STRATOVARIUS Guitarist Offers 'Saana' Gift

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has issued the following update on his upcoming classical rock opera, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island";

"In the last days I have received so much support from people all over the world that I decided to give you a little gift. You can download some new songs from www.saana-warrioroflight.com that are all from the upcoming album. Thank you so much for your support. The songs are in MP3 format with a standard 192 kbp/s, so they should be good quality. I hope you like them. They are freely at your disposal and don't have any digital protection coding. I trust that my real fans will support me as they have so many years already. I really cannot thank you enough."

According to Tolkki, tracks from "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island", have surfaced on various torrent sites shortly after the album's production master was stolen at a photo shoot in Helsinki, Finland.

Commented Timo: "We are trying to trace the originator, but it is really difficult. I am afraid that since the thief also has the production master, it might be that pirate copies will start to emerge very soon. If you (hopefully) don't want to support such activities, I would remind you people that the only place where you will get the MP3 album with goodies and the subsequent hard copies is www.theground.com that will be opened in few weeks."

Due in the spring via Italy's Frontiers Records, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island" is a multimedia adventure containing almost one hour of music and comes with a full all region bonus DVD that contains the whole story in film format as well. It also has lots of other extras and a brand new interview of Timo Tolkki about his past, present and future. Featuring the talents of Jennifer Sowle, Aino Laos, Heikki Poyhiä and Janette Sainio, this album is a breathtaking experience of emotions. They were all carefully chosen for their respective roles and they enhance the musical journey in a way that hasn't really been heard before. Timo Tolkki calls it "a classical rock opera."

STRATOVARIUS debuted a brand new song, entitled "Last Night on Earth", during their appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival on August 4, 2007 on the "True Metal Stage".

STRATOVARIUS last year entered Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland to begin recording its new album (the title of which consists of two separate words that both start with "R"). An early 2008 release is expected.

STRATOVARIUS' last, self-titled effort was released in the U.S. in September 2005 via Sanctuary.