Timo Kotipelto

Born in Lappajärvi, Finland, in 1969, Timo Kotipelto has established himself since the mid-1990s as one of the Nordic power metal voices, with a clear, high-pitched vocal style linked to melodic writing nourished by classic heavy metal, symphonic metal, and neoclassical inflections. Trained in singing in Helsinki, Kotipelto joined Stratovarius in 1994 and recorded with the band Fourth Dimension in 1995, then supported his enduring presence on the European metal scene through albums such as Episode (1996), Visions (1997), Destiny (1998), Infinite (2000), Polaris (2009), Elysium (2011), Nemesis (2013), Eternal (2015) and Survive (2022). In parallel, Kotipelto developed a solo project more directly rooted in melodic heavy metal with Waiting for the Dawn (2002), Coldness (2004) and Serenity (2007). His career also includes Cain’s Offering, formed with Jani Liimatainen, from which Gather the Faithful (2009) and Stormcrow (2015) originate, as well as the acoustic album Blackoustic (2012) as a duo with the latter. Over the years, Kotipelto has also participated in several projects and studio appearances in the European metal sphere, while remaining above all identified with a precise, lyrical and upfront vocal approach, characteristic of Finnish melodic metal.