Timo Tolkki: "Time to Rest"

[moleSG]

Saw this on the Symfonia facebook page a few minutes ago...

I don't know how many of you are interested in reading this and quite frankly, I dont even care so much, but I am just writing down some early morning thoughts regarding Symfonia and other stuff going on in my life.

As it turned out to be, it all started from a cake. I thought it might be some kind of a celestial joke and maybe it was, but when 2 fans handed me a Symfonia cake after the last gig of Symfonia's South American tour, after spending 3 nights in a 15 bucks cold motel with grey concrete walls looking like a prison in Santiago de Chile and flying 28 hours to another continent to play to audiences varying from 100 to 350, I started to think that maybe this really is it. The cake was in a funny way telling me:"hey Timo, don't you see:it's over".

And I started to really consider my whole musician's career. This happened in June.

Exactly a year before I had flown to Sweden to record 3 demo songs I had composed hoping to record some vocals of Andre. I spent there 6 days and from those days, I was able to squeeze about 6 hours of singing from him. In between going to supermarkets, changing diapers and me trying to solve some of their domestic disputes, I started to think if it was such a good idea after all.

But people liked the demos and I went full on producing the "In Paradisum" album to which I put around 1000 working hours. Andre Matos told me very clear that this band should not do any gigs if it doesnt make any money. I basically agreed but at the same time I knew that people would still consider it as a new band. Not "The Spartacus of Metal" where the gates of superstardom would open just like that. Uli Kusch had been in and out of band due to his hand injury and in the middle of vocal recordings in Sweden, he sent me a mail telling me he would never ever play any gigs in his life because "he was tired of piss smelling backstage rooms, the chaos, the travelling etc. In vain I tried to tell him that this was not what we agreed. He did tell me that if Symfonia would make a second album, we could use his name for 10 000 euros and use Alex Landenburg for the recordings. And after 10 minutes came a text message that he also wanted me to pay the taxes of his fee so it would total 13 000 euros for the usage of his name. I did not respond to that but I really found it hard to believe.

Then Matos lost his voice in the middle of the vocal recordings for 4 days and while hunting for cortison shots in the middle of the deepest Swedish countryside, I really started to think that this is not gonna work.

Well we got the vocals done, did the interviews and released the album. I still think it's a good album.

Also the Japanese earthquake messed the little touring plans the band had. Then Andre told me we could make a lucrative tour in South America booked by his manager. Apparently there was some mysterious investor that was in the game. I should have known better even hearing the word investor. I decided to do the tour and after flying 30 hours: Helsinki-Frankfurt-Rome-Sao Paulo we landed only to hear that the tour is cancelled. At that point I was already ready to buy a ticket back to Finland but they managed to make a settlement and we did I guess it was 6 gigs. It was the worst and heaviest tour I have ever done in my career.

Keyboard player Mikko Harkin developed high fever and lung inflammation that was bounding pneumonia.

While lying 2 days in Sao Paulo in Formula 1 hotel (the cheapest you can get there) in a darkness I was starting to really get doubts about my future as a musician.

When I got the sales figures from Edel Records and the report from the booking agency for the festivals of Summer 2012 I decided to call it a day. It didnt make any sense to try to "conquer" the metal world since it was obvious that there was not enough interest. Don't get me wrong, it's totally cool if there is no interest.

Then I thought about my career. Around 3000 gigs, 20 years, 20 CD's, productions, clinics, travelling. I realised that I have done a lot. I guess most of you know that I am suffereing from Bipolar Disorder, one of the worst mental disorders, but with medication and non stressful lifestyle, this illness can be controlled but never cured. Playing in a touring band is far from "non stressful lifestyle" and in fact the rock'n'roll life itself is manic with its highs and lows. In those long Stratovarius tours being undiagnosed with the illlness, I could have died. I am not kidding.

3.3 next year I will be 46. This autumn I made a decision to take some time off from music business and concentrate on something else. I have a wonderful wife and daughter, who also happens to be a world class singer. I started giving guitar lessons again. Im taking lots of photos. In other words, living quite normal life.

I do realize the marks the years have left in me and that I should rest and heal the wounds. There is a lot to heal. The music business is in extremely sick state in this moment and it's not gonna get any better. In a few years we will know what kind of form it will take. Maybe I one day take some part of it, maybe I dont. I really dont know at the moment.

So what about my future? If you are interested in that I can only say that it is possible that I will never record anything again. For some of you this might come as a relief. I don't know what the future will hold for me but I want to thank all of you who have supported me in these 22 some years. For you who havent supported me and continuosly are mocking me for example at Stratoboard (which makes me really sad mainly due lack of respect from a band that was my vision for 22 years and that still plays 80% of my songs although there is 2 guys left in the band called Stratovarius) I also want to thank you because without you guys, I could never have done everything I have done. It's been a great career. I hope the future brings more music but most likely it will not. But still after all I can say...I Did It My Way.



Hope to see you somewhere, take care of yourselves. -Timo

You can read it on facebook for yourself here.

Can't say, from what I've read, that I really blame the guy - he has had a great run of it in Stratovarius, and the touring thing sounds stressful as all hell. It is a shame we might not hear anything from him again though...

 

[Symphony]

It's very interesting to read and I can relate to a lot of it. If a guy like Timo is not selling records in the current climate with his track record, then it is no wonder that bands like PQ are struggling to survive as well.

 

[1928]

Read this on Tolkki's official page last night. Heartbreaking news, especially coming from somebody who genuinely changed my life with his music and lyrics. Even moreso because his lyrics are uplifting and all about striving for happiness and to keep on trucking. That being said, there was a steady decline in creativity, originality, and quality music/lyrics from the time the Elements came out onward. It's as if Timo blew his load, so to speak, on the Infinite album, and that was his final great album. Revolution Renaissance is forgettable, his solo albums are not good, and while Symfonia is the best thing he's done since Infinite, it still has a lot of problems and has not aged well for me, mainly because of Andre's voice, but also due to a lack of originality in certain aspects.

Now, all that said, it's still very sad news, and I was afraid something like this was brewing ever since we stopped getting news on Symfonia. Hearing about the tour troubles with the bandmates, specifically Uli Kusch, made it even more painful to read. I truly do hope he's happy with whatever he pursues in the future... Whether he records again or not, I just hope he doesn't stop playing. Regardless of the guy's bipolar shenanigans and publicity stunts, he's one of my biggest musical idols and it pains me to hear how he's struggling.

EDIT - At least he had a great run in the late 90s/early 2000s. The string of musical insanity that was Episode, Visions, Destiny - bam, bam, bam, one stellar album each year for three years running, those had to have been absolutely fantastic years for Stratovarius and Tolkki personally. He'll always have those to look back on, at least.

 

[The Crystal King]

Infinite was actually the second album I got (after visions), and it was my album of the year along with "Ecliptica" at that time, beating Maiden's BNW! I loved the lyrics and the emotions expresse on Infinite, it was very positive and uplifting.

Since Infinite I've been disappointed with subsequent releases but love the previous albums, same as you said 1928. Visions must be my fave! I think Timo's state has been spiralling downward and the music has suffered. I was hoping he'd take a break to recover but he never did, until now. I think it's possible he'll come back better than ever, he just needs some time away from music.

 

[The Crystal King]

On the flipside, I think Nightwish spent half a million euro for the new album production?

I think it was a good few years ago I realised the reality of Power Metal music and sales. I remember being shocked to find out that some of my favourite bands were selling very few cds, and making nothing or actually losing money, while metal bands with a "gimmick" of some sort were making massive amounts of cash. Those bigger bands are still cool, like Nightwish, Epica or Avantasia, but the bands making amazing straight music without the frills or the big image don't really get rocognised so much.

But I guess we just accept it and move on, it's how things are. The best music is never going to be the most popular. Doesn't stop us from enjoying our music. Doesn't stop me from wanting to keep writing music. The challenges appear when it comes to financing things such as travel for tours, equipment/software and big studio productions. The music will never die, same as magic never dies! But it will probably change form and we're not so sure yet how it's going to look, but I guess we're here for the rollercoaster ride however it pans out... hold on tight

 

[1928]

Agreed with both of your posts Colin, especially the part about finding out your favorite bands aren't doing so well (I was floored when I first realized Power Quest wasn't making money ). When I first got into power metal I thought, "Man, some of these bands have been around for ages, they must be rich!" Turns out that's very rarely the case, if ever...

 

[Cronopio]

That's truly a sad read, and I feel kind of bad for Tolkki. Regardless of the fact that some of the stuff he's been saying/doing to others a couple of years back, he is still the man behind such epic jewels as Episode/Visions/Destiny/Infinite and more. I mean, he's written so many great power metal anthems I'll always be in debt to him for that. Thank you for the music, Mr. Tolkki, may the show go on, and hopefully you'll find the peace of mind you seek, because you deserve it.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

I can really empathise with the struggles of musicians trying to make a living in this day and age after pouring heart, soul, energy, time, money and much more into releases. And also the inevitable, unforeseen Spinal Tap-esque misfortunes that befall a touring band, especially far flung or extensive tours. But it strikes me that they are just that, inevitable. All part and parcel of being in a band since forever, something which I thought Tolkki would have experience of and know when to shrug and move on. I can sort of get why this might be the last straw for him but the really inexcusable and spirit destroying stuff is this from Andre Matos:

Andre Matos told me very clear that this band should not do any gigs if it doesnt make any money....he sent me a mail telling me he would never ever play any gigs in his life because "he was tired of piss smelling backstage rooms, the chaos, the travelling etc. In vain I tried to tell him that this was not what we agreed. He did tell me that if Symfonia would make a second album, we could use his name for 10 000 euros and use Alex Landenburg for the recordings. And after 10 minutes came a text message that he also wanted me to pay the taxes of his fee so it would total 13 000 euros for the usage of his name.

Wow. Respect for him has plummeted if this is as true as Timo suggests. There's making something you love doing financially viable so you can keep doing it, and there's treating it like a job and demanding that people owe you because of your name. If you're not in it for the music, get out of the business. I know we can't all be idealists, which is why you have to shrug when some people move on because they're in it for the money, but this seems to go beyond expecting a fair living wage and into extorting money like a greedy diva just because your name carries a little weight.

It didnt make any sense to try to "conquer" the metal world since it was obvious that there was not enough interest. Don't get me wrong, it's totally cool if there is no interest.

It baffles me how Wacken sales can go on breaking records each year and general interest in metal and power metal have soared in recent years and yet conclude there's 'no interest'. If you interpret it on local gigs and CD sales alone, maybe. But the metal community has never been stronger IMO. They might have a tighter grip on their wallets and purses these days but then, who hasn't? It's exactly the sort of mistaken attitude Hollywood has these days, thinking box office sales and TV ratings are dead therefore no one is interested in film or TV any more when interest has never been higher.

It's frustrating to hear of Timo so clearly fed up and stressed out with his whole rock n roll career without taking any of the positives out of the whole time. There's so much to be proud of, yet I get the feeling he's got out of it all he wants. If a man is concerned about his well being then fair enough, that comes first but it comes across like he has such a low opinion of himself and his achievements. Very sad because he's such an amazing guitarist and composer. I will be seeing Stratovarius this Saturday and the songs I'm very eager to hear will have his fingerprints all over them, for that I am extremely grateful and I hope one day he'll see his mistake and come back to us.

 

[Cronopio]

To be fair, that statement about piss smelling backstage rooms came from Uli Kusch.

But people liked the demos and I went full on producing the "In Paradisum" album to which I put around 1000 working hours. Andre Matos told me very clear that this band should not do any gigs if it doesnt make any money. I basically agreed but at the same time I knew that people would still consider it as a new band. Not "The Spartacus of Metal" where the gates of superstardom would open just like that. Uli Kusch had been in and out of band due to his hand injury and in the middle of vocal recordings in Sweden, he sent me a mail telling me he would never ever play any gigs in his life because "he was tired of piss smelling backstage rooms, the chaos, the travelling etc. In vain I tried to tell him that this was not what we agreed. He did tell me that if Symfonia would make a second album, we could use his name for 10 000 euros and use Alex Landenburg for the recordings. And after 10 minutes came a text message that he also wanted me to pay the taxes of his fee so it would total 13 000 euros for the usage of his name. I did not respond to that but I really found it hard to believe.

 

[Symphony]

Festival sales are indeed going through the roof......but you also have to ask yourself how many bands are actually paid to play at these events? So although the festival organisers and the "main attractions" are definitely benefitting......I'm not sure about those lower down the listings

 

[1928]

Yeah, Uli was the one who said the stuff about Alex Landenburg and the money. I was kind of shocked to read that, but then again I've heard other stories about Uli being hard to work with...

 

[Cronopio]

But in all honesty, if anyone could say that with a straight face, it'd be Uli. He's been in lots of band and done a lot of touring. I mean, Helloween and Gamma Ray alone must have had their fair share of shitty changing rooms and the like. Still, I understand some may think he came across as harsh.

 

[1928]

Oh, certainly. I'm just surprised he would actually offer his name in exchange for thousands of euros... wow.

 

[Gibbon]

Sad to read, really hoping to hear more of Tolkki one day, but otherwise I hope he's proud of all he has done. His music really is inspiring.