Equal parts epic metal and gothic symphony, Nightwish stand alone. They blend soaring keyboards and operatic vocals with shredding guitars and jagged rhythms for a style of cinematic, orchestral heavy music all their own. The Finnish quintet has remained a force in the European scene for the last decade, but with their second Roadrunner Records release Dark Passion Play, they are destined to captivate metal fans across the entire globe. Filling vocalist Tarja Turunen's vacant spot with newcomer Anette Olzon, the band is now stronger than ever. They have also crafted a record that's heavy, hypnotic and downright powerful.
Nightwish's style has established them as one of the premier female-fronted metal bands. With overpowering keyboard tones reminiscent of classic film scores, the band separates itself. Their combination of seductive, emotional vocals and gallant guitar melodies brings to mind both Evanescence and Iced Earth. Yet, Nightwish have crafted a distinct sound. Their 1997 debut Angels Fall Fast introduced the world to this sound, propelled by the strength of the single "The Carpenter." The follow-up Oceanborn would secure a spot in the Finnish Top Five and spawn three chart-topping singles. In 2000, Wishmaster cemented the band's rabid fan following and led to their first U.S. distribution. However, a hard-hitting fourth offering Century Child added bassist and backing vocalist Marco Hietela to the fold, and it yielded some of the band's heaviest and darkest tracks up to that point. Nightwish embraced their metallic and classical influences to the fullest and completely established themselves.
In 2004, the band's first Roadrunner Records release and fifth studio effort Once would gain them a foothold in the U.S. They launched a hotly-anticipated tour in The States, packing sold-out theaters across the country. Over the course of the year, Once surpassed sales of one million units worldwide. The album featured the single "Nemo," with an entrancing video courtesy of director Antti Jokinen (Eminem). Once eventually garnered the band five awards at the Finnish Grammy Awards including both "Band of the Year" and "The Best Selling Album of the Year." These accolades would solidify Nightwish as an international force.
After a highly successful world tour in 2005, the band underwent a drastic lineup change. They severed ties with Tarja via an open letter. Fans and the media clamored for a replacement, and questions ran rampant. Though most artists might not be able to recover from a split like this, Nightwish aren't most artists. The band would check out over 2,000 applications from singers worldwide until they found Anette Olzon. Upon her first visit to Finland, Anette met the band and immediately clicked with them. They announced her addition shortly after. The sexy Swedish singer elevates Nightwish to the next level with a dynamic voice that breathes charisma and life into the new songs.
Even with the absence of Tarja, Nightwish has crafted an epic, infectious and potent sixth release in the form of Dark Passion Play. Tuomas Holopainen's keys create huge melodies that are deep, gothic and sensual, while Emppu Vuorinen's guitars hit with an urgent crunch. The record represents the culmination of the band's evolution and success. It's a dark, yet infectious journey, featuring all of the elements that fans love about Nightwish-from the symphonic keyboards to the divine melodies. At the forefront of the new music is Anette. Her voice hypnotizes with a diverse range, complementing both the metallic guitars and orchestral keys perfectly. The new songs are some of Nightwish's most adventurous and powerful. Leadoff single "Bye Bye Beautiful" starts with a precise, calculated riff locked in with warm electronic keys. Then the song launches into vibrant vocal interplay between Anette and Marco with an incendiary and catchy chorus. "7 Days to the Wolves" features galloping guitars with swirling orchestrations and visual lyrics that captivate. On "Master Passion Greed," epic riffs and keyboards create an inviting, yet intense embrace. Heavy guitars crescendo into an incredible vocal explosion. Meanwhile, "Amaranth" has a power metal rhythm that builds with a serious urgency.
However, Nightwish have further experimented, embracing their new singer's immense talent and venturing beyond the norm. "Eva" highlights Anette's versatility, allowing her voice to take center stage and simply soar. The ballad showcases ethereal keyboards and a hauntingly gorgeous chorus.
Ultimately, Nightwish have made a career out of breaking the rules. Their sound could never simply be categorized, and they have managed to continually evolve with each album. With their first U.S. tour with Anette this fall and Dark Passion Play out October 2nd, Nightwish are bound to secure their spot at the top.
19/03/2009 - Delain special guest... somone you might just know! April Rain, Delain's debut album is being released April 10. 24/02/2009 - Check out our new band Delain Roadrunner Records have recently signed the Dutch band Delain, and we are excited to begin to show you why! Below we have a track titled ... 01/05/2008 - NIGHTWISH and KILL HANNAH - Support them on [V] Fans of Nightwish and K 01/05/2008 - NIGHTWISH - Video Interview now online undercover.com.au have posted a new interview with Marco Hietala and Tuomas Holopainen while they were in Australia last. 02/03/2008 - PAIN - Mainman Discusses German 'Tour Chaos' The Local reports that Swedish metal band PAIN has had its second scare in the space of a week following a brutal assault in Leipzig ... 27/02/2008 - PAIN on reflects on being assaulted in Germany Swedish metallers PAIN — whose members Peter Tägtgren (guitar/vocals), Johan Husgafvel (bass) and David Wallin (drums) were assaulted Friday night (February 22) in Leipzig, G 24/02/2008 - PAIN viciously assaulted in Germany PAIN members Peter Tägtgren (guitar/vocals), Johan Husgafvel (bass) and David Wallin (drums) were assaulted last night (Friday, F 22/02/2008 - PAIN - Launches Tour Blog Feb. 18th, 2008PAIN, the Swedish band featuring HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren, is currently on the road in Europe as the support act for NIGHTWISH. The ... 29/01/2008 - NIGHTWISH unveil Scandie tour Vid A new NIGHTWISH video blog featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the band's recently completed Scandinavian tour can be viewed below. 28/01/2008 - NIGHTWISH Australian tour videos A host of clips have been posted from Nightwish’s Perth show from Sunday nite. 19/01/2008 - NIGHTWISH set to clean up at Finnish Grammys Symphonic Finnish metal troupe NIGHTWISH have been nominated in the following categories at the Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent): * Band Of The Year * ... 18/12/2007 - NIGHTWISH - Dark Passion Play Review Coming out relatively unscarred after a vocalist change Many were surprised by the sudden departure of vocalist Tarja Turunen from Finnish operatic metallers Nightwish in ... 17/12/2007 - NIGHTWISH Video Blog posted A new NIGHTWISH video blog featuring footage from the final show of the band's recently completed North American tour can be viewed below. 15/12/2007 - NIGHTWISH – The hottest they’ve ever been Nightwish are red hot right now. People questioned how successful they could be after they fired singer Tarja Turunen, and having chalked up 100,000 sales ... 07/11/2007 - NIGHTWISH – Take the studio tour Let Nightwish’s enigmatic new vocalist Anette take you on a tour of the band’s recording studio. Note: The footage was originally included on a DVD ... 07/11/2007 - NIGHTWISH – Triple your Platinum ‘Dark Passion Play’ continues to storm the Finnish charts, chalking up triple platinum sales. The sixth and most recent Nightwish album, "Dark Passion Play", has ... 07/11/2007 - NIGHTWISH Tickets Go On Sale Today!!! Yessss, Nightwish return to Australia in January, touring on their ‘Dark Passion Play’ album. The tickets are officially on sale and you can locate dates ... 07/11/2007 - NIGHTWISH The Heaviest Yet According to new vocalist Anette Olzon, ‘Dark Passion Play’ is Nightwish’s heaviest work. In a recent interview with Tangra Mega Rock, the new vocalist was ... 07/11/2007 - If you love NIGHTWISH you gotta see this. Tuomas offers more insights in five minutes than most could in a lifetime… Everyone has seen loads of videos about the parting of ways with ... 07/11/2007 - NIGHTWISH Behind The Scenes Take a behind the scenes look at the forthcoming Nightwish video. Hard to imagine exactly what the band have in store with this one, though ... 27/02/2008PAIN on reflects on being assaulted in Germany Swedish metallers PAIN — whose members Peter Tägtgren (guitar/vocals), Johan Husgafvel (bass) and David Wallin (drums) were assaulted Friday night (February 22) in Leipzig, G 19/03/2009Delain special guest... somone you might just know! April Rain, Delain's debut album is being released April 10. 07/11/2007The new NIGHTWISH Vocalist revealed? And should the rumours be true, it’s a familiar face no less… Norwegian singer, Vibeke Stene, who up till recently fronted Tristania, is hotly tipped ... 02/03/2008PAIN - Mainman Discusses German 'Tour Chaos' The Local reports that Swedish metal band PAIN has had its second scare in the space of a week following a brutal assault in Leipzig ... 24/02/2009Check out our new band Delain Roadrunner Records have recently signed the Dutch band Delain, and we are excited to begin to show you why! Below we have a track titled ... 07/11/2007New NIGHTWISH Singer revealed The identity of the new singer of Nightwish has finally been made public. And how far off were the speculations! 35 year old Swedish singer, ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH - The Most Expensive Ever Want to know what the most expensive album in Finnish history is? Look no further than the September slated offering from Nightwish, ‘Dark Passion Play’. ... 07/11/2007Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja's official statement Recently departed vocalist Tarja Turunen has released the following statement to the media: "Since last Sunday morning, I have been asked to express my position ... 07/11/2007Ex NIGHTWISH Singer Tarja retorts As many will have read, Tarja Turunen is no longer fronting Finnish gods Nightwish. Turunen was dismissed from the band following the final show of ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH Secure Greek Gold! Nightwish performed in Greece over the weekend and were awarded a gold certification for sales of 'Once' The award "ceremony" took place in front of ... 07/11/2007Tuomas Holopainen on the NIGHTWISH split Nightwish mainman Tuomas Holopainen has offered a more conclusive update on the band's future. Holopainen has finished composing two new songs for the group's next ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH part ways with vocalist Tarja You read it correctly! Read on for an open letter from Mainman Tuomas Holopainen to Tarja. Dear Tarja, It`s time to choose whether the story ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH – 14 new compositions Nightwish mainman Tuomas Holopainen has posted the following message on the band's official web site: "It's been three months since the last show in Hartwall ... 07/11/2007Nightwish have documented their trip to Abbey Road Studios in London… Nightwish have documented their trip to Abbey Road Studios in London… Where the band recently visited to record the orchestral parts for the band's forthcoming ... 07/11/2007So where are NIGHTWISH headed? Drummer Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen dishes the dirt… Q: NIGHTWISH has probably received hundreds or thousands of demos from vocalists. Who can listen to ALL the ... 07/11/2007RR Artists nominated for Kerrang Awards Several RR acts have been nominated in the forthcoming Kerrang Magazine UK awards. Best International Newcomer (Voted for by the readers of Kerrang! magazine and ... 07/11/2007A potential NIGHTWISH vocalist? According to a posting at Blabbermouth, Nightwish's new vocalist could be Spanish. The posting reads: Lady Angellyca of the Spanish melodic gothic metal band FOREVER ... 07/11/2007Within Temptation 'The Silent Force' Review Check out this review of the latest Within Temptation album 'The Silent Force' Goth rock metal follow up aims for more fans As soon as ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH Sold out in Melbourne! Just a quick announcement regarding the Nightwish shows in Melbourne. Both concerts have now sold out, but there are tickets for Brisbane and Sydney remaining. ... 07/11/2007NIGHTWISH new single includes Megadeth Cover Finland's NIGHTWISH have selected "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" as the next single off their mega-successful "Once" album. The single will be released in Finland on November ... Made In Hong Kong (And Various Other Places) Made In Hong Kong (And Various Other Places) Dark Passion Play Dark Passion Play Once Once
