Stratovarius was founded as Black Water in August 1984 by singer and drummer Tuomo Lassila, guitarist Staffan Stråhlman, and bassist John Vihervä. In its history, the band has known many chaotic lineup changes there is no founding members in the band since 1995, and currently, the longest standing member is singer Timo Kotipelto, who joined in 1994. 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. Since their formation, they have released 15 studio albums, 4 DVD and 3 live albums. Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984.
