| Timo Tolkki's Avalon | |
| Origin: | Finland |
| Genre: | Symphonic power metal |
| Years Active: | 2013 - 2021 |
| Label: | Frontiers |
| Associated Acts: | Stratovarius, Symfonia, Allen-Lande, Rhapsody of Fire, Sonata Arctica, Dream Theater, Yngwie Malmsteen, Secret Sphere, Temperance, Star One, Amaranthe |
| Current Members: | Timo Tolkki |
Timo Tolkki's Avalon (also known simply as Avalon) was a Finnish metal opera project created by Timo Tolkki (formerly of Stratovarius, Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia) in 2013.[1]
According to Tolkki "I find the Metal Opera concept fascinating and logical to me at this point of my career. I love classical music and just like in Classical Opera, in the Metal Opera you can also create stories and have almost limitless possibilities musically".[2]
The project, including its name, was conceived by Frontiers Records's founder Serafino Perugino in 2010. He called Tolkki back then and asked if he wanted to do a metal opera like that.[3]
The project's debut album, The Land of New Hope, was released on 17 May 2013 through Frontiers Records. The album features performances by vocalists Elize Ryd, Rob Rock, Michael Kiske, Russell Allen, Sharon den Adel and Tony Kakko, as well as the participation of guest musicians Alex Holzwarth on drums and both Jens Johansson and Derek Sherinian on keyboards.[4]
Tobias Sammet, German musician and mentor of Avantasia, another metal opera which had its 6th album released in March 2013, received the news of Timo Tolkki's own project with initial sarcasm, stating: "Wow, someone is extraordinarily creative here: the title, the guests, the timing... What a funny coincidence, isn't it?! But there have been thousands of Metal Operas, especially after Avantasia. Such is business...".[5] However, he later stated: "There are a lot of metal operas out there, and I have to deal with that. If something is very successful or even not successful then other people may feel inspired by it. It's Timo Tolkki (laughs) what can I say, he's a great guy and he does what he does. I wish him the best of luck."[6]
When asked about if he was aware that this project would be compared to Avantasia, Timo replied that "Nobody owns a franchise to 'metal operas' which is not really an operatic format because it doesn't have any real dialogue between the singers."[7]
In October 2013 Timo launched a news website for the project in which he announced the sequel to The Land of New Hope, which was provisionally titled Avalon II.[8] The cast of guest musicians will be revealed one by one.[8] Simone Simons of Epica fame is the first confirmed singer.[9] Floor Jansen will play the leading role.[10] It was also announced that Timo's former bandmates in Stratovarius, drummer Tuomo Lassila and keyboardist Antti Ikonen will play on this album.[11] [12]
On 28 January Timo revealed title of the album (Angels of the Apocalypse) and the rest of the cast: Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire, Angra), David DeFeis (Virgin Steele), Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) and Caterina Nix.[13] Timo also announced that there will be a contest for guitar and keyboard players, with the winners getting a chance to perform a solo with him in one of the songs.[13]
A European tour was planned for May 2014, coinciding with the release of the album.[10]
In early 2019, Timo Tolkki announced the third Avalon album and remaining part of the Avalon trilogy, Return to Eden, with the main working song, "Promises".[14] [15]
The fourth Avalon studio album, The Enigma Birth was released on 18 June 2021, extending the Avalon conceptual saga.[16] Shortly after the album's release, Timo Tolkki announced the end of the Avalon project after a dispute with Frontiers Records.
| Name | Associated bands | The Land of New Hope | Angels of the Apocalypse | Return to Eden | The Enigma Birth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Timo Tolkki | Stratovarius, Revolution Renaissance, Symfonia, Allen-Lande | guitar, bass | guitar, bass | guitar | guitar | |
 Alex Holzwarth | drums | |||||
| Mikko Härkin | keyboards | |||||
 Derek Sherinian | Dream Theater, Black Country Communion, Yngwie Malmsteen, Planet X, Sons of Apollo | keyboard solo on track 8 | ||||
 Jens Johansson | Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen, Cain's Offering | keyboard solo on track 8 | ||||
| Sami Boman | Silentium | orchestration | ||||
| Tuomo Lassila | Stratovarius | drums | ||||
| Antti Ikonen | Stratovarius | keyboards | ||||
 Nicolas Jeudy | orchestration | |||||
 Andrea Buratto | Secret Sphere | bass | ||||
| Giulio Capone | Temperance | drums, piano, keyboards | ||||
| Santtu Lehtiniemi | additional guitar | |||||
| Aldo Lonobile | Secret Sphere, Death SS | guitar | guitar | |||
| Antonio Agate | Secret Sphere, Icon & The Black Roses | piano, keyboards, orchestration | piano, keyboards, orchestration | |||
| Andrea Arcangeli | Concept, DGM | bass | ||||
| Marco Lazzarini | Secret Sphere | drums, piano, keyboards | ||||
| Federico Maraucci | additional guitar |
| Name | Associated bands | The Land of New Hope | Angels of the Apocalypse | Return to Eden | The Enigma Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Rock | Impellitteri | lead vocals on tracks 1–2, 4–5, 7-8 | |||
| Russell Allen | Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob, Allen-Lande, Star One | lead vocals on tracks 1–2, 4 | |||
| Michael Kiske | lead vocals on track 10 | ||||
| Tony Kakko | lead vocals on track 5 | ||||
 Sharon den Adel | lead vocals on track 6 | ||||
| Elize Ryd | Amaranthe | lead vocals on tracks 1–4, 6, 9 | lead vocals on tracks 9-10 | ||
| Floor Jansen | Nightwish, ReVamp, After Forever, Star One, Ayreon | lead vocals on tracks 3, 6–7, 10 | |||
| Simone Simons | Epica | lead vocals on tracks 9-10 | |||
| David DeFeis | Virgin Steele | lead vocals on track 4 | |||
| Fabio Lione | lead vocals on tracks 1–2, 5 | lead vocals on tracks 9, 12 | |||
 Caterina Nix | Aghonya, Chaos Magic | lead vocals on tracks 9-10 | lead vocals on tracks 2-3 | ||
| Zachary Stevens | Circle II Circle, Savatage | lead vocals on track 8 | lead vocals on tracks 3, 6, 11 | ||
| Todd Michael Hall | Riot V | lead vocals on tracks 2–3, 5 | |||
| Anneke van Giersbergen | The Gathering, Anneke van Giersbergen | lead vocals on tracks 4, 8 | |||
| Mariangela Demurtas | Tristania | lead vocals on tracks 3, 9, 12 | |||
| Eduard Hovinga | Elegy | lead vocals on tracks 7, 10 | |||
| Chiara Tricarico | Temperance | backing vocals on track 9 | |||
 James LaBrie | Dream Theater, MullMuzzler | lead vocals on track 5 | |||
| Jake E | ex-Amaranthe, Cyhra | lead vocals on tracks 6, 10 | |||
 Marina La Torraca | Phantom Elite, Exit Eden | lead vocals on tracks 7, 11 | |||
| Brittney Hayes | Unleash the Archers | lead vocals on tracks 3, 10 | |||
| Raphael Mendes | Icon of Sin | lead vocals on tracks 4, 8 | |||
 PelleK | lead vocals on track 1 | ||||
| Year | Album | Peak positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (Wa) [17] | FIN [18] | SWE [19] | SWI [20] | |||
| 2013 | The Land of New Hope | 102 | 7 | 42 | 59 | |
| 2014 | Angels of the Apocalypse | — | 42 | — | — | |
| 2019 | Return to Eden | — | 7 | — | — | |
| 2021 | The Enigma Birth | — | 46 [21] | — | 43 | |