Nightwish is a band that is one of the reasons why I got into metal in the first place. They have and still are quite an influence for me for many reasons, being that it's symphonic side is what captivates me as well as the magic they have from every beginning to end of a song they release or have.
Their previous album Endless Forms Most Beautiful, released back in 2015 - I remember my excitement and eagerness to listen to the album when it came out. I almost could not sleep that night five years ago because of how excited I was to hear something new from the Finnish masters of symphonic power metal. I wasn't disappointed to say the least.
Then come in 2019. News comes in that they are making a new album. And a two disc album to my own surprise!
I was really excited to hear this, just like five years ago. They released their two singles in the last two months and I ended up listening to them a lot to the point where I could then find myself singing the songs.
Having received the album two days early of its release on April 10, 2020, I was really excited to finish my Nightwish marathon and begin listening to the album.
I listened to the album on my stereo player directly at midnight, placing both discs in and letting the first disc play first of course.
Wow, what an album. This album is definitely something that the band has never done before. It definitely brings them to new soaring heights. I had almost no words once the second disc had finished.
Music
The album begins with a long intro that continues where "The Greatest Show on Earth" off of the previous album had finished, you can hear a horn in the vibes that sound like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then there is the beating of drums and caveman vocals and groans with bagpipes to accompany the two instruments before the song starts. Synthesizers and piano come in with a choir, before Floor comes in, singing with a piano alongside her. The rest of the song builds up with the band's instruments slowly joining in after the first chorus. I felt that this was a great opener for the album, and an eager introduction for what sounded like a album to look forward. The song finishes with the sound of the piano playing soft notes.
Noise
The first single off of the album, this is one of their heavy songs following a bombastic song. The guitars are quite heavy on this one, with a deep catching choir. The chorus is one which you might find yourself singing, as it is quite catchy. The lyrics for this song are well-written and definitely tell a story on how technology has taken over our lives - which points out but does not criticize social media with references to the Netflix show "Black Mirror". One of my favorites off of this album.
Shoemaker
Beginning with orchestral elements and a piano, the song fully kicks off with Floor's vocals joining the melodic vibes and heavy guitars provided by Emppu. The choir in this one sounds like you are soaring through the skies above to the stars and moon. The chorus is very soft and is definitely bound to grab your attention, with so many layers to this song - with a narrator's voice narrating Shakespeare in the bridge. The song concludes with Floor singing and reaching her highest vocal register with a bombastic choir and epic orchestra.
Harvest
The second single off of the album, Troy is the lead vocalist for this song with Floor as the backing vocalist which is a completely new different change for this one. The drums in the intro reminds me a lot of a Disney song out of Tarzan. The chorus in this one is definitely one that you will definitely find yourself singing along to. Out of this album, this is one of their calm, easy-listening songs, with the heavy guitars, and celtic bagpipes and flutes joining in on the second part of the song. Another favorite for me, this definitely makes me feel I am wandering endlessly in the fields of golden wheat that are sprouting for the next harvest.
Pan
The song begins with a fantasy, mystical theme from the piano with the synth before the band and orchestra comes in giving off a huge "Pirates of the Caribbean" sound to this song. Floor's vocals are soft in this one, changing with each verse and pre-chorus. The choir does a fantastic job with this one. The chorus is one that you will find to be quite memorable, along with the lyrics that really stand out with references to "Labyrinth" and other stories. This one reminds me of a cross between both Pirates of the Caribbean as mentioned as well as Peter Pan in a battle for the life against Captain Hook itself. The bridge being repeated plenty of times by the choir, as well as their contribution to giving the song an epic ending... amazing beyond words. I would say this track to be a favorite for me.
How's the Heart?
The song begins with a heartbeat, before the bagpipes and band instruments come in. The first verse has both Floor, the drums along with the synthesizer before kicking into a chorus that you will definitely be bound to sing along to. This one sounds like it would be a great song to perform live in concert. The song "Elan" is mentioned in the lyrics for this one, which gives follow-up as if this was a sequel to that song. Quite a beautiful song, Floor definitely stands out and shines in this one. The song ends with a chorus of acapella vocals from the members.
Procession
The first song written for this album, this one is completely synthesizer, choir and piano driven in the beginning of the song with Floor's soft vocals singing her heart out. The instruments slowly start to come in. The lyrics in this one definitely tell the tale of humanity with continued evolution themes in this one, beautifully written by Nightwish founder Tuomas Holopainen. Very good job well done, this song is one of the reasons why you are one of my favorite creators. Definitely has vibes as if you are in a natural history museum.
Tribal
A shorter one from the rest of the album. It begins with woodwind instruments before Floor comes in with the choir and a loud set of drums. In this one, it features tribe vocals and sounds as well as a stand out fast paced drum solo provided by the new Nightwish drummer Kai Hahto. This song makes me feel like I am in a war between two tribes in summer fighting to gain dominance over on who will be the victor. The guitars in this one are heavy, and one to headbang to.
Endlessness
The last song on the first disc, Marco Hietala - one of my favorite members in the band is the lead vocalist for this song. This one is a slower paced song, with epic guitars to accompany the calm to melodic vocals of Marco, which shines bright in the chorus, it makes you feel like in an out-of-body experience. Floor shares in a lead vocal part in the bridge, finishing off the first part of the album with a bang. The final minute of the song makes you definitely feel like you are floating off into the endless void of space and stars among the nebulae with the epic choir and an orchestra of synthesized keys like the cosmos are singing to you.
After the first disc had finished, it was time to begin the second disc. There are eight tracks on the second disc so you don't have to worry about the song being one long song like "The Greatest Show on Earth", so you can skip to your favorite tracks on the second disc: but I shall combine all the eight tracks into one whole song just for this review.
Note: When you get to the second disc, put on a good set of headphones and enjoy the listen! Headphones are a recommended must, or a good stereo system at best!
All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World
The second disc begins with English actress Geraldine James narrating a bit of poetry from Lord Byron as the orchestral listening show begins. This whole disc in its eight tracks is a half-an-hour journey of orchestra, as if you were at an orchestra show and a symphony was performing to you and many others in the audience. The beginning has the sound of a film's introduction in "Vista" with epic vocals and choirs.
"The Blue" gives off a Game of Thrones vibe with a similar sounding violin with the beat of the drum - love that part in the track, as it makes you feel you are transported to that world. The choir in that one makes you feel to be in a large hall or cathedral.
"The Green" is much softer a part in the suite, with the piano and instruments becoming soft as you feel you are walking through a glowing forest that is blooming at midnight. I am reminded a bit of a few specific Studio Ghibli films in this part.
"Moors" definitely brings in the celtic feeling with the pipes from Troy himself, as if going through the last of the murky swamps and approaching the plain grasslands of Ireland and viewing the raging sea by the cliffs in cloudy yet windy weather, when the drums and instruments grow serious, with piano that uses the theme of the suite.
"Aurorae" is a shorter part, but makes you imagine viewing the Northern Lights far up north. The harp itself in the beginning reminds me a bit of music from the video game series Final Fantasy with a choir that shines before the exciting orchestra instruments come in giving off a theme similar to Nick Fury's theme from the Avengers. I can definitely see this part being used as an opening to the band's show.
"Quiet as the Snow" is another soft part in the suite, beginning with a soft piano and the occasional sound of whispers and mystical instruments with chimes before the orchestra and choir comes back in. I can definitely picture a snowy afternoon, with snowflakes slowly falling from the sky down onto the snow covered fields and trees while wolves wander in search for their prey in the forests. Probably another one of my favorite parts in the suite.
"Anthropocene" begins with the build-up of stringed instruments as the theme becomes rather more Egyptian sounding, with the accompanied sound and tune of the Earth's oldest song, the "Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal" which is by far a real song and the oldest song to date. but it definitely gives off desert themes. There is the sound of a long gust of wind before the final track of the album begins.
"Ad Astra", is the final part of the album. Making you feel like you are surrounded by the rest of the planets, seeing yourself float off afar from the Earth until you see only a pale blue dot. Geraldine James returns, narrating scientist Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" from one of his books. Floor and the other choir starts to come in, building up the suite which reprises the theme that was presented in "Moors". Near the end of the song, I feel like I am seeing images of nature from Earth thriving and looking peaceful with its animals wandering their habitats. The choir, orchestra and Floor's vocals begin to build up and get louder until finally finishing the album overall on an epic note.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This album was definitely worth the wait of five years. As a huge Nightwish fan, this exceeded beyond my own expectations, as every new album the band releases gets much better each time as the music they give to us evolves. I am very proud of how far this band has gone and needless to say, I love the album a lot. Definitely one of their masterpieces alongside "Dark Passion Play", "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Once" and "Oceanborn".
SCORE:
10 OUT OF 10
I highly recommend checking out this album, probably their best in a long while. Thank you very much to all the members of Nightwish! I look forward to hearing your next album when you get to making it!
Their previous album Endless Forms Most Beautiful, released back in 2015 - I remember my excitement and eagerness to listen to the album when it came out. I almost could not sleep that night five years ago because of how excited I was to hear something new from the Finnish masters of symphonic power metal. I wasn't disappointed to say the least.
Then come in 2019. News comes in that they are making a new album. And a two disc album to my own surprise!
I was really excited to hear this, just like five years ago. They released their two singles in the last two months and I ended up listening to them a lot to the point where I could then find myself singing the songs.
Having received the album two days early of its release on April 10, 2020, I was really excited to finish my Nightwish marathon and begin listening to the album.
I listened to the album on my stereo player directly at midnight, placing both discs in and letting the first disc play first of course.
Wow, what an album. This album is definitely something that the band has never done before. It definitely brings them to new soaring heights. I had almost no words once the second disc had finished.
HUMAN. :||: NATURE.
Music
The album begins with a long intro that continues where "The Greatest Show on Earth" off of the previous album had finished, you can hear a horn in the vibes that sound like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then there is the beating of drums and caveman vocals and groans with bagpipes to accompany the two instruments before the song starts. Synthesizers and piano come in with a choir, before Floor comes in, singing with a piano alongside her. The rest of the song builds up with the band's instruments slowly joining in after the first chorus. I felt that this was a great opener for the album, and an eager introduction for what sounded like a album to look forward. The song finishes with the sound of the piano playing soft notes.
Noise
The first single off of the album, this is one of their heavy songs following a bombastic song. The guitars are quite heavy on this one, with a deep catching choir. The chorus is one which you might find yourself singing, as it is quite catchy. The lyrics for this song are well-written and definitely tell a story on how technology has taken over our lives - which points out but does not criticize social media with references to the Netflix show "Black Mirror". One of my favorites off of this album.
Shoemaker
Beginning with orchestral elements and a piano, the song fully kicks off with Floor's vocals joining the melodic vibes and heavy guitars provided by Emppu. The choir in this one sounds like you are soaring through the skies above to the stars and moon. The chorus is very soft and is definitely bound to grab your attention, with so many layers to this song - with a narrator's voice narrating Shakespeare in the bridge. The song concludes with Floor singing and reaching her highest vocal register with a bombastic choir and epic orchestra.
Harvest
The second single off of the album, Troy is the lead vocalist for this song with Floor as the backing vocalist which is a completely new different change for this one. The drums in the intro reminds me a lot of a Disney song out of Tarzan. The chorus in this one is definitely one that you will definitely find yourself singing along to. Out of this album, this is one of their calm, easy-listening songs, with the heavy guitars, and celtic bagpipes and flutes joining in on the second part of the song. Another favorite for me, this definitely makes me feel I am wandering endlessly in the fields of golden wheat that are sprouting for the next harvest.
Pan
The song begins with a fantasy, mystical theme from the piano with the synth before the band and orchestra comes in giving off a huge "Pirates of the Caribbean" sound to this song. Floor's vocals are soft in this one, changing with each verse and pre-chorus. The choir does a fantastic job with this one. The chorus is one that you will find to be quite memorable, along with the lyrics that really stand out with references to "Labyrinth" and other stories. This one reminds me of a cross between both Pirates of the Caribbean as mentioned as well as Peter Pan in a battle for the life against Captain Hook itself. The bridge being repeated plenty of times by the choir, as well as their contribution to giving the song an epic ending... amazing beyond words. I would say this track to be a favorite for me.
How's the Heart?
The song begins with a heartbeat, before the bagpipes and band instruments come in. The first verse has both Floor, the drums along with the synthesizer before kicking into a chorus that you will definitely be bound to sing along to. This one sounds like it would be a great song to perform live in concert. The song "Elan" is mentioned in the lyrics for this one, which gives follow-up as if this was a sequel to that song. Quite a beautiful song, Floor definitely stands out and shines in this one. The song ends with a chorus of acapella vocals from the members.
Procession
The first song written for this album, this one is completely synthesizer, choir and piano driven in the beginning of the song with Floor's soft vocals singing her heart out. The instruments slowly start to come in. The lyrics in this one definitely tell the tale of humanity with continued evolution themes in this one, beautifully written by Nightwish founder Tuomas Holopainen. Very good job well done, this song is one of the reasons why you are one of my favorite creators. Definitely has vibes as if you are in a natural history museum.
Tribal
A shorter one from the rest of the album. It begins with woodwind instruments before Floor comes in with the choir and a loud set of drums. In this one, it features tribe vocals and sounds as well as a stand out fast paced drum solo provided by the new Nightwish drummer Kai Hahto. This song makes me feel like I am in a war between two tribes in summer fighting to gain dominance over on who will be the victor. The guitars in this one are heavy, and one to headbang to.
Endlessness
The last song on the first disc, Marco Hietala - one of my favorite members in the band is the lead vocalist for this song. This one is a slower paced song, with epic guitars to accompany the calm to melodic vocals of Marco, which shines bright in the chorus, it makes you feel like in an out-of-body experience. Floor shares in a lead vocal part in the bridge, finishing off the first part of the album with a bang. The final minute of the song makes you definitely feel like you are floating off into the endless void of space and stars among the nebulae with the epic choir and an orchestra of synthesized keys like the cosmos are singing to you.
After the first disc had finished, it was time to begin the second disc. There are eight tracks on the second disc so you don't have to worry about the song being one long song like "The Greatest Show on Earth", so you can skip to your favorite tracks on the second disc: but I shall combine all the eight tracks into one whole song just for this review.
Note: When you get to the second disc, put on a good set of headphones and enjoy the listen! Headphones are a recommended must, or a good stereo system at best!
All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World
The second disc begins with English actress Geraldine James narrating a bit of poetry from Lord Byron as the orchestral listening show begins. This whole disc in its eight tracks is a half-an-hour journey of orchestra, as if you were at an orchestra show and a symphony was performing to you and many others in the audience. The beginning has the sound of a film's introduction in "Vista" with epic vocals and choirs.
"The Blue" gives off a Game of Thrones vibe with a similar sounding violin with the beat of the drum - love that part in the track, as it makes you feel you are transported to that world. The choir in that one makes you feel to be in a large hall or cathedral.
"The Green" is much softer a part in the suite, with the piano and instruments becoming soft as you feel you are walking through a glowing forest that is blooming at midnight. I am reminded a bit of a few specific Studio Ghibli films in this part.
"Moors" definitely brings in the celtic feeling with the pipes from Troy himself, as if going through the last of the murky swamps and approaching the plain grasslands of Ireland and viewing the raging sea by the cliffs in cloudy yet windy weather, when the drums and instruments grow serious, with piano that uses the theme of the suite.
"Aurorae" is a shorter part, but makes you imagine viewing the Northern Lights far up north. The harp itself in the beginning reminds me a bit of music from the video game series Final Fantasy with a choir that shines before the exciting orchestra instruments come in giving off a theme similar to Nick Fury's theme from the Avengers. I can definitely see this part being used as an opening to the band's show.
"Quiet as the Snow" is another soft part in the suite, beginning with a soft piano and the occasional sound of whispers and mystical instruments with chimes before the orchestra and choir comes back in. I can definitely picture a snowy afternoon, with snowflakes slowly falling from the sky down onto the snow covered fields and trees while wolves wander in search for their prey in the forests. Probably another one of my favorite parts in the suite.
"Anthropocene" begins with the build-up of stringed instruments as the theme becomes rather more Egyptian sounding, with the accompanied sound and tune of the Earth's oldest song, the "Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal" which is by far a real song and the oldest song to date. but it definitely gives off desert themes. There is the sound of a long gust of wind before the final track of the album begins.
"Ad Astra", is the final part of the album. Making you feel like you are surrounded by the rest of the planets, seeing yourself float off afar from the Earth until you see only a pale blue dot. Geraldine James returns, narrating scientist Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" from one of his books. Floor and the other choir starts to come in, building up the suite which reprises the theme that was presented in "Moors". Near the end of the song, I feel like I am seeing images of nature from Earth thriving and looking peaceful with its animals wandering their habitats. The choir, orchestra and Floor's vocals begin to build up and get louder until finally finishing the album overall on an epic note.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This album was definitely worth the wait of five years. As a huge Nightwish fan, this exceeded beyond my own expectations, as every new album the band releases gets much better each time as the music they give to us evolves. I am very proud of how far this band has gone and needless to say, I love the album a lot. Definitely one of their masterpieces alongside "Dark Passion Play", "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Once" and "Oceanborn".
SCORE:
10 OUT OF 10
I highly recommend checking out this album, probably their best in a long while. Thank you very much to all the members of Nightwish! I look forward to hearing your next album when you get to making it!
Comments
Post a Comment