FORMER STRATOVARIUS GUITARIST TIMO TOLKKI ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REMOVE HIS MUSIC FROM ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS - "TO ME, SPOTIFY REPRESENTS AN ENTITY THAT IS SOLELY BASED ON CORPORATE GREED

Former STRATOVARIUS Guitarist TIMO TOLKKI Announces Plans To Remove His Music From All Streaming Platforms - "To Me, Spotify Represents An Entity That Is Solely Based On Corporate Greed"

Former Stratovarius guitarist Timo Tolkki, who recently announced his return with the launch of Timo Tolkki’s Strato, has checked in via social media with a message for his fans:

"My statement regarding my music in all streaming services:

After much thinking, research and talking with some of my colleagues that I deeply respect, I have decided to remove all my music from all the streaming platforms.



Spotify has been heralded as 'saviour of the music industry.' Maybe it is that, but to me it represents an entity that is solely based on corporate greed with highly immoral, unethical and unfair payment system for the ones that at least used to keep this business alive: musicians, songwriters and bands.

I value my talent as a songwriter and producer, a talent that I have achieved through putting all my energy and love to that since I was 16 years old, much higher both financially and ethically than the business model that the current streaming services offer.

Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, who has a net worth of 3.4 Billion USD, has never written one note in his life. Spotify is backed by big time investors like Goldman Sachs and Blackrock and its revenue in 2022 was 12.3 Billion US dollars and still, 'it’s not profitable.' Spotify is largely owned by the Major Record Companies like Sony Music, Universal and Warner Music.

The last drop for me really was when Spotify announced that they will not be paying anything to artists that has less than a 1000 stream counts. Another 'nail in the coffin', so to speak, is that they are planning to start creating artists with Artificial Intelligence that don’t really exist of course.

I do not want to take part in anything like this. All this combined together represent the opposite of what I am doing with my music. I express my soul, spirit and talent through my music and I refuse to give to organisations that for some kind of alliance with what I consider to be destructive force in our beautiful planet: the blatant exploitation of people without any kind of ethical or moral principle and where the only thing that matters is to make as much profit as possible without thinking a fraction of a second about the consequences to that.

In the future if I am going to release anything at all, it will be through my own website, https://www.tolkki.art,

I wish in the future artists will start selling the music they want to make through their own channels and offer their music perhaps with some premium content. I believe that it is entirely possible to do this and maintain your artistic and human integrity.

I thank you all who have been listening to my music since 1989 and who have been supporting me even when it has seemed difficult to do.

I wish you and your families Peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year 2024.

Love and Peace."

Back in October, ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records announced the signing of a multi-album deal with Timo Tolkki’s Strato and welcome the band to the roster.

They started it all 39 years ago...

Tuomo Lassila formed Stratovarius in Helsinki 1984, and is responsible together with the original guitar player Staffan Stråhlman for the band's name Stratovarius. One year later Timo Tolkki joined the band. Stratovarius released their debut album Fright Night (1989) through CBS Finland. From that started one of the biggest success stories in the history of metal. They defined what is currently known as "power metal" with albums like Fright Night (1989), Twilight Time (1993), Dreamspace (1994) and Fourth Dimension (1995).

Timo Tolkki wrote more than 100 songs for the band before leaving the group to embark on a successful solo career back in 2008, and is responsible for writing such anthems like “Black Diamond”, “Hunting High And Low”, “Speed Of Light”, “Paradise”, “Forever” and “Destiny”. More than 4 million copies of Tolkki-era Stratovarius albums have been sold.

In the summer 2022 Timo Tolkki, Tuomo Lassila and Antti Ikonen met to discuss ideas to reform the original lineup. In all secrecy, they have rehearsed in Tuomo’s garage (real back to the roots!) since January 2023, deciding to call themselves Timo Tolkki’s Strato.



Timo Tolkki’s Strato lineup:

Timo Tolkki - Guitar/Vocals
Tuomo Lassila - Drums/Percussion/Vocals
Antti Ikonen - Keyboards
John Vihervä - Bass

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Shogun – Trivium

Despite their position as one of the finest metal bands of the century, the road to the upper echelons of our world hasn’t always been plain-sailing for TRIVIUM. Back in 2005, a young and hungry metal band erupted onto the scene with Ascendancy and a subsequent set at Download Festival that year launched the band onto the world stage. With the wind in their sails, confidence was high but follow-up, 2006’s The Crusade, was met with polarising reception with the more METALLICA-leaning worship and lack of metallic bite alienating even the most stalwart of TRIVIUM fans.



It was clear that TRIVIUM needed to recapture the magic that made them such a hot property in the metal scene. Wanting to go back to the drawing board with fresh ideas, the quartet departed from previous produced Jason Suecof and opted to enlist the talents of Nick Raskulinecz [FOO FIGHTERS, SHADOWS FALL, STONE SOUR] to work on their fourth record. Hunkering down at The Sound Kitchen Studios in Franklin, Tennessee in late 2007, the band would craft, nurture and cultivate their aspirations into their fourth full-length record, something that guitarist Corey Beaulieu expressed in an interview with Revolver (“We want to capture the best ingredients of everything we’ve done…”).

Shogun, named after the highest military ranking in feudal Japan alongside sparking vivid imagery and storytelling, saw TRIVIUM encapsulate every facet of their sound alongside exploring more metaphorical themes through the likes of Japanese military customs or Greek mythology. The album’s name was something that was carefully considered, as vocalist/frontman Matt Heafy would share to About.com, “the reason we picked that word is because when you think of a word like shogun, it sparks all this vivid imagery and storytelling, especially when you look into the definition. It’s the highest ranking military general in Japanese times. We really dug it. We felt it was an appropriate name for the album.”


To compliment their more metaphorical themes and concepts, the band saw to push their sonics to a previously unseen level whilst still retaining the core of what caused the band to erupt onto the scene three years earlier. Shogun saw a welcome return of Matt Heafy‘s screamed vocals, which had more or less been omitted entirely on The Crusade, exquisite dual guitar harmonies that nodded towards the band’s NWOBHM influences, as well as more focus towards technical instrumentation and progressive-leaning song-structures.

And the end result can be considered the blueprint to how the band have excelled to this day. Album opener, Kiristute Gomen, is one of the most thundering tunes in their arsenal and sets the benchmark of how to open a record, with only In Waves and Rain coming close, Like Callisto To A Star In Heaven features some of the best shred ever penned from Heafy and Beaulieu and the title track holds the record for the longest song crafted in the band’s arsenal and upon reflection, had it been released today, it would be heralded as a triumphant song within the progressive metal scene. Similarly, single Down From The Sky would establish itself as a metal anthem fit for the 21st Century as it dominated the screens of Kerrang! and Scuzz and would have thousands of fans scream “THE VAMPIRES FEED ON THE WARS OF MANKIND!!” for years to come as the disdain to those who spark wars for profit or religion would resonate effectively with listeners worldwide.



Upon its release, Shogun was met with acclaim from critics and fans alike. With high scores from the likes of Rock Sound, Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and their fanbase cherishing a return to form, the band successfully bounced back after the lukewarm reception to The Crusade. Subsequently heavy touring followed – including two headline legs of the US, extensive touring across the UK and a headline slot on the Mayhem Festival‘s Second Stage – which helped further bolster the band’s reputation and force as a live unit. In addition, Shogun would mark the swansong of original drummer Travis Smith who departed two years after the album’s release and whilst a revolving door of drummers would follow, culminating with the excellent addition of Alex Bent in 2016, Shogun would indeed be a fitting finale for the band’s original man behind the kit.

After the polarising reception to The Crusade, TRIVIUM needed a record to not only silence their critics but to leave jaws hanging wide open. Shogun achieved just that. Arguably one of the pinnacles of their now lengthy career, not only did Shogun reaffirm TRIVIUM‘s positioning on the metal ladder but it still stands as a phenomenal record 15 years later. And with healthy portions of the album making appearances in recent live performances, it’s clear that this record is not just beloved by the band’s legions of fans, but by the band themselves and remains a pinnacle of the Floridians output.



Shogun was originally released on September 23rd via Roadrunner Records.

Like TRIVIUM on Facebook.

GEDDY LEE - MY EFFIN' LIFE

I'm quite sure many fellow Rush fans shared the same thought I did upon Neil Peart issuing such books as the now-classic, 'Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road' back in the early 21st century – when will the other Rush-ers put pen to paper (or rather, finger to keyboard) and offer us a glimpse into their personal lives/backstory? And in late 2021, Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee announced online that he had indeed taken the literary plunge and had completed work on his autobiography. And two years later (November 14, 2023, to be exact), My Effin' Life finally arrived.

Rush admirers will undoubtedly enjoy everything about this book, as we finally learn the specifics of his father's passing when Geddy (real name: Gary Lee Weinrib) was young, why drummer John Rutsey was excused from the band in 1974, Rush's not-so-rosy relationship with promotor Bill Graham, their fondness for a certain substance while recording classic LP's, and the intense physical affect touring had on Neil Peart on what would turn out to be Rush's last-ever tour with the drummer (in 2015).

Additionally, Lee should be commended for assembling a section that focuses solely on – and uncovers – the horrors that both his father and mother (and their families) had to endure as concentration camp survivors during the Holocaust. Plus, the book is chockful of rare/never before seen photos that pertain to all eras of his life.

INTRODUCING: Hanabie

Japan’s metal scene has gifted the world with a number of standout bands, always with their own unique take on the genre. The latest success story is the all-girl ‘harajuku-core’ quartet HANABIE, whose video for single Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now! went viral back in January. With a raucous blend of anime and video game soundtracks, metalcore, nu metal and a unique aesthetic, HANABIE swiftly took over the airwaves and, on their first ever overseas tour – the entirety of which sold out – we sat down with vocalist Yukina and guitarist/vocalist Matsuri to talk about the band’s origins, aims and what makes them such a unique proposition.



It’s a cool, air-conditioned bus we’re sat on, a far cry from the oppressive heat and the overwhelmingly sweaty show they’ll play in just a couple of hours, and speaking through their tour manager and translator, the duo are in high spirits seeing the huge turnout for their show at Camden’s legendary The Underworld. “When we were looking at social media and seeing all the comments, we could tell a lot of fans were excited. But after we got here, we found the passion and excitement was so much more than we expected,” Yukina smiles.

To understand why people are so excited, it’s important to understand firstly just who and what HANABIE are. Friends since they were in school, they formed the band while they were still in their teens; “Matsuri and I both have a common interest in another Japanese band, MAXIMUM THE HORMONE,” Yukina enthuses, “so we started a copy band of them!” Musically, there’s certainly a lot of influence from them; you can hear in in the sometimes scattershot approach to genre, the wild blends of disparate worlds under a unified vision, but HANABIE are clearly also their own entity.

The name itself is tied into the four original members of the group; “[Yukina] and our bass player Hettsu were born in the spring,” Matsuri explains, “and our original drummer was born in the winter. In Japanese when the weather or temperature in spring changes from warmer to cold, it’s called Hanabie. We wanted something with Japanese meaning to it, and we definitely wanted something using Japanese characters.” While it does accurately represent the members of the band, as well as an expression that’s very Japanese in origin, it doesn’t begin to sum up their music – and that’s where ‘harajuku-core’ comes in.


As they explain it, they didn’t actually coin the term themselves, but found it in a YouTube comment under one of their videos. Yukina explains, “we found it and said, wow, this is really original, and we were looking for something that could describe our music and our look.” Matsuri agrees; “we thought it was perfect. It’s a pop word, it’s catchy, it’s colourful, and it’s not just our sound it describes, but our style too.” Harajuku refers particularly to a fashion subculture in Japan (“just look at Hettsu’s wardrobe,” they both laugh), while the “core” is, naturally, metalcore.

“We started introducing other elements [than metalcore] probably on LCG from our first album,” Matsuri explains. “We all love games and anime, and are obviously very influenced by Japanese culture, so we wanted to incorporate those other essences into our music.” Those other sounds are anime and gaming soundtracks, or at least inspiration from them, but it’s the Japanese culture that they address in new ways that has brought in so many fans at home for them, and while the message they spread through them might take uniquely Japanese forms, they want people to be able to apply them to their own lives, too.

Take for instance, the viral smash it お先に失礼します (Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now!) from January. Both their eyes light up when we mention that it refers to something uniquely Japanese; the phrase itself. The use of it, as she explains, stems from the difference in Japanese culture to that in the West. “Japanese people are very sincere, we don’t like to offend people. So there’s a lot of situations where people feel compelled to be somewhere they don’t want to be, or have to leave.”

In the music video for it, Yukina gets in a boss’ face and screams it at him, but “that’s an extreme portrayal of the situation,” they laugh. While it’s something that rarely gets used, “we want our generation to feel more comfortable using it, and not be so tied up in staying somewhere they don’t want to be, like work, or if they’re too sick to be somewhere,” Matsuri reveals. That desire for relatability extends to all their lyrics; “a lot of them are based on real life,” Yukina states. “A lot of the time when we use wordplay it might seem silly, but we’re always trying to portray a positive message.”

The bright, colourful clothes and aesthetic, abrupt shifts in genre, clear roots in Japanese subcultures as well as a tongue-in-cheek approach to lyrics that have more serious underlying messages have clearly struck a chord. Before they left for tour, a couple of shows had sold out; by the time they were on the road, the whole thing had. “It doesn’t feel real until we play them,” exclaims Yukina, “we’re so thankful for everyone that comes, we can’t believe there are so many. We can’t wait to come back, and together, let’s create the HANABIE world!”

Like HANABIE on Facebook.

Kiko Loureiro “optou” por se afastar do Megadeth:

Kiko Loureiro “optou” por se afastar do Megadeth: “Tomei a liberdade de não estar [na banda]”
O guitarrista estendeu seu afastamento dos palcos e não acompanhará o Megadeth na turnê norte-americana


Em entrevista ao podcast Amplifica, de Rafael Bittencourt, Kiko Loureiro comentou publicamente pela primeira vez sobre seu afastamento do Megadeth.

Em setembro, a banda anunciou que o guitarrista se afastaria do restante da turnê norte-americana por questões familiares. No final de novembro, Kiko publicou um novo comunicado explicando que ele e o Megadeth decidiram “estender seu afastamento” para “não prejudicar nenhum dos planos da banda”.

Kiko ainda não deu muitos detalhes sobre os motivos que o levaram a se afastar do Megadeth, mas em conversa com Rafael Bittencourt, o guitarrista falou sobre buscar a liberdade das próprias escolhas levando em consideração as opções que tinha no momento. “Devido a circunstâncias na minha vida, eu tomei a liberdade de optar não estar no Megadeth”, comentou.

Em comunicado extenso postado nas redes do Megadeth, Dave Mustaine voltou a ressaltar que o afastamento de Kiko tinha se dado por conta de “questões importantes” e que a banda apoiava completamente a decisão do guitarrista. Quem tem substituído Kiko Loureiro durante os shows do Megadeth é o guitarrista Teemu Mäntysaari, escolhido por ele mesmo.

Nos dias 08 e 09 de dezembro, Kiko se apresenta no Sesc Avenida Paulista, em São Paulo.

ALTA REIGN – UPON THE HORIZON

Jeff Plate is no stranger to spreading his wings for creative music. Having drummed for Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Metal Church, the past couple years has seen Plate join up with TSO keyboardist Jane Mangini in Alta Reign and Upon The Horizon is the group’s second record. Upon The Horizon is adventurous prog that teeters on the bridge of rock and metal and the warm vocal duo of Tommy Cook and Collin Holloway makes this more accessible to the casual listener.

If there is any vibe similar to Savatage/TSO, it’s opening instrumental “Reverent” with its bombastic piano chords and shredding guitars in the latter part of the 4-minute track. The most metal the six-piece becomes is following number and riff heavy “No Madness” and the whirling closer “Animation”. 7 minute title track also lets loose in the closing minutes and is an impressive number with bright vocal hooks.

Then there’s the rockier numbers like “Between The Eyes” that reminds of ‘80s Rainbow and the 6-minute soft ballad that features the use of a banjo with beautiful vocal harmonies that brings Nelson to mind.

Entrevista Krisiun: Moyses Kolesne

Krisiun é uma das bandas mais famosas e consagradas dentro do cenário de death metal brasileiro, sendo mundialmente conhecidos. Formada por Alex Camargo no baixo e no vocal, Max Kolesne na bateria e Moyses Kolesne guitarra, a banda acaba de retornar de uma turnê europeia e farão um show no Rolling Stone Festival neste sábado, 02.

Em entrevista ao Wikimetal, Moyses falou sobre o convite para a apresentação, descrevendo-a como “uma grande honra”: “É algo difícil para uma banda underground death metal isso acontecer, com uma música extrema, mas é mais uma barreira aí que o Krisiun tá derrubando.” E que “vamos tentar dar o melhor show possível lá no dia.”

Por conta da rápida venda de ingressos, o show foi transferido para o Cine Joia, o que o guitarrista disse ser “uma amostra que o fã do Krisiun tá aí, tá ativo. Quer ver a banda, apoiar a banda, né?” Ao falar da base de fãs, Moyses descreveu como sendo uma “família”: “Não é aquele fã de internet, né? O fã, real mesmo, que ajuda a banda, consome merchandising, vai nos shows, né? Mais do que só ficar dando like ou comments.”

Para fazer turnês, Moyses revela que é necessária uma grande preparação anterior aos shows, questões “burocráticas”, como alugar tour bus, setlists e a questão dos itens de merchandising. Além disso, o lado emocional e físico também são importantes: “Tu tem que tá bem fisicamente, não pode tá doente. Não pode tá com algo que põe a tua performance, desequilibre a banda assim, né? Alguém tá bem, o outro não tá bem, então você tem que estar bem fisicamente. Todo mundo bem de cabeça também, porque tem muito músico que sai em turnê e tá com a cabeça zoada por questões emocionais.”

Ele falou também a respeito da concentração necessária durante os shows da banda, que vem tendo 1 hora e 15 minutos. “Death metal, não é fácil. Então assim, tu tem que estar bem concentrado.”

A banda já faz turnês internacionais com uma frequência grande nos últimos anos: “A gente vai todos os anos pra Europa, todos os anos pros Estados Unidos, Canadá, fora a pandemia, né? Então faz, sei lá, quase vinte e cinco anos que é viagem todos os anos.”

“A gente sabe como agir de todas as formas, né? A gente, quando era moleque, desperdiçava muita energia, falava muita merda. Isso tudo põe em jogo em questão a tua condição como uma banda que é profissional.”

O Krisiun está, atualmente, com a turnê de divulgação de seu décimo segundo álbum Mortem Solis, lançado em 2022. A respeito do nome do trabalho, Moyses explica que a tradução é “morte do sol”, mas que é necessário voltar muito tempo na história: “É a morte do império, da religião, da força que oprime o ser humano, tipo, tanto que a capa mostra uma queda de um império.”

Ao falar sobre o novo registro, Moyses explicou que “a gente cortou coisas que talvez deixassem a música um pouco menos direta. A gente viu que tem muita banda usando muita sinfonia, muita coisa que às vezes perde a música e a gente quis fazer algo assim, meio direto, bem death metal, direto old school.” explicando porque fizeram poucos solos de guitarra, poucas introduções e músicas mais curtas.

Moyses Kolesne falou que sua música favorita do Mortem Solis é “Necronomical”, dizendo ser diferente de tudo que a banda já tinha feito até então: “Ela é uma música que começa bem lenta, lembra pouco do heavy metal dos anos 80.” Além disso, o guitarrista a descreve como uma música que “saiu da caixinha normal do Krisiun” e que, talvez, ela tenha aberto “um novo caminho pra gente seguir, às vezes, próximos discos.”


O Krisiun é conhecido por ser uma banda muito técnica, mas Moyses disse que: “Ela faz parte da música, claro, tu tem que ter uma técnica, mas a música é muito mais que técnica, ela é inspiração, é expressão, né? É o que a banda representa.”

O músico relembrou quando o Krisiun foi a banda de abertura para o Black Sabbath em 2017: “foi, para mim, o maior sonho da minha vida.”

O show aconteceu em Porto Alegre: “que foi da onde a gente veio e foi na rua que o Krisiun nasceu, quase, foi no bairro que o Krisiun nasceu. Então quando eu era moleque em Porto Alegre, eu nunca imaginava que um dia eu ia abrir pro Black Sabbath no meu bairro.”

Ao ser perguntado sobre elementos brasileiros nas músicas do Krisiun, Moyses Kolesne respondeu que: “A gente é brasileiro, né? Então o elemento brasileiro já tá aí. Esse lance de trazer samba, trazer não sei o quê, não sei o quê, pra mim foge um pouco do metal.”

“Nosso death metal não é igual o death metal americano nem o europeu. A gente tem no sangue isso. Então não precisa eu ir lá e pôr uma batucada pra dizer que eu sou brasileiro, posso ir lá e tocar metal extremo e mostrar que eu sou brasileiro tocando metal com a minha, característico a minha identidade.”

Ele elogiou o Sepultura em Roots, mas que “depois, algumas bandas, deu para ver que era só para copiar aquilo, tentar ter sucesso e mesmo para eles depois nunca mais funcionou isso também.”

“Muita batalha, muita dedicação, sangue, suor e lágrimas” foi como o guitarrista descreveu sua jornada musical e falou sobre a importância de se renovar.

Explicou também a importância dos fãs: “Eu sei que a gente não tá sozinho, sempre tem muita gente apoiando. A gente conseguiu construir uma fan base sólida.”