스트라토베리우스의 라이브 실황을 제대로 들어볼 수 있는 유일한 앨범으로 꼽을 수 있는 「Visions Of Europe」은 1997년 5월 17일 핀란드 공연을 시작으로 같은 해 11월 9일 아르헨티나 공연까지 무려 50회에 달하는 라이브를 펼친 `Visions 1997 Tour`에서의 음원을 담고 있는 것으로, 총 두 장의 CD로 구성되어 있다.
「Visions」 앨범의 발매를 기념하며 가진 투어이기 때문에 대부분의 선곡은 「Visions」에서 이루어졌으며, 이들에게 새로운 전기를 마련해준 「Episode」에서도 다수가 연주되었다. 거의 모든 곡이 원곡의 범위를 훼손시키지 않는 선에서 최대한의 재현과 최대한의 생동감을 (동시에) 전달하는데 주력하고 있는데, 최고의 기량을 가진 멤버들이 모인 집단답게 극상의 연주력을 감상할수 있는 명작이다.
"Kiss Of Judas" , "Speed Of Light" , "Will The Sun Rise" , "Black Diamond" 등 자신들의 대표 명곡들이 원곡의 위상을 훼손하지 않는 선에서 최고의 기교와 생동감을 전해주고 있으며 발라드 명곡 "Forever" 의 라이브 버전은 국내 팬들에게 커다란 선물이 될 것이다.특히 최고의 연주력을 자랑하는 이들 멤버들의 화려한 솔로 경쟁이 관중들의 환호속에서 펼쳐지는 `Holy Solos`는 라이브 앨범만이 가질수 있는 의의와 목적을 일깨워주게 만드는 최고의 순간을 포착한 앨범의 하이라이트!
팬들로부터 필수/필청 앨범으로 꼽히면서도 음반입수가 쉽지않아 팬들을 애태우게 했던 금번 앨범의 첫 라이선스 발매는 침체된 국내 메틀시장에 커다란 활력을 불러 일으킬것으로 기대된다. .... ....
They try to give me answers To questions I´ve never asked I'll have no part in their conspiracy I guess I am the kind of Guy that will never stray The thing I need is privacy
Some guiding, depriving Misleading and combining They're watching our every move
They can try to bind our arms But they can't chain our minds or hearts We will keep our faith inside our souls And never let it go - we are forever free
You see them making headlines New pictures tell old stories Explaining what they have said and done Media's new illusion Creating more confusion But I know that they'll soon be gone
Some guiding, depriving Misleading and combining They're watching our every move
They can try to bind our arms But they can't chain our minds or hearts We will keep our faith inside our souls And never let it go - we are forever free
I hear footsteps dosing in recognizing them from my early days. The times are different the image remains the same, repeating back flashes remembering the name, approaching visions of things. I can't recall, a familiar smile awakes the pain.
Unkept promises, the night awaits, the act of confidence.
The kiss of Judas haunts me once again.
In your private chamber, you're all done. The well earned silver pieces falling to the floor. The flame of the candle costing movements to the wall, your eyes filled with guilt keep staring at the door.
Walking down the path That leads me to my memories Pacing all the way Without a care in my stride Where are the friends of my yesterday Have they moved on with their lives? Can we still laugh And joke about things like before?
There's no need to hide Past that I have left behind It's a good resource Somewhere for me to find Why am I waiting for someone to reach out It shouldn't be all up to them Keeping in touch ain't that easy But I'll have to try
Where have all the years gone? That's what I am asking now What have I learned so far? Tell me father time - tell me now
Now I understand I'll take from time what I need And I store it inside It's there for me to find I can't deny that the years will pass by But it won't bother me Coz now I will set out To realize my dream
Where have all the years gone? That's what I am asking now What have I learned so far? Tell me father time - tell me now
Season of change life feels so strange Look into my eyes, do you see the truth? I'm lost and alone, feelings unknown They come to me stronger than before
On winds of time my soul will fly The angels are knocking at my door Oh now I need to be free From all this hatred I feel inside
Let it be my dreams Let it be my thoughts All those thing in my heart One too many days One too many years I wasted for nothing
I never realized The truth is inside Of every man for all to see Listen to me now I'm so close to you Never felt like this before
The carousel is spinnign fast Better enjoy while it lasts Every moment is like gold You'll remember when you're old And the meaning of this life Is to live and is to die Make the best out of your dreams They are the world where you are free
All the sorrow and the pain Will be washed away by rain An eternal joy will come It can be found by everyone Though the end is drawing near I'm not feeling any fear I have found the truth inside After all the tears I cry
Today is just another day of my life too short to live. I should have somekind of meaning a destiny to believe in before I go to sleep. I find some pictures of a time when everything was still so fine. Although the years have passed by. I will give it all I have inside...everything.
I'm away lost in my thoughts, everyday my life goes by at the speed of Light.
I'm entering into the woods. I left everything behind. I have to follow my heart. Don't know what I'm looking for. Starlight's guiding my way to old black oak where we meet. Now it's full moon.
Other side is calling me. Singing dancing this is no dream.
Twilight Symphony
The feast is going on. Rapture never seen before. The fury is taking us to a new level soon. Hearing voices everywhere telling me what to do. Giving me answers.
Other side is calling me. Singing dancing this is no dream
Twilight Symphony
The spirits are calling me I only wish to die, there is no question why... anymore.
I have seen the future of mankind The wisdom of my prophecies you'll find Follow the truth and be careful, are we the last?
Hundred years has passed what have we done Inconceivable damage under the sun I think it's too late to change the man - we are the last
The world keeps turning while people yearn for more
Mother nature is crying for a change The time will come when we all must pay for what we have done Are you prepared for that?
As we are reaching the end of the century There's message we can send Be strong and bold and never lose your mind Cause we are the last
The world keeps turning while people yearn for more
Mother nature is crying for a change The time will come when we all must pay for what we have done Are you prepared for that?
Signs of the end I see Let them hear my voice in every corner of the world Take heed of the warnings that I give I have seen the southern cross forming in the sky
"There shall be heard in the air the noise of weapons And in the same year the divines shall be enemies They shall unjustly put down the holy laws And by thunder and war true believers shall die" Nostradamus: Century IV:43
"For forty years the rainbow shall not appear For forty years it shall be seen every day The parched earth shall wax drier every day And a great flood when it shall appear" Nostradamus: Century I:17
After us the road goes on forever Many changes lie along the path That's the price we pay for our selfishness We are headed for the end
"From the skies shall come the powerful kind Before and after the Mars reigns at will Not far from the great age of Millennium Buried ones shall come out of their graves" Nostradamus: Century X:72,74
When the comet tears out the sky You and I must die After all this the time will come for the chosen ones To rise from their graves to be free again
The beast is gone forever, there's no more pain Instead so many things for us to attain The sun is shining brightly after the rain The land is green and full of life again
The sorrows wiped away now It's time to smile And learn from the past Together we will try
"Twenty years of reign of the moon having past Seven thousand years another shall hold his monarchy When the sun shall resume his days past Then is fulfilled and ends my prophecy" Nostradamus: Century I:48
Throwing my dreams out of my mind casting them into the sky canceling tasks I've delayed for so long now it's do or die
I can't be seen I can't be heard but I am here and I am wondering
Will the sun rise tomorrow will it light up my sky can I wake up with no sorrow awaiting Will the sun rise tomorrow will I still see the dawn and not worry 'bout the future anymore
At the end of each day I promise myself I'd better start to live coz sooner or later I'll find out there's so much I can give I can't be seen I can't be heard but I am here and I am wondering
Will the sun rise tomorrow will it light up my sky can I wake up with no sorrow awaiting will the sun rise tomorrow will I still see the dawn and not worry 'bout the future anymore
I stand alone in the darkness the winter of my life came so fast memories go back to childhood to days I still recall
Oh how happy I was then there was no sorrow there was no pain walking through the green fields sunshine in my eyes
I'm still there everywhere I'm the dust in the wind I'm the star in the northern sky I never stayed anywhere I'm the wind in the trees would you wait for me forever
난 홀로 어둠 속에 서 있어요. 내 인생의 고달픈 시기가 너무 빨리 왔지요. 내가 아직 기억 할수 있는 어린 시절을 회상해 봅니다..
그때는 얼마나 행복 했는지 몰라요. 아무런 슬픔도 없고 어떤 고통도 없으며, 눈부시게 햇빛을 받으며 푸른 들판을 걸어 다녔지요..
난 어디든지 늘 그곳에 있는것 같아요. 난 바람에 날리는 먼지와 같아요. 북쪽 하늘에 있는 별과도 같지요. 난 결코 어느 곳에도 머물러 있었던 적이 없어요. 난 나무곁에 날리는 바람과 같아요. 당신 나를 영원히 기다려 주겠어요
Again I see you standing there watching me.Your gaze, those eyes are tantalizing openly, inviting meto get close to you, can't help myself.There's fascination in the air. I try to fight this strong sensation but there's no chance to escape from this temptation. Feels like I've known you before, repeating phrases, but I yearn for something more. I know I can't stay by your side forever, but I know I won't forget your beauty, my Black Diamond.
AGAINST THE WIND (Music: Tolkki / Lyrics: Kotipelto)
Once again I tried to make things work, facing all the power of society. Searching all the answers of the life I'll never make it on my own. Was I meant to fail every time? Seems to me that's my destiny.
Is it all that's left for me, confusion and bad memories.
But now my time has come, no more running in the dark. I want much more than this, I really want it all.
Against the wind we run to every place under the sun. We got so much power inside we will never give up. Against the wind we go, towards the new shore. Together we forget the sorrow it's forever gone.
Late at night I find myself again wondering and watching tv. I can't believe what's on the screen, something that I wouldn't like to see. Many rare species will perish soon and we'll be short on food. Why do we have to be so selfish, we've got to change our attitude. I know that I am no the only one that's worried, why don't we all wake up, and realize. Like the birds in the sky we are flying so high, without making any kind of sacrifice. We've got so little time to undo this crime or we'll lose our Paradise. It seems to me that there's no sense at all, nobody cares it's always the same. Mother nature's crying out in pain I know we're the one's to blame.
Far in the core of the earth First it was given birth We heard the call the message was so clear The tracks were laid for the future to come
Sons and daughters of the Rising Sun The armies in Europe here we come We run like the wind we play from the heart Now we are here together we sing
Faster than light, higher than the sky Tonight we're together again We never give up and never give in Stronger than steel we're the Legions of the Twilight
We survived the hard times Never accepted the lies You run like the wind you sing from the heart Now that we're here together we'll sing
Faster than light, higher than the sky Tonight we're together again We never give up and never give in Stronger than steel we're the Legions of the Twilight
When we have to go back home again We´ll keep the memories we gained inside our hearts
Faster than light, higher than the sky Tonight we're together again We never give up and never give in Stronger than steel we're the Legions of the Twilight