Interviews

At first glimpse, the letter sent from Nightwish to former frontwoman Tarja Turunen on October 22nd 2005 informing her that she was being given the Alan Sugar goodbye didn't so much rock the boat as fire a volley of cannonballs squarely at the hull. Two years previously, British fans considered themselves lucky to see Nightwish with bad sound at the London's Mean Fiddler, never once dreaming they would play Download or headline Hammersmith Apollo. And here they were, risking all as they stood on the cusp of greatness.

However, this wasn't the crippling blow some thought it would be. Turunen's sacking didn't for one second spell the end of Nightwish. They may have lost a terrifically talented singer, but it was a calculated move, set to ensure that when they returned, they would return stronger than ever.
And by Christ, they have.

As the haunting opening bars of The Poet And The Pendulum cinematically unfurl, new singer Anette Olzon's voice introduces itself in frail ghostly fashion, before the song explodes in a symphonic tidal wave of thunderous drums and full-throttle orchestral might. For the next 14 minutes, it twists and turns in spectacularly dramatic fashion, so packed with epic, classical pomp it's almost overpowering. It really is fantastic, the vastness of the Star Wars soundtrack filtered through a heavy metal band. Olzon's voice is simply incredible throughout, her massive range perfectly rounding off theatrical metal explosions like Cadence Of Her Last Breath and Amaranth.

As usual, keyboardist-songwriter Tuomas Holopainen has left restraint to other bands. If a kitchen sink has strings, there would be one adding to Bye Bye Beautiful's heavy sonic armoury. It's not just the sheer amount of instrumentation that's so impressive, but how purposefully Holopainen has employed every string, whistle and parp to add amazing washes of colour to the songs. Even the cheesy Meadows Of Heaven and the Islander's disposable neo-folk fiddling are saved by their impressive amount of vision.

For some, the idea of a Nightwish without Tarja Turunen is a weak Nightwish. But as long as they're still making records with as much scope, ambition and imagination as this, it'll take a lot more than personnel changes to bring them down.

THE INSIDER – TALES FROM THE STUDIO...

TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN
KEYBOARDS

You must feel as though this album has been 10 years in the making...
“Yes, definitely. This album took so long to make and was such a huge effort that when I listen to it now it seems absurdly big. At the same time, I'd say it was the easiest to make in many ways. The writing process had never been so easy and the atmosphere in the studio was very relaxed.”

Was that because you no longer had to deal with Tarja?
“I don't know if it was necessarily because of that. I guess not having her involved was a little weird, especially since the “divorce” was so ugly. A lot of people have said that this album sounds fresh and that we sound like a new band, so I think it was a process we needed to go through.”

How do you think your fans will react to it?
“I think it will be very dividing. Either people will love it or they will hate it. There are people who won't even piss in our direction anymore, but I think as a whole our fans will see that we're still largely the same band we always were.”

Typed by Faith_ from the Nightwish Discussion Board