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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Imaginaerum's cover artwork, tracklist and release date

The release date were set for Europe - Friday, 2. December 2011 and Finland - Wednesday, 30. November 2011. 


"Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what Imaginaerum is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal.

I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, "all this waiting for you, and you only" - feeling.

All you need is the courage to enter."     

- Tuomas


The tracklist

1. Taikatalvi
2. Storytime
3. Ghost River
4. Slow, Love, Slow
5. I Want My Tears Back
6. Scaretale
7. Arabesque
8. Turn Loose The Mermaids
9. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
13. Imaginaerum



Track-by-Track teasers

1. TAIKATALVI
This world is but a canvas for our imagination.
 

2. STORYTIME
How would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated Yuletide film? The meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and imagination. They are at the very core of humanity.
 

3. GHOST RIVER
LIFE is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors. Love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. And we need them all to survive and enjoy the journey.
Good, Evil, Pain and Pleasure - members one of another. 


4. SLOW, LOVE, SLOW
Truest love needs no words, demands or promises. It is wordless territory, and thoroughly unconditional.
 

5. I WANT MY TEARS BACK
Longing for things long gone, but still possible to bring back.
 

6. SCARETALE
Monsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and flesh-ripping harpies. A peak into childhood´s unforgettable nightmares- a vivid and twisted circus sideshow.
 

7. ARABESQUE
A catharsis to a nightmare. Giving birth through a death-dance.
 

8. TURN LOOSE THE MERMAIDS
We quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last journey...forever now, a haunting moment of beauty 

and comfort.
 

9. REST CALM
Memories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. The sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and inspiration.
 

10. THE CROW, THE OWL AND THE DOVE
"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me Truth"
- Henry David Thoreau

Love is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper state.
 

11. LAST RIDE OF THE DAY
The theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. It`s dark and the fireworks have just started. Moments such as these are portals to infinite dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos.
 

12. SONG OF MYSELF
Our homage and version of Walt Whitman`s transcendental celebration of life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis.
 

13. IMAGINAERUM
Thank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning...


Recently, tuomas-holopainen.com conducted an exclusive interview with Pip Williams. 1 hour chat  includes insight into composing alongside Tuomas and his thoughts on Imaginaerum. 

The shooting of Imaginaerum movie began. And the location of shooting is in Canada.

4 comments:

Allyson said...

I expect this to be like Tarja's WLB in terms of marketing: all over the world there will be different versions of this album and so-and-so will get a special bonus track, etc. etc. Prepare to be frustrated!

Still, I'm excited!!

Lizzie said...

We will get: orchestral version, instrumental version, normal version, soundtrack, film, etc... :D Actually, on NW's shop you can pre-order the 2 CD version. I read on their official forum, that pre-ordered DPP CD contained autographs! So I will pre-order the album.

Yet I believe, we won't get every version with different cover. You can make lots of different album covers with your face but I doubt they will go that far.

Allyson said...

I notice there is no North American release date yet. WTF??? I wonder if it's worth pre-ordering from the NW web shop.

But I will be living in a major city by the time it comes out, so I can actually go to a record store and buy this instead of waiting around for it to be shipped to me.

Then, on the other hand, with no stated NA release date, God only knows how long we over here will have to wait to get our hands on it...

Conundrum!

Eric James said...

Some very interesting song titles! Glad to see that NW is moving along right now! I wonder if Tuomas is actually writing a song about himself!.. (Song of Myself) lol