Stratovarius - Destiny (1998)

Stratovarius' seventh studio album bucks a trend of long tracks being either at the middle or end of the album, by putting one at each end. The opening, ten-minute title song is grandiose in the extreme, and I'm not sure what I think of it. Likewise for the concluding "Anthem Of The World". In the middle are more straight-forward pieces including three ballads, which is at least one too many, although "4000 Lonely Nights" is very worthwhile. There is certainly much to like here, with such quicker pieces as "No Turning Back" and "Playing With Fire", although the band rarely goes really fast. The lyrics, apart from the sappy ballad ones, follow their traditional the-world-is-in-trouble-but-don't-give-up-keep-trying-and-live-to-your-best messages, as well as their habit of songs starting with a couple of verses, then the chorus, followed by the instrumental break and chorus again until the end.
Destiny isn't the best release from this Finnish band, but it's still worth a listen, as it remains most enjoyable.

***1/2