The time I was just reading 'bout the strong rumor predicting an ACCEPT reunion without Udo Dirkschneider, the same time the new STRATOVARIUS album - the first without Timo Tolkki in the guitars - was around. Whatever happened between Timo and the rest of the band's latest lineup is more or less known, so there's no special interest in repeating the past. As for the rest...
...there's a certain categorization of fans - old or new - of this Finnish act. Well, old fans are no longer around I think (speaking about metalheads addicted to the three first albums, the time that Tolkki was also singing). Apart from them, the next generation is believed to be divided in the ones being in love with the 'from the Fourth Dimension CD to the Destiny album' era of STRATOVARIUS and the rest can claim to be the ones eagerly supporting the confused act's latest releases, too. Still, the major 'Tolkki leaves, name stays' update raised a question regarding what kind of an album would the remaining members release now...
To cut a long story short, in songs like Blind, Forever Is Today and Higher We Go things roll rather fast so that you can expect some typical post-mid-90s STRATOVARIUS talkin' - without any unexpected treasures, of course - while the rest of the songs seem to be so boring/predictable (well, Winter Skies leaves its own stamp) that you can end up falling asleep rather quickly...Trying to be epic, catchy, speedy and mysterious, Polaris can succeed in serving as a less than even mediocre album; and I'm pretty confident that this is not due to the lack of Tolkki. Surprisingly enough, the new axeman - Matias Kupiainen - does a very good job over here...when his work is heard, in this over-keyboarded album...
The performance of each member is - of course - faultless, plus Timo Kotipelto's voice preserves its undisputed quality. So, this leaves us with the STRATOVARIUS pattern as the sole explanation on this album, right? Maybe after a dozen of more auditions things shall turn out in favor of the band, but - for the time being - Polaris does not seem capable of saving the day for what's left (the last years) from the STRATO-saga. Die-hard fans have their own criteria, anyway, but the rest of the 15-25 years old devotees shall urgently take a glimpse in prior before deciding to use their wallet...

P.S.: A video has already been shot for the Deep Unknown single.