Imaginaerum [CD]

Imaginaerum is the highly anticipated seventh studio album from Nightwish and the second with singer Anette Olzon. So four years have passed since Dark Passion Play and of particular interest is the fact that this time the band returns with an album and a movie which will be released in 2012. The movie is based on the album and not the other way around. It sounds ambitious, doesn't it? But let's move on to the music part.

A first thing that can be noted is that this is definitely their most diverse effort to date. It feels like Tuomas tries to combine all his influences and link them in the best possible way. And without a doubt, he succeeds! Also, Anette sounds more confident and shows a lot of diversity herself. Of course every member is perfect in their role. No need to mention that, once again, the band works with the famous London Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir group Metro Voices. Both arranged and directed by Pip Williams, give the great extra element and lead to impressive results.

Nightwish never really had an intro in previous albums but the first song is exactly that. Completely sang by Marco in Finnish, `Taikatalvi' is a beautiful acoustic song which serves as a very good introduction to the journey that follows.

`Storytime' which follows is the first single of the album and this is an obvious choice. It is very uplifting, with a very catchy melody and chorus. However, it also includes a full orchestra and the symphonic element is not missing. A very good song indeed.

`Ghost river', is a very heavy and rhythmic song. It offers an intriguing duet between Anette and a powerful and darker Marco. The children's choir in the end blends perfectly and adds to the whole atmosphere.

`Slow, love, slow' is a very surprising song with a lounge-bar jazz feeling. It is different for Nightwish but has a unique atmosphere and builds up nicely allowing Anette to perform really well.

`I want my tears back' is a great song that will be stuck in your head. It is uplifting, with folk/Celtic influences (e.g., `Last of the wilds') and a fantastic duet between Marco and Anette. The Celtic pipe melodies are also fantastic. By the way, I liked her approach in the first verses: more towards an angelic Sharon den Adel type of vocals. And Marco is always the familiar loveable Marco!

`Scaretale' is a rollercoaster! The sound is very cinematic and blends the classic symphonic sound of Nightwish with a circus/rollercoaster atmosphere. Heavy riffing and a few crazy surprises are included.

`Arabesque' is a remarkable instrumental piece with Middle Eastern influences. This is a very soundtrack-like song, with the orchestra leading the way and blending perfectly with the choir and huge percussion parts.

`Turn loose the mermaids' is an amazing and beautiful acoustic (Celtic influenced) ballad. In this inspirational song Anette really shines. The violin solo in the end is also astonishing!

`Rest calm' is a mid-tempo, very heavy and atmospheric song. Once again there is great orchestration, choir and...Marco! Anette sounds very good also. The heavy couplet/soft refrain structure works well. I got hooked to the ending as well!

`The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove' is another beautiful ballad (written mainly by Marco) with great melody and one of the most successful duets between Marco and Anette.

And now let's talk about `Last ride of the day'...Wow! This is Nightwish in 4:32 min! One word: Epic! This is one of my favourites so far. Huge choirs, orchestra, heavy guitars and an amazing and uplifting chorus (Gary Moore's `Over the hills and far away' style). Both singers excel in this one!

And after this excitement, there is the `big' song of the album: The 13:37 min epic called `Song of Myself' inspired by the poet Walt Whitman. What can I say? An epic, symphonic and heavy masterpiece! Massive orchestra and choirs blend with very heavy guitars and double bass drums. Anette sounds great and very confident in this one. The band overall sounds very tight in this great song. The song concludes with about 6 minutes of spoken words (a heartfelt poem written by Tuomas) from various actors I guess. Sweet piano and a poignant atmosphere...

The album closes with `Imaginaerum' which is purely an orchestral piece comprised of parts from all songs.

There is no doubt that Nightwish is one of the best bands of our time and in this new era of their history they managed to maintain the old quality and produce another masterpiece. Thank you Mr Holopainen (&co). You are truly one of a kind!

P.S. The double digipack edition includes the instrumental versions of all songs and a poster.

As a long time Nightwish fan, I've long been of the opinion that their second and third albums (Oceanborn and Wishmaster), were their finest work. While I enjoyed all of their subsequent releases, none have ever compared to these two fantastic albums. Until now, that is!
This ambitious and incredible album has, in my opinion, outdone all of their previous works. Its scale and scope is incredible. No two songs sound alike and yet all work together to become their most ambitious, yet solid album to date.

Annette, who I was left somewhat unsure of following Dark Passion Play, has well and truly hit her mark here. Her vocal style and range is exactly what this album needed and it's clear that unlike Dark Passion Play, this album was written with her vocal style in mind.
She sounds confident and comfortable in her role here, and complements each song perfectly.
This is a fabulously broad, ambitious and epic album by one of the greatest writers of all time. I cannot recommend this album enough.

Welcome back Nightwish, you have been missed!

During the long build-up to the release of this album, where fans were kept savvy by studio reports from the band and the occasional YouTube upload, I admit that a small part of me was unsure whether Nightwish were going to be able to make an album that would top (or at least match) predecessor Dark Passion Play, and where Anette Olzon would be able to pull off another amazing vocal performance that would hopefully help to lay the ever-present and nagging comparisons to sacked ex-vocalist Tarja Turunen to rest. But I had every confidence in Tuomas Holopainen's songwriting and imagination, in Anette's brilliance as a vocalist and frontwoman, and in the incredible musicianship and chemistry of the band in general to believe that the group were about to release another defining metal album.

I got the album, listened to it, and knew I was right.

This album is a record that delivers one great track after another, where there isn't a single dud on the whole album, and you can't ask for more than that. Whether it be the awe-inspiring and multi-faceted ideas that Tuomas pours into every album, the perfect dual vocal harmonies of Anette and bassist Marco Hietala, the slick guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen or the romantic wail of guest musician Troy Donockley's uilleann pipes, every song on here has something great and exciting to offer, regardless of whether it is soft or loud. The album also fits together very well on the whole, proof again that the band managed to think this record out without losing sight of its overall purpose.

To list the standout tracks from the album would be to list at least half the album, but a couple of my personal favourites are "Turn Loose The Mermaids", "Ghost River" and, above all, the pagan dancefest that is "I Want My Tears Back". "Mermaids" is a pleasant little number that slowly rises to a climax that will ideally have the listener's heart soaring to Anette's passionate vocals. "Ghost River" sounds like it would fit perfectly as the theme to a white-water ride at an adventure theme park (again echoing an underlying theme of the whole album), and from the first lick of Emppu's driving riff, you know you're in for an awesome ride. As for "I Want My Tears Back", just be blown away by the combination of Donockley's pipes and a metal rhythm section that of course enhances them rather than holding them back, and during the fast-paced mid-section, just get up and dance!

I loved this album when I heard it, and a month or two on still listen to bits and pieces from it nearly every day. Undoubtedly one of the top metal releases of 2011, I hope this album will encourage any older Nightwish fans to let go of Tarja Turunen and give Anette Olzon a chance. For all her unique vocal talent and stage persona, Tarja was a disrespectful band member. Hence the band's decision to continue without her. Tuomas has claimed that Anette brought a much-needed air of optimism and good humour to Nightwish, and I would agree with him on that one. She works better as a band member than Tarja did towards the end, and as a frontwoman is a lot more "bohemian" than Tarja was, who in 2004-5 just became too assured of her own apparent irreplaceability. Listen to Imaginaerum with an open mind, then have another listen to Dark Passion Play as well. Hopefully you'll realise that this is Anette's era now. You can have respect for Nightwish's past, but you need not live in it.