Album Review: Timo Tolkki's Avalon - The Enigma Birth

Today, we're going to talk about the confluence of two trends. The first is the continued proliferation of multi-singer metal operas, and the second is Timo Tolkki's continued slide into irrelevance. We can begin with either, but I'll start with the gripe I have written about more often. Ever since Avantasia took the power metal world by storm, everyone has wanted to be the next auteur of a metal opera bringing together their favorite singers. At this point, not only is it played out as a concept, but everyone who is everyone has already taken part in at least one of these things, so there aren't even any big name singers left to grab for some attention.

That means this journey into Avalon is populated with singers you probably don't know. Other than the one appearance from James LaBrie, the case are anonymous to all but the most hardcore of fans. That in and of itself isn't a problem, but it does make Tolkki's version feel low-rent when you compare it to who Avantasia continues to recruit.

The biggest problem, though, is Tolkki himself. I was never that fond of Stratovarius to begin with, but since his issues began, he has churned out unremarkable albums while having several bands fall apart before they could ever get going. His career has been a mess, and the drama hasn't even been in the quest for great music. Other than somehow putting together the fourth Allen/Lande album that was better than it had any right to be, Tolkki is mostly treated as a joke these days.

This record isn't going to do a lot to resurrect his career. Tolkki fills this album with his usual power metal tropes, which were played out even a decade ago. Between the number of songs that feature the guitars dropping out during a slow first verse, and the melody lines that go for the epic blandness that permeates the genre, there's a solid chunk of the album that struggles to get going, and then has nowhere to head once it does.

I think it's made worse by the few songs where Tolkki taps back into something. "Beautiful Lie", sung by James LaBrie, is actually a heavy and memorable song that showcases why Tolkki used to be a big name. The chorus feels too short, but there's snap to the song that is desperately needed. I don't know if label politics are the reason why, but that would have made a far better single than the more rote "Master Of Hell", which is only notable for being sung by the already overplayed Raphael Mendes' impersonation of Bruce Dickinson.

As with most modern Tolkki projects, "The Enigma Birth" is a small handful of really good songs, and a whole lot of the most generic power metal you can imagine. If hearing the same old cliches again and again is your thing, you're going to like this album a whole lot more than I did. I long ago grew tired of the same riffs and melodies being used by so many power metal artists, and I haven't gotten my appetite back yet. This album isn't bad, but it's boring, which is sometimes worse.