COLDNESS
I'll admit, I wasn't too familiar with STRATOVARIUS or Timo Kotipelto's work with that band until very recently, when he left the band to pursue a solo gig. I can certainly understand wanting to free yourself from a creatively-constricting situation. What I don't get is why you would leave one band like that, and create one with a similar situation. No one is going to doubt that KOTIPELTO consists of some absolutely stunning musicians, but from what I gather, Timo isn't asking for anyone's input when it comes to songwriting.
Check out this lineup: Mike Romeo (SYMPHONY X) on guitar, keyboardist Janne Wirman (CHILDREN OF BODOM, WARMEN), drummer Mirka Rantanen (THUNDERSTONE, TUNNELVISION, WARMEN), bassist Jari Kainulainen (STRATOVARIUS), guitarist Juhani Malmberg (TUNNELVISION), and guest lead guitarist Antti Wirman (WARMEN, CRAYDAWN). If you're not intimately familiar with those guys, it's OK. All you have to know is that they can play their asses off. With a group like that, why Timo Kotipelto isn't seeking input is a mystery.
The songs on
Coldness are technically amazing. Kotipelto sings his ass off, and the songs are played with a proficiency you don't see with many U.S. bands these days (save for DREAM THEATER and SYMPHONY X). "Reason" has a strong hook; the strongest on
Coldness. "Can You Hear The Sound" has a classic, go-get-me-my-sword-so-I-can-kill-this-dragon feel to it, even if it has nothing to do with dragons or swords. "Snowbound" and "Take Me Away" have their moments as well, but four songs isn't enough to blow my hair back. I'm not saying he's got to release a full disc of radio-friendly singles...not at all. Some memorable hooks and melodies would have really helped these tracks.
Lyrically, Kotipelto is superb. You really get the feeling that he was gutted emotionally when he wrote the lyrics on
Coldness, and it probably wasn't difficult to dig up misery after leaving a band he'd been in for years.
There are ten songs on
Coldness. Four of them were decent. That's 40%. That's not a passing grade in most civilized countries. I'll be a little nicer to it, because I fully appreciate the musicianship and the players Timo Kotipelto recruited for his latest solo disc. Next time, he should ask them for help.
