Stormcrow

Stormcrow is the second album, six years after the debut. Jani Liimatainen has said he was approached about a second Cain's Offering record some years earlier but had no time for it then; when the question came round again in 2014 he had room, and took it. In between came Blackoustic, his duo with Timo Kotipelto. Mikko Härkin gives way on keyboards to Jens Johansson of Stratovarius, formerly of Yngwie Malmsteen's band, and Jonas Kuhlberg replaces Jukka Koskinen on bass; Kotipelto and Jani Hurula remain. Liimatainen produced, Stratovarius guitarist Matias Kupiainen mixed, and Mika Jussila mastered at Finnvox. The title and tracklist went public on 5 March 2015. "I Will Build You a Rome" appeared on 15 April, the title track on the 22nd, and "The Best of Times" eight days after that. Japan got it on 29 April, Europe on 15 May, North America on 19 May. Eleven songs: the fast, piling title track and "Constellation of Tears," the six-minute orchestral ballad "Too Tired to Run," the instrumental "I Am Legion," and "On the Shore" to finish. This time, Liimatainen says, he was not trying to prove anything — only to write the best possible material, since melody is always king. In Hurula's words, the record is majestic and humongous.