1.
Stradivarius
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According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed. The name Stradivarius has become a superlative often associated with excellence, the fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction. The wood used included spruce for the top, willow for the blocks and linings, and maple for the back, ribs. Stradivari made his instruments using a form, unlike the French copyists, such as Vuillaume. It is clear from the number of forms throughout his career that he experimented with some of the dimensions of his instruments and these results suggest that differences in density differentials in the material may have played a significant role in the sound production of classical violins. The content of copper and aluminium is higher than current instruments, a Stradivarius made in the 1680s, or during Stradivaris Long Pattern period from 1690 to 1700, could be worth hundreds of thousands to several million U. S. dollars at todays prices. The 1697 Molitor Stradivarius, once rumored to have belonged to Napoleon, sold in 2010 at Tarisio Auctions to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers for $3,600,000, at the time a world record. Depending on condition, instruments made during Stradivaris golden period from 1700 to about 1725 can be millions of dollars. In 2011, his Lady Blunt violin from 1721, which is in condition, was sold in London for $15.9 million. It was sold by the Nippon Music Foundation in aid of the Japanese earthquake, the auction failed to reach its minimum bid by 25 June 2014, and the viola was not sold. Vice magazine reported in May 2013 that in recent years, Stradivarius investment funds have started to appear, Stradivarius instruments are at risk of theft. However, stolen instruments are often recovered, even after being missing for many years and they are difficult to sell illicitly as dealers will typically call the police if approached by a seller with a Stradivarius known to have been stolen. In recent years, the General Kyd Stradivarius was stolen in 2004 and it was returned three weeks later by a woman who found it and handed it over to the police. The Sinsheimer/Iselin was stolen in Hanover, Germany in 2008 and recovered in 2009, the Lipinski Stradivarius was stolen in an armed robbery on 27 January 2014 and subsequently recovered. The Ames Stradivarius was stolen in 1981 and recovered in 2015, however a number of stolen instruments remain missing, such as the Davidoff-Morini, stolen in 1995, the Le Maurien, stolen in 2002 and the Karpilowsky, stolen in 1953. Above all, these instruments are famous for the quality of sound they produce, the two violinists were allowed to play all the instruments first. None of the listeners identified more than two of the four instruments, two of the listeners identified the 20th-century violin as the Stradivarius. The majority of the listeners misidentified the winning violin as the Stradivarius. none of them sounded substantially weaker than the others While many world-class soloists play violins by Antonio Stradivari, there are notable exceptions
2.
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
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Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, commonly shortened to Tuska, is a Finnish heavy metal festival taking place annually in Helsinki. The first Tuska took place in 1998 and the festival has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of the city from 2001, however, Tuska 2011 took place at the Suvilahti event field in the Sörnäinen neighbourhood. The festival dates have always been in either June or July, in recent years the attendance has grown and the festival has drawn around 30.000 people. There are three stages in Tuska, Inferno, Sue, and the stage, Radio Rock
3.
Helsinki
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Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. Helsinki has a population of 629,512, a population of 1,231,595. Helsinki is located some 80 kilometres north of Tallinn, Estonia,400 km east of Stockholm, Sweden, Helsinki has close historical connections with these three cities. The Helsinki metropolitan area includes the core of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen. It is the worlds northernmost metro area of one million people. The Helsinki metropolitan area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Nordic countries, Helsinki is Finlands major political, educational, financial, cultural, and research center as well as one of northern Europes major cities. Approximately 75% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region, the nearby municipality of Vantaa is the location of Helsinki Airport, with frequent service to various destinations in Europe and Asia. In 2009, Helsinki was chosen to be the World Design Capital for 2012 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, the city was the venue for the 1952 Summer Olympics and the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest 2007. In 2011, the Monocle magazine ranked Helsinki the most liveable city in the world in its Liveable Cities Index 2011, in the Economist Intelligence Units August 2015 Liveability survey, assessing the best and worst cities to live in globally, Helsinki placed among the worlds top ten cities. Helsinki is used to refer to the city in most languages, the Swedish name Helsingfors is the original official name of the city. The Finnish name probably comes from Helsinga and similar names used for the river that is known as the Vantaa River. Helsingfors comes from the name of the parish, Helsinge and the rapids, which flowed through the original village. As part of the Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire, one suggestion for the origin of the name Helsinge is that it originated with medieval Swedish settlers who came from Hälsingland in Sweden. Others have proposed that the name derives from the Swedish word helsing, other Scandinavian cities located at similar geographic locations were given similar names at the time, for example Helsingør and Helsingborg. The name Helsinki has been used in Finnish official documents and in Finnish language newspapers since 1819, the decrees issued in Helsinki were dated with Helsinki as the place of issue. This is how the form Helsinki came to be used in written Finnish, in Helsinki slang the city is called Stadi. Hesa, is not used by natives to the city, helsset is the Northern Sami name of Helsinki
4.
Uusimaa
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Uusimaa or Nyland is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia, finland’s capital Helsinki, its second largest city Espoo and its fourth largest city Vantaa are all located centrally in Uusimaa, making it by far the most populous region. Uusimaa was, along with the rest of Southern and Western Finland, the Swedish placenames of Uusimaa date back to this period. However, there are traces of the older Tavastian placenames left in some names, the names Uusimaa and Nyland mean “new land” in English. The Swedish-language name Nyland appears in the documents from the 14th century, the Finnish-language name Uusimaa appears for the first time in 1548 as Wsimaa in the first translation of the New Testament to Finnish by Mikael Agricola. The Finnish provinces were ceded to Imperial Russia in the War of Finland in 1809, after this, Uusimaa became the Province of Uusimaa of the old lääni system. From 1997 to 2010, Uusimaa was a part of the Province of Southern Finland and it has been divided in the regions of Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa. In 2011, two regions were merged, Uusimaa is an officially bilingual region, with both Finnish and Swedish having the same status. Helsinkis slang, stadin slangi, first evolved in the late 19th century,8. 5% of population of the region speak Swedish language as native. Is the main governing body for region and focueses primarily on urban planning, like all regional councils it is mandated by law. The region of Uusimaa is made up of 26 municipalities, of which 13 have city status, also two popular tabloid newspapers, Iltalehti and Ilta-Sanomat, are published there. The coat of arms of the shows a yellow boat which is a symbol for the coastal areas. Uusimaa received its coat of arms at the end of the 16th century, there is an image of the coat of arms made in 1599. In 1997, the coat of arms became the official coat of arms of the region
5.
Heavy metal music
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Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are associated with aggression. The first heavy metal such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. During the mid-1970s, Judas Priest helped spur the evolution by discarding much of its blues influence, Motörhead introduced a punk rock sensibility. Beginning in the late 1970s, bands in the new wave of British heavy metal such as Iron Maiden, before the end of the decade, heavy metal fans became known as metalheads or headbangers. During the 1980s, glam metal became popular with such as Mötley Crüe. Since the mid-1990s popular styles have further expanded the definition of the genre and these include groove metal and nu metal, the latter of which often incorporates elements of grunge and hip hop. Heavy metal is characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes, the typical band lineup includes a drummer, a bassist, a rhythm guitarist, a lead guitarist, and a singer, who may or may not be an instrumentalist. Keyboard instruments are used to enhance the fullness of the sound. Deep Purples Jon Lord played an overdriven Hammond organ, in 1970, John Paul Jones used a Moog synthesizer on Led Zeppelin III, by the 1990s, in. almost every subgenre of heavy metal synthesizers were used. The electric guitar and the power that it projects through amplification has historically been the key element in heavy metal. The heavy metal guitar sound comes from a use of high volumes. Guitar solos are an element of the heavy metal code. That underscores the significance of the guitar to the genre, most heavy metal songs featur at least one guitar solo, which is a primary means through which the heavy metal performer expresses virtuosity. One exception is nu metal bands, which tend to omit guitar solos, with rhythm guitar parts, the heavy crunch sound in heavy metal. Palm muting the strings with the hand and using distortion. Palm muting creates a tighter, more sound and it emphasizes the low end
6.
Power metal
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Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a more uplifting sound, in contrast with the heaviness, Power metal bands usually have anthem-like songs with fantasy-based subject matter and strong choruses, thus creating a theatrical, dramatic and emotionally powerful sound. Anthropologist Sam Dunn traced the origins of power back to the late 1970s. The fantasy-oriented lyrics he wrote for Rainbow, concentrated around medieval, renaissance, folk and it is mentioned that songs Stargazer and Kill the King, from the 1976 album Rising and 1978s Long Live Rock n Roll respectively, might be among the earliest examples of power metal. In his 2011 documentary series Metal Evolution, Dunn further explained how Rob Halford of Judas Priest created a blueprint for power metal vocal delivery and his almost constant high-pitched singing became one of the main characteristics of power metal. The twin-guitar sound promoted by duo of K. K. Downing, another pioneer in the power metal genre is Jon Mikl Thor, who was a strong inspiration to the American band Manowar. Another British band, Iron Maiden, brought epic and melodic sensibility to metal, creating anthemic, singalong music, the emergence of the early German power metal scene in particular was made possible by Scorpions and Accept. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen made a significant impact on many future power metal guitarists, with his accurate and his bandmate Jens Johansson modernized the keyboard sound of Deep Purples Jon Lord, which was further incorporated into the genre. Manowars mythological sword and sorcery lyrics influenced a number of metal bands. In 1987 Helloween released their album, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt.1. Its volatile combination of power and melody would inspire a generation of metal bands. Power metal is associated with fast tempo and melodic harmonies. Power metal is focused on the vocalist, with clean vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals often associated with extreme metal. Inspired by Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Geoff Tate and other heavy metal vocalists, power metal vocals are often in a register. There are many exceptions who sing in either baritone or bass range, many power metal vocalists, most notably Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian, record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen creating a choral effect. Power metals lyrical themes focus on fantasy and mythology, camaraderie and hope, personal struggles and emotions, war and death. For example, Finnish band Sonata Arctica have been known for focusing their lyrics of their songs on fantasy but also have many songs based on reality, love and relationships. Some bands have even written their own stories, like Rhapsody of Fires Emerald Sword Saga and The Dark Secret Saga
7.
Neoclassical metal
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Deep Purples Ritchie Blackmore pioneered the subgenre by merging classical melodies and blues rock. Later, Yngwie Malmsteen became one of the most notable musicians in the subgenre, other notable players in the genre are Randy Rhoads, Jason Becker, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Uli Jon Roth, Stéphan Forté and Timo Tolkki. Neoclassical metal takes its name from a conception of classical music. In this it is a distinct from how neoclassicism is understood within the classical music tradition. Neoclassical music usually refers to a movement in musical modernism which developed roughly a century after the end of the Classical period, on the other hand, neoclassical metal music does not restrict itself to a return to classical aesthetic ideals, such as equilibrium and formalism. Its influences include both the Romantic musical period and the Baroque period of the seventeenth and first half of the eighteenth centuries, the music of late Baroque composers such as Vivaldi, Handel and Bach was often highly ornate. Neoclassical metal music thus looks to music as broadly understood by the general public. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were works that influenced this subgenre, Deep Purples Concerto for Group. Other bands, like Rainbow also featured neoclassical influences, early classical influences within hard rock and heavy metal are most notably found in the playing of Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth and Randy Rhoads. But it was in the 1980s when neoclassical metal became a distinct subgenre, the popularization and growth of neoclassical metal is closely related to the ascension of the guitar shredding movement. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, widely regarded as the originator and still-reigning king of neoclassical metal, was brought to the United States by Varney to sign with Shrapnel Records in 1982. Today, there are many bands that contribute as a whole as opposed to the solo musicians in the past. Even more recently there has been a sudden burst of slight neoclassical influence within mainstream metal acts such as Children of Bodom, Protest the Hero, a common practice in the genre is to transcribe classical pieces and play them in a rock/metal band format. The Baroque and Classical periods have been influential to the genre because of their unique sound. Although neoclassical metal differs in theory and structure than neoclassical orchestral music, there are distinct styles, the complexity of keys and scales make playing neoclassical metal difficult without a strong foundation in music theory. In contrast to most music, neoclassical metal often switches keys in the middle of the song to compliment each other, minor keys are often used for their unique note progressions and often dissonant sounds. A commonly used feature in Neoclassical metal is the use of diminished seventh arpeggios, pentatonic scales are also prevalent and conveniently have the same picking structure as minor thirds on the guitar. Playing back and forth between the two scales is common and an example of how neoclassical metal uses different scales stacked on top of each other to progress melodic ideas
8.
Progressive metal
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Whilst the genre emerged towards the late-1980s, it was not until the 1990s that progressive metal achieved commercial success. On the other side of the spectrum, some rock bands such as King Crimson, Uriah Heep. Rush songs such as Bastille Day, Anthem, By-Tor And The Snow Dog,2112, The Fountain of Lamneth, another early practitioner of heavy metal were Lucifers Friend. Night Sun was also a band who mixed heavy metal with progressive rock tones. However, progressive metal did not develop into a genre of its own until the mid-1980s, the result can be described as music that combined a progressive rock mentality with heavy metal sounds. Among the early flagship bands for progressive metal, each had a different vibe. Fates Warning were one of the most aggressive and heavy sounding and their 1989 album Perfect Symmetry broke away from their NWOBHM influenced sound and became the mold for early progressive metal that Dream Theater would expand on. Crimson Glorys music, featuring tight dual-lead harmonies and soaring vocals would be displayed prominently on their self titled debut, as well as in the follow-up and it also contained the song Lonely, which was their first hit single and music video. According to AllMusic, progressive metal at the time was fairly underground, though progressive metal was, and has remained, primarily an album-oriented genre, this mainstream exposure increased the genres profile, and opened doors for other bands. Ayreon stayed with the prog metal themes, but mixed them with many other influences, such as rock opera, folk music. Pain of Salvation experimented with progressive rock and progressive metal, made extensive use of polyrhythms, and abruptly switched between calm and heavy passages. Seventh Wonder stayed within the metal mold, but had a larger focus on melody than most other progressive metal bands. Symphony X married progressive elements to power metal and classical music, tool and Karnivool created a more modern style by combining alternative metal elements and odd time signatures. Porcupine Tree began as a rock band, but then developed a progressive metal sound with 2002s In Absentia. Mastodon also combined progressive metal with sludge elements, many bands also started to experiment with more extreme subgenres of metal music, as have Meshuggah, whose distinctive sound has spawned the djent movement within progressive metal. In Japan, Sigh incorporated jazz and classical influences in black metal, while Dir En Grey, formerly a visual kei band, in Israel, Orphaned Land mixed progressive metal with local folk music, with guitarist Yossi Sassi playing a bouzouki as well as a guitar. Progressive metal can be broken down into many sub-genres corresponding to other styles of music that have influenced progressive metal groups. For example, two bands that are identified as progressive metal, Kings X and Opeth, are at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum to one another
9.
Symphonic metal
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Keyboards reminiscent of power metal also sometimes feature. The main musical influences on symphonic metal are early gothic metal, power metal, music workstation keyboards and orchestras are often the focal point of the music, which, in essence, distinguishes the subgenre from other metal subgenres. Other instruments including guitars, bass and drums typically play relatively simple parts in contrast to the complex and this is particularly characteristic of less-known bands on tighter budgets. This is particularly characteristic of bands that feature deeper and more complex arrangements that would be difficult for one or even two keyboardists to reproduce in a live performance. It is more difficult to generalise about the guitar and bass work found in this style, songs are often highly atmospheric, though more upbeat than those of other metal subgenres, even songs with morbid themes routinely feature prominent major-key fanfares. Particularly central to creating mood and atmosphere is the choice of keyboard sounds, lyrics cover a broad range of topics. As with two of symphonic metals otherwise most dissimilar influences, power metal and opera, fantasy and mythological themes are common, concept albums styled after operas or epic poems are not uncommon. Bands in this genre often feature a lead vocalist, most commonly a soprano. There is sometimes a second, male vocalist, as is common in gothic metal. Growling, death-metal-style vocals are not unknown, but tend to be used less frequently than in other genres that make use of this vocal style. Further backup up to and including a choir is sometimes employed. It is very common for bands, almost exclusively female-fronted bands, the operatic style is not exclusively tied to symphonic metal, and also appears in avant-garde metal, progressive metal, gothic metal and melodic metal. Also in the late 80s the Dutch band The Gathering started to make Symphonic metal songs, one of the earliest symphonic metal songs was Dies Irae by American thrash metal group Believer. Appearing on their 1990 album Sanity Obscure foreshadowed the approach used by the bands Therion. Another key early influence was Finnish progressive metal band Waltaris album Yeah, death Metal Symphony in Deep C. Following this, operatic vocals, classical instrumentation, and progressive elements became a staple in Dark Tranquillitys sound. In mid-1996 Rage released Lingua Mortis, the bands first collaboration with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Nightwish and Within Temptation released their first albums in 1997, which were heavily inspired by Therions symphonic turn. Haggard, which started as a death metal band, had released some demos and EPs some years ago using only their death metal style
10.
Nuclear Blast
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Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany, originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic death metal, grindcore, industrial metal, power metal and black metal bands, as well as tribute albums. More recent signings include names such as Wednesday 13, Slayer, Opeth, Decapitated, Danzig, Cradle of Filth, Edguy, Nightwish, Symphony X, Suffocation, Machine Head and Fear Factory. Nuclear Blast was formed in 1987 after founder Markus Staiger travelled throughout the United States for four weeks, the labels first release was a vinyl compilation called Senseless Death featuring US hardcore bands like Attitude, Sacred Denial, Impulse Manslaughter and others. Swedish band Meshuggah became the first band in the history of Nuclear Blast Records to crack the Billboard 200, landing at number 165 with their 2002 album, Meshuggah also became the first Nuclear Blast band to be reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine. It became the first release in the history to reach number 1 on the German charts. Slayer released the album Repentless in 2015 which went to number 4 on the Billboard 200 making it the highest charting Nuclear Blast release in the USA, List of record labels List of Nuclear Blast artists Nuclear Blast Europe
11.
Timo Kotipelto
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Timo Antero Kotipelto is the vocalist of the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and is the creator and vocalist of the power metal band Kotipelto. Kotipelto is currently the longest standing member of Stratovarius, after the departure of Timo Tolkki and he studied vocals at the pop/jazz conservatory in Helsinki, briefly singing for an amateur cover band named Filthy Asses. In summer of 1994, he applied to Stratovarius, who were looking for a singer at the time and his arrival corresponds closely with the bands rise to international fame. The first album he recorded with the band was Fourth Dimension, Stratovarius has then become a top name in the European heavy metal scene, recording seven more albums and performing in numerous notable rock festivals. In late 2003, Kotipelto split from Stratovarius after intra-band disagreements, after much turmoil throughout 2004, he rejoined the band in January 2005, recorded the album Stratovarius, and performed live on tour that covered North America, South America, Europe and Asia. In 2008, Timo Tolkki made public that he and Timo Kotipelto had arguments but Koltipelto never really left the band, in 2002 Kotipelto started his solo project, called Kotipelto. Kotipelto also provided vocals for the track Eye of the Storm on Warmens 2009 album Japanese Hospitality
12.
Jens Johansson
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Jens Ola Johansson is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist who currently plays in the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. He is notable for his neoclassical and fusion style. Johansson is son of Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson and brother of Ex-HammerFall drummer Anders Johansson and he is highly influenced by classic Rock keyboardists like Don Airey, Eddie Jobson and Jon Lord. In 1982, the classically trained Johansson left the jazz fusion band Slem and joined the Swedish metal band Silver Mountain, in 1983 he left Sweden for California and joined guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen as a member of his band, Rising Force. Numerous records and world tours ensued and he stayed with Yngwie until 1989, Johansson also played with the band Dio between 1989 and 1990. In 1993, Johansson co-founded a progressive metal project, The Johansson Brothers. In 1996, with a different line-up, they recorded another album, Sonic Winter, the last Johansson record, The Last Viking, a more European metal oriented album, was released in 1999 with special guests Michael Romeo and Göran Edman. He co-founded Heptagon Records to distribute his own recordings and that of musicians, such as guitarist Benny Jansson. Johansson auditioned for Dream Theater after Kevin Moore left the band in 1994, since 1995 he has remained in Stratovarius, and still releasing solo albums and appearing as a guest or session musician in other projects. Johansson is a computer nerd, admitting to have started on an Atari ST. He rejects being considered one of the best keyboardists in the world, Johansson has used many types of keyboards and synthesizers throughout his career. Amongst his favourites are the Korg Polysix, Yamaha DX7, the Oberheim Matrix Series and he is also fond of the Hammond Organ. Johansson is a fan and long-time Steinberg programs user. An example of his interest in computers is his record Fission, for his famous lead sound he uses a Morley JD-10 amp simulator as distortion. Jens Johanssons Homepage Heptagon Records Stratovarius Homepage Interview with Jens Johansson,1995 Interview with JENS JOHANSSON
13.
Lauri Porra
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Lauri Porra is a Finnish bassist and composer, best known for his work in Stratovarius and Sinergy. Lauri Porra is a fourth musician, and the great-grandson of famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. He started to study music at age 6 when he started to play cello in a music school. In 1993 he switched to guitar and continued his studies in the Helsinki Pop Jazz Conservatory. Additionally he has taken lessons on piano, double bass, trumpet, during 1997-1999 he sang with the renowned YL male choir performing for instance with the London Symphony Orchestra. He has released three solo albums. He has also composed music to movies, tv-series and commercial spots. Lauri´s Entropia concerto for electric bass and orchestra was premiered by Lauri Porra, in 2016 Lauri was nominated for HARPA nordic film composer music award. Lauri won the VOITTO-prize for the best advertisement music of the year in 2016 for his music in Visit Finland´s Polar Night Magic spot, in Portuguese, Porra is a pejorative slang for sperm. The fact made Timo Kotipelto introduce him as Mr. Porra in Stratovarius concerts in Brazil, Lauri is known during his bass solos with Stratovarius to often play the local national anthems of the countries they are visiting
14.
Matias Kupiainen
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Matias Kupiainen is a Finnish guitarist, songwriter and record producer. Kupiainen was chosen as the new guitarist for the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius after Timo Tolkkis departure from the band in 2008 and he started playing with the band in 2009, on their album Polaris for which he composed three songs. Besides Stratovarius, Kupiainen has got the band project Fist in Fetus, founded in 2006 and described as mainly grindcore, which released a self-produced EP in 2007. He guested on the 2007 album Guitar Heroes, on the song 12 Donkeys, that was released as a single. At the 2007 Tuska festival, he appeared as the house band of the TV station YLE Extra. Kupiainen has also played as a musician, among others, on albums of Olavi Uusivirta and Milana Misic, and worked as a producer, recording engineer. He has studied at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Pop & Jazz Conservatory in Oulunkylä and he played a PRS Artist Series I guitar and now he is an endorser of Ruokangas Guitars. He currently plays his custom Hellcat made of Spanish cedar and arctic birch, Kupiainen was a part-owner of a recording studio named Minor Music in Helsinki, Finland, until it was merged with 5 By 5 Audio. 2009 Polaris 2010 Polaris Live 2011 Elysium 2012 Under Flaming Winter Skies, Live in Tampere 2013 Nemesis 2014 Nemesis Days 2015 Eternal MatiasKupiainen. com
15.
Stratovarius
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Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation, they have released 16 studio albums,4 DVD and 3 live albums, along with German bands Helloween, Blind Guardian, and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius is considered one of the leading and most influential groups of the power metal genre. In its history, the band has gone through many lineup changes. Currently, the longest standing member is singer Timo Kotipelto, who joined in 1994, Stratovarius was founded as Black Water in August 1984 by singer and drummer Tuomo Lassila, guitarist Staffan Stråhlman, and bassist John Vihervä. Under this line-up, the band released its first album Fright Night in 1989, while various changes of bassist occurred, the band released the albums Twilight Time and Dreamspace. In 1994, Tolkki decided to stop acting as lead vocalist, after the release of Fourth Dimension in 1995, last remaining founding member Lassila, as well as Ikonen, left the band and were respectively replaced by Jörg Michael and Jens Johansson respectively. This line-up consisting of Kotipelto, Tolkki, bassist Jari Kainulainen, Johansson and Michael, now recognized as the classic line-up of Stratovarius, became the longest line-up in its history. In 2008 guitarist, sole composer and main lyricist Timo Tolkki, being critical of their last album. However, at the demand of the rest of the band and he subsequently regretted his decision, stating that the current band had nothing to do with Stratovarius which he considered as mainly his own work. After a small Farewell Jörg tour in Finland, Jörg Michael departed for personal reasons in 2012, with new drummer Rolf Pilve, the band released its fifteenth album Nemesis in 2013. Their next album, Eternal, was released in 2015, Stratovarius was founded in August 1984 in Finland under the name Black Water. They went through a number of personnel, style and name changes before the band found its own voice, the founding members were Tuomo Lassila, Staffan Stråhlman, and John Vihervä. By 1985, the name had changed to Stratovarius, and guitarist/vocalist Timo Tolkki entered the band in December of that year, in 1988 they released their first two singles, Future Shock and Black Night. In 1989 their debut album Fright Night was released, which would be accompanied by a tour of Europe. In 1991 the group released their album, which was initially released under the name Stratovarius II but was later re-released in 1992 with the name Twilight Time. On this album Tolkki played bass as well as guitar on all tracks, after Twilight Time was released, Behm was fired and replaced with Jari Kainulainen. In 1994 Dreamspace, their album, was released. After releasing the album Dreamspace, Timo Tolkki decided to step down from lead singer of the band to concentrate on guitar, the band started auditions for a new singer, eventually choosing Timo Kotipelto
16.
Helloween
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Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg, Northern Germany. The band is a force in the power metal genre. Helloween was formed in 1984 by members of bands Iron Fist and its first line-up consisted of Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, singer and guitarist Piet Sielck and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. Sielck left in 1985 and was replaced by guitarist Michael Weikath, after the release of a self-titled EP and a first album in 1985, it expanded into a quintet when singer Michael Kiske joined, with Hansen only acting as guitarist. Under this line-up, they released the Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, however, Hansen left the band quickly after the release of Part II and was replaced by Roland Grapow. He then created the band Gamma Ray and they were replaced by Uli Kusch and Andi Deris respectively. However, tensions following the release of The Dark Ride led to the dismissals of both Grapow and Kusch, who went on to found Masterplan together. Grapow was replaced by Sascha Gerstner, but the attempts to find a new drummer were chaotic, the band finally found a stable drummer in Daniel Löble in 2005. Their fifteenth studio album, My God-Given Right, was released on 29 May 2015, on November 14,2016, the band announced that both Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske were rejoining Helloween for a world tour, titled Pumpkins United World Tour, to conclude in 2018. Since its inception, Helloween has released fifteen albums, three live albums, three EPs, and twenty-seven singles, and has sold more than eight million records worldwide. Helloween formed in 1984 in Hamburg, Germany, the original line-up included Kai Hansen on vocals and guitar, Michael Weikath on guitar, Markus Grosskopf on bass, and Ingo Schwichtenberg on drums. That year, the signed with Noise Records and recorded two songs for a Noise compilation record called Death Metal. The compilation featured the bands Hellhammer, Running Wild, and Dark Avenger, the two tracks were Oernst of Life by Weikath and Hansens Metal Invaders, a faster version of which would appear on the bands first full-length album. Helloween recorded and released its first record in 1985, a self-titled EP containing five tracks, also that year, the band released its first full-length album, Walls of Jericho. During the following tour, Hansen had difficulties singing and playing the guitar at the same time. Kais last recording as the lead singer was in 1986 on a vinyl EP titled Judas. Following these releases, Helloween began the search for a new vocalist, the band found an 18-year-old vocalist, Michael Kiske, from a local Hamburg band named Ill Prophecy. With their new lead vocalist in tow, Helloween approached record labels Noise International and RCA, instead, they recorded a single LP, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I, which was released in 1987
17.
Blind Guardian
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Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres. Ten musicians have been a part of the bands line-up in its history, which has consisted of singer Hansi Kürsch, guitarists André Olbrich and Marcus Siepen, Blind Guardian is a part of the German heavy metal scene that emerged in the mid-1980s. The band was formed in 1984 as Lucifers Heritage by Kürsch, Olbrich, other guitarist Markus Dörk, Dörk and Stauch both left the following year, and were replaced by Christof Theißen and Hans-Peter Frey respectively, who left as well before the end of the year. In 1987, Siepen joined and Stauch returned, under this line-up, which lasted 18 years, over the releases, Blind Guardian established themselves as a notable successful band and as pioneers of the power metal movement. In 1996, Kürsch stopped acting as the bass guitarist to focus on vocals. Various session members replaced him, mainly Oliver Holzwarth, however, in 2005, Stauch left the band, disapproving of Blind Guardians transition into a more complex progressive sound with a heavy use of backing vocals, and was replaced by Ehmke. Over the years a theme has developed which personifies the band members as travelling storytellers, Blind Guardian was formed in 1984 in Krefeld, Germany, by Hansi Kürsch and Andre Olbrich under the name Lucifers Heritage, with Markus Dörk and Thomen Stauch. The band briefly expanded into a quintet with the addition of a lead vocalist. However, after three months Kelleners left the band in a mutual agreement, Lucifers Heritage first released two demos in 1985 and 1986, despite undergoing chaotic lineup changes, Dörk and Stauch were replaced by Christof Theißen and Hans-Peter Frey, respectively. Finally, in 1987, Marcus Siepen joined and Thomen came back to form the lineup which would stay consistent for the next 18 years, after Lucifers Heritage signed a contract with No Remorse Records, the band changed their name to Blind Guardian to avoid any speculations about Satanism. They released their debut album Battalions of Fear in 1988, which was essentially a metal album heavily influenced by Helloween. These two German bands had close ties, and Helloween founder Kai Hansen made a guest appearance on Blind Guardians second LP, Follow the Blind, where the band revealed some thrash metal influence. Their third LP, Tales from the Twilight World, had a more melodic and epic feeling, with usage of choir. Blind Guardian signed with Virgin Records in 1991, and released their studio album Somewhere Far Beyond in 1992. In 1998, Blind Guardian released their epic album Nightfall in Middle-Earth, a concept album based on J. R. R. Tolkiens The Silmarillion, Blind Guardians music demonstrated some folk rock influence, but also featured heavy use of Queen-style layered backing vocals. Since Nightfall, bass guitar has been played by sessional member Oliver Holzwarth, Nightfall was also the last Blind Guardian album produced by Rasmussen. A Night at the Opera, named after the Queen album, was released four years later, on this album, the bands sound lacked almost all influence of their original speed metal
18.
Gamma Ray (band)
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Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal band Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent bands of the German heavy metal scene. In 1988, after four years with the German power metal band Helloween, guitarist and songwriter Kai Hansen decided, for reasons that are still the subject of much debate, to leave the group. Hansen claimed that Helloween had become too big for him to handle, although the troubles with financial issues and their record company, Noise Records. This two-man project grew into a band with the addition of Uwe Wessel on bass. This was the first line-up of Gamma Ray, bearing a sound close to that of Helloween of that period. The original line-up released the album Heading for Tomorrow in February 1990 and later year the Heaven Can Wait EP, with new guitarist Dirk Schlächter. In February 1991, the band rehearsing for the recording of their second album in a small. With some brand new songs written, Gamma Ray entered the studio under the supervision of producer Tommy Newton and recorded their second album Sigh No More, which was released in September 1991. The style differed vastly from that of Heading for Tomorrow, featuring darker lyrics inspired by the Persian Gulf War that was raging at the time, the band also began to build their own studio, so work on their new album didnt start until 1993. The album Insanity and Genius was released in June 1993, with a style which was closer to that of Heading for Tomorrow than Sigh No More, in September 1993 Gamma Ray, along with Rage, Helicon and Conception, embarked on the Melodic Metal Strikes Back tour. The tour contributed to the release of the double CD The Power of Metal, More changes in the lineup were to follow for Gamma Ray. Vocalist Ralf Scheepers, who lived far away from the band members hometown of Hamburg, was attempting to become the new Judas Priest singer after Rob Halford left. He felt that his position in the band had been strained due to the distance between him and the other members, Hansen and Scheepers agreed to an amicable departure. After failing to be recruited for Judas Priest, Scheepers started his own band, Hansen then began to search for a new vocalist but, due to demand from friends and fans, took on the guitar-vocal duties himself as he had done for Helloweens first EP and album. So at that point we made an album like this and it went down very successful and that was cool, that was something special. I think it was the album that gave Gamma Ray the acceptance as being a not only a Kai Hansen project
19.
Timo Tolkki
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Timo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing member of the band before his departure in 2008, after leaving Stratovarius he formed two supergroups named Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia, both of which have since disbanded. In a 2011 article by Guitar World magazine, Tolkki was included in the all-time top 50 list of fastest guitar players in the world, Tolkki started playing guitar at the age of seven and practiced intensely, sometimes eight hours a day. When he was years old, his father committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of his apartment. Before joining Stratovarius in 1984, Tolkki had played with the bands Antidote, Thunder, at the beginning of his career with Stratovarius, he served as vocalist as well as handling all lead and rhythm guitars, and at times bass guitar. After the bands album, Dreamspace, Tolkki handed over vocal duties to Timo Kotipelto. This was largely due to Tolkkis desire to evolve the overall direction of the band. Further changes were made after Dreamspace, including the departure of the original members of the band, keyboardist Antti Ikonen and drummer Tuomo Lassila. In 1994, Tolkki released his first solo album, Classical Variations and Themes, the album was similar to his work with Stratovarius, but with more focus on primarily instrumental compositions. His second solo album, Hymn to Life showed a personal side, dealing with such emotional issues as his relationship with God. He was diagnosed bipolar disorder in 2004, following a nervous breakdown which occurred some months after Stratovarius acrimoniously disbanded. After a period of rehabilitation, he went on to make a recovery later that year. A final self-titled album with Stratovarius was released in 2005, after which he announced his departure from the band in 2008, upon leaving he decided to waive the legal rights to the name. He later claimed this was done as a protest due to the remaining members deciding to continue the band as Stratovarius, Tolkkis next project was an album described as a rock opera, named Saana – Warrior of Light Pt 1. Released on 14 March 2008, it featured a number of guest vocalists, including soprano Jennifer Sowle in the role, as well as Aino Laos, Janette Sainio. Also in 2008, he founded a band called Revolution Renaissance, in 2010, Symfonia was formed as a power metal supergroup comprising Tolkki, singer André Matos, keyboardist Mikko Härkin, drummer Uli Kusch and former Stratovarius bandmate Jari Kainulainen. Later he released an album cover entitled Classical Variations and Themes Vol 2. However, on 26 July, he announced the cancellation of the project, on 8 January 2013, Tolkki announced the opening of a new mixing and mastering studio named Studiotolkki, located in Helsinki, Finland
20.
Jari Kainulainen
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Jari Kainulainen is a Finnish bassist best known as the former bassist of Finnish power metal band Stratovarius from 1993 until 2005, and as the current bass player for Masterplan since 2012. He has also played with bands such as Symfonia, Evergrey. Kainulainen plays Ibanez 6 string basses and uses Ampeg amplifiers and he is influenced by Geezer Butler, Billy Sheehan, Cliff Burton, and Steve Harris. In addition, in January 2015, he released an album with his new band ShadowQuest
21.
Stratovarius (album)
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Stratovarius is the self-titled eleventh studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 5 September 2005 through Sanctuary Records. The album reached No.4 on the Finnish albums chart as well as the top 100 in six other countries, maniac Dance was released as a single, reaching No.4 on the Finnish singles chart and the top 100 in three other countries. The release of Stratovarius came after a troubled period for the band in 2004. After a year-long hiatus, they reunited in 2005 and embarked upon a tour for the album, playing for the first time in the United States. Keyboardist Jens Johanssons role is restricted, as well as Jörg Michaels drumming. Singer Timo Kotipelto also attempts a different vocal approach, mostly avoiding his usual high vocal range, Tolkki has since stated in interviews that he was unsatisfied with the end result of the album due to it being too far removed from the bands true style. com
22.
Elysium (Stratovarius album)
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Elysium is the thirteenth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 12 January 2011 through Victor Entertainment and on 14 January through Edel AG. It is the last Stratovarius album to feature longtime drummer Jörg Michael, Elysium reached No.1 on the Finnish albums chart, as well as reaching the top 80 in five other countries. Darkest Hours was released as a single, reaching No.4 on the Finnish singles chart, the official track listing for Elysium was first announced by keyboardist Jens Johansson on the forum of the bands website on 8 November 2010. At a length of 18,07, Elysiums title track is by far the longest Stratovarius song to date, the album cover art was created by Gyula Havancsák and features the same star-shaped spacecraft from Polaris. com List of number-one albums of 2011
23.
Nemesis (Stratovarius album)
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Nemesis is the fourteenth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 22 February 2013 through Edel AG. It is the first Stratovarius album to new drummer Rolf Pilve. The album was first announced on the official website on 24 November 2012. A preview of Unbreakable, the albums first single, was available on YouTube and was released on 25 January 2013. The band considered hiring an orchestra to perform in the album, the name of the album came up when guitarist Matias was sitting on the airport of Madrid and suggested it to his bandmates. At that point, most of the lyrics were already done, the woman on the cover may be a savior, an avenger or the author of all the destruction, according to Jens
24.
Eternal (Stratovarius album)
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Eternal is the fifteenth album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 11 September 2015 and 18 September. Singer Timo Kotipelto composed three tracks and wrote most lyrics together with his Cains Offering partner and former Sonata Arctica member Jani Liimatainen. The band members have described the album as a blend of old school and modern metal, though this direction was not planned. The band wanted to start working on the album in 2014, after playing a few special Visions shows, they became surprised with the audience response and found some motivation to get back to the studio. The album cover was one year prior to the albums release. After discussing suggestions from the members, they agreed on bassist Lauri Porras Eternal. The opening track My Eternal Dream is about feeling different from people around. It received a video premiered on 10 September. Shine in the Dark was released as the first single and received a lyric video and it was composed a year before the album was released and is about a person who has passed away a long time ago but is still remembered with warmth. Rise Above It is about lies told by the media and how people should read the news with caution. Lost Without a Trace, Porras only writing contribution, is about a man that is in search of his love, feeding the Fire states that humankind, instead of taking actions towards the protection of planet Earth, is just making things worse. In My Line of Work covers the issue of having a job that keeps one far from their family, few Are Those was originally rejected by the band. However, when Rolf Pilve was recording his drums parts, Kotipelto asked him to record a track in a tempo, feeling he. Later, he received the track and composed the song on top of it. The lyrics are about the few people who are able to see with their own eyes, the ending track, The Lost Saga, is the longest song on the album. In the liner notes, Kotipelto states that writing the lyrics and he spent four nights researching historical references. All lyrics written by Timo Kotipelto and Jani Liimatainen, except where noted, Timo Kotipelto – vocals Matias Kupiainen – guitar, production Jens Johansson – keyboard Rolf Pilve – drums Lauri Porra – bass
25.
Visions (Stratovarius album)
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Visions is the sixth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 28 April 1997 through Noise Records. The album reached No.4 on the Finnish albums chart and it is a concept album about Nostradamus. In 2005, the album was ranked No.297 in Rock Hard magazines book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time, All music composed by Timo Tolkki, except where noted. Johnson – spoken vocals Mikko Karmila – engineering, mixing Pauli Saastamoinen – mastering
26.
Portmanteau
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In linguistics, a portmanteau is defined as a single morph that represents two or more morphemes. A portmanteau also differs from a compound, which not involve the truncation of parts of the stems of the blended words. For instance, starfish is a compound, not a portmanteau, of star and fish, whereas a hypothetical portmanteau of star and fish might be stish. Humpty Dumpty explains the practice of combining words in various ways by telling Alice, for instance, take the two words fuming and furious. Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first … if you have the rarest of gifts, in then-contemporary English, a portmanteau was a suitcase that opened into two equal sections. The etymology of the word is the French porte-manteau, from porter, to carry, in modern French, a porte-manteau is a clothes valet, a coat-tree or similar article of furniture for hanging up jackets, hats, umbrellas and the like. It has also used especially in Europe as a formal description for hat racks from the French words porter. An occasional synonym for portmanteau word is frankenword, an autological word exemplifying the phenomenon it describes, blending Frankenstein, many neologisms are examples of blends, but many blends have become part of the lexicon. In Punch in 1896, the word brunch was introduced as a portmanteau word, in 1964, the newly independent African republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar chose the portmanteau word Tanzania as its name. Similarly Eurasia is a portmanteau of Europe and Asia, a scientific example is a liger, which is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. Jeoportmanteau. is a category on the American television quiz show Jeopardy. The categorys name is itself a portmanteau of the words Jeopardy, responses in the category are portmanteaus constructed by fitting two words together. The term gerrymander has itself contributed to portmanteau terms bjelkemander and playmander, oxbridge is a common portmanteau for the UKs two oldest universities, those of Oxford and Cambridge. Many portmanteau words receive some use but do not appear in all dictionaries, for example, a spork is an eating utensil that is a combination of a spoon and a fork, and a skort is an item of clothing that is part skirt, part shorts. On the other hand, turducken, a made by inserting a chicken into a duck. Similarly, the word refudiate was first used by Sarah Palin when she misspoke, though initially a gaffe, the word was recognized as the New Oxford American Dictionarys Word of the Year in 2010. The business lexicon is replete with newly coined portmanteau words like permalance, advertainment, advertorial, infotainment, a company name may also be portmanteau as well as a product name. By contrast, the public, including the media, use portmanteaux to refer to their favorite pairings as a way to. giv people an essence of who they are within the same name and this is particularly seen in cases of fictional and real-life supercouples
27.
Fender Stratocaster
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The Fender Stratocaster is a model of electric guitar designed in 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster from 1954 to the present and it is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top horn shape for balance. Along with the Gibson Les Paul, it is one of the most often emulated electric guitar shapes, Stratocaster and Strat are trademark terms belonging to Fender. The Fender Stratocaster was the first guitar to feature three pickups and a spring tension tremolo system, as well as being the first Fender with a contoured body, the Stratocasters sleek, contoured body shape differed from the flat, slab-like design of the Telecaster. The Stratocasters double cutaways allowed players access to higher positions on the neck. Starting in 1954, the Stratocaster was offered with a solid, deeply contoured ash body, a 21-fret one-piece maple neck with black dot inlays, the color was originally a two color sunburst pattern, although custom color guitars were produced. In 1956, Fender began using alder for sunburst and most custom color Stratocaster bodies, in 1960, the available custom colors were standardized, many of which were automobile lacquer colors from DuPont available at an additional 5% cost. A unique single-ply, 8-screw hole white pickguard held all electronic components except the recessed jack plate—facilitating easy assembly, in this floating position, players could move the bridge-mounted tremolo arm up or down to modulate the pitch of the notes being played. Hank Marvin, Jeff Beck and Ike Turner used the Strats floating tremolo extensively in their playing, as string gauges have changed, players have experimented with the number of tremolo springs, and modern Stratocasters ship with three springs. Some Strats have a bridge in place of the tremolo assembly. There is considerable debate about the effects on tone and sustain of the used in the tremolo systems inertia bar. The Stratocaster features three single coil pickups, with the originally selected by a 3-way switch. In 1977 Fender introduced a 5-way selector making such pickup combinations more stable, dick Dale is a prominent Stratocaster player who also collaborated with Leo Fender in developing the Fender Showman amplifier. In the early 1960s, the instrument was also championed by Hank Marvin, guitarist for the Shadows, in 1965, George Harrison and John Lennon acquired Stratocasters and used them for Help. Rubber Soul and later recording sessions, the double unison guitar solo on Nowhere Man is played by Harrison and Lennon on their new Stratocasters, after the introduction of the Fender Stratocaster Ultra series in 1989, ebony was officially selected as a fretboard material on some models. In December 1965 the Stratocaster was given a broader headstock with altered decals to match the size of the Jazzmaster, during the CBS era, particularly the 1970s, the perceived quality of Fender instruments fell. During this time, vintage instruments from the era became popular. Dan Smith, with the help of John Page, proceeded to work on a reissue of the most popular guitars of Leo Fenders era
28.
Kraftwerk
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Kraftwerk is a German electronic music band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1969 in Düsseldorf. In the 1970s, they were among the first successful pop acts to popularize electronic music and are considered to be innovators and pioneers of the genre. The band was fronted by both Hütter and Schneider until Schneiders departure in 2008, following the releases of Computer World and Electric Café, member Wolfgang Flür left the group in 1987. They released their final album Tour de France Soundtracks in 2003, founding member Schneider departed in 2008. According to The Observer, no other band since the Beatles has given so much to pop culture, in January 2014, the Recording Academy honored Kraftwerk with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. As of 2016, the members of Kraftwerk continue to tour. The duo had performed together as part of a quintet known as Organisation. This ensemble released one album, Tone Float in 1969, issued on RCA Records in the UK, Schneider was more and more synthesizers by keyboards, a new electronic intrument that had recently arrived on the market, and decided to acquire one in 1970. While visiting an exhibition in their hometown about visual artists Gilbert and George, the same year, Hütter and Schneider start bringing everyday life into art and form Kraftwerk as critic Jude Rogers remarked it. Hütter, who left the band for eight months, played synthesizer and their first three albums were free-form experimental rock without the pop hooks or the more disciplined song structure of later work. Post-production modifications to these recordings were used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation, live performances from 1972 to 1973 were made as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, with preset rhythms taken from an electric organ. These shows were mainly in Germany, with shows in France. Later in 1973, Wolfgang Flür joined the group for rehearsals, with Ralf und Florian, released in 1973, Kraftwerk began to move closer to its now classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesizers and drum machines. Although almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerks first use of the vocoder, Kraftwerks futuristic and robotic sound was influenced by the adrenalized insurgency of Detroit artists of the late 60s such as MC5 and the Stooges. The input, expertise, and influence of producer and engineer Konrad Conny Plank was highly significant in the years of Kraftwerk. Plank also worked many of the other leading German electronic acts of that time, including members of Can. As a result of his work with Kraftwerk, Planks studio near Cologne became one of the most sought-after studios in the late 1970s, Plank coproduced the first four Kraftwerk albums. The release of Autobahn in 1974 saw Kraftwerk moving away from the sound of its first three albums, Hütter and Schneider had invested in newer technology such as the Minimoog and the EMS Synthi AKS, helping give Kraftwerk a newer, disciplined sound
29.
Rage (German band)
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Rage is a German heavy metal band, formed in 1984 founded by Peter Peavy Wagner. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid-1980s, along with such as Helloween, Running Wild, Blind Guardian. Rage was formed in 1984 under the name Avenger, after releasing their debut album Prayers of Steel and their Depraved to Black EP in 1985, the band changed their name to Rage because there was another band in England that also had the same name. Originally the new name was meant to be Furious Rage but it was shortened to Rage. Thirteen musicians have been part of Rage over the years, been the most successful line up the one knows nowadays as the Refuge Years, with Manni Schmidt, the second notable line-up was the one formed with Mike Terrana and Victor Smolski. Through the years, Rage established themselves as a successful band and as pioneers of the Power Metal scene. Rage story begins in 1984, in Herne, Germany when Peavy Wagner Bass and Vocals alone with Jörg Michael and the guitarist Jochen Schröder Avenger first got together. Following the arrival of their debut album recorded in 1984, Prayers of Steel and released by Wishbone Records, Avenger changed their name and became Rage and got a record deal at Noise releasing their first official LP Reign of Fear on May 12,1986. On May 11,1987 they released the album Execution Guaranteed under the label Noise, in the same year they released their first official video clip Down By Law as well, introducing the new line-up with Manni Schmidt and Chris Efthimiadis. With this new line-up in 1988 the album Perfect Man was released, the band began touring with Running Wild, U. D. O. In 1989 Rage released the album Secrets in a Weird World hitting the charts with the single Invisible Horizons, the early 1990s, their 1992 album Trapped. Marked their international breakthrough, hitting the charts worldwide, as a result, the band performed their first major tour in Japan. Their success was repeated again in 1993 with the release of The Missing Link and this Album turned out to become one of the most successful and influencing of this era. In early 1994, the guitarist Manni Schmidt left the band and Peavy Wagner formed a new line-up with Sven Fischer, Rage signed with Gun Records the same year and released the breakthrough album Black in Mind, followed by a world tour and several chart entries worldwide. Especially in Japan and Europe this Album brought the band to a different, much higher level, the Album Lingua Mortis recorded in 1996, was the first album by a metal act, where a band would collaborate with a classical symphonic orchestra. Their material was performed live for the first time in late summer 1996 in Kufstein, subsequently, Rage and the orchestra embarked on a Christmas tour and played several European festivals. In March 1998 Rage released Their thirteenth album XIII including the Lingua Mortis Orchestra and had success on the charts. XIII was ranked number 272 in Rock Hard magazines book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time, after the album XIII, in 1999 Rage continued working with the Lingua Mortis Orchestra for their next album Ghosts
30.
Yngwie Malmsteen
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Yngwie Johan Malmsteen is a Swedish guitarist and bandleader. Malmsteen first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal. In 2009, Time magazine rated Malmsteen as among the 10 greatest electric guitar players of all time, Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm, Sweden, the third child of a musical family. At the age of ten Malmsteen created his first band, Track on Earth, consisting of himself, at the age of twelve he took his mothers maiden name Malmsten as his surname, then slightly changed it to Malmsteen and altered his third given name Yngve to Yngwie. As a teenager he was influenced by classical music, particularly 19th century violinist composer Niccolò Paganini. He also cites Uli Jon Roth and Brian May as significant influences, in early 1982, Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteens playing from the 1978 titled Demo Powerhouse, brought Malmsteen to the United States. In 1984, Malmsteen released his first solo album Rising Force and his album was meant to be an instrumental side-project of Alcatrazz, but it ended up featuring vocals and Malmsteen left Alcatrazz soon after the release of Rising Force. Rising Force won the Guitar Player Magazines award for Best Rock Album and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental, Yngwie J. Malmsteens Rising Force next released Marching Out. Jeff Scott Soto filled vocal duties on these initial albums and they recruited drummer Anders Johansson and bassist Marcel Jacob to record and tour with the band. Marcel left in the middle of a tour and was replaced by Wally Voss, Malmsteens third album, Trilogy, featuring the vocals of Mark Boals, was released in 1986. Yngwie played the bass on this album, in 1987, another singer, former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band as well as bassist Bob Daisley. That year, Malmsteen was in a car accident, smashing his V12 Jaguar E-Type into a tree. Nerve damage to his hand was reported. During this time, Malmsteens mother died from cancer, in April 1988, he released his fourth album Odyssey. Odyssey was his biggest album so far, in due to the success of its first single Heaven Tonight. Shows in Russia, Soviet Union, during the Odyssey tour were recorded, the classic Rising Force lineup with Yngwie, Jens and Anders was dissolved in 1989 when Jens joined Dio and Anders Blue Murder. In late 1988, Malmsteens signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him, in the early 1990s, Malmsteen released the albums Eclipse, The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection, Fire & Ice and The Seventh Sign. Despite his early and continuous success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s heavy metal styles, such as neoclassical metal, in 1993, Malmsteens future mother-in-law – who opposed his engagement to her daughter – had him arrested for allegedly holding her daughter hostage with a gun
