Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, 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 ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original arti ...

'' magazine, Tolkki was included in the all-time top 50 list of the world's

fastest Fastest is a model-based testing tool that works with specifications written in the Z notation. The tool implements the Test Template Framework (TTF) proposed by Phil Stocks and David Carrington in . Usage Fastest presents a command-line user ...

guitarists.

Early years and Stratovarius

Tolkki started playing guitar at the age of seven and practiced intensely, sometimes eight hours a day. When he was twelve years old, his father committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of his apartment.Tolkki, Timo (2010).
Loneliness of a Thousand Years
'.

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. p. 4. Retrieved 31 July 2012. Before joining Stratovarius in 1984, Tolkki had played with the bands Antidote, Thunder and Road Block. At the beginning of his career with Stratovarius, he served as vocalist as well as handling all

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

and

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guita ...

s, and at times

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

(until Jari Kainulainen's arrival in 1993). After the band's third album, '' Dreamspace'' (1994), Tolkki handed over vocal duties to Timo Kotipelto, who took over from ''

Fourth Dimension Fourth dimension may refer to: Science * Time in physics, the continued progress of existence and events * Four-dimensional space, the concept of a fourth spatial dimension * Spacetime, the unification of time and space as a four-dimensional con ...

'' (1995) onwards. This was largely due to Tolkki's desire to evolve the overall musical direction of the band and concentrate on his guitar work. Further changes were made after ''Dreamspace'', including the departure of the remaining original members of the band, keyboardist Antti Ikonen and drummer Tuomo Lassila, due to creative differences.Tolkki, Timo (24 July 2013)
"I want to thank everyone who answered to my simple..."

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

. Retrieved 2013-11-05. In 1994, Tolkki released his first solo album, '' Classical Variations and Themes'', which had at the time been one of his longtime ambitions. The album was similar to his work with Stratovarius, but with more focus on primarily

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

compositions. His second solo album, ''

Hymn to Life The ''Hymn to Life'' (german: Hymnus an das Leben) is a musical composition for mixed chorus and orchestra by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Origin In 1884, Nietzsche wrote to Gast: "This time, 'music' will reach you. I want to have a ...

'' (2002) showed a more personal side, dealing with such emotional issues as his relationship with

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

and his late father. He was diagnosed with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

in 2004, following a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

which occurred some months after Stratovarius acrimoniously disbanded. After a period of rehabilitation, he went on to make a full recovery later that year and subsequently opened his own recording studio named Goldenworks. 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.

Solo projects

Revolution Renaissance

Tolkki's next project was an album described as a rock opera, named ''

Saana – Warrior of Light Pt 1 Timo Tapio Tolkki (born 3 March 1966) is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing ...

''. Released on 14 March 2008, it featured a number of guest vocalists, including soprano Jennifer Sowle in the lead role, as well as

Heikki Pöyhiä Twilightning was a power metal band from Imatra, Finland, which formed in 1998. They disbanded in June 2009. Biography Twilightning formed in 1998, consisting of guitarists Tommi Sartanen and Ville Wallenius, bassist Jussi Kainulainen, and drumm ...

Twilightning Twilightning was a power metal band from Imatra, Finland, which formed in 1998. They disbanded in June 2009. Biography Twilightning formed in 1998, consisting of guitarists Tommi Sartanen and Ville Wallenius, bassist Jussi Kainulainen, and drumm ...

. Also in 2008, he founded a band called Revolution Renaissance, which released three albums between 2008 and 2010.

Symfonia

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. They made their debut performance at the 2011 Finnish Metal Expo and later released their only studio album, '' In Paradisum'', but in December of that year Tolkki announced the discontinuation of the band, and subsequently his retirement from the music industry. In March 2012, Tolkki stated on his

profile (and official Symfonia page) that although he had left the music business, he hadn't given up on music altogether: "With all the tools available for us today to release music, you will hear something interesting from me". Later he released a mock album cover entitled ''Classical Variations and Themes Vol 2'', suggesting a new solo album. On 10 April 2012 he released a new instrumental track named "Dinner with Paganini", which was made available as a free download through

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

, as well as a revised name for a potential new album, ''Classical Variations and Themes II: Credo''. However, on 26 July, he announced the cancellation of the project.

Avalon Metal Opera

On 8 January 2013, Tolkki announced the opening of a new mixing and mastering studio named Studiotolkki, located in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland. In February 2013, Timo announced his new project, Avalon, featuring a group of guest musicians such as Michael Kiske ( Unisonic,

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael W ...

), Sharon den Adel ( Within Temptation),

Elize Ryd Hanna Elise Isabell Maj Höstblomma Ryd (born 15 October 1984), known professionally as Elize Ryd, is a Swedish singer, best known as one of the three vocalists and co-lyricist in the metal band Amaranthe. She also gained some popularity prior to ...

( Amaranthe), Russell Allen ( Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob, Star One), Rob Rock (

Impellitteri Impellitteri is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri, vocalist Rob Rock, and bassist James Amelio Pulli. The band has sold millions of albums worldwide. History Chris Impellitteri for ...

M.A.R.S. Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the leader of the Iron Grenadiers, and founder of M.A.R.S. ...

), Tony Kakko ( Sonata Arctica), Jens Johansson (Stratovarius,

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

), Derek Sherinian ( Dream Theater) and Alex Holzwarth ( Rhapsody of Fire). The album, released on 17 May 2013, follows a story set in a post-apocalyptic future. In 2055, Earth has been almost destroyed by natural catastrophes, and a small group of survivors decide to set off a journey to find a sacred place known as The Land of New Hope. In October 2013 Timo launched a news website for the project in which he announced the sequel to ''The Land of New Hope'', which was provisionally titled ''Avalon II''. The cast of guest musicians will be revealed one by one. Simone Simons of Epica fame is the first confirmed singer. Floor Jansen will play the leading role. It was also announced that Timo's former bandmates in Stratovarius, drummer Tuomo Lassila and keyboardist Antti Ikonen will play on this album. A European tour was planned for May 2014, coinciding with the release of the album. On 28 January, Timo revealed title of the album ('' Angels of the Apocalypse'') and the rest of the cast: Fabio Lione ( Rhapsody of Fire, Angra), David DeFeis ( Virgin Steele),

( Amaranthe) and

Caterina Nix Caterina is a feminine given name which is an Italian language, Italian and Catalan language, Catalan form of the name ''Katherine (given name), Katherine''. Notable people with the name include: In music: * Caterina Assandra, Italian composer a ...

. Timo also announced that there will be a contest for guitar and keyboard players, with the winners getting a chance to perform a solo with him in one of the songs. In June 2019, Timo Tolkki released the third part of the ''Avalon'' trilogy, the album '' Return to Eden'', with the main working song, "Promises". In 2021, Timo Tolkki releases his new solo album with "Infinite Visions" project's songs, called "Union Magnetica", as the fourth Avalon album, which is called "The Enigma Birth", with many musicians as guests. The new metal opera album has the main working songs "Master of Hell" and "The Fire and the Sinner".

Allen/Lande

On 24 July 2013, Tolkki announced via his Facebook page (among a statement regarding Stratovarius) that he would be the producer, mixer and songwriter for a new album of the duo Allen/Lande, composed of Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen and Norwegian singer Jørn Lande. The album '' The Great Divide'' was released on 17 October in Europe and 21 October 2014 in North America.

Chaos Magic

In May 2015, it was announced that Timo would produce and perform in a project with Chilean singer Caterina Nix titled Chaos Magic. Caterina and Timo met in Chile when Stratovarius was performing there. She would later guest sing in Avalon's second album, '' Angels of the Apocalypse''. Their first, self-titled album is set for a 3 July release in Europe. In June 2015 they released their first videos: a video for the song "I'm Alive", and two lyric videos for "One Drop of Blood" and "A Little Too Late".

Infinite Visions & We are the Revolution

In 2022, Timo Tolkki releases the single from the new album called ''"We are the Revolution"'', with several other guest artists, from his upcoming album "Union Magnetica", Infinite Visions.

Playing style

From the period spanning Stratovarius' first three albums, Tolkki's guitar playing was more

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and heavy. During this time he preferred E tuning, with his compositions often bearing a dark and unnerving tonal quality (particularly on ''Dreamspace''). Following Timo Kotipelto's arrival as lead singer, Tolkki's style shifted gradually more towards the traditionally speedy and melodic format of power metal, with an emphasis on such elements as neoclassical phrasing and various shredding techniques.

Personal life

Tolkki has been married three times. He has one daughter from his second marriage, born in 1989. Since 2000, Tolkki has been in a relationship with Dominika Gottová, eldest daughter of Czech singer Karel Gott. They got married in 2010. Gottová filed for divorce in December 2019, but the proceedings were halted in November 2020 after the couple decided to reconcile.

Discography

Stratovarius

As singer and guitarist

*1989: '' Fright Night'' *1992: '' Twilight Time'' (''Stratovarius II'') *1994: '' Dreamspace''

As guitarist

*1995: ''

'' *1996: '' Episode'' *1997: '' Visions'' *1998: ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although oft ...

'' *1999: '' The Chosen Ones'' *2000: '' Infinite'' *2001: '' Intermission'' *2003: '' Elements Pt. 1'' *2003: ''

Elements Pt. 2 ''Elements Pt. 2'' is the tenth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 4 November 2003 through Nuclear Blast. The album reached No. 4 on the Finnish albums chart and its single, "I Walk to My Own Song", reached No. 9 on the Fi ...

'' *2005: '' Stratovarius'' *2006: '' Black Diamond: The Anthology''

Solo albums

*1994: '' Classical Variations and Themes'' *2002: ''

'' *2008: ''

'' *2022: '' Union Magnetica''

Revolution Renaissance

*2008: '' New Era'' *2009: ''

Age of Aquarius The Age of Aquarius, in astrology, is either the current or forthcoming astrological age, depending on the method of calculation. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the earth's slow precessional rotation and lasts for ...

'' *2010: ''

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...

Symfonia

*2011: '' In Paradisum''

Timo Tolkki's Avalon

*2013: '' The Land of New Hope'' *2014: '' Angels of the Apocalypse'' *2019: '' Return to Eden'' *2021: ''

The Enigma Birth ''The Enigma Birth'' is the fourth full-length album by Timo Tolkki's Finnish metal opera project Avalon (Finnish band), Avalon, released on June 18, 2021. As with the previous effort, several heavy metal singers were invited to play the character ...

Allen/Lande

*2014: '' The Great Divide''

Chaos Magic (Caterina Nix feat. Timo Tolkki)

*2015: ''Chaos Magic''

Other appearances

*1998: Edguy – '' Vain Glory Opera'' (guitar solo on "Out of Control") *2001: Avantasia – '' The Metal Opera'' (vocals on "The Tower") *2002: Avantasia – '' The Metal Opera Part II'' (guitar solo on "The Seven Angels" and "Into the Unknown") *2002: Thunderstone – '' Thunderstone'' (guitar solo on "Like Father, Like Son") *2003:

Gimmel Gimel is the third letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Gīml , Hebrew Gimel , Aramaic Gāmal , Syriac Gāmal , and Arabic (in alphabetical order; fifth in spelling order). Its sound value in the original Phoenician and in ...

– ''Kaksi kertaa enemmän'' *2010: Beto Vázquez Infinity – ''

Existence Existence is the ability of an entity to interact with reality. In philosophy, it refers to the ontological property of being. Etymology The term ''existence'' comes from Old French ''existence'', from Medieval Latin ''existentia/exsistenti ...

'' (guitar solo on "Existence") *2013: Dreamtale – ''World Changed Forever'' (guitar solo on "The End of Our Days") *2014: Ring of Fire – ''Battle of Leningrad''

Books

*2010: ''Loneliness of a Thousand Years'' *2012: ''Golden Handbook of Recording Heavy Metal Music'' *2020: ''Hymni elämälle – Stratovarius-kitaristin tarina'' ("Hymn to Life – The Story of a Stratovarius Guitarist") *2020: ''Golden Handbook of Recording Heavy Metal Music'' – Update

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolkki, Timo Finnish heavy metal guitarists Stratovarius members People with bipolar disorder 1966 births Living people People from Nurmijärvi Lead guitarists Nuclear Blast artists Allen-Lande members Revolution Renaissance members Symfonia members Sanctuary Records artists Scarlet Records artists