Timo Tolkki Saana – Warrior of Light
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
After numerous delays, Timo Tolkki’s long-awaited and self-proclaimed “classical rock opera” entitled Saana – Warrior of Light will be released on Scarlet Records on Feb. 22. Better known as the fine and energetic guitarist of the power metal band Stratovarius, Tolkki takes a huge step away from his usual style and comfort zone with this album, his third solo effort.
The official title of the album is actually Saana – Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island, and unfortunately the music is as pretentious as the title – much more opera than rock. After more than a year of studio time, Saana is ethereal, electronic and atmospheric – loaded with keyboards and synthesizers, operatic vocals classical flourishes and very few guitars. Its not at all what any fan of Tolkki’s previous attempt would expect, and even die-hard Timo fans will not be happy with the release. All disappointments aside, Tolkki proves himself to be amazingly talented as he wrote all the tracks and did everything on the album except drums and vocals. Timo is joined by American singer Jennifer Sowle (as Saana), Aino Laos from England (as Freya) and Heikki Pöyhiä from Finland (as Damian). The few drums on the disc are played by Mirka Rantanen.
The album itself is basically one long song broken into 16 parts, and tells a story of despair redeemed by caring, destiny and the metaphysical battle of good versus evil. Many of the “songs” are simple instrumental passages (usually synthesizers) and maybe some sound effects. Drums and percussion do not appear until the third track, and there is not a real hint of a guitar until the 14th track – and then it just chugs a bit then goes away. Many of the musical passages sound the same – bland in their “new age” mysticism, fairly dull throughout. There are some muddy spoken passages in the mix as well. The strong vocal performances (particularly the work of Jennifer Sowle), decent engineering and solid production efforts are the only true high points of this release. “Crystal Island” is a decent ambient/atmospheric track, and “The Letter” is a pleasant ballad, but the remainder of the album seems pointless.
Supposedly Tolkki had difficulty getting this album released (it was originally slated to appear on the Frontiers label back in 2008), and it is understandable. Despite Tolkki’s assertions, this is not a symphonic metal album as there is no metal, and certainly not a rock album as it does not rock. Even as pure “new age” music it falls short. On the whole Saana is a vast disappointment considering that is comes from one of the finest active metal guitarists out there.
While this album may have been a labor of love for Tolkki, the vast majority of his fans will not share his feelings. Pretentious and dull, there is nothing redeeming about this release, indeed there is nothing of even remote interest here for rock fans. Poorly written and ploddingly pointless “songs”, this album destroys much of Tolkki’s credibility as a solo artist, and the biggest fear of his fans may be that the full title of the album implies that there will be a “Part 2.” If you are into obscure concept albums or strong operatic-style female vocals you may enjoy pieces of this album, but Saana – Warrior Of Light should have been left in the dark.
Genre: Symphonic Rock (???)
Band:
Jennifer Sowle (vocals)
Aino Laos (vocals)
Heikki Pöyhiä (vocals)
Mirka Rantanen (drums)
Timo Tolkki (all instruments except drums)
Track Listing:
1. Saana Mountain
2. Saana’s Theme
3. The End
4. Sadness of The World
5. 3 at 7
6. Silence of the Night
7. Sunrise at Saana Mountain
8. Journey to Crystal Island
9. Crystal Island
10. Freya’s Theme
11. You’ve Come a Long Way
12. The Letter
13. Who Am I?
14. Freya’s Teachings
15. Warrior of Light
16. Journey to the Azores
Label: Scarlet Records
Website: http://www.scarletrecords.it/ , http://www.myspace.com/timotolkkiofficial/music
Hardrock Haven rating: 2/10