times in the album. At the same time, the sound is much heavier, with some elements of NWOBHM and even thrash metal can be heard at times. This style only prevails in the first three albums, Fright Night, Twilight Time and Dreamspace. From my knowledge, this has only sold 20,000 copies since 1989. What lets this album down so much to the others is the production - It sounds like a VERY OLD album and the recording of the drums is a real let down. The lyrics are also long from classic. With these two exceptions, there are also some songs that seem like "fillers." Put all these flaws aside, and you still have a very original album that helped start the genre of Power Metal.

It reminds me of Helloween's Walls Of Jericho and even Blind Guardian's Battallions of Fear. So I would recommend that you also try these releases if you are a fan of Fright Night. Many Power Metal bands have notably moved well away from this old and heavier style of playing.

Here's a basic sum up of highlights of the album: "Future Shock" (the first and best song on the album by far) starts off well balanced. The remaining part of the first half of Fright Night is creative with a lot of great guitar solos, but are less catchy and memorable as "Future Shock" is. The second half of the album gets a bit more progressive; something they bring into their follow up (Twilight Time) - but they do a much better job on that album. Antti Ikonen is rarely heard in the first few songs, but when you do hear his keyboards, they give the album a very dark atmosphere.

If you are a huge fan of this band, then get this release after getting several of their other albums first. If you wanted a Visions... avoid it. It irritates me how people forget how unique the album is though. Because of this fact, I think 8.5 is a very fair rating.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 10
Production: 6

Written by Sword_Chant | 26.04.2010




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 4   Visited by: 97 users
26.04.2010 - 07:14
Rating: 8
-Mayhem-

It ain't that good.
It isn't bad either though.

Even Tolkki himself said this wasn't a good album.
But still I agree on that it is better than most people think it is.
Loading...
04.05.2010 - 20:37
Rating: 9
Sword_Chant

Written by -Mayhem- on 26.04.2010 at 07:14

It ain't that good.
It isn't bad either though.

Even Tolkki himself said this wasn't a good album.
But still I agree on that it is better than most people think it is.


Yeah, this album is underestimated, it pioneered alot of stuff you hear today. It's in between the fine line of a classic and a not so good album. Sometimes i'd give it about 9, but I have to consider the bad parts of the album as well, not just the fact i'm a huge fan lol.
Loading...
05.05.2010 - 07:18
Rating: 8
-Mayhem-

Written by Sword_Chant on 04.05.2010 at 20:37

Written by -Mayhem- on 26.04.2010 at 07:14

It ain't that good.
It isn't bad either though.

Even Tolkki himself said this wasn't a good album.
But still I agree on that it is better than most people think it is.


But it is just so hard to be perfectly objective when reviewing you favorite music.

Yeah, this album is underestimated, it pioneered alot of stuff you hear today. It's in between the fine line of a classic and a not so good album. Sometimes i'd give it about 9, but I have to consider the bad parts of the album as well, not just the fact i'm a huge fan lol.
Loading...
27.04.2016 - 00:10
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
This album is old, and problem whit PM fans are they just hear most power popsy album from bands what came out like 1999 something, became fan boys and buy every following album, then finds out there are old one, but wait a sex, it don't sounds like PM at all .... this is why best way to discover music is from 1th to last in order (even sometimes it can be damn boring)
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...

Hits total: 5598 | This month: 13