STRATOVARIUS frontman Timo Kotipelto is featured in a new interview discussing the band's unofficial live album, Polaris Live, and the band's career since their split with original guitarist Timo Tolkki. An excerpt is available below:

The focus of the Polaris tour wasn’t on the album but rather on new guitarist Matias Kupiainen, who ultimately enabled Stratovarius to make a comeback. Tolkki personified the Stratovarius brand, making him irreplaceable in the eyes of many fans, but Kotipelto says the band didn’t encounter the fallout they’d expected when they brought Kupiainen to the people.

“I was expecting there would be some fans making noise that they wanted Tolkki back, but there was none of that. It was the complete opposite. Okay, there were some people that spent the first few songs check Matias out, but when they realized ‘Oh fuck, this man can play..’ they accepted him. It was in like that in some countries or cities, but everyone was very supportive in the end. They realized we’re having a lot more fun on stage now that we had with somebody else on guitar, and I think that makes a big difference. It was great. Of course you’re performing for the fans, but especially in my case, when I’ve got stress in my life and it feels like the band isn’t at 100% is affects my performance. It sounds stupid, but with Matias joining the band there was this new energy like you see and hear in a newcomer band.”

With Tolkki out of the picture for Polaris and all future activities, Kotipelto also found himself in the unusual position of being able to decide with his bandmates when, where and how Stratovarius would move forward. No longer driven by Tolkki’s vision, they are now a democracy.

“It was a totally different situation,” Kotipelto says of Tolkki’s absence. “Suddenly it wasn’t just one guy saying ‘Okay, these are the songs; you play, you sing, we’ll be going on the road in two months.’ It wasn’t exactly like that with Tolkki, but a lot of it was. He was the main guy – maybe not so much at the end – but suddenly we were five guys with our own motives. If we didn’t like a song, for example, we could say something about it and choose not to play it, so it was easier. I have to say, though, that Tolkki was a very good producer and he composed brilliant songs, so when we started working with Matias we didn’t have any real songs (laughs). The table was clean, we came up with what I think is a pretty good album with Polaris, and realized that yes, this is the way things should be. If someone in the band doesn’t like playing a certain song, he’s welcome to speak about it openly with the others and we’re able to make a band decision. It’s a lot different now.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

As previously reported, Stratovarius will be hitting th eroad with HELLOWEEN starting in November. Dates are as follows:

November

26 - Wien, Austria - Szene
27 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Winter Masters of Rock
28 - Budapest, Hungary - Petöfi Hall

December

1 - Langen, Germany - Neue Stadthalle
2 - Antwerp, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo
4 - Prestatyn, UK - Hardrock Hell Festival
5 - London, UK - The HMV Forum
6 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
8 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
9 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Lisebergshallen
11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
13 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rock Cafe
14 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
15 - Helsinki, Finland - House Of Culture
17 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
18 - Cracow, Poland - Studio
19 - Prague, Czech Republic - Mala Sportovni Hala