Ex-STRATOVARIUS Guitarist TIMO TOLKKI Releases New Single 'Faust'

October 3, 2024

Finnish guitarist and composer Timo Tolkki has announced the release of his latest single, "Faust", inspired by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's classic work. The song delves into the eternal dilemma of Faust, a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The music video was directed by Anderson Bellini, the director behind the documentary "Andre Matos - Maestro Do Rock".

"Musically, I tried to create something a bit more modern, with a lot of detail in the track, especially when listened to with headphones," Tolkki explains. "I think it features some of the best guitar work I've been able to record in years. I felt deeply inspired while composing and recording 'Classical Variations And Themes 2: Ultima Thule'. Nearly the entire album was composed in a place 40 kilometers outside Helsinki, Finland's capital, where I spent about a month and a half in a cabin in the middle of a beautiful nature."

The video is inspired by the famous story of Faust, where the protagonist, dissatisfied with his life as a scholar, makes a pact with Mephistopheles. During the bargain, Faust succumbs to magic and worldly pleasures, which ultimately lead to tragedy. However, in Goethe's version, Faust finds redemption through divine intervention and the pure soul of Gretchen, a young woman he seduces.

"This project was particularly special for me because I wanted to capture the essence of Faust's inner conflict, as he struggles between the pursuit of knowledge and the ultimate price that comes with it," adds Tolkki.

"Faust" recording lineup:

Timo Tolkki - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
Jeff Scott Soto - Vocals
Jari Kainulainen - Bass
Peter Dellermann – Drums

Last year, Tolkki reformed the "Dreamspace" lineup of STRATOVARIUS under the moniker TIMO TOLKKI'S STRATO. The musicians — Tolkki (vocals and guitar),Tuomo Lassila (drums) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards) — recorded the classic "Fright Night", "Twilight Time", "Dreamspace" and "Fourth Dimension" albums from STRATOVARIUS.

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

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