Coming off the back of Visions - my personal favourite Stratovarius album, and a strong candidate for the best of their career - Destiny had a lot to live up to, and whilst it doesn't exceed the standards of its predecessor I think it's another extremely solid release from the band. As is often the case with Stratovarius, the power metal cheese factor is through the roof, but with their mild progressive flair here and there they're able to hook me to an extent which evades many of their competitors in the same subgenre. Though much of the album is business as usual, the opening track is a bit more of a departure, an epic with some truly eerie moments that surely earns a place in any "best of" Stratovarius collection worthy of the name.
01 Destiny 10:15 02 S.o.s. 04:15 03 No Turning Back 04:22 04 4000 Rainy Nights 06:00 05 Rebel 04:16 06 Years Go By 05:14 07 Playing With Fire 04:15 08 Venus In The Morning 05:35
Disc 2
01 Anthem Of The World 09:06 02 Cold Winter Nights 05:17 03 Dream With Me 05:14 04 Blackout 04:06