Recognised by many as one of the best bands in the Power Metal/Symphonic Metal realm, Scandanavian metal outfit Stratovarius are nothing if not consistent.
Over 16 albums the band have delivered music of the highest quality, influencing countless others and providing a musical outlet for many more.
Labelled a "blistering comeback from one of heavy metal's most seminal band's", Stratovarius' new album Survive - which will be released on September 23 - reinforces those claims, delivering a sweepingly grandioise collection of tracks conveying themes of struggle, defiance, hope and victory.
Keyboardis Jens Johansson sat down with HEAVY earlier this week to talk about the release.
"I feel pretty okay," he replied when pressed on his mood going into Friday's release. "The thing is when you do something like this you never quite know what people will think but some of the reviews have been okay, even some of the traditionally grumpy ones are coming out okay (laughs). Yesterday we did this listening party where fans could listen to the whole album and chat and that was all very positive so let's see. You never really know."
Listening partys serve the dual purpose of also allowing fans to comment on and give their opinion, something which Johansson agrees is better sometimes that an anonymous critic.
"That thing is still open," he said, "you can go look at the chat and the whole album is on there if you want to hear it in advance."
In the full interview, Jens also talks more about the musical direction of Survive, the singles released, the core message of the album, how it differs from previous releases, the band's strong environmental and global stance, the writing and recording process of each album, longevity and more.
Although conceeding Stratovarius will always deliver output true to their roots, Johansson also feels the inevitable passing of time will see more modern influences creep into this and future releases.
"It's kind of continuing in the same tradition," he measured. "I mean, we've been doing this a long time. I've been with the band 25 years and it's all been melodic metal, but I would say it is probably a bit more modern than it was 20 years ago because we have some new members that have different influences. This idea of having melodic metal, that's still there, but it's updated in a way. I don't know if this is going to be bad or good but you will always have those old fans that were there 30 years ago and they inevitably want the band to go back more towards that stuff and then, of course, you have younger fans who would like you to move forward a bit and become harder. I'm happy with the melodicness and the metalness of the album."