CD Review: Nightwish's Endless Forms Most Beautiful (Eric's Version)

Reigning as the world's most famous symphonic metal band, Nightwish is back at it again with another album entitled Endless Forms Most Beautiful.  The album is named after a quote used in the Charles Darwin book On the Origin of Species. Knowing this much, it is safe to say that the theme of this album will be primarily about the origins of life, evolution, and all of that fun scientific stuff that creationists hate so much!  They even got Richard Dawkins, a famous evolutionary biologist and writer, to do some voice work on the album!

Along with the release of this album, Nightwish had quite a few lineup changes that greatly affected the outcome of the final product.  On October 1st, 2012, former lead singer Anette Olzon was let go by Nightwish and was immediately replaced by metal veteran Floor Jansen for the rest of the Imaginaerum tour at that time.  Jansen was just a session vocalist when she filled in for Olzon, but the band quickly realized that she was the right person for the job.  On October 9th, 2013, Floor was named the official lead vocalist for Nightwish.  Her experience as a lead vocalist in several other bands (most notably the now defunct After Forever, and Revamp who most recently went on hiatus due to Floor being in Nightwish) gives this band that edge they have desperately needed ever since they fired vocalist Tarja Turunen ten years ago.  Her voice is impeccable and in my opinion she is the best and most versatile female vocalist in metal today.

A promotional photo of Nightwish for their new album

A few other lineup changes occurred since the last album as well.  Drummer Jukka Nevalainen was forced to sit out of the recording sessions as well as the following tour due to insomnia.  He was replaced by friend Kai Hahto from the bands of Wintersun and Swallow the Sun.  His skill at the drums are quite impressive, so Nightwish really could not have asked for a better replacement!  The other important change was the decision to make Troy Donockley a permanent member of Nightwish.  As a uilleann pipes player, Troy has been playing with the band since Dark Passion Play, bringing to life songs such as "Last of the Wilds" and "I Want My Tears Back".  Now as a permanent member of the band, Troy's presence will be even more prominent than before as he brings out the folk sounds that Nightwish always seemed to have had ever since their inception.  

With this star-studded band now in full gear, will this new album be as good as everyone had hoped? Let's find out in my track by track portion of the review:

1. "Shudder Before The Beautiful"-  At the very beginning, we get a poetic reading from Richard Dawkins himself.  After that, the symphonic elements come into full gear in a frenetic pace.  The main riff sounds like a fusion of "Storytime" and "Stargazers".  It's a bit recycled, but it works nonetheless.  The chorus is also a bit reminiscent of "Dark Chest of Wonders". Though not as compelling of a chorus as that track had, the backing choirs and the inspiring lyrics help give the chorus a much needed boost to the track.  The highlight of this track is the dueling guitar and keyboard battle just before the bridge. This is the first time I have heard Nightwish do this sort of thing since their Wishmaster album, and it sounds glorious indeed!  My biggest complaint here is that I feel like Floor's voice is mixed a bit low.  I can still hear her, but there is so much going on that it is sometimes difficult to understand everything.  However, this is more of a technical complaint and it doesn't affect the scoring of the song.  Overall, this is a very good opener to the album.  This isn't the most creative song by this band, but it's something you would expect them to produce.  (4/5)

2.  "Weak Fantasy"-  One of the heavier tracks.  The intro section of the song centers around from what sounds like a movie score, which gives way to a pretty cool main riff that you can hear if you listen closely.  The verse sections have nice sounding acoustic guitars that accompany Floor's voice well.  Unlike the previous song, Floor is able to show off more power in her voice, but it's only during the chorus.  We also get to hear Marco Hietala's voice on this track more predominately. Sadly, this is one of the few times we get to hear his voice up in the mix.  Not the best track by far, but it's good for what it is. (3.5/5)

3. "Elan"- I have already reviewed this track previously here, but I will further analyze it. "Elan" is the first single released for the album.  Like most songs in this affair, it sounds like the typical accessible and radio friendly Nightwish single, perhaps even less inspired than other tracks like "Nemo" or "Storytime".  I just don't find myself listening to this all that often personally.  It's only saving grace are the lyrics.  That is a department in Tuomas' songwriting which hasn't weakened in the slightest.  Overall, it's dull and boring and it fails to bring out the talent of the band.  The alternative version is a little better, but not by much. (2/5)

4. "Yours Is An Empty Hope"- The heaviest track on the album by far, but it is also one of the weaker tracks as well.  The main guitar sounds like a variation of "Dark Chest of Wonders" and the orchestral parts remind me of "Master Passion Greed".  We even get to hear Floor growl in the chorus!  Indeed, that was a surprise to hear!  The one thing I do like about this song is that Marco gets to sing through a good portion of it!  Sadly, his voice feels a bit wasted here because this is a forgetful song.  Overall, this is just not a very creative or inspiring track. (2.5/5)

5. "Our Decades In The Sun"- The album's only ballad.  It starts off with that children's choir that Tuomas used during the bridge in "Storytime" and that sounds rather nice here.  It's a heart-filled ballad with good lyrics but it isn't anything mind-blowing or memorable to write home to. (3/5)

6. "My Walden"- Looks like we have a successor to "I Want My Tears Back"!  Beginning with singing the chorus in Welsh by Troy, we are greeted to a very folksy sounding track with his pipes being the highlight.  The chorus will have you humming it for days!  It is so crazy catchy!  The last section of the song is where the folk instruments take over.  It almost reminds me of the way "Beauty and the Beast" from Angels Fall First ended except with folk instruments.  Indeed this is one of the stronger tracks on the album and I could see this being a possible single in the future. (4/5)

7. "Endless Forms Most Beautiful"- The title track and one of the heavier songs on the album.  I find this to be primarily a filler track with only a few highlights.  The bridge section with the choir and guitar is actually the most interesting part of the song.  Not terrible, yet not that great. (3/5)

8. "Edema Ruh"- To me, this is the best song on the album.  The keyboard intro gives off a "Come Cover Me" vibe and it also has this 80's rock feeling that is hard to describe.  I love the way the verses give off a very tranquil feeling and the chorus sounds very inspiring as well.  Troy gets to sing during the bridge right before the final chorus and it somehow feels right in place with the rest of the song.  Of all the songs on the album, I would probably go back to this one the most since this song feels the most "old school Nightwish".  This is also a potential future single as well. (4/5)

9. "Alpenglow"- This song begins with a nice orchestra/guitar riff that really sounds like it could be in an awesome movie soundtrack.  The chorus is catchy and impressive, especially toward the end of the song.  The guitar/pipes solos are interesting and really helps give this song more power.  So overall this is a good track, even though Nightwish has clearly written better.  It is still enjoyable nonetheless. (3.5/5)

10. "The Eyes of Sharbat Gula"- The instrumental track of the album.  The usage of the children's choir is very nice here, but overall I think this is a boring song with very little to offer.  It isn't "terrible", but I do not find myself coming back and listening to this one. (2.5/5)

11. "The Greatest Show On Earth"- Okay, so this is the song that we all wanted to hear for so long! Clocked in at an impressive 24 minutes, Tuomas really wanted to create his own "creation of life" epic through this song.  The name of the song is actually taken from the title of the Richard Dawkins' book, which interestingly enough Dawkins actually speaks a lot here on this track! The song is actually divided into 5 parts and from what I can hear this is how I think it got broken off into:

I: "Four Point Six"- The title of this section is based on "4.6 billion years ago" when the Earth was formed and new.  Tuomas opens this one up with some inspiring piano melodies that really fit well with the atmosphere of what he wants to bring out in his music.  Floor also gets to use her operatic vocals during this part as well.  Then we hear Richard Dawkins speak a narrative much like how we heard it in "Song of Myself", although it is not quite as long as that.  Thus, we begin with the next section of the song.

II: "Life"- The rest of the band finally kicks in with the kick drums and guitar going into a 16th note fury, which reminds me of " The Poet and The Pendulum" in some ways.  Then the verse section kicks in, with a very familiar sounding riff.... hmmm.. where have I heard this before?  Oh yes!  It's "Bye, Bye Beautiful"!  At least I am pretty sure that is what it sounds like!  The chorus then kicks in and this is the most that we hear the potential and power in Floor's voice as she is really hitting some VERY high notes with her chest voice.  Then it bridges out into a furious orchestral section that really sounds great with the drums and guitar accompanying it!  So the song winds down and what do you think we get to hear?  Do we hear a guitar solo?  Do we get more singing?  Nope!  Instead, we get to hear animal jungle sounds like monkeys and dinosaurs on a Nightwish record!  I am not kidding.  It actually goes on for a while and drags on a bit!  I never thought it would happen but it did.  But thus, life is created apparently which leads us into the next section.

III: "The Toolmaker"-  Toward the end of the jungle animal sounds, the symphony builds up again and we get what sounds like a variation of the riff from "Endless Forms Most Beautiful".  Marco sings again and it is great to hear!  So with that, we get an epic chorus where Marco and Floor sing in unison with one another.  Toward the bridge of this section, we get another break in the action, but thankfully it doesn't last too long and once again we get to listen to that epic chorus!  It then reprises with Marco and Floor singing "We were here" with a buildup of epic choirs and orchestral arrangements.  And thus this section ends with silence after that climax.

IV: "The Understanding"- This section begins with some soft piano playing by Tuomas along with accompaniments from the strings section of the orchestra and pipes being played by Troy.  Then the drums kick in and Richard Dawkins starts talking in a narrative yet again.  This time it's a bit longer than it was in "Four Point Six" and yet it still isn't nearly as dragging as it was in "Song of Myself".  Once he stops talking, the orchestra takes over and it gives off this worldly sound that's found on such movies as 2001: A Space Odyessy for example.  Then the last part of this section begins with ambient keyboard and sounds of the sea.  Then Dawkins talks for one last time right before the final section.

V: "Sea-Worn Driftwood"- The beginning of this begins with..... well... the sounds of a whale!  Yep, it ends with just sounds of the sea as if you are listening to a mood relaxing CD!  Finally, the song slowly fades out and thus we conclude this monster of a song!

I had to listen to this at least 5 times in order to truly understand everything that is going on in it.  The more I listened to it though, the more I got the structure down and the song really grew on me through each listen.  It is only in parts II and III where we actually hear the full band playing along and that is also where we get to hear Floor and Marco sing with what I think are the best written vocal parts of the album.  Is the song well made?  Absolutely!  But I think it is actually, well, too long to be brutally honest!  Some parts really needed to be shorter for the listener to really get through this beast of a track!  Nonetheless, this is very thought provoking and anybody who is into evolution or science in general really needs to listen to this song.  Also, repeating some riffs from previous tracks also loses some points on the final score here as well.  Like I said, there are great parts in this song, but it took me at least 5 listens to fully appreciate it for what it is.  This is indeed the standout track on the album and it needs to be heard a few times in order to understand everything.  (3.5/5)

Bonus Track: "Sagan":  This wasn't on the official tracklist, but I will review it anyways.  It is a pretty forgetful song with rushed lyrics throughout.  Troy has a cool solo in this but it isn't enough to help this song get out of mediocrity.  I can see why this was left out of the album.  (2.5/5)

So that is my review of Nightwish's Endless Forms Most Beautiful!  Here are my overall thoughts about this album:

Pros:
-Much more band oriented than the previous two albums.
-Emppu, Tuomas, and Troy all got to shine with their respected instruments at times.
-Catchy songs and choruses.
-Great and amazing lyrics throughout.

Cons:
-Most of the songs aren't using Floor's true potential in her voice.
-Some tracks seem uninspired and not very creative.
-You can hear some repeating riffs and melodies from older songs.
-The drumming could of been a little more diverse, especially with the talent behind the drum kit.
-Marco's lead vocals got used sparingly.  He was only dominant in a few songs.

So was this the masterpiece that we had hoped for from this band?  Not exactly.  I would not say that this is a "terrible" record, but this just comes across as average to me.  That's right, it's as average as it possibly can be on a Nightwish album.  I am a bit disappointed with the outcome because knowing the talent that this band now has, it just wasn't nearly as great as I had hoped for.  The previous album was actually better so this is actually a step back in my opinion.  This seemed like a very "safe" album to me with very little experimentation to be had while at the same time it brings nothing new to the table. There were also a lot of tracks that sounded like older songs and for that, there really wasn't any song on this album that really "shocked and awed" me like some of the older material did.  Let's keep in mind that this isn't a young band anymore!  Honestly, no one should expect them to make anymore masterpieces like Oceanborn or Wishmaster anytime soon, but we can only hope that day will come again!  To sum it up, Endless Forms Most Beautiful is a good symphonic metal album to add to your collection, but to call it a masterpiece is a little far-fetched.


Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Nightwish- Élan Song Review

So yeah, I haven't posted anything in a while, but since this new single has been released by the one and only Nightwish, I figured that this needed to be done!

So about the new single.  Well, how can I put this.  To sum it up, it's bland and boring to be brutally honest.  Floor Jansen never ceases to amaze me with her talented voice, but I feel that she is underutilized in this song.  However, that isn't the only thing that is wrong with this song.  The instrumental section is generic and uninspired for the most part, the song structure is predictable and plain, and Emppu's rhythm guitar section is barely audible in the music.

Everything in this song feels forced and mundane to me, and this isn't something I expect out of Nightwish at all.  It lacks that depth Nightwish songs typically have.  Even songs like "The Crow, The Dove, And The Owl" and "Amaranth" though poppish and typical still each had a nice hook to those tunes that made those songs more memorable. This felt completely uninspired and lackluster.  I hope this isn't a sign of things slowing down for this band.  As some may know, I actually enjoyed the last album very much, even with Anette singing the songs.  Now that they have Troy Donockley as a full time member, the great Kai Hahto (Wintersun, Swallow the Sun) filling in for them in Jukka's absence at drums, and of course Floor Jansen at vocals, I expected a better single out of this group.  It is just a mediocre song altogether.

Let's hope the rest of the album is better.  There is going to be a 24 minute long song on the new Nightwish album Endless Forms Most Beautiful entitled "The Greatest Show on Earth".  That should be fairly interesting.  I expect that there will be better songs to come, or so I hope that is the case!  I will be reviewing this album as soon as it comes out.  The new Nightwish album will be released on March 27th in Europe, March 30th in the UK, and March 31st in North America.

Tuomas Holopainen's solo project out in April

Tuomas Holopainen's first solo project "The Life And Times Of Scrooge" will be released on 11th April. The whole album is based on a graphic novel called "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck" written and illustrated by Don Rosa. Tuomas spent most of the year 2013 writing and producing this solo album.
The recordings took place during August - October 2013. The orchestra was recorded at Angel Studios in London. Pip Williams, who's known for his work on NW's albums "Once", "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginaerum", did the orchestral arrangements.

Among the guest musicians are vocalists Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tonny Kakko.

The author of the book, Don Rosa, did the artwork for the album.

Tracklist:

01. Glasgow 1877
02. Into The West
03. Duel & Cloudscapes
04. Dreamtime
05. Cold Heart Of The Klondike
06. The Last Sled
07. Goodbye, Papa
08. To Be Rich
09. A Lifetime Of Adventure
10. Go Slowly Now, Sands Of Time

Bonus track
11. A Lifetime Of Adventure (alternative version)

As a single for this album was chosen "A Lifetime Of Adventure" accompanied with "making of" video. Johanna Kurkela provides lead vocals and Johanna Iivanainen provides backing vocals.

Floor Jansen stays in Nightwish

Nightwish stated numerous times that we have to wait until 2014 to learn the name of new vocalist. But
apparently plans changed and on October 9th Floor Jansen was officially announced as new lead vocalist. Also, Nightwish has no more 5 members but 6! Troy became new full-time member of the band.

Here is the press release:

Ms. Floor Jansen is a keeper.
Also, we will be a six-piece band from now on, as Mr. Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, vocals) will become a full-time member of NIGHTWISH.

Originally we were going to wait until 2014 to make a decision about the future line-up of the band, but the past year has clearly shown us that Floor and Troy are perfect matching pieces of our puzzle, and we are really
grateful of the bond that has grown between all of us. We love you guys.

Tuomas
Marco
Jukka
Emppu

Commented vocalist Floor Jansen: "Words cannot describe what I feel! This union is beyond everything and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to continue this amazing journey with my new brothers! Once I had a dream....and this is it!!!"

Piper/whistleman, added vocalist Troy Donockley: "'Imaginaeum World Tour' was a revelation to me an in that time, I became aware of a growing unity and then, finally, a transcendence of all the usual nonsense that affects bands. A beautiful process. And since the idea, the musical dream that NIGHTWISH has been a part of me since before I was born, I am delighted to officially sail into uncharted waters with my brother and sister. Wondrous scenes Ahoy!"

The new line-up can be seen on the live / tour documentary Showtime, Storytime, released on November 29th.

Official "Showtime, Storytime" trailer:

New live DVD Showtime, Storytime by Nightwish

Nightwish have decided to release a new live DVD 'Showtime, Sotrytime' on November 29th. The DVD consist of live show recoded at Wacken Open Air Metal Festival with temporary vocalist Floor Jansen. Also, a 120 - minute long tour documentary 'Please Learn The Setlist In 48 Hours' and live videos of 'I Want My Tears Back' shot at Hartwall concert and 'Ghost Love Score' shot in Argentina. 

As Tuomas explained. The DVD was supposed to be only a tour documentary but Nuclear Blast came up with the idea of adding a live concert. Read bit more here.

Sadly, Anette will not be featured on this DVD. Here is the explanation from the DVD director:

Hello everyone,

We began shooting the Nightwish Imaginaerum - world tour documentary in January 2012. The shootings continued all the way until August 2013, so we ended up having tons of material from the tour. The material included, among other things, concerts, rehearsals and interviews from all the members of the band. The editing process of the documentary started already in early 2012.

However, in the beginning of March 2013 we received a message insisting that no visual (moving or still) nor any audio featuring Anette Olzon can be used on the dvd, this being her personal request.

This meant that we had to go back to the very beginning of the editing process. We respect her wish, and that's why Anette will unfortunately not be seen or heard on the "Showtime, Storytime" - dvd.

Ville Lipiainen

- Director

Anette made a comment on this issue as well:

Regarding the documentary- yes, I decided not to be a part of it since I no longer are in the band and therefore didn't have any influence on my participation in it which on the other hand the 4 remaining members had. Therefore it's better for me to not be in it to avoid any disappointments in either direction.

Gig review: Nightwish live at O2 Academy Brixton 5/11/2012

Nightwish played their only gig in London on 5 November 2012 at O2 Academy Brixton and I was there. The last time saw Nightwish was back in 2005. I was very happy to see them again beacuase I decided to skip the Dark Passion Tour. And of course I was looking forward to see Anette live. But as we all know by now Anette is no longer member of the band and Floor Jansen (ReVamp, After Forever) joined Nightwish to help them to finish the on-going Imaginaerum tour. 

So there I was queuing since 4:30pm waiting for the doors to open at 7pm. There was already a bigger crowd there. I actually felt a bit strange, because I decided to go on my own but I don’t regret it. The first surprise of the evening came before the concert itself. One guy started to shout that O2 network costumers will have a priority line so therefore will get inside sooner. Lucky me I am O2 costumer so basically I got inside the venue before the poor people who were freezing there in the cold longer than I did. Might be not fair but some witty people went to Poundland to buy O2 SIM cards. Easy solution.

The doors opened at 6:55pm and when I got inside the venue I could decide whether to go to 4^th row or lean against a “bar’’ and be safe or go and sit at the balcony. I decided to play it safe and lean against the bar. It was also a practical solution in case I will need to take off my coat I could safely put my coat on it. And here comes the second surprise of the evening. It was rather cold in the venue.  Air-condition was on almost all the time so I wore my coat all evening. But I’m happy for that. I hate when venues are hot.

I managed to get a good spot. I was in the middle so I could see the stage without big problem. Even people in front of me were shorter so everything seemed perfect. But not for long.

Pain was the support act and the only one. They got on the stage at 7:45pm and played for 45mins. I am not very familiar with Pain songs. But I recognised two of them. “Dirty Woman” and my favourite “Shut Your Mouth”. The last named was also the last song of their set. I think Pain was a good support act. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but their performance heated up the crowd bit. Peter is very funny guy and he did interact with the crowd well. I might go and see them in February when they play in London again.

And now we had this, what seemed to be never-ending waiting, for Nightwish. And now follows a little rant. Why the hell you 6 feet tall guy push your ass through everybody just to get better spot ending up in 8^th row standing in front of 3 girls who are pretty short, who had stood there well before you came and when they dare to tell you to move a bit because they can’t see anything at all you start to swear at them?? And then standing there like a bloody statue taking a couple of photos and making faces like what am I doing here??? Thank God he didn't stand in front of me. But I was a bit unlucky as well. There was a tiny little gap in front of me and guess what happened? Another idiot came and squeezed there. This time it was girl who wasn't as tall as that guy but she definitely ruined my perfect view. But there was no point in saying anything. I just didn't want to end up with a black eye. 

At about 9:10pm the lights went off and the intro ‘Roll Tide’ started to play. From then on I experienced something called ‘the shortest 90minutes of my life’.

After the intro ‘Storytime’ was on. Floor came on the stage and a big roar echoed around the venue. I believe she just owned the whole evening. The setlist was the same one as they played in Manchester night before. Mostly, it was a mix of ‘Once’ and ‘Imaginaerum’ songs with a classic ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’. To be honest I was a little bit glad that Anette wasn’t there that night. Don’t get me wrong. I have always supported Anette and am curious to hear her solo album, but most of her ‘oldies’ versions were simply bad. She just lacks power. And power is a key point in most of the oldies. Floor did an amazing job on oldies. She might struggle a little bit with ‘Ever Dream’ but she didn’t use her operatic voice. Actually, she used her operatic voice only on ‘Dark Chest of Wonders’ and ‘Ghost Love Score’ but you could barely hear that. She also pulled ‘Imaginaerum’ songs off very well, too. One song I couldn’t stand live was ‘Amaranth’.  Anette struggled with it a lot but Floor managed to make this song listenable. She even added a little twist to the song. The way she sings ‘the Never-Fading Rain in your heart’ sounds really great. ‘Scaretale’ was the song I was really looking forward to hear live. Anette sings this one incredibly. After watching YT’s videos of Floor singing this song I was skeptical  I didn’t expect Floor to be able to pull it off the ‘’theatrical’’ way as Anette did. But she did it. She even growled! The acoustic set was very nice also. Many people complain about ‘Slow, Love, Slow’ and ‘Nemo’. I don’t really mind that. Another surprise of the evening was ‘Last of the Wilds’. When I listen to ‘Dark Passion Play’ I always skip this song. I find the studio version very boring but man it is a great live song. Almost everyone was jumping up and down. It’s really good song to add a bit of speed or even wake up some people after the acoustic set. Definitely, the highlight of the night was ‘Ghost Love Score’. Floor sounds really superb. Although, she doesn’t sing this song operatically throughout, she does add some operatic vocals here and there. 

‘Last Ride of the Day’ was indeed the last song played by band. I find this song to be a good one to close a successful night with. And Monday night was successful without any doubt. The band was all smiles throughout the night. Marco and also Floor were very talkative. Generally, they all seemed to be very relaxed and happy. I believe they enjoyed the night as much as most of us did.

Truth to be said, I didn’t miss Anette much or better said at all. As I said I have supported her right from the beginning but her live performance was just bad. Although, people say she improved her   live performance a lot since 2007, most of her ‘oldies’ versions were bad. I think I need only one hand to name the old songs I like with her vocals. With Floor on the board now, the justice was done to them, finally. And she doesn’t even sing them the ‘original’ way. I enjoyed Floor’s performance a lot. She is an incredible singer and knows how to put the show on.  The crowd loved her yesterday. And when I said that I don’t want her in Nightwish that was probably the biggest nonsense I have ever said. Being a witness to what happened yesterday I have to say I want her to stay with Nightwish. I will be disappointed if she doesn’t but whoever will be Nightwish’s new singer I feel sorry for her already. She won’t be compared to Tarja and Anette only but even to Floor. And given the circumstances Floor has had to face and how well she is handling it, whoever comes next will have it very tough. 

Setlist: 

Intro: Crimson Tide

1. Storytime

2. Dark Chest of Wonders

3. Wish I Had an Angel

4. Amaranth

5. Scaretale

6. Slow, Love, Slow

7. I Want My Tears Back

8. The Islander

9. Nemo (acoustic)

10. Last of the Wilds

11. Planet Hell

12. Ghost River

13. Ever Dream

14. Over the Hills and Far Away

15. Ghost Love Score

16. Last Ride of the Day

Outro: Imaginaerum

FYI: These photos are mine and since I took them with my BlackBerry mobile phone, they are very bad quality. 

Imaginaerum film trailer

Today, we got the Imaginaerum film trailer! The trailer was supposed to be out on Oct 12th but we got it today. Better later than never. Isn't it? 

So enjoy!

Bye Bye Anette!

Another chapter of the Nightwish story has ended today. Nightwish and Anette Olzon have decided to part company, in mutual understanding, for the good of all parties involved.

In recent times it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover.

Nightwish has no intention of cancelling any upcoming shows, and as a result we have decided to bring in a substitute vocalist starting in Seattle 1.10.2012. Her name is Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-After Forever, ReVamp), and she has graciously stepped in to help us complete the Imaginaerum world tour.

We are all strongly committed to this journey, this vehicle of spirit, and we are sure that this will lead to a brighter future for everyone.
We forever remain excited about the adventures to come, and we are extremely proud of the two beautiful albums and the wonderful shows we shared together.

- NIGHTWISH & Anette Olzon

Imaginaerum film premiere November 10, 2012

Finally, we have some new info about the long awaited Nightwish's film Imaginaerum. According to nightwish.com, the world premiere  will be at Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland, on November 10, 2012. Screening of the film will be preceded by a show by Nightwish themselves. Finnish theatrical release is set to be on November 23, 2012. As of now, we have to wait for further announcement if the film will have theatrical release in other countries than Finland.

Also you can already pre-order  the official soundtrack of the film 'Imaginaerum by Nightwish - The Score'.

Check solarfilms.com for more Imaginaerum film screen shots.  

Here are some soundtrack samples:  

Imaginaerum teaser trailer

First trailer of Imaginaerum was released today. Also we got new site www.imaginaerum.com. This site is only about the film and you can find there gallery, news and trailers.

So enjoy!

Disappointment

Today Nightwish announced their North American tour dates.  Here is the schedule.  As you can see Kamelot is opening for them.

As you can also see, there are only two Canadian dates, both back east, one in Montreal Sept. 19 and one in Toronto Sept. 20.  As a western Canadian already alienated from the hub of the metal music scene (there is a west coast metal scene, but we still don't get as many big acts as the east does), I am supremely pissy about the lack of western Canadian Nightwish gigs.  Would it have killed them to include at least ONE fucking western Canadian city?  Calgary? Vancouver?  Even Winnipeg!  But no, once again, western Canada gets the shaft (we have also been given the shaft with Sabaton's current North American tour, amongst others).

I acknowledge that I am close enough to Seattle to go there for a gig, however on top of the $35 (or possibly more) ticket, I have to pay $76 for a train trip, plus extras that come with going to another city/country.  Usually, I have a friend to stay with in Seattle, but this date will not work with her schedule, so that might be out.  Plus it's a pain in the ass!

Fuck you King Foo!!!!  I will go and see Epica instead November 10 - RIGHT HERE IN VANCOUVER!

Borrowed Melodies: Nightwish's "The Heart Asks Pleasure First"

Finally this is on the verge of official release!  Which means they actually got permission to use the song from originator Michael Nyman.  If you recall, there was some controversy after NW used this song as their outro for their final concert of the DPP tour - but as the saying goes, any press is good press, even bad press.  The iffy debut of "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" only created an intense longing for NW fans to have the song released.  And on March 2 it will be, as a B-side to the single release of "The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove", the second single from Imaginaerum.

But of course there's been an - ahem - early unofficial release, and here it is:

I absolutely love it.  I love how it builds and builds on itself, I love the lyrics, I love the power and emotion. There are no weaknesses in this song at all.  It was worth the wait.

And I am a big fan of the film The Piano and it's soundtrack. Here is the original version:

Metal Cruises FTW

Last night on Blabbermouth, there was a link to a story CNN had done about the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise that just took place last week.  The video can be seen here, and look at who is featured!  Good exposure for Nightwish to the North American market for sure.

But more than that, look at the wicked set-ups and look at the wicked time people seem to be having!  Perhaps this is the little getaway I should be planning for myself for next year.  I'd almost rather go to this than Prog/Power USA.  This would be worth it for the people watching alone!

And check this year's line-up.  Other than Nightwish, there's tons of other bands that would have been fun to see live.  And some seriously big names.  Now I wonder who is going to be on board for 2013.

Some News

1. "Requiem for the Indifferent" is the title of  Epica's fifth full-length album . According to the band: "This title refers to the end of an era. As we are all connected; the universe, earth, nature, animals and human beings, this period in time will be the prelude to the end for those who still don't want to, or simply won't see it. 'A Requiem For The Indifferent', but also a possibility for a new beginning with great new chances!" The album will be out on March 9, 2012.

2. Another Dutch metal band Delain revealed the title of their third album. "We Are the Others" is also a song from the album, which will be out in spring.

3. Today, The Helsinki district court dropped all charges and compensation demands related to the Nightwish book. In other words, Marcelo Cabuli lost the lawsuit against publisher and author of the Nightwish's official biography. Finnish speakers can read more about it here. For the rest of us, here is the translation of the article.

4. Within Temptation decided to make a full length film about the concept of ''The Unforgiving". Since the comic does appeal to a lot of people and the short films were received very well the film should be out within next few years.

5. Couple of days ago, Lacuna Coil released "Trip the Darkness" music video. The single is from their upcoming album "Dark Adrenaline" due to be out January 23.

CD Review: "Imaginaerum" by Nightwish

 Now it’s my turn to write my thoughts about Imaginaerum. I must say I was among those, who had no problem to accept Anette as new lead vocalist.  This time I was looking forward to listening to Imaginaerum even more. Why? I liked the idea of the album and I was eager to hear Anette’s progress. The reviews highlighted Anette’s vocal performance a lot which was a good sign for me. Not that I had doubts but well. 

Imaginaerum is, as Tuomas calls it, a place where your imagination is being cured. And your imagination will be cured by a great diversity which this album offers. You’ll find folk song, jazz song, epic song, oriental song and many more.

 When I heard the first single Storytime for the first time my thoughts were just "wow." I still think this is one  of their best singles so far. And now happens something I thought  won’t ever happen. I actually prefer radio edit over album version. The bridge doesn’t fit the song at all, IMO. Also for the first time ever a children's choir is presented. 

Slow, Love, Slow is one of the songs I was curious about. I have nothing against jazz in general but I had no idea what to expect from this one. I admit I listened to the samples and after listening to the whole song it ended up on my favourite ones list. The others  are Scaretale, Rest Calm, Turn Loose The Mermaids, Last Ride of the Day and Song of Myself.

I would love to point out Anette‘s vocals on Scaretale. She just sounds great. She can be an evil witch and in a next minute a seductive singer singing in 1930’s nightclub. I consider Turn Loose the Mermaids my favourite ballad in general. I like Anette's warm, low vocals. Although, the "western" instrumental part with whistling sounded strange at first, I learned to appreciate it. Rest Calm is another favourite of mine. I like the sudden change from heaviness to softness and the combination of Anette and children's choir works great. Last Ride of the Day has catchy chorus and nice fast tempo. My only concern about this song is, if they ever play it live (pretty please yes!) will Anette sound at least decent? I hope so. Song of Myself an epic song with long dragging poem. I must admit I do skip the poem more often than actually listening to it. Yet it is nice to be able to hear Anette’s son, Marco’s twin sons or Tuomas‘ parents and many more recite the poem. I think this song is one of those you have to listen couple of more times to understand why the poem is included.   

Well now the list of  not so favourite ones  but still good songs. I really don’t think they are bad at all. It just took me some time to appreciate them. Arabesque  is the one I skip all the time. It was composed only because of the film and honestly I don’t care for that song at all. Ghost River is the one I had to force myself to listen to again. I like the dialogue between Anette and Marco. Also "We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down" sung by children's choir is my favourite part from the whole song. Nice dancy song I Want My Tears Back will be played live so I’ll see if it plays a trick on me. Taikatalvi, Birdie song and Imaginaerum are nice ones again and I expect them to grow on me later.

All in all I don’t dare to call Imaginaerum Nightwish’s best album. Although I dare to say it is miles ahead of Dark Passion Play. You have to listen to the album more than just once, though. I personally did it dozens of times.  Another thing that little bit bothers me are the bridges on Last Ride of the Day and Storytime. They seem to me so out of the place. 

But never mind. Lets put it straight again. I love the album much more than Dark Passion Play. I love Anette vocals. Also the booklet seems better to me. Generally, I really am looking forward to seeing them live one day. (Still waiting for the UK's dates to be announced!) AND I hope to see the film this spring. 

         

CD Review: Nightwish's Imaginaerum (Eric's Version)

Ah yes, the much anticipated album of the year is finally out. Nightwish releases their seventh studio album Imaginaerum, the same name by which the movie will be named after. Knowing this album is based around a movie, the music is going to be basically a film score with Nightwish playing over it. And of course as expected, the hype surrounding this album is so out of this world and many wonder if this will meet all the expectations.

As mentioned on my Dark Passion Play review, I felt that their new vocalist Anette Olzon seemed out of place in the music and the range of the vocal melodies were too high in pitch for her. As of late, Anette hired a vocal coach to help with some of these issues she had from the previous album. Will it pay off? I really admire her courage and desire to improve. Of course, there will never be a vocalist like Tarja Turunen again in Nightwish. She was so unique and really brought out the essence and beauty of Tuomas’ music. Despite that, I am willing to accept Anette as their vocalist and see what she can offer on this album.

With all of these expectations and hype, will Imaginaerum live up to it? Well let’s dive right into my song by song review of the new Nightwish album!

1. “Taikatalvi“: (4/5) The intro track. Starts off with a toy box playing a melody with Marco singing in Finnish. He sounds great as he usually does. I wish I knew Finnish though. I think the song gets very beautiful when the flute and the string instruments come in. A very good intro track.

2. “Storytime”: (4/5) The first single of the album. A very catchy and upbeat song with a very strong orchestral section in the middle. It also features a children‘s choir, one of the elements that is unique about this album. I will admit that this is a “safe” Nightwish song so to say with everything that you most likely will hear by this band, but it does a good job in representing the album as a whole.

3. “Ghost River”: (4/5) The song starts off with a great guitar riff. Reminds me of Van Halen, but this is of no surprise since Emppu plays in an 80’s throwback band (Brother Firetribe). Marco sounds very dark and cynical in the song, especially in the pre-chorus sections. The children’s choir singing part of the chorus was very nice. A very good song.

4. “Slow, Love, Slow”: (4.5/5) This is the most unique song Nightwish has ever composed. It is a jazz song. Yes, a jazz song made by Nightwish! Out of all the songs I heard with Anette singing in it, this has to be perhaps the best and most versatile vocal performance in her career with Nightwish. Her voice fits the mood of the song so well. I also love Emppu’s solo in this song as well. It is unorthodox for him to come up with such a bluesy solo, but it sounds so good and I rate this solo one of the best in his career with Nightwish. No other band in their genre would dare to reach these territories. Just brilliant.

5. “I Want My Tears Back”: (4/5) This song is a bit more structured, much like “Storytime” and could easily be another single from this album. The chorus is extremely epic and well written with Marco and Anette giving great vocal performances. The highlight of this song is Troy Donockley on uillean pipes. He gives this song such a great atmosphere and the folksy breakdown with him and Emppu dueling is fantastic. Very cool. A recommended listen.

6. “Scaretale”: (4.5/5) Symphonic power metal at it’s best. A very creepy intro I must say, but when it gets into the good parts, it takes off and never lets up! It’s very bombastic and a big sounding song. Also, Anette’s vocals are so powerful in this song. Here, she sounds dark and evil, something I never would have thought she would sound like. The middle part of the song is so crazy! It’s basically circus music! At first, I thought this was very odd, but the more I listened, the more I liked it and it is actually quite brilliant. One of the album’s highlights.

7. "Arabesque": (3.5/5) An instrumental. A very cool orchestration, but it isn’t the highlight of the album. It is worth listening to though for good atmosphere and feeling. It’s almost like intermission.

8. “Turn Loose The Mermaids”: (4/5) A folksy ballad with Celtic influences. At first I did not care for this song that much, but the more I listened, the more I liked it and realized that it is actually very good. I think Anette sounds very nice on this song too. Beats the hell out of "Eva" that’s for sure.

9. “Rest Calm”: (4/5) A slower metal track, but good nonetheless. Marco sounds so powerful and literally blows you out of your seat in this song during the verses! I like how they have Anette singing this one, going from one emotion to another during the chorus sections. Very clever. The children’s choir is also featured in this song. A very recommended song.

10. “The Crow, The Owl, And The Dove”: (3.5/5) Honestly, I really disliked this song when I first heard it, but like “Turn Loose The Mermaids”, the more I listened the more it grew on me. The only thing is that this is probably the most radio friendly song Nightwish ever released. Despite that, this is actually a well written song. One thing I didn’t care for is the breakdown where Troy Donockley sings. Yes, the pipist sings! It sounds out of place, but it doesn’t destroy the song. Not my favorite song on the album, but it is worth a good listen for sure!

11. “Last Ride Of The Day”: (5/5) Epic!! That is exactly what this song is! A very good bombastic song with a whirlwind of emotions and feelings throughout. The highlight of the song is the chorus. In my opinion, it's one of the best choruses in Nightwish’s career. A great melody! The orchestra and choir is used so well in this song. The best song on the album for me. Just pure Nightwish.

12. “Song Of Myself”: (2.5/5) A very long song, clocking in at almost 14 minutes. Great orchestra sections, choirs throughout… etc. Why is this song only a 2.5/5? Well because it is only half of a song! The first half sounds very powerful and good. The second half of the song is basically dialogue! What?? Really? Yes, we have six and half minutes of basically strings, piano, some guitar, and people reading dialogue from what appears to be a script from the movie I assume. I don’t know. All I know is that it was unnecessary to have for that long and because of that the song is a big letdown. A little bit would have been okay, but I think that part of the song should have been a separate track in my opinion. But it is worth a listen if you like poetic script reading and if you pay attention, there is some interesting stuff being read actually if you have enough attention span to get through it all.

13. “Imaginaerum”: (3.5/5) Another instrumental and the title track. Seems to be the music you would hear at the end of the movie during the credits. It is basically the orchestra, led by Pip Williams, playing the highlights from every song on the album. This track sounds very nice, but it isn’t my favorite one and I think it is one of the weaker tracks.

So that is my song by song review of Imaginaerum. Here are my overall thoughts:

Pros:

• Much better album overall than Dark Passion Play, with better lyrics and better songs throughout.
• Anette’s vocals are vastly improved, mainly due to the fact that the songs are now written for her range.
• Marco sounds so epic and great as usual.
• Very epic orchestral sections throughout.
• So much variety and experimentation.

Cons:

• Lack of good guitar work at times, but when needed, Emppu has good stuff on here.
• Parts of the album has flaws, like Troy singing in “The Crow, The Owl, And The Dove” and the second half of “Song of Myself” for example.
• Some listeners may have to listen to it a few times to get the idea of the album.

I feel that Nightwish has really stepped up on this album. I am so impressed with how they made a great comeback since the last album. Dark Passion Play seemed very awkward and not like a true Nightwish album the way I know them. All the mistakes that were on Dark Passion Play are corrected on this album. If you are a fan of the last two albums, you may have a difficult time accepting this album at first because of it’s theatrics and experimentation. The last couple of Nightwish albums were definitely more commercial sounding compared to this one. Imaginaerum goes back to their roots with the lyrics and songwriting aspects, while at the same time incorporating elements from the last two albums. There are literally so many crazy things going on in this album, and you really do need to listen to it a couple of times to get it all. If you listen to the album from beginning to end, it actually makes more sense.

As far as Anette goes, I am impressed with her on this album. Her vocals have improved so much and I can tell she is really trying to get better. As I said in the last review, I had nothing against her as a person, but I felt that she did not belong in a band like Nightwish. But after listening to this, I can say that she actually belongs now with all the diversity that this band can bring to the table. Think about it, she sings in a jazz song, a folk song, and a bunch of epic symphonic power metal songs. As much as I miss Tarja in Nightwish like most of us do, you have to admit that she did a pretty good job and I don‘t think Tarja can sing some of these songs as well as her either. Sure some people may not like her sound vocally and she isn‘t the most unique singer ever, but I think that if you still have issues with Anette, keep an open mind because you will be very surprised with what is offered on this album.

This kind of diversity of music is not something many bands can achieve, which is why Nightwish is one of the greatest bands of all time to me. This is why they are legends and should be accounted as being perhaps the best band of our generation. Tuomas knows how to impress people, and I can honestly say that he has done it again! It is an exciting time to be a Finnish metal fan. The music that comes out of that country is so great and this is another album to add to your collection if you like symphonic power metal or female fronted metal. It is by far their most consistent album since Wishmaster. It has its flaws of course, but the good outweigh the bad and remember to keep an open mind when listening to this. I give this album a horns up as I can honestly say that the true new era of Nightwish starts now! \m/ Congratulations Nightwish on a job well done!

Overall score: 4/5

One last teaser video before Nightwish's Imaginaerum!

According to Nightwish, this is the last teaser video before releasing their new album. It features short interviews from each of the band members about the album. It is pretty rare that you hear Emppu speak in interviews actually! Very cool! Enjoy!

Nightwish's "The Crow, The Owl and The Dove"

The second single from new album "Imaginaerum" is "The Crow, The Owl and The Dove". Marco composed the song and Tuomas described it as "Love is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper state."
Click here and enter Yövissy  in the text box. Enjoy!
And if you will ever hear any band member talking about "Bird song" or "The Poultry song", yes they mean this one! :D

Just in case you haven't heard the official samples yet, you can do so here.


EDIT: for some of you, who can't wait to listen to "Imaginaerum", you can do so on RadioRock which  will play the CD starting at midnight  FINNISH TIME  when the clock turns from Tuesday Nov 29 to Wednesday Nov 30 which is the official release day in Finland.
I will add the link and other information as soon as possible. Please, don't forget to check time zones to work out the right time for your country.

DVD Review: Nightwish's From Wishes to Eternity

In the dawn of the new Nightwish album Imaginareum, I have finally decided to review From Wishes to Eternity. I know I have waited a little long to review this DVD since I said I was going to review it back on my Dark Passion Play review, but here it is!

In 2001 during Nightwish's Wishmaster tour, the band released their first live DVD recorded in Tampere, Finland which was on December 29th, 2000. And boy what a treat it is to watch anytime I get around to it! I could honestly say that this DVD really gives me chills every time watching it as well as reminding me how great Nightwish was during the peak of their career with Tarja Turunen as lead vocalist. It is also the only live DVD of the band to feature Sami Vänskä as their bassist. I actually prefer Marco at bass since he brings a bigger dimension to the band with his powerful voice, but Sami did a great job in Nightwish nonetheless.

What is great about this DVD is that everyone in the band is performing at a very high level. For example, Tarja's vocals on this release shattered all of the studio versions of the songs performed at this concert. Her voice is very angelic and powerful, as it usually is, but her performance at this particular show is beyond amazing and nothing I have heard before from her! She really knows how to bring the emotions out in Tuomas' songs. And speaking of Tuomas', he showcases his best keyboard work on this DVD, most notably in "Wanderlust" and "The Pharaoh Sails To Orion" where is completely shreds with confidence and style.

The other members were also on top of their skill level too. Emppu's guitar work is creative and stellar, especially when he adds his own guitar fills where it actually enhances the songs more. I especially dig him in the "Crimson Tide" "Deep Blue Sea" covers, but unfortunately that track was not on the DVD I got, which is quite a shame because that performance was outstanding! Jukka's drumming is just fun to watch. I love how he always shows so much passion when playing drums, like how he still does to this day! Sami also seems to be pulling out some good bass licks in the songs too! It's great seeing the band have so much fun on stage together! During the song "Fantasmic part 3", Tuomas jumps out from his keyboard and headbangs with the rest of the band! That is something you don't see everyday! Another funny moment is when there was a break in "Wanderlust", Emppu gave a friendly pat on Tarja's head! How cool is that! :D

Another cool aspect of this DVD are the guest vocalists. My personal favorite performance of the concert is "Beauty & the Beast", where Sonata Arctica's vocalist Tony Kakko provides the male voice. He was a great choice to sing this as opposed to Tuomas, who is a great songwriter and keyboardist, but not a great vocalist. I love how both Tarja and Tony showcase great stage presence together with so much passion and emotion. It looks so theatrical and bad ass at the same time! The other guest vocalist, Tapio Wilska, provides live vocals on "The Pharaoh Sails To Orion". Being the former vocalist of Finntroll, his on stage theatrics are a sight to see. It is really cool to see a guy have so much fun on stage with a band like Nightwish. It is very rare that you will hear his vocal style in a Nightwish song. It is probably the closest Nightwish will ever sound to being death metal!

Other cool additions to the DVD are the bonus features on it. There are interviews with Tuomas and Tarja, two music videos, two live videos, a cool photo gallery, and their discography as of 2001. There is also some off-stage footage where you can see Nightwish backstage! If you happen to get this DVD, you need to watch that because you will get a good laugh at some of the stuff they did during their tour!

So that is my review of From Wishes to Eternity. Here are my overall thoughts:

Pros:

• An excellent performance by an excellent band!
• Great camera work and sound quality.
• Enough bonus material to keep you wanting more!

Cons:

• Wish there were a few more Oceanborn songs on the setlist, but this is a minor complaint.
• Some DVD's do not have the "Crimson Tide" and "Deep Blue Sea" covers.

You can tell by watching this that Nightwish was at the height of their career as a band during this show. The energy that radiated from this show is something that was special here and I don't think it could ever be repeated again! I actually think this performance overall tops End of an Era, though both concerts were very good in their own respect. This is probably my favorite live DVD despite the fact that the "Crimson Tide" and "Deep Blue Sea" covers were not on my copy. At least there is a video of it on YouTube! This DVD is a must have for any fan of Nightwish or symphonic power metal in general. It doesn't get much better than this! Horns up for me! \m/

Overall rating: 5/5

Come Cover Me: Spythriller's Nemo

Thanks to one of my colleagues at Sonic Cathedral, I saw this on Facebook this morning.  Though not my typical style of music, I really, really like this a lot.  It has a great ethereal quality to it that really goes well with the themes of "Nemo."  I've never heard of Spythriller before, but I think I'm going to check them out.

Here is the original by Nightwish:

And here is the cover by Spythriller: