TIMO TOLKKI – Hymn To Life

Timo Tolkki, known as the mastermind behind the Finnish successful Stratovarius, releases his second solo album. And may I add; this is indeed a solo album, as the music isn’t really something that would fit a Stratovarius record. Does that mean this ain’t any good then? No, by no means, but there’s a lot of diverse material here, and the whole disc lacks maybe a direction. That being said, it’s not at all the pop music album everybody expected. You’ll find a few mellow songs, as well as “Father”, who will scare the mainstream pop audience away. Most importantly, Timo’s excellent melodies are still present, the flower unfolds in such genius songs as “Key To The Universe” and “Are You The One?” – the first sung by Mighty Michael Kiske, and the latter by Sharon Den Adel. Those songs are by far my favorites, though I really never had a problem with Timo’s voice. “Hymn To Life”, the title track, also has a melody that will have you humming for days after spinning the disc. On the contrary, there are a few fillers on “Hymn To Life”, that’s why the rating is just average. But again, the songs mentioned are so good they’re worth the record alone…