Album review: TIMO TOLKKI’s AVALON – The Enigma Birth

Frontiers Music [Release date 18.06.21]

Living legend of power/symphonic metal, Finland’s Timo Tolkki has again hooked up with fast rising guitarist/ writer/ producer Aldo (Secret Sphere/Sweet Oblivion) Lonobile on this, Avalon’s fourth album.

As the memory of Tolkki’s longtime band, Stratovarius, recedes into the distant past (2012), his “new” band, Avalon, continues to elbow its way to the front.

It’s worth stating the obvious difference between Stratovarius and Avalon – apart from any opinions on the music – Strato was a band; Avalon is Metal Opera. Moulding and melding disparate vocals into one unified sound is a tough gig for any artist, no matter how talented. Magnus Karlsson succeeded recently with Heart Healer, but others haven’t done so well.

There’s a primitive beauty to opener and title track, ‘The Enigma Birth’. You Tube sensation, Pellek’s skyscraping vocals and the galloping beats are a good, tight fit for Tolkki’s eminently melodic, broad brush stroke symphonic rock.

‘I Just Collapse’ and ‘Memories’ quickly level off into no more than skillfully orchestrated rock/metal. They’re sung by Caterina Nix, sounding here like Pat Benatar or Lee Aaron. She does her best, but ultimately, the arrangements and production are flat and uninspired.

We’re hitting a wall here.

Then comes the breakthrough. A handful of tracks lift the album into the world of Tolkki’s grandiose, pomp peppered metal. ‘Truth’, ‘Another Day’, ‘Beauty And War’ are theatrical pieces, punctuated by rushing, thick cut riffs, speeding, dancing keyboards and a pounding percussive beat.

Tolkki once again shows his command of orchestral and chorale arrangements … rhythms sway, strings swoop, and harmonies soar. One minute, the music is delicate and restrained, the next it’s blazing with passionate vocals, most notably from Jake E and Marina LaTorraca.

Amazingly, it steps up another gear for ‘Dreamer’, sung by Fabio Lione – intense, adventurous, visceral even, but memorably melodic, creating a sense of drama that was missing from that mid album sag. It’s a blissful, six and a half minute, Euro metal romp that will delight all Symphonic Metal fans. It doesn’t get much better than this. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)