If you know me at all, it's not surprising that I have reserved the last post for Nightwish. I have been listening to Nightwish for about 10 years now, and unofficially declared them my "all time and forever favourite band" shortly thereafter. I have never been disappointed by Nightwish because I believe Tuomas (the lyricist, keyboardist and primary composer) is one of the most honest musicians out there. His integrity is second to none. And so long as he keeps doing what he likes to do and believes in it, I can never be disappointed.
Nightwish has a history of outdoing themselves for their newest album. This time they've decided to release a full length movie in conjunction with the CD, both titled Imaginaerum. Even without the movie (which won't be released until the spring at the earliest), the music stands quite well on its own. Nightwish has a fairly distinctive sound, but it's hard to compare the albums to each other. There has always been a natural progression, but I find it hard to say, for example, "Century Child is /better/ than Oceanborn" because they are so different. What Oceanborn does, it does well, and same goes for Century Child, but they essentially have nothing in common other than being Nightwish CD. However I do see Imaginaerum as a kind of culmination of their previous works. I kind of see it as this spiritual cross between Angels Fall First and Once. This might sound odd, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. It combines the huge, explosive orchestral sound of Once with the openness of Angels Fall First. And all three of these CDs represent a beginning of sorts. AFF was Nightwish's first release and the beginning of their fusion of heavy metal with female vocals and the big sound that envelops their music. Once begin their relationship with the LSO and Pip Williams (who arranges the orchestral parts) and the new level they'd reached as a band. And now Imaginaerum is truly the beginning of Anette's integration into the band; it's the first time they've made a film; and I believe looking back in several years we will see this as a major turning point for Nightwish.
The soundscape is unlike anything I've heard before. Particularly since Once, Tuomas has been playing with ethnic sounds and incorporating music you might not expect to hear in a Finnish metal band. They started using uilleann pipes on Dark Passion Play which gave some songs a distinctively Celtic sound; well, they took that sound and really ran with it this time. The break down in "I Want My Tears Back" is basically a highland jig; it's kind of awesome. "Slow Love Slow" is also kind of jazzy; not 100% jazz, but that's fine because it's just supposed to capture the feeling, which it does quite well. The orchestral work is most impressive, with intense percussion sections, a children's choir, and some very strong choral passages.
I'm also wondering if Tuomas was listening to a lot of 80's music when he was writing Imaginaerum; there are a lot of vocal lines and guitar riffs that are reminiscent of that time, as well as the overall sense of hope that encompasses the album.
There's some really cool stuff they've done; there are at least three tracks where they have music come in on the second beat of the bar, which is a very cool sound, and not something you hear that often. The last song, which is split into two tracks, is also unique. The first part is a really intense piece in four movements, followed by about seven minutes of prose read by different people. Then to cap it off, there is a six minute orchestral arrangement of themes from Imaginaerum. I didn't know what to make of it at first, but it makes a whole lot of sense upon listening to it again and again.
Lyrically there are some new themes too, and, as always, Tuomas has found interesting new ways of using the English language.
In preparation for the release of the album, I'd been reading and watching plenty of interviews with Tuomas and had noticed something very different. He's had some very dark periods in his life (resulting in Century Child and Dark Passion Play). But he seems much happier now; he said Imaginaerum is a celebration of life. And indeed it is! I wouldn't say it's a "happy" CD, but there's a certain amount of hope and bliss that I haven't heard since Angels Fall First. By the end of the CD I feel a great sense of calm, which I've never felt before after a Nightwish CD. In fact, normally I can't listen to a Nightwish album more than once a day because they're so intense that I feel drained afterwards. I think if I heard Once or Dark Passion Play several times a day I would be exhausted. But Imaginaerum, as emotional as it is, is at peace with itself. Century Child, Once and Dark Passion Play all finish on rather dark tones; Wishmaster and Oceanborn had a sense of finality, but it was not uplifting; and Angels Fall First finished with a sense of uncertainty. It's almost as if Tuomas is getting more comfortable in his skin.
This is a phenomenal achievement for Nightwish, and I really want to share it with everyone. Nightwish has an incredibly diverse fan base and I've met so many people who get so many different things out of it. If you haven't listened to Nightwish yet, now is the time!
Music video for Storytime: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8ykQLYnX0
and a little clip with each band member talking about the album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_c701C91xE
www.nightwish.com // @nightwishband
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