The heart isn't there - A review of Timo Tolkki's Avalon's Return to Eden

Before legendary Finnish guitarist Timo Tolkki started his Avalon project, he was in the process of recording an ambitious solo album but he must have seen Frontiers Records' offer to release a metal opera consisting of three albums as the better financial option. Despite jumping on the bandwagon, the first album The Land of New Hope could convince thanks to great guest singers like Helloween's Michael Kiske, Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko and Symphony X's Russell Allen. The second output Angels of the Apocalypse was a disaster with less renowned guest vocalists, terrible sound effects and the worst production I have ever heard in my life. Timo Tolkki went through numerous personal issues as well and had pretty much vanished from the metal scene for three years. A little bit more than five years after the last output, the trilogy finally comes to its conclusion but it's obvious that it has only happened because both sides had a contract to respect. The label hired Italian session musicians, contacted a few less renowned guest vocalists and the Italian guitarist made sure to take care of the production himself to not let Timo Tolkki mess things up this time around. The Finnish guitarist was simply asked to write some generic power metal song structures by the numbers. 

The final result sounds as exchangeable as it gets. The guest vocalists fail to leave a deeper impression since they lack the charisma and talent of those involved in the first record. The session musicians do a solid routine job but it's obvious why they aren't involved in any bigger bands because they are lacking creativity, identity and ultimately talent. They also have no chemistry with Timo Tolkki since his signature guitar solos simply sound phoned in. The melodic mid-paced songs all revolve around the five-minute mark and mostly follow the conventional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure. No single track manages to surprise, innovate or energize.

There are few positive things to mention. The varied vocal performance in ''Promises'' is decent and the label made a mildly intriguing music video for the song. However, the second music video ''Godsend'' was already disappointing in that regard since it rehashed ideas from the first clip and presented a less skilled vocalist. ''Give Me Hope'' offers optimistic power metal tropes that would have been all the rage twenty years ago and is at least technically compelling which makes this average tune the highlight of the album. 

Still, it's obvious that the heart simply isn't there. And even though the previous release was a disaster objectively speaking, it was at least Timo Tolkki's brain child, made critics and fans react controversially and had an unconventional style. Return to Eden is boring, faceless and forgettable and won't inspire any discussions, questions or reactions. That's why I consider this record the nadir of Timo Tolkki's career even though he is only partially to blame as he rather seems to be the pawn in the record company's game.

Return to Eden offers bland melodic power metal by the numbers and doesn't deserve any attention. If you really like melodic power metal, revisit Timo Tolkki's career highlights from the late nineties or support a young, hungry and creative band or project like Orion's Reign, Light & Shade or Guardians of Time. I wish Timo Tolkki all the best for yet another comeback and would suggest him to lower expectations and take his time to finally bring his solo album to life.

Final rating: 25%