Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

earMUSIC has announced the release of Stratovarius' new studio album, Survive, which arrives on September 23. Pre-order it here. An official graphic video for the title track, "Survive", can be viewed below.

Seven years after the release of their last album, Eternal, Stratovarius once more prove their status as a flagship symphonic metal band and they return with a big bang.

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' 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.

A blistering comeback from one of heavy metal's most seminal bands, Survive is full of dynamics and drama, feeding on a wide range of emotions along the way. But the core message that this triumphant sonic endeavour conveys is one of struggle, defiance, hope, and victory. Best exemplified by its profoundly rousing title track, Survive is the Stratovarius spirit in exquisite musical form, with all the darkness and light that goes with it.

"We spent five or six days solid, trying to come up with the lyrics for that song," notes 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!"