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 musician from Finland. He is famous as the guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer for the power metal band Stratovarius. He was with the band for over twenty years, making him their longest member. After leaving Stratovarius in 2008, he started two new bands called Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia. These bands were "supergroups," meaning they had famous musicians from other bands. Guitar World magazine once listed Tolkki as one of the world's fastest guitarists.
Contents
Timo Tolkki's Early Music Career
Tolkki started playing guitar when he was seven years old. He practiced a lot, sometimes up to eight hours every day. Before joining Stratovarius in 1984, he played with other bands like Antidote, Thunder, and Road Block.
Joining Stratovarius
When he first joined Stratovarius, Tolkki was the singer and played all the guitars. He even played bass guitar sometimes until Jari Kainulainen joined in 1993. After the band's third album, Dreamspace (1994), Tolkki decided to focus more on his guitar playing. He handed over the singing duties to Timo Kotipelto. Kotipelto became the new singer starting with the album Fourth Dimension (1995).
After Dreamspace, some other changes happened in the band. The original keyboard player, Antti Ikonen, and drummer, Tuomo Lassila, left the band. This was because they had different ideas about the band's music.
Solo Music and Health Challenges
In 1994, Tolkki released his first solo album, Classical Variations and Themes. This was something he had wanted to do for a long time. The album sounded similar to his work with Stratovarius. However, it focused more on songs that were mostly instrumental, meaning they had no singing. His second solo album, Hymn to Life (2002), was more personal. It explored his feelings about his faith and his father, who had passed away.
In 2004, Tolkki faced some health challenges. After a period of recovery, he got better later that year. He then opened his own recording studio called Goldenworks. Stratovarius released a final album with Tolkki, called Stratovarius, in 2005. In 2008, he announced he was leaving the band. He decided not to keep the legal rights to the band's name. He later said he did this because the other members wanted to continue using the name Stratovarius.
Timo Tolkki's Other Music Projects
After leaving Stratovarius, Timo Tolkki started several new and exciting music projects.
Revolution Renaissance
Tolkki's next big project was a rock opera album called Saana – Warrior of Light Pt 1. It came out on March 14, 2008. This album featured many guest singers, including soprano Jennifer Sowle in the main role. Later in 2008, he formed a band called Revolution Renaissance. This band released three albums between 2008 and 2010.
Symfonia
In 2010, Tolkki helped form Symfonia. This was another power metal supergroup. It included famous musicians like singer André Matos, keyboardist Mikko Härkin, drummer Uli Kusch, and his former Stratovarius bandmate Jari Kainulainen. They performed for the first time at the 2011 Finnish Metal Expo. They released one studio album called In Paradisum. However, in December of that year, Tolkki announced that the band would stop. He also said he was stepping away from the music industry for a while.
In March 2012, Tolkki shared on his Facebook page that he hadn't completely given up on music. He hinted that fans would hear something new from him. He later released an instrumental song called "Dinner with Paganini" for free download.
Avalon Metal Opera
In February 2013, Timo announced his new project, Avalon. This project featured many guest musicians from famous bands. Some of these included Michael Kiske (Unisonic, Helloween), Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Elize Ryd (Amaranthe), and Russell Allen (Symphony X).
The first Avalon album, The Land of New Hope, was released on May 17, 2013. It tells a story set in a future after natural disasters have almost destroyed Earth. A small group of survivors goes on a journey to find a special place called The Land of New Hope.
Tolkki later announced a sequel to this album, called Angels of the Apocalypse. More famous singers joined this project, like Simone Simons of Epica and Floor Jansen. His former Stratovarius bandmates, drummer Tuomo Lassila and keyboardist Antti Ikonen, also played on this album.
In June 2019, Timo Tolkki released the third part of the Avalon story, called Return to Eden. In 2021, he released his new solo album, Union Magnetica, which is also considered the fourth Avalon album, called The Enigma Birth.
Allen/Lande
On July 24, 2013, Tolkki announced he would be working with the duo Allen/Lande. This duo included Russell Allen from Symphony X and Norwegian singer Jørn Lande. Tolkki was the producer, mixer, and songwriter for their album The Great Divide, which came out in 2014.
Chaos Magic
In May 2015, it was announced that Timo would work with Chilean singer Caterina Nix on a project called Chaos Magic. Caterina had previously sung on Avalon's second album. Their first album, Chaos Magic, was released in July 2015.
Timo Tolkki's Guitar Style
When Tolkki played on Stratovarius' first three albums, his guitar style was more progressive and heavy. He often used a lower guitar tuning, and his songs sometimes had a dark sound. After Timo Kotipelto became the lead singer, Tolkki's style slowly changed. It became more focused on the fast and melodic sounds of power metal. He started using more neoclassical guitar techniques and various shredding styles, which means playing very fast.
Personal Life
Timo Tolkki has a daughter born in 1988. He has been in a relationship with Dominika Gottová since 2000. They got married in 2010.
Discography
Stratovarius
As singer and guitarist
- 1989: Fright Night
- 1992: Twilight Time (Stratovarius II)
- 1994: Dreamspace
As guitarist
- 1995: Fourth Dimension
- 1996: Episode
- 1997: Visions
- 1998: Destiny
- 1999: The Chosen Ones
- 2000: Infinite
- 2001: Intermission
- 2003: Elements Pt. 1
- 2003: Elements Pt. 2
- 2005: Stratovarius
- 2006: Black Diamond: The Anthology
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
Revolution Renaissance
- 2008: New Era
- 2009: Age of Aquarius
- 2010: Trinity
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
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 – Kaksi kertaa enemmän
- 2010: Beto Vázquez Infinity – Existence (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
See also
In Spanish: Timo Tolkki para niños
