Editing Stratovarius (section)

===Departures of Tuomo Lassila and Antti Ikonen, ''Episode'', ''Visions'' and ''Destiny'' (1996–1999)===
That same year, 1995, Tuomo Lassila, the last member of Black Water, along with Antti Ikonen were fired from the band. This decision was, as Tolkki referred to years later shortly after leaving the band in 2008, "due to a non-dedication to the band's activities. They both were not at all into heavy metal and I don't think they ever thought that the band could become so successful. They didn't like the direction the music was heading."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/timo-tolkki-issues-final-statement-regarding-stratovarius | title=TIMO TOLKKI Issues 'Final Statement' Regarding STRATOVARIUS | date=20 May 2008 }}</ref>

This left Tolkki and Stratovarius searching for a new drummer and keyboardist to fill their places. Jörg Michael from [[Rage (German band)|Rage]] was hired as their drummer and soon after, [[Jens Johansson]] of [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]-fame was hired as keyboardist, a position he has held to this date. This new line-up released ''[[Episode (Stratovarius album)|Episode]]'', an album that showcased their new symphonic direction with a full orchestra and choir utilized on tracks such as "Season of Change" and "Forever". The line-up on this album proved to be their most stable, remaining the same until the release of ''[[Polaris (Stratovarius album)|Polaris]]'' in 2009.

In 1997 the band released their sixth studio album titled ''[[Visions (Stratovarius album)|Visions]]''. This album was released to a very positive reception and featured notable songs "The Kiss of Judas", "Black Diamond" and the title track "Visions (Southern Cross)", a 10-minute epic that was their longest song at the time. "Black Diamond" has since become one of their most recognized songs, and has been included in almost all live setlists since its release. In the same year, the band recorded the album ''[[Destiny (Stratovarius album)|Destiny]]'', which reached No. 1 on the Finnish charts.<ref>[http://www.ifpi.fi/lista/artistit/stratovarius/destiny/ Stratovarius - Suomen virallinen lista]</ref> ''Destiny'' contained "S.O.S." and "Rebel", as well as the 10-minute title track "Destiny".