Timo Tolkki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Timo Tolkki
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Tolkki performing with Stratovarius in 2007
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| Birth name | Timo Tapio Tolkki |
| Born | 3 March 1966 Klaukkala, Nurmijärvi, Finland |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
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Timo Tapio Tolkki (born March 3, 1966) is a famous musician from Finland. He is best known as the former guitarist, songwriter, and producer for the power metal band Stratovarius. He was a member of the band for over 20 years, making him its longest-serving member before he left in 2008.
After Stratovarius, he started other bands, including Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia. In 2011, Guitar World magazine named him one of the 50 fastest guitar players in the world.
Contents
Career with Stratovarius
Timo Tolkki began playing the guitar when he was just seven years old. He practiced for many hours every day to become a great musician. When he was a teenager, he faced a difficult family tragedy.
Before joining Stratovarius in 1984, Tolkki played in a few other bands. In his early days with Stratovarius, he was the singer and played all the guitar parts. After the band's third album, Dreamspace (1994), he decided to focus only on playing the guitar. He asked Timo Kotipelto to become the new singer. This allowed the band to develop a new sound.
Writing His Own Music
In 1994, Tolkki released his first solo album, Classical Variations and Themes. It was a dream come true for him. The music was similar to Stratovarius but had more instrumental songs that showed off his guitar skills.
His second solo album, Hymn to Life (2002), was much more personal. It explored his feelings about his family and his life.
A Time for Change
In 2004, Tolkki went through a period of personal difficulty and took a break to focus on his health. After his recovery, he opened his own recording studio called Goldenworks.
Stratovarius released one more album with Tolkki, the self-titled album in 2005. In 2008, Tolkki announced he was leaving the band. He allowed the other members to keep using the band's name.
Projects After Stratovarius
After leaving Stratovarius, Tolkki started several new and exciting musical projects.
Revolution Renaissance
In 2008, Tolkki founded a new band called Revolution Renaissance. The band released three albums between 2008 and 2010. It was his first major project after his time in Stratovarius.
Symfonia
In 2010, Tolkki formed Symfonia, a power metal "supergroup." A supergroup is a band made up of musicians who are already famous from other bands. Symfonia included singer André Matos and Tolkki's former Stratovarius bandmate, Jari Kainulainen.
They released one album, In Paradisum, in 2011. Later that year, Tolkki announced he was taking a break from the music industry, but he couldn't stay away from making music for long.
Avalon Metal Opera
In 2013, Tolkki announced his most ambitious project yet: a metal opera called Avalon. A metal opera tells a story through a series of heavy metal songs, much like a musical play.
The first album, The Land of New Hope, tells a story set in the year 2055 after the world has been nearly destroyed. A group of survivors search for a safe place to live. The album featured many famous guest singers, including Michael Kiske from the band Helloween and Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation.
Tolkki continued the Avalon story with more albums:
- Angels of the Apocalypse (2014)
- Return to Eden (2019)
- The Enigma Birth (2021)
Each album brought in more talented guest musicians from the world of metal.
Other Work
Tolkki has also worked with other artists. In 2013, he produced and wrote songs for the duo Allen/Lande, which features singers Russell Allen and Jørn Lande.
In 2015, he worked with Chilean singer Caterina Nix on a project called Chaos Magic. He produced their first album and played instruments on it.
Playing Style
Tolkki is known for his amazing guitar skills. In the early days of Stratovarius, his style was darker and more complex, similar to progressive metal.
Later, his music became faster and more melodic, which is typical of power metal. He was inspired by classical music and became famous for his ability to play incredibly fast solos, a style sometimes called "shredding."
Personal Life
Tolkki has a daughter, who was born in 1988. Since 2000, he has been with Dominika Gottová, the daughter of the famous Czech singer Karel Gott. They married in 2010.
Discography
With Stratovarius
- 1989: Fright Night
- 1992: Twilight Time
- 1994: Dreamspace
- 1995: Fourth Dimension
- 1996: Episode
- 1997: Visions
- 1998: Destiny
- 2000: Infinite
- 2003: Elements Pt. 1
- 2003: Elements Pt. 2
- 2005: Stratovarius
Solo Albums
- 1994: Classical Variations and Themes
- 2002: Hymn to Life
- 2008: Saana – Warrior of Light Pt 1
- 2022: We Are The Revolution - Single
- 2023: Renaissance Acoustica
- 2024: Classical Variations and Themes II: Ultima Thule
With Revolution Renaissance
- 2008: New Era
- 2009: Age of Aquarius
- 2010: Trinity
With Symfonia
- 2011: In Paradisum
With Timo Tolkki's Avalon
- 2013: The Land of New Hope
- 2014: Angels of the Apocalypse
- 2019: Return to Eden
- 2021: The Enigma Birth
With Allen/Lande
- 2014: The Great Divide
With Chaos Magic
- 2015: Chaos Magic
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)
See also
In Spanish: Timo Tolkki para niños
