Former STRATOVARIUS / current REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE guitarist Timo Tolkki has posted the following message:

This year has been one of the hardest in my life. I have had to fight tooth and nail about my rights as an artist for free self expression and about what I consider to be fair and morally right. It hasn't been easy.

I am however blessed to have many people in my life who have supported me. I want to thank you all. I send you my Christmas greetings from Prague and hope that your 2009 will be full of love, joy, happiness and prosperity.

All the very best, Timo."

As previously reported, Tolkki's Revolution Renaissance has signed a worldwide deal for one album with Scarlet Records.

The last weeks have kept Tolkki and his band members busy putting finishing touches to the band's first real debut album entitled Age Of Aquarius. Recorded over 3 months in Finland, it is by far the darkest, heaviest and most symphonic album that Tolkki has ever been involved in.

Finding a close connection with his new band members Gus Monsanto and Bruno Agra, the trio locked itself in a cabin in Finland for a month and composed 10 new songs. It is the first time during Tolkki's career that he shared the whole songwriting process with other band members. "I just felt this incredibly fresh vibe with these guys and the songs were just flowing. It was so natural process that it almost felt like the songs were already composed and we just let them be born. It was possible because in Gus and Bruno I finally have found the kindred spirits I have been looking for so long. The results were something that none of us were expecting and yet at the same time, we felt that this record is exactly the way it is supposed to be", comments Tolkki.

The release date of Age Of Aquarius is March 25th 2009 in South East Asia (JVC) and on March 9th in the rest of the world. The band also filmed a promotional video in Helsinki for the title track of the album.

The tracklisting is: 'The Age Of Aquarius', 'So She Wears Black', 'Ixion's Wheel', 'Kyrie Eleison', 'Revolution Has Begun', 'Sins Of My Beloved', 'Behind The Mask', 'Ghost Of Fallen Grace', 'Children Of The Future' and 'The Heart of All'.

The tours are currently been booked to promote the album worldwide and are planned to start from South America in early April.

Scarlet Records will also release Timo Tolkki's third solo album, the ethereal classical Rock Opera Saana-Warrior of Light part 1 Worldwide on March 23rd, 2009.