Kotipelto

Timo Kotipelto, the lead vocalist and songwriter best known for fronting Finland’s Stratovarius, formed Kotipelto as his own outlet. The project delivers sweeping, melodic Euro-power metal in the Iron Maiden vein, with lyrics repeatedly drawing on ancient Egyptian subjects. Its debut album, Waiting for the Dawn, surfaced in 2002 on Century Media in the United States while Stratovarius was on hiatus. The record assembled an all-star cast of progressive and power metal players: bassist Jari Kainulainen (Stratovarius); guitarists Michael Romeo (Symphony X), Roland Grapow (formerly of Helloween), and Sami Virtanen (Warmen); keyboardists Janne Warman (Children of Bodom, Warmen) and Mikko Harkin (Sonata Arctica); and drummers Mirka Rantanen (Tunnel Vision) and Gas (HIM). Though the style remains largely unfashionable in the U.S. aside from a loyal niche audience, Kotipelto found strong commercial acceptance in Finland, entering the domestic Top Ten singles chart with cuts such as “Beginning” from Waiting for the Dawn.