There's a reason Timo Tolkki no longer sings lead vocals for Finland's power-metal group Stratovarius. As Hymn to Life, the guitarist's second solo album, clearly proves, the man is much more dexterous with a fret board than with his voice box. Tolkki opens the record with a blood-curdling yowl, and then lets ex-Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske take over on "Key to the Universe." Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel also lends her angelic voice to "Are You the One?" But the rest of Hymn to Life is totally Tolkki, whose strained voice sounds as if it's just trying too hard.
The vocal differences aren't the only clues that Hymn to Life is not a Stratovarius record. Also missing are many of the power-metal riffs, hooks and guitar pyrotechnics that characterize Tolkki's main band, currently on hiatus until 2003. If Tolkki wanted to make a record that appeals to a broader audience, he no doubt would have issued an instrumental guitar album, as the guy is one of the best music writers and players on Europe's power-metal scene. Instead, he opted for a deeply personal album -- one that seems to have been recorded for cathartic reasons. Songs like the bittersweet "Little Boy I Miss You" and the aggressive "Dear God" tackle subjects foreign to many headbangers, while "Father" is easily Hymn to Life's most disturbing track. Tolkki's vocals sound even more pained than usual as his creepy spoken-word passages and distorted screams refer to his dad as a "drunken fuck." (Sample lyric: "I piss on your grave/And curse your memory.")
Adding to the album's intensely personal vibe is the fact that Hymn to Life -- on which Tolkki also plays guitar, bass and some keyboards -- was recorded in a seaside house near Helsinki, Finland. rather than in a standard studio. Few artists put their emotions and life stories on display as dramatically as Tolkki does here, and sitting through Hymn to Life may well be a discomforting experience for some listeners. That said, if you can stomach the unorthodox singing style and atypical subject matter, this album is worth exploring.
Track Listing
- Primal
- Key to the Universe
- Now I Understand
- Divine
- Little Boy I Miss You
- I Believe
- Are You the One?
- Father
- Fresh Blue Waters
- Dear God
- It's Xmas Morning
- Hymn to Life
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