An absolute jewel in Symphonic Melodic Rock.

First up let me say without any fuss – Timo Tolkki has delivered another epic! 'Angels Of The Apocalypse' is the continuation (Part Two of Three) of Tolkki's Avalon project with the Finnish composer pushing the musical envelope both in terms of style and substance. As with 'The Land Of New Hope', Tolkki has again gathered the cream of the crop with regards to musicians and vocalists including such talents as Antti Ikonen (Keyboards – Ex-Stratovarius), Floor Jansen (Vocals – Nightwish), Elize Ryd (Vocals – Amaranthe), Fabio Lione (Vocals – Rhapsody Of Fire) and of course many more who all perform flawlessly, and with heart.

We can think of Tolkki as a master story teller as well as a masterful musician. His sense of arranging and his musicality cannot be matched. Contained within the second part of his story we hear some potent, melodic rivers of sound, washing over us and moving us forward through this heroic story. When you have Angels watching your every move, you know that the story will be very dramatic – and setting that to music is no simple matter! Yet, Tolkki does just that – a majestic piece of music, towering vocals with heartfelt emotion, and all wrapped up in a cinematic musical expression; this body of work will leave you breathless!

I'm convinced that there is not a Reviewer out there that can truly do this justice. We cannot adequately described what you will hear, experience or the thrills you will feel when listening to 'Angels...'! There is so much depth to this, and far too many talents present, that there is not enough space to rightly capture this project.

Has Tolkki pushed the envelope? Yes, and then some! He has even elevated the talents of those assembled, encouraging them to push their own boundaries; in doing so, he has given us an absolute jewel in Symphonic Melodic Rock.

This is one journey that this scribe will take time and time again! My only wish is that Tolkki assembles everyone together and produces an unqualified live experience with Avalon – so we can experience firsthand this beautiful "Musical Work" in a live setting. If he does so, it would be one of those concerts of a lifetime!

Bruce E.J. Atkinson