While celebrating the upcoming release of their new album “Survive” by playing at the major rock and metal festivals worldwide, Stratovarius increase the anticipation for the new album with a brand new single release. Now, they have released “Firefly.” Listen to the track below.
Jens Johansson states, “It’s one of the poppier songs on the record, and a little bit more lighthearted, although love is always complicated. By the way, some actual firefly females catch males of a different species, by using false light signals, to eat them. It’s all in a day’s work when you want to survive. “Firefly” stands out through its catchiness and almost poppy sound, combined with a subtle ’80s vibe — not only musically, but also lyrically. Here, the band moves away from the international issues, such as global warming or the pandemic, to release their very own version of a love song.
Fans can also look forward to an elaborately produced music video that will follow at the end of August.
The band remains on the pulse of time with the new release. The environment and humanity’s future have always been an important and recurring theme in STRATOVARIUS‘s music. Therefore, “Survive” — the title of the new album and the accompanying artwork — aren’t surprising, especially in the view of the current global situation.
“We spent five or six days solid, trying to come up with the lyrics for that song,” notes keyboardist Jens Johansson. “When we finally settled on that punchline for the chorus, it was a good song about survival, and it all just seemed to fit. It fits with the history of the band, too, because we managed to survive as long as we have.
“This band has been through some strange days! The original lineup formed in 1984, so it’s been a long story. It was the middle of the summer, there were forest fires everywhere, there was a global pandemic, and all kinds of crazy shit was going on. Some of the lyrics are perhaps less uplifting than they could have been, but that reflects our mood at the time. There’s a lot of positive stuff on there as well.”
“Survive” track listing:
1. Survive
2. Demand
3. Broken
4. Firefly
5. We Are Not Alone
6. Frozen In Time
7. World On Fire
8. Glory Days
9. Breakaway
10. Before The Fall
11. Voice Of Thunder
STRATOVARIUS gained international success with albums like “Fourth Dimension” (1995),“Episode” (1996) and the epic project “Elements, Pt. 1” (a peak in the progressive and symphonic style of power metal) and “Elements, Pt. 2”, to name just a few of the band’s milestones. In 2009, “Polaris” marked a fresh start for STRATOVARIUS as guitarist and band leader Timo Tolkki left the group. Instead of being a difficult re-start, “Polaris” showed STRATOVARIUS in top form and perfectly able to captivate. The album became a hell of a comeback and charted higher than previous releases around the globe. Since then, STRATOVARIUS continue to walk the path of success, inspiring fans and other bands, young and old.
