This is my review for the album Imaginaerum by Nightwish, a Finnish metal band. Now for those of you who don't know Nightwish has been called so very many things in the metal spectrum from symphonic to gothic, power to gothic and most frequently that I've heard is theatrical metal. I kind of enjoy that, to be honest. It really catches the elements and having been able to see them live twice on 70,000 tons just reaffirmed the fact that they feed into each others energy and playful spirits, delighting the audience with that overwhelming play by play feeling.
The band is made up of five amazing musicians.
Tuomas Holopainen- My personal favourite. He is the lyricist, composer and keyboardist of Nightwish, with his deep mind and his laugh like his child-like eyes it's no wonder the music is amazing. With Anette at his side, singing his music, I think they can just about do anything.. I love this collaboration. Of course, I love the entire group too, don't worry!
Anette Olzon- She has been the vocalist since 2007, and she brims with beauty and genuine kinship. I enjoy her voice, her personality and the fact that she brings a new light and energy to the stage. She is a true gem. Originally from Sweden, she's the only one who's not Finnish in the band.
Marco Hietala- The bass player and male vocals. Hietala's raw, edgy voice adds such contrast to Anette's songbird like vocals. Also, generally hilarity ensues whenever Marco is around, doing interviews or just on stage.
Emppu Vuorinen- The guitar player of the group, Emppu can shred like it's his damn business and believe me.. It is. Whatever he lacks in height, (the other band members refer to him as a hobbit because he's just a little over five feet tall) he more than makes up for in guitar skill. Plus, he's kind of adorable when playing guitar. That smile gets me every time!
Jukka Nevalainen- The bands drummer. He's seriously overlooked for being so awesome at what he does. That being said very little is known about him, although I do know that he twirls his drumsticks in between beats and usually is very quiet.
Troy Donockley- Is not a member, but rather a guest appearing with Nighwish. He's done some work on previous albums, as well as a lot of work on Imaginaerum and he's most known for playing the uillean pipes, celtic bouzouki and tin and low whistles. He's also known for doing magic tricks in very high wind on cruise ships.. Bonus points!
Now on to the album!
I waited for this pre-order for months and my friends started listening to leaked versions and started trying to make me listen to it to, but I was vigilant in waiting for my pre-order. I will wait for good music, and Nightwish is well worth the damn wait.
I got home one day mid-January and there was my package and it had in it, the special edition t-shirt (which never fit me anyway, because let's face it I'm a fat chick) and the CD with the bonus CD of all the orchestral versions. The artwork is absolutely beautiful. It's open gates, and a roller coaster track leading you into an abandoned theme park at night. The track for the roller coaster is all topsy turvy and above the gate is the Nightwish logo and just under that is the the title of the album "Imaginaerum." It's a fantastic album cover and I immediately upload the album cover and music to my phone and lie in bed for about four hours straight, music on loop. Here are my thoughts on the album and the music as individual pieces.
The entire album is just a trip from beginning to end and are you ready to take that trip with me? I sure hope so...
Taikatalvi
So this is the first song on the album and we start with on the album and at 2:25. We see a whole different side to Marco's vocal range, a sweet lullaby from a music box. It gives you the feel that you could indeed fall asleep to it. The song is in Finnish, but it's beautiful. As the song hits about a minute, cue in.. Well everything, really. The keyboards, the orchestra and the choir. Towards the end of the songs you get a feeling of building suspense in the keyboards, and then.... (See what I did there, eh?)
Storytime
At roughly four minutes long, this is one of my favourite songs, and one I heard before the CD was released. They released this song on YouTube (seriously click the link because it's an awesome video full of amazing weirdness/genius!) three days before my birthday. It was the only thing keeping me going for a while there in a time when I had just dropped out of school for medical reasons and I was going through some really rough stuff so this was possibly the best birthday present ever!
Anyways, back to the album review, shall we? Storytime is like this delicious compilation of everything I personally love in a metal song. It has heavy elements of classical fairy tale story telling, a good beat, a hefty dose of orchestral components, good guitar riffs and above all a good melody. It's light hearted and fun and it's not your typical metal. Most of all though, it makes you want to dance and headbang but just a fair warning... Don't do it with your glasses on, bad combinations happen there... I know.. I've tried it.
Ghost River
This song is just.. Pure genius. The instruments in this song alone make me want to put this on repeat a zillion times and frankly there are even more elements to this song that I love but we'll get into that a bit later. This song is said to be a "Duel between the Devil and Mother Gaia" and that's straight from the wikipedia page, and from Tuomas's mouth, even. The sheer emotion that's put into this song, and the creepy level that I achieve while listening to it is enough to make me delighted. I'm a "Tim Burton loving, if you're weird it's okay, I'm weird too!" kind of gal, so I absolutely adore this song! Another part I adore? The child choir! Yes, I've said it! I love the child choir in this seemingly obscene and creepy song. It's beautifully orchestrated though and that's the main part. I like to think Mother Gaia is kicking some ass and taking some names. Five and a half minutes of sheer awesome.
Slow Love Slow
I admittedly, in my excitement to hear other songs for the first time listening to this CD went, six minutes?! SKIP! I never loved jazz until this song and because of this song I started to listen to a few new songs of jazz-like music. Nightwish has never done anything jazz inspired and it really took me for a loop.
It took me about four times listening to this song to actually like it.. I think I'll tell you what sold it for me though. I was on the bus in November and it was warmer than normal and I was sitting in my wheelchair and it started to rain heavily and this song came on.. Watching the rain this song felt so right; and I started to listen to the lyrics. I heard a specific piece of lyric and thought to myself, how true is that? "Do I love you, or the thought of you?" How very insightful, because I think love, should really come from the deepest part of your heart, your brain and your being.
It took me about four times listening to this song to actually like it.. I think I'll tell you what sold it for me though. I was on the bus in November and it was warmer than normal and I was sitting in my wheelchair and it started to rain heavily and this song came on.. Watching the rain this song felt so right; and I started to listen to the lyrics. I heard a specific piece of lyric and thought to myself, how true is that? "Do I love you, or the thought of you?" How very insightful, because I think love, should really come from the deepest part of your heart, your brain and your being.
On to the instruments though, the brushes used on the drum were very creative and though common in jazz (or so I'm told). I liked the beat of the bass line, just very simple, and low. Marco's growly, rumble voice and Anette's overstated vocals work well here. I enjoy this song thoroughly, but I find I have to be in a real contemplative mood to listen to it.
I Want My Tears Back
This is my absolute favourite song on the album because it is so nostalgic for me. This song is five minutes long and all I can say negatively about this song is that I wish Troy Donockley was in this song much more than he is. My grandmother was Scottish and for those of you who've read my blog you know that she was like a mother to me.. The pipes are... bittersweet indeed to me and when I heard this song, I immediately related it to how when she got into her elderly years she use to wish she could have her youth back so she could go to school and become a nurse to help people, or have put off having children for a few more years to get settled in Canada a little bit to help my grandfather out with the money, because they struggled. It's strange that a mere song can relate to people so differently, isn't it? I guess that's the beauty of music, though. Everyone can have their own take on it and no one can tell you it's wrong.
The pipes are amazing in this song, as I've said. The drums are a bit understated here, but still keep an amazing tempo and that's what counts. The guitar is what I hear here more than anything, and I've gotta say I dig it, especially at 1:56 when you refine yourself into a oogey gooey celtic mess and realize that the only member that is remotely celtic is Troy and the rest that you're dealing with are all Nordic/Scandinavian.
Scaretale
Scaretale is a whole ball of childrens nightmares. That's really all it is.. Now being as I actually willed myself to stop having nightmares at five, (due to an unfortunate dream where a skeleton head was biting at my ankles) I never got to have cool ones like this. Remember when I said the entire album was a trip? Yup... I'm told this particular song was based off on Metallica's "Enter Sandman."
The seven and a half minute song starts off with some children singing ring around the rosie and then the orchestra pipes in with strings and brass that I can identify alone (but I'm not expert so who the hell knows what else could have been involved) and then the ride starts. The music makes it sound as if you're being chased and you're being cornered. What's really cool is how much the guitar and bass are shredding and the drums are just going crazy in this song. You should see it live, it is insane! The entire song is just like you've stepped off in some strange and twisted carnival and horrors befall you at every turn.... and I LOVE IT! This is my third favourite song on the album and it's amazing!
Arabesque
This is my least favourite song on the album and by proxy it's still pretty good, like... I still listen to it and imagine and dream good.. I guess it's just because it's so short and it reminds me of a Cowboys and Indians kind of thing, which I never really got into as a child. The song is only three minutes long and has the choir and orchestra in their pretty heavily and it was made for a specific scene in the movie, so it'll be interesting to see what it's all about!
Turn Loose The Mermaids
This song, with Anette's ethereal voice and the celtic influences of the great Troy Donockley is simply magical. It reminds me of my grandfather because while he was in the war he was so well travelled, and when I was a child he told me stories similar to this all the time.. The instruments are such a beautiful compliment to Anette's voice, and her voice to the instruments. At around three minutes and forty seconds the strings kick in from the orchestral component, and oh boy are they just lovely, giving you a sense of urgency. The song is only four and a half minutes long but by the end you are resting calm...
Rest Calm
This is one of the heavier songs of the album, and taking inspiration from bands like "My Dying Bride" and other doom metal. The song is the heaviest on the guitar and bass on the album, in my opinion anyway, it might not be as fast, but there are more solos. It's interesting to hear, actually the compilation of the instruments together and the voices in such a heavy state. The best part about this song in my opinion, is the choir and the way their voices emphasise the orchestra. I'm in favour of any time you put an orchestra and a choir together. It's just seven minutes in heaven.
The Crow, the Owl and the Dove
This is one of the more easy listening songs on the album, and I actually really enjoy it. Marco co-wrote this one, and he really did a nice job with Tuomas to create a song that is both truthful and maintains integrity. I love the instruments in this song, particularly Troy but I'm not sure if he's playing the flute or his pipes. It's rather short for Holopainen/Hietala at just over four minutes but the tempo is just lovely and the drums seem to be vivid, but at the same time not overpowering.
Last Ride of the Day
The orchestral part kicks off this song and the choir comes in.. and the angry wheelchair lady knows it's going to be a good day. The is the one song I can just imagine going into Disneyland and having so much fun to this song! I can just hear the musicians going at it and working hard and I just love it. I love everything about this song. I love it's carefree admittance, I love the fact that it has a good message, I love that it's playful but mostly,....I love the fact that I can see myself on.. Oh, I don't even know, "Ride to Atlantis" and dropping about 200 feet into the water below because I'm an Ocean Soul through and through! Also, there's a pretty kick ass guitar solo that starts at 2:56. Listen. <3 I want this song to last foreverrrr but sadly it only lasts four and a half minutes. Boo.....
Song Of Myself
Song Of Myself is a whopping thirteen and a half minutes long, but the choir, orchestra and drum parts alternating make it so it's very hard to get bored. At around the seven minute mark, a man comes in, and children and various other people and start talking. Most of the things that are said are enlightening, such as... "Paper is dead without words, ink idle without a poem, all the world dead without stories.." You have to listen to it to get the jist of it, because I can't put it into words eloquently enough.
Imaginaerum
This is like.. The ending credits almost, it encompasses all the main music into one and it makes so a nice little short of the orchestral versions. It's so beautiful!
The Album
All and all, the album works for me, because I can seperate the music and listen to it as a movie soundtrack as well. I've always been a dual listener like that and I think that will never change. Holopainen has managed to write and compose something that's outstandingly theatrical, but at the same time each song can also work an an individual level. Keep rocking, Nightwish!
And that's really the end of this little review, I hope you like it, and if you do, and if you're new to Nightwish or if you're interested they live Here! You can go there to buy their album, check out some stuff about them, or even just browse around.
Also if you live in North America and are a fan or want to go to a show you should come see this link, because they are starting their North American tour in September! (To which I already bought VIP tickets, plane tickets and stuff too since they aren't coming to my city!)
Also, if you want to hear how I met the band back in January.. You should go and check my previous blog posts.. It's a pretty lame story, but I figure if people want to check it out they can!
Thanks for reading, my next review will be up by the end of next week, so watch for it. Until then, I might post a vlog. You never know! Also, I'm part of the Nightwish Canadian Street Team so I feel obligated to post shitty camera phone pictures of my t-shirt lol.
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