At least one of the Timos in Stratovarius lived up to his potential during the Finnish progressive/power metal band's self-imposed hiatus. While guitarist Timo Tolkki's second solo album, Hymn to Life, may have been cathartic for him, it's a downright painful listening experience for the rest of us. By contrast, on his first solo album, Waiting for the Dawn, singer Timo Kotipelto soars almost as high as Stratovarius — one of Europe's premier metal bands. Of course, he enlisted the help of bass-playing bandmate Jari Kainulainen, as well as some of the most-respected musicians in the business, including guitarists Michael Romeo (Symphony X) and Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween), and keyboard player Mikko Harkin (Sonata Arctica). Bombast prevails.
Kotipelto takes listeners into the world of Egyptian mythology as seen through the eyes of a reincarnated Egyptian man. Song titles include "Lord of Eternity," "Battle of the Gods" and "The Movement of the Nile." Waiting for the Dawn gets a bit tedious, as some tracks begin to sound too similar -- a trait common to Stratovarius until the recent release of that band's Elements Part 1 CD -- and the arrangements are not as lush and effective as ones on a Stratovarius album. Still, this could have been a lot worse. Just try listening to the other Timo's record all the way through ...
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