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May 17, 2012 |
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01. Seeds Of Sorrow
02. Reasons
03. Around
04. Can You Hear The Sound
05. Snowbound
06. Journey Back
07. Evening's Fall
08. Coldness Of My Mind
09. Take Me Away
10. Here We Are
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Fans of STRATOVARIUS know exactly who Timo Kotipelto is. Not only did he establish himself as frontman of one of Finland's most popular bands, he is also, unquestionably, one of the most talented vocalists of our time. His commanding voice has captured the attention of listeners from all over the world and with an already impressive list of achievements, Timo Kotipelto is well on his way to reaching even higher ground.
In spite of all the recent "stuff" that has been happening in STRATOVARIUS, Timo Kotipelto managed to keep his mind focused on what is most important (the music) and hit the studio to record his second solo album, "Coldness". Just as with "Waiting For The Dawn" in 2002, a group of unequalled world-class musicians have come together to bring their talents to the table. Joining Mr. Kotipelto are keyboardist Janne Wirman (CHILDREN OF BODOM, WARMEN), bassist Jari Kainulainen (STRATOVARIUS), axe virtuoso Mike Romeo (SYMPHONY X), guitarist Juhani Malmberg (TUNNELVISION), guest lead guitarist Antti Wirman (WARMEN, CRAYDAWN) and drummer Mirka Rantanen (THUNDERSTONE, TUNNELVISION, WARMEN).
If you are hoping to hear another STRATOVARIUS album here, you will be disappointed. What you will hear is more of a straight-forward traditional heavy metal sound with the added touch of power metal. There are considerable changes in style in comparison to KOTIPELTO's first solo effort. The songs on "Coldness" have more feel and depth to them and the thing I like the most is that they were all written by Timo Kotipelto himself. This one is definitely an improvement over "Waiting For The Dawn", that is for sure. The disc also features some bonus material: the video for "Reasons" as well as a video of the making of "Coldness"
The opening track, "Seeds Of Sorrow", is a fast-paced song with pounding double kick speed and great guitar work, not to mention excellent solos (keyboards too). Good choice for an opener if you ask me! The first single, "Reasons", carries a mid-ranged tempo and has a melodic feel to it. "Around" sports the same style but has more of a harder edge. The keyboard intro is very well done and I like the guitar that starts 30 seconds into the track.
Getting up to some speed again, "Can You Hear The Sound" is filled with relentless riffing and thunderous drumming. "Snowbound" is one of the CD’s darker tracks while "Journey Back" has a nice blend of crunch/melody/speed all in one. Blistering keyboard/guitar solos too – very nice! The album's final (and longest) track, "Here We Are", is very dark sounding and is another prime example of the sheer talent that these musicians possess. The song fades out close to the end, but then comes back after some seconds of silence. When you listen to this part, you will notice that your speakers will sound like they are distorting, but it is actually part of the song.
Along with writing the material for this album, Timo Kotipelto also took on the role of producer. It was engineered by Janne Wirman and Tero Kostermaa, mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studio in Helsinki and mastered by Mika Jussila. So needless to say, both the production and sound quality are second to none.
I really needed to give this album a couple of spins before I could form an opinion on it. After listening to it 6 times now, I can honestly say that "Coldness" is a very good album. I recommend this disc! Timo Kotipelto has done a really good job of expressing his visions through his music, and STRATOVARIUS or not, I think a bright future is on the horizon and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
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