Nightwish

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Fotos

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Amaranth @ Wacken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORiomBjBpLc&

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Last Ride of The Day @ M'era Luna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqe4cCrsnzE&

Nemo @ M'era Luna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9evjfKO-Oo0&

Ever Dream @ M'era Luna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDHvfBcMqA8&

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Storytime @ M'era Luna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_XHkdRF9g&

[Serena]

Backstage on the Alcatraz Metal Festival last Saturday we spoke with singer/bass player Marco Hietala of Nightwish. Because Doro was playing at the same time, the interview took place in the luxury tour bus of the band. 
 
When we take place at the table, Tuomas Holopainen – lying on the sofa – wakes up en leaves the bus. I asked him if he wanted to join the conversation, without result.
 
In front of us lies a digipack with the latest Revamp album Wild Card by singer Floor Jansen,  set for release at the end of august.
 
I: Only after the third listening, the music started to sink in and was I able to judge it. It has become an excellent piece.
 
M: She will be delighted to hear that. We just received the album and listened to it for the first time. It’s hard to judge; it sounds heavier than expected.
 
I: Does Tuomas write the biggest part of the music and lyrics or is there a lot of collaboration with the other members?
 
M: Tuomas is the bandleader and he constantly writes music and therefore he writes most of the songs and lyrics. But I also wrote a couple of songs, which I sent to him as demos and some of them have been released on our albums. When we come together, all demos are evaluated and the whole band will work on the songs to complete them. This way every band member can work on their contribution  in a relaxed way and sometimes the demos remain the same, but sometimes they completely change. This way of recording or songs gives us the best results.
 
I: You wrote at least one song: The Crow, the Owl and the Dove. Quite a soft song for you?
 
M: Yeah, because of my hairy face en appearance, people think I’m a metal monster. But I play acoustic music my whole artistic life and sometimes I come up with a song like that. The Islander from the previous album was also written by me and that one was also completely acoustic. It’s good to also bring that side of my music.
 
I: The pleas for a return of Tarja are finally over. That’s because Floor was very well received by the fans.
 
M: It seems like that, yeah.
 
I: She is the ideal singer for Nightwish, because she has both the classical voice of Tarja, and the softer pop voice of Anette. What do you think?
 
M: I completely agree. She fits very well and we go along very well, but at the moment we don’t want to make permanent decisions. We have the big advantage of being on tour together, to learn to know each other backstage and live together in a bus etc., without the urge of a permanent binding. Of course the firing, I mean the replacing of a singer in the middle of a tour was tough, but it also gives us the advantage that we only have to find out whether we go along well together and how well shows go. The collaboration is going great and for me she’s a very strong candidate to say the least.
 
I: And the fans will certainly welcome this choice!
 
M: Okay, I do not live in a box and I read discussions, forums and I know that lots of people want her to stay. If it appears to be the right decision, why would we challenge it? But we’ll see…
 
I: Last week you performed at Wacken and the show was recorded for a dvd/blu-ray release. Do you agree it was time for a new live recording, especially in this magical band formation?
 
M: It was an opportunity that was given to us quite accidentally. We were already working on a documentary, which is quite massive and covers the Imaginaerum tour and the making of the film. And then there was the idea it would be nice to add a live show, since we haven’t released any albums in this formation. And what would be a better place than Wacken with 70.000 fans with fists in the air watching your show. I can assure you performing for such a crowd gives me nice electrical sparks over my entire body. You feel recharged!
 
I: Is there the possibility of a live CD of this show?
 
M: Of course, considering we recorded in 5.1 surround and stereo mix, why won’t we release the stereo on CD? Some people aren’t interested in watching shows, they prefer to listen to them. I assume that our record label (Nuclear Blast) will release our show in several formats, but I’m not up to date about the business side and the decisions of this release. At the moment it is most important that the DVD will come, with the show, the film, documentary etc.
 
I: Normally there are a lot of visual effects like pyros and confetti at Nightwish shows. Is the visual aspect very important to you?   
 
M: I don’t know, we regularly play without special effects and I trust on the power of the band and the performance. The music is the most important part, the way you bring it, the group atmosphere you build on stage. But because of the success we are able to invest in the icing on the cake, bringing screens and pyros on stage to further build the show. But for me it’s not necessary.
 
 
 
I: You’re a big band, playing as headliner at this festival and the fans expect these show elements.
 
M: Yeah, the music itself is a serious task; you write things to please yourself, create songs that are worth releasing. But you must not take it too serious. You also have to entertain the crowd and when we get the possibility to make them smile, why not? I think it’s important to stir people, in several ways.   
 
I: The Imaginaerum Tour lasted more than a year and is almost over. How do you look back on this period?
 
M: Oh man, we’ve been to a lot, highs and lows; like the rollercoaster of the film, which appeared to be a happy coincidence. But all’s well that ends well, we’re still alive. It turned out to be fine.
 
I: So, the film was the most special in these last two years, because you never did something like that before?
 
M: That’s right. It was a risk and the project is still loss making. We don’t need to sell our houses, but it didn’t make any profit for the company. When we read through the rough script and saw the concept art, we knew the right people and we could get the funding. We thought, if we don’t do this now, we’ll regret it. You have to do something when you get the chance.
 
I: Definitely with Tuomas, who’s a lover of film music. He was undoubtedly the driving force behind this idea, right?
 
M: Indeed
 
I: What are the plans for the next album? Can we expect new film music, more experiments, further explorations of the sound? Or will there be a return to the heavier songs like the songs of the Once album?
 
M: There won’t be a movie again. But it’s hard to make predictions. We’ve only exchanged a few ideas. To be honest: we really don’t know yet. This is the kind of band that does things that reflect the moment we live in; everything that feels good at that moment. That’s in my opinion one of the keys to our success. A strong backbone. Integrity.
 
I: After today there’s one last show and after that it will take a year before you’ll write new songs next summer?
 
M: That’s the way it seems, but we don’t take a year off. Coming winter we’ll exchange and discuss demos. We booked the rehearsal room for next summer, where we’ll work on the songs and rehearse them before entering the studio. It will depend on the inspiration of Mr. Holopainen if he’ll have worthy ideas to write about.
 
I: What’s the secret of the durability of this band and the force to go on? You already named integrity as one of the elements.
 
M: Yeah, maybe we’re just a bunch of idiots who don’t know when to stop (laughs). No, not really. I think we all still enjoy doing this a lot. We have a good record label. An excellent collaboration with the crew. Most of them have been working for years with us. We have a good connection with each other. Sometimes there are clashes and arguments, but most of the times they are solved with a laugh.
 
I: The lyrics are often poetic. On the edge of cryptic. If someone wants to understand what is sung, how would you advise them to approach the lyrics?
 
M: The largest part of the lyrics – the way I interpret them – have a double meaning. You can interpret them one way or another. This is true for quite some pieces, without both versions contradicting each other. But it depends on the position you take. Yeah, poetic on the edge of cryptic; that’s the way he (Tuomas) writes. We’ve known each other for years and I don’t have difficulties understanding his writing style, but for some people it can be difficult. I’m pleased –because I write lyrics myself- when I listen to the music and read the lyrics and it makes me wonder and  makes me explore the boundaries of my imagination.
 
I: What’s the biggest inspiration for the lyrics?
 
M: There’s no simple answer to that. It doesn’t matter. Imagine a child stumbling and the mother walking towards it. That’s enough to start a story. You must not restrict your creativity. You have to be open for things that enter your mind and stimulate your imagination and build further on it. Everything you see, hear or experience influences what you create…
 
I: And what’s the musical inspiration? For the Imaginaerum concept, I suspect classical or film music composers to be important. But are you also inspired by (metal)bands?
 
M: Of course everyone of us has his own background in listening to the heavier work and also easier hardrock like AOR, pop music, it doesn’t matter… But for me it’s difficult to point to a certain band, idea or musical area that influenced us. We’re open minded and willing to use anything we think is necessary at that moment.
 
I: I’m under the impression that after you joined the band with the Century Child album, the music became a lot heavier and more guitar oriented. Was this a conscious choice or something that happened spontaneously?
 
M: Both I think. When I joined and listened to the demos, Tuomas told me he wanted to bring the new songs in a lower tone, much slower and heavier. I was open to that, since I’m an old school fan of Black Sabbath for example. Thus, it was the intention and as I play the bass guitar I focus on the rhythm section and try to keep the songs lively. Try to give them air and space. That’s the way I play. The way I approach it. I also like it when it sounds heavier, but our music evolves constantly and what was good at the beginning, is different now.
 
I: Tuomas didn’t only choose you because you play bass guitar. He also needed you voice. The contrast between a light female voice and your heavier sound sounds awesome.
 
M: Yeah, that’s indeed the reason why I was added. They wanted a singing bass player and I was on tour with them for five weeks when I was playing with Sinergy as support act. We got to know each other and discovered we had interests in common. I did the male voice for Beauty and the Beast during the Nightwish show. It was no surprise for me when I was asked to be a group member.
 
I: Anette left the band in the middle of the tour. Was this very unexpected and problematic, or did you already have Floor as a ‘wild card’?
 
M: Not that long. We had her in the back of our heads just in case… It all went so fast. To be honest, I don’t want to get into details, but in two days time things happened about which I could write a book. But in the end this was probably the best for everyone.
 
I: But you already knew Floor for ages, since she played as support act for Nightwish and you were convinced by her qualities?
 
M: Of course. I’ve seen her perform with her band and we could get along very well. When you’re in such a hectic situation, you need someone who can join in very fast and she was the first one who we thought could handle that. And she did!
 
I: Indeed she did! When Tarja left, I immediately thought of Floor and you needed six years to come to the same conclusion?
 
M: In retrospect, this is true. But at that time she was still in After Forever and we were friends with the guys. We couldn’t just take her away from them. But we – and I’m speaking for myself – have already thought about it back then.
 
I: Thanks for this interview
 
 
The fact that Revamp and Nightwish are under the same label must undoubtedly have helped in the situation. Unfortunately we had to put an end to the interview because they had to go to the signing session at which they arrived ten minutes too late (sorry about that). I just had the time to congratulate Floor with her new album. Later that night they played a wonderfull concert.

[Serena]

As promised Marco, published in special Spark (July 2013) whole about Nightwish
 
Question:
There were many talks that NW without Tarja is another band that it is “half band”.  If you now play with Floor, do you have feeling, that you are back typical Nightwish?
Marco:
But with Floor nothing is official yet. She is not full time member of band. In the moment we broke up with Anette we quickly needed replacement, someone being able to sing remaining part of tour in good quality. Only after we finish our tour all gigs, we will concentrate on who exactly will sing on our next album. Nevertheless it will have no impact on creation of our new material. This is purely our internal stuff, we don’t submit to nobody and nothing. So regardless if we have singer or not we will write new songs. We have all planned the same way as for previous releases. We will choose the best songs, arrange them and go to studio. Nightwish continue and that is the essential message.

[Serena]

Fotos Wacken

[Serena]

Finnish Symphonic Metal legends NIGHTWISH have revealed the cover artwork and more details of their upcoming new live DVD. »Showtime, Storytime« contains the entire NIGHTWISH headliner show, played at this years' legendary Wacken Open Air - the world's biggest heavy metal festival. The live show in the front of 85 000 screaming metalheads was directed by Ville Lipií¤inen, filmed with seventeen cameras and has a total duration of 85 minutes.

The second disc consists of 120-minute tour documentary 'Please Learn The Setlist in 48 Hours', also directed by Ville Lipií¤inen, with no short of drama or overall madness. Also, there is a 16-minute NIGHTWISH Table Hockey Tournament, filmed on tour. On top of this there are two music clips: 'I Want My Tears Back' (Live at Hartwall Arena) and 'Ghost Love Score' (Live in Buenos Aires).

The Wacken Open Air appearance was the first of the three final shows of the band's `Imaginaerum World Tour´ 2013, which saw the Norsemen and their Dutch amazon Floor Jansen (REVAMP) playing of 104 concerts in 34 different countries with total audience of over 1,5 million fans around the globe.
Mastermind and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen states: "Our darling flying Dutchwoman, Floor Jansen, has been nothing but incredible during her time in NIGHTWISH on this tour, so this is a perfect opportunity to immortalize the current vibe of the band on film!"

The setlist reads as follows (DVD1):
01. Dark Chest Of Wonders
02. Wish I Had An Angel
03. She Is My Sin
04. Ghost River
05. Ever Dream
06. Storytime
07. I Want My Tears Back
08. Nemo
09. Last Of The Wilds
10. Bless The Child
11. Romanticide
12. Amaranth
13. Ghost Love Score
14. Song Of Myself
15. Last Ride Of The Day
16. Outro (Imaginaerum)

»Showtime, Storytime« will be released on November 29th as a "Ltd. 2Blu-ray + 2CD DIGI", "Ltd. 2DVD + 2CD DIGI", "Ltd. 2CD DIGI", "2LP (coloured) in gatefold" and an exclusive "Nuclear Blast Mailorder Edition".

Pre-sales will start soon - check: http://bit.ly/IKpBH4 or http://shop.nightwish.com/

www.nightwish.com | www.facebook.com/nightwish | www.nuclearblast.de/nightwish

[Serena]

En el DVD no aparecerá nada sobre Anette

Hello everyone,
We began shooting the Nightwish Imaginaerum - world tour documentary in January 2012. The shootings continued all the way until August 2013, so we ended up having tons of material from the tour. The material included, among other things, concerts, rehearsals and interviews from all the members of the band. The editing process of the documentary started already in early 2012.
 
However, in the beginning of March 2013 we received a message insisting that no visuals (moving or still) nor any audio featuring Anette Olzon can be used on the dvd, this being her personal request.
 
This meant that we had to go back to the very beginning of the editing process. We respect her wish, and that`s why Anette will unfortunately not be seen or heard on the "Showtime, Storytime" - dvd.
 
Ville Lipií¤inen
 
- Director

[Serena]

Elize y Alyssa hablan sobre reemplazar a Anette

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdACT2M-5tw&

[Serena]

CD1:
Dark Chest Of Wonders
Wish I Had An Angel
She Is My Sin
Ghost River
Ever Dream
Storytime
I Want My Tears Back
Nemo
 
CD2:
Last Of The Wilds
Bless The Child
Romanticide
Amaranth
Ghost Love Score
Song Of Myself
Last Ride Of The Day
Outro (Imaginaerum)

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Teaser Showtime Storytime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_czsLPig_0s

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Floor se queda en la banda!

Ms. Floor Jansen is a keeper.

Also, we will be a six-piece band from now on, as Mr. Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, vocals) will become a full-time member of NIGHTWISH.

Originally we were going to wait until 2014 to make a decision about the future line-up of the band, but the past year has clearly shown us that Floor and Troy are perfect matching pieces to our puzzle, and we are really grateful of the bond that has grown between all of us. We love you guys.

Tuomas
Marco
Jukka
Emppu


Commented vocalist Floor Jansen: "Words cannot describe what I feel! This union is beyond everything and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to continue this amazing journey with my new brothers! Once I had a dream…and this is it!!!"


Piper/whistleman, added vocalist Troy Donockley: "`Imaginaerum World Tour´was a revelation to me and in that time, I became aware of a growing unity and then, finally, a transcendence of all the usual nonsense that affects bands. A beautiful process. And since the idea, the musical dream that is NIGHTWISH has been a part of me since before I was born, I am delighted to officially sail into uncharted waters with my brothers and sister. Wondrous scenes Ahoy! "


The new line-up can be seen on the live / tour documentary DVD »Showtime, Storytime«, released on November 29th.

[Serena]

From Epica's official Facebook page:
We would like to congratulate our friends and colleagues Floor Jansen and Nightwish for their announced union! A perfect fit and a great win for all symphonic metal fans! Rock on!!!

[Serena]

Storytime @ Wacken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvkYwOJZONU&