Nightwish

I sent the link to my girlfriend and she’s actually talking about going with me to the New York show. I’m still pessimistic, but I suppose we’ll see what happens.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
That's not a tour, that's a few live dates. Incredibly lame.
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I suppose you could say that it's a collection of shows rather than a tour. :innocent: I'm sure they'll be back to North America in 2021, so there's no need to throw the rattle out of the pram just yet!
Yax said:
I think the Rock style singing of Floor and Anette makes Nightwish more accessible in a sense, but also a bit more dull.
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I actually heard 'Noise' on Planet Rock (British radio station) this morning before I left for work. I doubt they'd have played anything by Nightwish before Floor joined or before they started playing at Wembley Arena. In December they'll be headlining at Wembley Arena for the third time in six years - I'll be at that show. With more media coverage here and the size of venues they're playing now, I am wondering how big they could eventually become. Obviously Iron Maiden and Kiss can't headline Download Festival indefinitely, could Nightwish make the step up one day?
 
Black Wizard said:
Having now listened to 'Noise' several times I can concur with the popular opinion that, while the song is decent, it's not mind-blowing or much of a statement of intent. I reckon it will sound better as part of the album than it does on its own. If 'Noise' was the first Nightwish song I'd ever heard I would probably be more impressed but instead it's just fine.

Picking the first release of a new album probably leaves bands in a bit of a quandary. If they release the highlight of the album first then there will be a lot of hype but with the risk of a backlash. Last year Avantasia released the longest and best song from their latest album first but the album was actually quite underwhelming. It must be tricky to strike the right balance at times.


@Forostar did you read the review of 'Human 2 Nature' I posted a link to a few posts back? If not then I recommend that you do as it may soothe some of your frustrations. This is the link if you can't be bothered looking back:

Imperiumi.net

IMPERIUMI.NET (nyt myös IMPE.FI) on Suomen arvostetuimpia verkossa toimivia musiikkimedioita.
www.impe.fi www.impe.fi

The crucial quote of the article should interest you:

"the one thing that it does, it once and for all puts to rest all the concerns voiced after Endless Forms, that Floor’s vocals weren’t utilized to the max. Now they truly are."

So perhaps when the album is released in April we might get to read some posts from Happy Foro. :)
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Thanks. That sounds promising Wizard!
This interview also sounds hopeful:
 
'Harvest' is now on Spotify. It's an odd song five-minuter with Troy on lead vocals which definitely doesn't sound like a Nightwish song. The first two minutes are something like an American Baptist gospel choir without the enthusiasm then there's an instrumental part which start off fairly promising as if the song could kick in to some Folk Metal sort of thing but ends up being pretty repetitive and reminiscent of some of Troy's pipes from the previous album. It's a pleasant song I'd say, but not one to get me excited for the album.
 

It’s a pretty cool song. The first two and a half minutes are pretty different from what Nightwish typically do, and the instrumental seems very in line with My Walden. I’m actually more excited for the album based on this song than I was after Noise. It’s pretty cool.
 
They're definitely going more down a hippy folk route there. I found the second half okay, but I wouldn't have guessed that was Nightwish if I'd heard it on the radio with no introduction.
 
A first glimpse into All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World:


It’s pretty interesting. Floor is really integral in this, but there’s some typical-of-Tuomas spoken word stuff there as well. I think it’ll sound better in the context of the song itself.
 
Wishmaster (2000)

Nightwish-WISHMASTER.jpg


1. She Is My Sin - The most explosive opening to a Nightwish album yet, Jukka's drumming and Tuomas's synths fling the listener directly into this tale of lust. Tarja's singing is gorgeous, which is the norm of course, but it bears repeating. The verses (with some fantastic lyrics about wolves and lambs and perfect flowers in a field of temptation) are foreshadowing for that chorus, which is emotionally impacting with a key part of that being Tarja's beautiful delivery. It's one of her finest performances in any Nightwish song, for sure (and don't forget the final refrain where the key shifts up... goddamn!). Also of note is that bridge, which is a lot more true than most people would care to admit. Don't we all really envy the sinners? The band is really starting to hit their stride. This song is awesome. What a great way to kick off the album. 10/10

2. The Kinslayer - If the opening to "She Is My Sin" propelled the listener forward, then this one blows them sky high - for good reason. "The Kinslayer" was written in response to the Columbine High School massacre, where two students burst into the school with guns and killed 15 people, including themselves. It was a bombshell for America and radically changed the course of education as a whole. Today we're still suffering from mass shootings that fall in the shadows of the events of '99, and Nightwish fucking knocked this song out of the park with how true it is. To start with, the riff is tinged with darkness and is one of their best ever, as is the instrumental's meld of guitars and synths. The verses are militaristic in nature, bringing to life the sense of panic that is prevalent during mass shootings, while also looking into the way the perpetrators think of themselves while carrying it out. Then the bridge section has a sort of sinister duet between a victim and the shooter, in an attempt to dive deep into both of their thoughts during the event. It even quotes Shakespeare before returning to the verse, which ends on a massive note: "Dwell in hypocrisy - how were we supposed to know?" It's something that holds true today, as all the warning signs are typically there, but no one cares enough to do anything about it. And then a bang and it's all over. What a hell of song. 10/10

3. Come Cover Me - From the smoke left behind in the wake of "The Kinslayer" springs a mild keyboard piece that introduces the listener to "Come Cover Me" before a flute joins. Great opening that launches into the guitar riff. The verse is solid, if not as good as those in the previous two songs. I did the guitar before the chorus comes in (and it's a pretty cool chorus, too). As far as I can tell, this song is about lust, although not quite as overt as some of the other songs on the album. I don't have a terrible lot to say about this one. I like it, but it's not as good as the ones we've been through already. I'm rounding down my score just because I think it could've been a little longer. 8/10

4. Wanderlust - No subtle transition here. Instead we launch right into a holdover from the Oceanborn album, or at least that's what I feel this song is like. For me, the power metal Nightwish phase starts and ends with that previous album, and this song just doesn't do it for me. It's not bad, mind you. The chorus is solid, the bridge is fine, and the choral outro is a decent piece. Otherwise, however, it just pales in comparison to most of this album and the Oceanborn ones. 6/10

5. Two For Tragedy - The ending of "Wanderlust" helps the intro in this song spring forth well. Tuomas has said that this song was written because he noticed that "the biggest tragedies always require two." Glad that's cleared up. But seriously, these lyrics are some of the best on the album. They are gorgeously picturesque, painted a verbal picture of the tragedy Tuomas had in mind while writing it. "Sleep, Eden, sleep..." And then the sort of chorus piece before the instrumental section. "Now let us lie, sad we lived, sad we die. Even in your pride, I never blamed you." Goddamn, man. And ending with, "Two souls with everything left to be said." Gloriously sad stuff. I'm torn on how to rate this. I don't think that bit before the chorus is executed perfectly, and on some days I like the flute in here better than others. So I'll round down, but I do love this song. 9/10

6. Wishmaster - And now for the title track, which, like "Wanderlust", is very much a power metal song. Luckily this one is better. It's quite catchy even if not particularly deep. The chorus quite clearly inspired Sabaton's "Attero Dominatus", Tarja has some great notes in this song between chorus and verse, and it's something you can bop along to quite well. So I like it. It's just not as good as a lot of Nightwish songs, even others from the same album. I'm very much ready for when Tuomas leaves behind these types of fantasy lyrics altogether. 7/10

7. Bare Grace Misery - Some drums to kick off this one, and we're back to lyrics of lust and twisted desires. And dammit, they pull it off again. There's all sorts of references in this one, with references to Jesus's crucifixion and the Little Match Girl. From what I can tell, it's about a woman who seduces men in an attempt to feel better about her life, but I could be wrong. The pre-chorus and the chorus are absolutely gorgeous. Tarja is a phenomenal singer who sounds perfectly like a saddened siren, which brings it all to life magnificently. The instrumental is atmospheric before returning to the verse. "There's no such priest who can pray me to Heaven." Ouch. Another perfect song with so much raw emotion and beautiful execution that it's amazing what a leap the band took between this album and the last. And they're only going to keep ascending. 10/10

8. Crownless - Alright, one more typical power metal song, and it's my least favorite on the album. It's really on the same level as "Wanderlust". Not bad, but unnecessary and pretty forgettable. Again, not bad, can be enjoyable at times, but the only thing I get out of it is the ending line to the chorus. "One fleeting moment and it's all gone. Crownless again will I fall." That's cool. The rest is just... okay. 6/10

9. Deep Silent Complete - Tarja opens up this song with some gorgeous vocalization, and already the memory of "Crownless" is gone. Then we head into the song with Emppu bringing us in with a fantastic lead piece. It's such a sad song with a good deal of Shakespeare quotes to bring it to life. The chorus consists of nothing more than more Tarja vocalizing and it's absolutely beautiful. A short song that muses on death, poetry, and celebrating one fleeting night, it's a truly emotional track that's executed to perfection once again. I'm actually welling up over it. 10/10

10. Dead Boy's Poem - Some quiet synths and then Tarja sings out of the silence while music builds behind her. Tuomas has called this the mother of all Nightwish songs, and it's not hard to see why. The Dead Boy character - a piece of himself enclosed in his music - has appeared on most of the band's subsequent albums in some form. The lyrics here are him pouring out his heart, and it's executed pretty well. The "failed in becoming a god" line is one of the band's best, in my opinion. The chorus isn't one of their catchiest, yet it fits perfectly as a part of the song. The real highlight here is the spoken word section from Sam Hardwick, which brings to life the idea of this being truly a dead boy's poem. Tuomas's mournful piano backing it is such a small but significant piece. And then we sort of change courses and head into the outro piece which foreshadows the band's follow up album. Speaking of which, this entire concept would be expanded with that follow up album, but that's another story. God, this is another hard one to rate. So much of it is executed to perfection though that I can't help but give it full marks (although I'll disclose that it's not the band's finest hour like some may claim). 10/10

11. FantasMic - And after an epic-less previous album, Tuomas is back with "FantasMic" an ode to his love of Disney. The song is, according to the booklet, divided into three parts, so I'll break the review down into them too.

Part 1 - The song starts with some fast keyboard which goes on for a bit before slowing down in front of the verses. Then we just sort of shuffle around with wishing upon a star, which includes going through one chorus three times in a row. Fun.​
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Part 2 - Then things quiet down as Tarja sings of cubs, sleeping beauties, and dying gruesomes. This is actually my favorite part of the song, with the "deep in a dream" bit more emotional than expected of this one. Then Emppu has a nice, restful solo that I quite enjoy, before we build up into...​
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Part 3 - ...a flute introduction to the final part of the song. It's like a bunch of spirits came out to dance around a fire. Kinda interesting. Then two fast-paced verses before we enter a pumping riff that leads to a slower verse where Tuomas confesses his love of Donald Duck and his Uncle Scrooge (who would receive a whole album from Mr. Holopainen in years to come). Finally a reprise (or three) of the chorus and we're through.​
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It's not a bad song. It's just not the best way to exit the album, and it pales when placed next to future epics. There's some cool bits here and there which keep it above the average mark, but it also tends to be forgettable in a lot of places. Should've just closed with "Dead Boy's Poem" to be honest. 6/10

12. Sleepwalker - And now for the bonus track, penned for Eurovision. A watery opening before we head into the verse, which is backed by a very poppy thump. Tarja nails the chorus beautifully (by this point you can probably tell that I love Tarja). The outro / bridge piece is fantastic too. Not a whole lot to say about this one. Just a fucking excellent song and I have no idea why the judges didn't pick it as the Finnish entry. The heavier version is a little better, but both are excellent and I always listen to this after the album because it's a better closer than "FantasMic", and it's acts as my sixth top mark song on Wishmaster. 10/10

Tuomas has said that this is the least personal of the Nightwish albums, but that's not a bad thing per se because it is heads over what the band had done previously and includes some absolute classics within its ranks. It could use some trimming, but it's a really good album all things considered. I'll apologize right here for the amount of 10/10's that will soon be sprouting up, but I'm just rating this songs based on what I think they're worth, and Nightwish has a shitload of perfect songs.

Average Rating: 85%
 
Amorphis will be the main support on the European tour at the end of the year with the Finnish band kicking things off. Fingers crossed that winter tours don't get killed off too. ::)
 
Incidentally, back to Nightwish, I really liked Amorphis as support when I saw Nightwish the other year. I like Amorphis anyway, but I thought they complemented the headliner well. Arch Enemy were second support act. Again, I enjoyed their performance, but I don't think they went down well with a lot of Nightwish fans. Too growly.
 
Hello I am new here, Nightwish,Within Temptation & Epica is my favorite Symphonic Metal Bands.:)
But my Favorite will always be Iron Maiden,Black Sabbath,Ozzy Ozbourne & Metallica in that order.:)
 
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