SUNDAY 4.1.2015 - THE VERY LAST DAY OF MIXINGHappy & finished!(Tero will be able to light his fireplace for the whole winter with his notes for mixing the last song of the album)A massive thank you for Mikko and Tero, brilliant job, as always!Onto Mika`s (Jussila, the mastering engineer) lair next…Cheers!Tuomas
Tuomas gave another interview to the German language website of EMP (the title indicates that is was already in December 2014). I am posting the full translation here instead of opening a new thread as this may be more beneficial for discussing. It is shorter than the Finnish interview but includes further comments from Tuomas on the background of EFMB: Article on EFMB and Tuomas interview at emp.de - 12/2014 by Adam Weishaupt (http://www.emp.de/li...sort=topseller/)If Tuomas Holopainen works on a new Nightish-album, his constant aim is to create something great, monumental and timeless; his own „Dark side of the moon“. The outstanding songwriter had achieved this with the preceding masterpiece “Imaginaerum†and he also succeeds with the immensely multifarious and once more innovative “Endless forms most beautifulâ€.TeamworkThe first words after completing the comprehensive “Imaginaerumâ€-circle – which the Finns even implemented as a movie – were that the successor should be steelier, more direct and less orchestral. The maximum bombast and cinematic broadband sound has been achieved, and, hence, a challenge was needed. “We indeed achieved this vague objectiveâ€, the charismatic keyboarder ponders while putting the final touch to the epic. “’Endless forms most beautiful’ is special in that we worked more closely as a combo and everyone could contribute and do his own thing. This remembered me to the feeling in the period of creation of ‘Oceanborn’ and ‘Once’ which also the band and our engineer confirmed me. From day one, all six members were together in the rehearsal room which gives the songs this organic and natural feel.†Creative passionThe chemistry within the group which grew to a sextet is amicable and fruitful. Chanteuse Floor Jansen, pipes and flute player Troy Donockley as well as drummer Kai Hahto who joined short dated form together with the core group around Tuomas Holopainen, bass player Marco Hietala and guitar player Emppu Vuorinen the new line-up. “The spirit of this new community is immensely energetic and when the creative ball got rolling, the whole process was much faster and easier than expected. Of course there were setbacks, such as Jukka quitting because of his insomnia but we were always ahead of our schedule. All of us benefitted from pulling together from the beginning and it is a big advantage if your vocalist is always present and as motivated as the others." A condition which strengthened the sense of unity which had been rare in the band camp before. Up to the limitsTuomas Holopainen is full of praise when talking about frontlady Floor Jansen which has moved to Finland meanwhile, enjoys the country and its people and takes up the big challenge to learn the Finnish language. “Floor had many terrific ideas concerning the vocal arrangements and really mastered any challenge she had to meet. She sang in very different ways as she has never done before and how nobody has heard her on her works with After Forever or ReVamp as yet. She has a heavenly voice and uses it virtuously. But of course, on the new CD the powerful, very energetic Floor singing with fervour and partially using her operatic soprano will also be heard.†Natural diversityThe great detailed cover artwork of “Endless forms most beautiful†symbolises the lyric context of the disc. “It is a concept about the evolution of earth and its creatures, influenced by the works of such magnificent scientists and authors such as Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins or Carl Sagan. I was particularly influenced by the beauty of nature, enclosed in its true core. That is why I asked our painter Toxic Angel that he should include as many animals, plants and species on the artwork as possible which he realised geniouslyâ€. The title itself is from the pen of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin; they are the elementary words from his book “On the origin of species†of 1859. “Darwin goes back more than three and a half trillions years and establishes the theory that the diversity of the organisms existing today origins from a collective ancestor. Everything goes back to this one moment in time where only bacteria existed from which everything on earth ultimately developed. It makes us all equal and worthy. We as humans are not above it all, nor are we differing from other lifeforms but are part of the whole!†The selfish geneSince his childhood, nature and company of animals are important to the 38 year old Finn, and had he not made a music career, he would have become biologist. “I was able to get the band enthusiastic about the theory of evolution and to write about the beauty of all these thoughtsâ€, Tuomas is happy, and even was so fascinated to win the Nairobi-born British Professor Richard Dawkins over being a speaker on “Endless forms most beautifulâ€. “I wrote him a handwritten letter and soon after got the response that he listened to some of our songs on YouTube, liked them and will be happy to work with us. To finally meet him was an overwhelming moment because he is an impressing personality with an immense intellect. We are honoured by his participation because only once before he has accepted a similar invitation – that was with the Simpsons!â€
Over half way of Nightwish mastering. Instrumental and Orchestral versions are ready, The album itself is still under work here. In weekend after this week's hard work we are having a last check and final listening with artist, producer and mixing engineer. And I'm preparing myself to start all over again from the beginning in next week 'cause they sure will, like always, find something to improve. smile emoticon
Another great day for Nightwish-New album is ... ready Nightwish album "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", due to be released at the end of March, has been mastered. To those who don't know what this means can be be told that awaited album is ready to the slightest detail. The mastering was done by the trusted Mika Jussila. Actually there were three masters: The actual album, the instumental and the orchestral versions. -The material of the album began to pile up in the summer of 2013 so the task of an year and a half is behind us now. But I don't have empty feeling at all although the recording process is over. Of course it helps that the album became precisely what we were after. I'm 100 % happy, tells Tuomas Holopainen.At the scale of 0-100, how relieved are you?-Of course I'm relieved at this phase of the project but not because of this project being too strenuous. On the contrary, this time has been extremely interesting, funny and exciting. Next we are going to concentrate on the promotion of the album and the tour, so there is still plenty to do.
We are happy to finally reveal the track listing for the upcoming Nightwish album »Endless Forms Most Beautiful«.The album will be released on March 27th (EU), 30th (UK) and 31st (US) in the following formats:Jewelcase CD01. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. My Walden07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful08. Edema Ruh09. Alpenglow10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula11. The Greatest Show On Earth2LP black vinyl / 2LP picture vinyl as gatefoldSide A01. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lanSide B01. Yours Is An Empty Hope02. Our Decades In the Sun03. My WaldenSide C01. Endless Forms Most Beautiful02. Edema Ruh03. Alpenglow04. The Eyes Of Sharbat GulaSide D01. The Greatest Show On EarthDigibook incl. instrumental CDCD101. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. My Walden07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful08. Edema Ruh09. Alpenglow10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula11. The Greatest Show On EarthCD2 (instrumental)01. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. My Walden07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful08. Edema Ruh09. Alpenglow10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula11. The Greatest Show On EarthEarbook incl. instrumental & orchestral CDCD101. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. My Walden07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful08. Edema Ruh09. Alpenglow10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula11. The Greatest Show On EarthCD2 (instrumental)01. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. My Walden07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful08. Edema Ruh09. Alpenglow10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula11. The Greatest Show On EarthCD3 (orchestral)01. Shudder Before The Beautiful02. Weak Fantasy03. í‰lan04. Yours Is An Empty Hope05. Our Decades In the Sun06. Endless Forms Most Beautiful07. Alpenglow08. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula09. The Greatest Show On EarthPre-order your copy today through Nuclear Blast Shop or the Nightwish-Shop!Prior to the album release, the first single called 'í‰lan' will be out on February 13th. The 4-track single features the album version, radio edit and an alternate version of 'í‰lan', as well as the non-album bonus track 'Sagan'.Pre-order your copy of 'í‰lan' exclusively here: http://smarturl.it/NIGHTWISH-
Review from Kaaoszine. Shudder Before The Beautiful"No long intro that I expected, instead the action starts right away. A high tempo song combined with Jansen's calmly long vocals that we'll also hear a lot later on the album. Immediately you can tell that her voice fits almost perfectly to the whole entity, because you can hear some familiar things right away. However, already on this first song Floor shows her personal abilities and brings something completely new to the table. The song varies from upbeat to dark, where the upbeat mostly comes from Floor's high pitched vocals and melodies. The solo part with almost Children of Bodom-like combination and dialog of synth and guitar should also not be forgotten. This song underlines what Ms. Jansen said before the pre-listening: There is a lot of stuff. A good basis for things to come, but there is a question in the air - what is this story truly about?" Weak Fantasy"The symphonic and theatrical traits are present, and Weak Fantasy goes more to the soundtrack department in my books. The same theme with Imaginaerum continues and this is just what you'd expect from the new album. Again something familiar, but the band is being a little shy and holding something back. Jansen has convinced the listener already and you'll get used to her voice latest by this song. You can also hear Mr. Hietala for the first time on this song." í‰lan"The first single, and despite it's vastness a very compact song that you can get into quickly. Feels like it takes half the show with it's melodies and beats. Things are clearly under control and small refreshments to the formula do not cause any harm." Yours Is An Empty Hope"In the beginning there are a few atmospherical Bluing-sounds that you hear in fantasy movies and some other songs of the band. Now we are talking about symphonic metal at it's best. This is what the band represents and you can hear they are in their element. So far the most "high, fast and loud" -track without breaking the atmosphere. The choirs give shivers and they make the listener wait for one more explosion, as there was quite a big one at the beginning. In the middle part the listener is reminded of Dark Chest of Wonders, as there are quite a lot of these explosions and there seems to be no end in sight." Our Decades in the Sun"It's time to calm down and create a vision of a small karaoke bar. Tuomas' piano gently accompanies Floor's vocals that once again travel to whole new dimensions. Later on Emppu appears from somewhere with his guitar and Floor has to rise her volume level so that even the audience at the back row can hear her. The song changes from the beginning's melancholy to a more happier mood, and that makes it beautiful in it's own way. This song is absolutely for the gentler listeners." My Walden"The sixth song starts in a weird way. As if a pop singer boy was lost and found himself in the wrong studio. A lot of folkish pop-rock elements can be heard, and while the previous songs resembled the band's older catalog, this sounds more modern. A wide spectrum of elements with up-tempo brings not only heavy pop music to mind, but also Eluveitie's lighter songs. This song offers so much sun and smoothness that it goes to the top of my list at this point. " (Majestico's note - I am starting to question the reporter's taste in music based on these desctiptions...) Endless Forms Most Beautiful"In a short description this is basic new Nightwish. In a way fills the criteria of a title track, but also a filler track. Not special or especially wonderful, but would be a good choice to the set list of the tour. The ending feels slightly repetitive, but as the song says, simple is beautiful." Edema Ruh"This is the most youthful song of the album. Symphonic and folk elements turn into rockish metal that for for example Sturm und Drang (a finnish band) could play, if we forget these whistles and pipes. Includes some catchy vocals from Marco and Floor that now work much better with Marco's singing being more present in the background." Alpenglow"The second filler song. The journey continues steadily and the song goes to the soundtrack department again. Kai probably could have introduced some interesting drumming in here, because at this point you already start waiting for the next two songs and the big finish of the album." Eyes of Sharbat Gula"A soft intro before the last song. Gentle choir singing, this time apparently from younger generation. Otherwise a fully instrumental song meant to create an atmosphere for the final crusade." The Greatest Show on Earth"Such a name on the last song of the album creates a lot of expectations. The calm atmosphere continues, but that's how all the greatest shows in the world begin. The song is about 24 minutes long so we are suffering from [something of a combination of happiness and materialism, can not be translated]. After waiting, the starting of the engine creates feelings of relief but the atmosphere is still anticipating. The excitement is being maintained, until more and more begins to happen. The listener is waiting for the vocals and suddenly they already are there in full force and drums have suddenly appeared in the background. Absolutely the most interesting song to listen to, as every time the climax has been reached, things move on right away. Nothing is enough and little and questionable details keep pouring in. Storyteller Richard Dawkins' voice is telling about the beginning of the end, and after that there is a huge explosion. In principle, nothing much has changed from the first song, but now everything is pushed past the limit and there is absolutely no holding back. I have to say I have not heard anything like this before." ConclusionA lot of stuff as expected. The record gives the listener a feeling that it does not want to stop and that there would have been material for even more. The atmosphere is maintained commendably throughout the album with a wide range of tricks. When Dawkins is still speaking and you can still hear the sound of water, you forget everything you have just heard and become content and full in a good way. I'd say this album is perhaps more simple than usual, but also very versatile. Excluding the two flops the band has succeeded almost perfectly. I would more than gladly buy this and see the band live.
That Imperiumi-review roughly translated: The first few paragraphs are going through the usual:3 years since Imagenaerum, singer changing, Jukka's situation and the controversy caused by Richard Dawkins. Nothing new. Shudder Before the Beatiful:Starts calmly with Richard Dawkins saying a few words, then explodes being a energetic start to the record in the similar vein with Stargazers and Dark Chest of Wonders. The riff has similarities with Storytime, but the pace of the song is quicker. In the middle of the song the is a rather unusual solo, where Emppu and Tuomas go back and forth and in the writers opinion that's one of the most impressive solo sections in NW's catalog. He also likes the chorus. Good start for setlist. Weak Fantasy:One of the heaviest songs of the record. The verse is calm and acoustic, the chorus is very heavy and aggressive. No "hit" melody's, a crushing song. í‰lan:Troy gets to shine here. The reviewer thinks this is maybe a bit too safe choice for lead single and doesn't give a good overall picture of the record. Reasonably light song and the reviewer predicts heavy airplay for it. Yours Is an Empty Hope:After light í‰lan back to the heavier side again. The orchestrations bring rugged edge to the song and the chorus is bombastic and gloomy. Another very heavy song and Floor uses her aggressive singing here. Our Decades in the Sun:Starts with a sci-fi like intro and then starts growing as other instruments join in. Floor sings like a goddess here, putting in lots of emotion. Electric guitars join in the middle of the song. Very calm and picturesque song. My Walden:Named after Henry David Thoreau's book simple and independent lifestyle. Lighter song in the vein of í‰lan, happy chorus, Troys pipes, acoustic middle part. Another potential single. Endless Forms Most Beautiful:Has a earworm-like chorus, potential bigger hit. C-part is slower and the final chorus is modulated a bit higher (so the She Is My SIn/Ever Dream of this record I personally predicted) Edema Ruh:Continues the vein of í‰lan and My Walden. Chorus being the highlight and Marco sings with Troy's pipes. Radio friendly. Alpenglow:The reviewer thinks this songs is rather forgettable. Standard structure, guitars are the best part. The Eyes of Sharbat Gula:Instrumental, which works as prologue to the final song. An odd, melancholic and bleak song where acoustic guitars, piano, flutes play melodies representing Gulas piercing gaze in that world famous picture. Greatest Show on Earth:This points at evolution of course. This is the most grand. ambitious and biggest song NW has ever done. Starts with a very long piano intro and during the song different themes change so often it's really hard to make anything out of it in one listen. Different kinds of emotions alter more than in the rest of the record combined. Floor singing, Marco singing, all kinds of instruments played by Troy, percussions, sounds of organisms, orchestral parts, basically anything you can do with music. Despite all this going on, the song still holds together and it isn't disoriented. Dawkins as a narrator reads a few sentence every once in a while, not in the vein of Song of Myself, just short sentences. In the end the song feels shorter than it is. The ending:-More streamlined stylewise-Floor's versatility could have been utilized better-More positive vibe, even if there are a few darker songs-Most of the songs a rather rather simple structured compared to their few previous records and there are more parts by Troy, which makes the songs sound fresh. -Hard to say much about the lyrics, but the theme seems to be rather positive life philosophy-More band oriented and minimalistic (for the most parts) compared to couple of previous records
* The total running time of the album is 78 minutes they were told. He would say all songs more or less is equal in length, with the intermission (The Eyes of Sharbat Gula) being a bit shorter. So between 5 and 6 minutes. * "How does Alpenglow sound like?" - answer: "Big soundscapes of band and orchestra. Mostly mid-tempo, the bridge sounded quite sinister and evil. There is also a part that is a bit of a battle between Emppu and Troy, handing the melody back and forth between guitar and flute. Big orchestra towards the end." * He says there are more guitar focus. The orchestra is of course still there and as big as it used to be, but Emppu and Marco absolutely stand their ground against it. * Description of "Yours is an Empty Hope": "One song you should really look forward to is "Yours Is An Empty Hope". It's huge, wild and brutal. Choirs, Floor, Marco, heavy heavy guitars, a heavy and dragging chorus. It really felt like a room of journalists was having their asses kicked by music. In a good way, but we all felt a bit breathless afterwards." * Description of "Edema Ruh": "Edema Ruh is an extremely diverse song that swings back and forth between calm parts, brutal guitars and grand orchestra. After one listen it was my favorite song and I wrote down "instant classic" on my sheet. I think this was also the song that had some synth sounding percussion in it. Or they filtered Kai a lot, either way, it sounded great and worked really well. Troy also sings in this one.". Also possible the second single. * The last song includes a lot of nature and animal sounds, including whale singing and roars. Full answer: "Yes. There are many soundscapes like whale singing, roaring animals, wind, water, etc. Towards the end it was a bit too much for my taste, but the parts in between work very well. The sound scapes connect the acts of the song really well, introducing smaller themes that are then picked up by the band and orchestra. The guy is getting good at writing songs" * Description of the song "Endless Forms Most Beautiful": "It was a rather powerful song, I had somehow expected something larger and more cinematic. It has very very strong guitars, a more operatic Floor in some parts. The chorus was a bit lighter and very catchy, but with choir and a good amount of guitars. I wrote down "mega fat guitars" several times, so I must have been impressed by that, haha."
Did some try-out hair and make-up today. After a week of a good old fashioned flu with throat infection it's time to get ready for the Nightwish promo tour that starts tomorrow. We have a great schedule ahead of us with many interviews in many countries. Time is never on our hand so I need to be able to get my looks on fast :-) I can't wait to go and talk more about our new jewel 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful'! #nightwish #endlessformsmostbeautiful #newalbum #promotour
Found a new 'review'. Seems there was a listening session in London last friday. Some short thoughts of four people attending a listening session:http://www.teamrock....rst-impressionsThe Prog team have heard the new Nightwish album...Last Friday, various members of Team Prog ventured into central London to be played the new Nightwish album...If we wanted to hear the new Nightwish album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful, which is released through Nuclear Blast on March 27, then for security reasons (seems Imaginaerum, the last Nightwish album, was leaked all over the Internet) we had to go to the new Gibson Guitars HQ just off of Oxford Street for a series of playbacks. Most of us settled for just one, the more diehard Nightwish fans on the team went to all four (Hi Natasha) and Hannah just said "Meh" and stayed in the office (she's not a fan). But these are the first impressions of the Prog writers who did go down for a listen...JERRY EWING (EDITOR) Certainly not as immediate as Imaginaerum, and it didn't seem as bombastic either. Much more prog than metal, with some nice Celtic flourishes from Troy Donockley. Floor Jansen sounds most impressive too. The addition of Richard Dawkins will annoy some as much as it will impress others. The closing 24-minute epic, the aptly titled The Greatest Show On Earth, will delight most prog fans of the band. I suspect it'll be a grower!RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER (ART EDITOR) Less Abba-like histrionics and more Celtic pipery than you can throw a kitchen sink at, Nightwish continue hurtling headlong into the meaning of life, the universe and everything else. Striking a fine balance between voice of an angel and amazonian goddess, Floor Jansen more than holds her own against Tuomas’s tidal wave of sound and symphonic delugeNATASHA SCHARF (NEWS EDITOR) It feels like Nightwish have decided to revisit their pre-Imaginaerum sound and bring it right up to date with slicker production and tighter composition. Heavier yet even proggier than their previous albums, Endless Forms... builds on their trademark symphonic-meets-celtic sound with maturity and greater confidence. And new singer Floor Jansen's vocals are absolutely spot-on.MALCOLM DOME (WRITER) An album which will doubtless make a very positive impression after a few listens. First impression is that it's cold, remote and lacking immediacy. It references the band's past, while also moving things forward. And it makes you want to live with it.
Se ha revelado la duración de las canciones!!! 1. Shudder Before the Beautiful / 6:292. Weak Fantasy / 5:233. í‰lan / 4:454. Yours is an Empty Hope / 5:345. Our Decades in the Sun / 6:376. My Walden / 4:387. Endless Forms Most Beautiful / 5:078. Edema Ruh / 5:159. Alpenglow / 4:4510. The Eyes of Sharbat Gula (instrumental) / 6:0311. The Greatest Show on Earth / 24:00
