From left to right: Marco Hietala, Tuomas Holopainen, Anette Olzon, Emppu Vuorinen and Jukka Nevalainen.
Nightwish is a SymphonicPower Metal band from Finland formed in 1996. It was formed by Tuomas Holopainen while he was sitting besides a campfire. They originally started as an acoustic-only band with keyboards, but noticed that Tarja Turunen's operatic voice was too powerful for an acoustic band, so Holopainen decided to add heavy metal elements such as electric guitar and drums. They soon released their debut album Angels Fall First, which had mixed reviews.While initially disappointed, they soon became noticed with their song Sacrament of Wilderness and achieved worldwide fame with their next two albums, Oceanborn and Wishmaster. After the success, they released the darkerCentury Child. After their fifth (and breakthrough) album Once, they held a live show called End of an Era. Shortly after the performance, vocalist Tarja Turunen was fired for viewing the band as a way to gain publicity and make money. They even expressed this in an open letter on their Web site, though this is only one side of the coin. They later hired vocalist Anette Olzon, which has caused a division in the fanbase. Their first album with Anette as the main vocalist, Dark Passion Play, was released in 2007.They have recently released their new album Imaginaerum. Imaginaerum, formerly Imaginarium (they changed to name to avoid confusing it with various other things with that name), is a concept album, paired with a full-length feature film based on the plotline, to be released in early 2012.
Band Members:
Current:
Anette Olzon (Alto Vocals)
Marco Hietala (Bassist, Gravel/Clean Tenor Vocals)
Tuomas Holopainen (Keyboards, principal songwriter)
Badass Beard: Jukka, Tuomas, and Marco. Marco even has TWO beards that he BRAIDS!
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Only die-hard fans remember Sami Vänskä. The only reason he's not a Pete Best to the band is because he has played on Oceanborn, Nightwish's breakout album, and it's successor, Wishmaster. However, Marco overshadows him.
Cloud Cuckoolander: Emppu could count as one of these, though he doesn't talk all that much and isn't prone to non-sequitur, he is known as the tiny smart aleck of the band amongst the fanbase. The band has played with this fact a couple of times too, Turunen dumping a drink over his head after being referred to as a 'notorius lush' by Vuorinen on the End of Innocence DVD.
Mr. Fanservice: ANY of the boys, but most ladies gravitate towards Tuomas, leading to the Yoko Oh No situation below whenever word spreads that he has a girlfriend. Tuomas' case is arguably made more difficult by the fact both Marco and Jukka are married with children, and Emppu has a long-term girlfriend, leaving Tuomas as the only single guy.
Fun Size: Every guy in the band except for Tuomas is under six feet tall. Emppu is the most prominent example, being 5'3".
Lead Bassist: With Tarja gone, Marco and Tuomas (bassist and keyboardist) are probably the best-known members of Nightwish.
Older Than She Looks: Anette looks and sounds like she's only about 25, but is actually 40 (six years older than her predecessor and the second-eldest member of the band after Marco).
One of Us: Marco is a sci-fi geek and loves video games. He has openly admitted this in his tiny bio on the band's official website, he's a lifelong Nintendo fan, his favorite video game is Planescape: Torment, and he occasionally wears Star Wars shirts in concert.
Once: first word of the first track, "Dark Chest of Wonders" (and a total of 18 times in the lyrics, including twice in Finnish, in "Kuolema Tekee Taitelijan".)
Dark Passion Play: "The Poet and the Pendulum"
Imaginaerum: At least "Storytime", the first single off the album. An unusual case in that the album's name was changed during devlopment from "Imaginarium" to "Imaginaerum", but this song still uses "Imaginarium" in the lyrics.
Ancient Egypt: "Tutankhamen", "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion", "Sahara", "Arabesque".
"Lappi (Lapland)", "Etiäinen", "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan", "Erämaan Viimeinen" (the vocal version of "Last of the Wilds") and "Taikatalvi" are sung in Finnish.
Considering that the band is Finnish and has an international fanbase, their English songs can be considered to be a Bilingual Bonus for many fans.
BSOD Song: Among them, "The Poet And The Pendulum" and "Ghost Love Score".
Call Back: Some songs or song titles make references to themes or lyrics from previous albums.
In "End of All Hope", the line Angels they fell first/but I'm still here is a reference to the band's debut album Angels Fall First.
"White Night Fantasy" is reference to a line from "Ever Dream".
The line She walks alone but not without her name from "Eva" could be a reference to "Nemo" (of which means 'no-name').
The dead boy from "Dead Boy's Poem" is referenced at the end of the fifth movement of "Beauty of the Beast".
"For the Heart I Once Had" makes reference to a 'dead boy', potentially referring to "Dead Boy's Poem" as well.
"Song Of Myself" contains a more overt reference to "Dead Boy's Poem" with the line "what is left for the encore, is the same old dead boy's song, sung in silence".
"I Want My Tears Back" makes reference to "Meadows of Heaven" from Dark Passion Play.
And those tears are finally brought back in "Turn Loose the Mermaids".
The pendulum from "The Poet and the Pendulum" still sways in "Scaretale".
"Song Of Myself" has a couple. “The nightingale is still locked in its cage” is a reference to b-side track "Escapist", and the dead boy from "Dead Boy's Poem" makes an appearance later.
It also references earlier songs within the album, these being "Storytime", "Ghost River", "Turn Loose the Mermaids", "Last Ride of the Day" and Scaretale".
And "Imaginaerum" of course, being an orchestral piece featuring some of that album's more memorable tunes.
Concept Album: Longing for a lost paradise is more of an ongoing theme with the band and appears on all their albums.
Several songs on Dark Passion Play feature lyrics expressing a longing for a lost paradise, culminating in the 80s stylePower Ballad "Meadows of Heaven".
Probably the album that is most concept oriented is Century Child, though what exactly this concept is is difficult to determine. A lot of songs either contain a few key phrases or refer to other songs on the album, ("One more night to live", "Dead to the world" or alternately, "Dead to the world; alive for the journey") the Child, Ocean Souls, or roses. These references appear in the Wishmaster song "Dead Boy's Poem", and the character of the Dead Boy shows up at the end of Century Child.
Imaginaerum is a concept album project involving a movie.
There are some bootlegs around the net with other Cover Versions such as "Crazy Train".
When Marco joined, he brought Tarot's tendency to do covers with him. They are usually played as intermissions to give Anette (formerly Tarja) a chance to rest.
Creator Breakdown: Century Child, Once, and Dark Passion Play contain a lot of songs pertaining to death, depression, unrequited love/obsession etc. The Poet and the Pendulum, a 14-minute long Epic Rocking song, was written in the midst of a very bad bout of depression of Tuomas'.
It even went so far that Tuomas has gone on record saying that the song saved his life since he otherwise would have killed himself.
"Dead Boy's Poem" might be another example since it apparently is his testament to his family and friends if he dies...
Dark Is Not Evil: Romanticizing darkness (particularly the depiction of night-time as fantastically romantic) is a running theme, seen even in the band's very name.
"Elvenpath"
In this spellbound night
The world's an elvish sight
"Beauty And The Beast"
Recall the night you melted my uglyness away?
The night you left with a kiss so kind \Ah, dear friend I remember the night
The moon and the dreams we shared
"Astral Romance"
A nocturnal concerto
candlelight whispers me where to go
Hymn of gathering stars as my guide
whilst I wander on this path of the night
"Tutankhamen"
As the sun sets beyond the pyramids
"Know Why The Nightingale Sings", the name of the song, for starters...
The End of the Beginning: At the end of "The Poet and the Pendulum", a boy's voice is heard saying "the beginning"—probably a reference to the new "beginning" with Annette. (Also a rather literal example of this trope, since it's at the end of the first song on the album.) Of course, that same song also begins with the words "The end."
Dark Passion Play- "The Poet and the Pendulum", "7 Days to the Wolves" and "Meadows of Heaven"
Imaginaerum was supposed to end with a 20-minute song that was ultimately divided. The "epic" "Song of Myself" was actually unusual by lasting 13 minutes for which half of it is a poem. Both "Scaretale" and "Rest Calm" are more 'rocker', with around 7 minutes each.
The Pharaoh from "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion" (though, he may not be depicted as "evil" per se in the song) and the demonic voice from "Devil And The Deep Dark Ocean" (both by guest vocalist Tapio Wilska).
The narrator from "Planet Hell" splits into normal and low voices on the studio album. The low voice gets very, very low.
Some of their songs are of subtly naughty variety (many songs on Wishmaster) while some are more obvious ("Whoever Brings The Night" and "Nymphomaniac Fantasia").
Granted, on End of Innocence Tuomas is asked what he was thinking while writing "Nymphomaniac...", and he admits somewhat ashamedly that he stands behind all his songs except that one.
"I don't get it. That song just doesn't work! The scent of a woman was not mine... No song can start like that! I mean...fuck!"
"Passion and the Opera" is very overtly erotic, and "Wish I had an Angel" would also qualify.
"Slow, Love, Slow" is this for Imaginaerum. It falls more into the 'subtle' category, but if the lyrics aren't enough, the seedy lounge club feel to the music pushes it well over the edge.
"Where Were You Last Night" may not be an original Nightwish song, but it deserves a mention for its similarities to Bon Jovi's song "You Give Love a Bad Name" and Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth".
Last Note Nightmare: The last minute or so of "Dead Gardens" qualifies. A while after the last chorus, Harsh Vocals are suddenly heard and Jukka starts spamming the crash cymbals more and more as the song comes to a close. The drumming seems to either follow its own rhythm or be played as randomly as possible, and at the end, the noise suddenly cuts off altogether without warning. Two seconds later, "Romanticide" begins.
Lighthouse Point: "The Islander". A retired ship captain spends his twilight years caring for a lighthouse before ultimately tying himself to an anchor and tossing it into the sea.
Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: Nightwish cover a range from 1 ("Angels Fall First", "The Islander") to 8 ("Master Passion Greed", "Slaying The Dreamer").
Monster Clown: A group of them harass a small boy in the music video for "Storytime".
"Scaretale" is all about this.
Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: An opera vocalist in a metal band with a full symphony orchestra. They're one of the most prominent examples of Symphonic Metal, all of which falls into this category.
Not Christian Rock: "The Carpenter" from Angels Fall First and "Gethsemane" and "The Pharaoh Sails To Orion" (see As the Good Book Says above for the latter) from Oceanborn.
Out-of-Genre Experience: After two songs of trademark power metal, Imaginaerum throws in the lounge club-inspired track "Slow, Love, Slow". Yes, that's right, a lounge track on a Nightwish album. The album abruptly returns to power metal afterwards.
Politically Correct History: Some would say that "Creek Mary's Blood" is an example of this, being about the Trail of Tears and "evil white men". And then they totally kill the mood by singing in Lakotan. The Lakota tribe was about 700 miles north and halfway across the continent from the tribes affected by the Trail of Tears. Or maybe Cherokee and Creek didn't sound cool enough. Take your pick.
Apparently the band is aware of the mistake made, but the only Native American artist they could find at the time of making the album was John Two-Hawks, who is Lakota.
Precision F-Strike: Tuomas drops a few in "End of Innocence". Some of the other get closer to Cluster F-Bomb. However, the songs themselves are devoid of profanity. (Except "Master Passion Greed", which drops the F-bomb precisely once.)
"Elvenpath" is also a nerdgasm, only over fantasy books (contains shout-outs to J. R. R. Tolkien, David Eddings and Finnish folklore) and games as well as Disney.
"Wishmaster" contains mostly Dragonlance shoutouts, with some more Tolkien.
"Seven Days to the Wolves" is a song shouting out to The Dark Tower.
"The Carpenter", unintentionally about Jesus Christ according to the lyricist.
The music video for "Amaranth" is based on The Wounded Angel, a famous painting by Finnish painter Hugo Simberg.
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Started close to the idealistic end. First hints of cynicism appear on Wishmaster, but the first major shift towards cynicism happened on Century Child. Dark Passion Play shifted even further towards the cynical end. Imaginaerum seems to be returning to idealism, as much as a concept album about a dying old man can do so.
Soprano and Gravel: Most of the time, where there is a duet with Tarja/Anette and Marco, this is what happens, except in "The Islander". Before Marco joined the band for Century Child, different guest vocalists were used instead (see Evil Sounds Deep above for a few).
Truck Driver's Gear Change: Originally to show off Tarja's vocal range on songs like "Nemo", "Come Cover Me" and "Sleeping Sun", but also used in several of Anette's songs, such as "For The Heart I Once Had". Interestingly zigzagged in "She Is My Sin"— after the intro, the song drops a minor third for most of the song, only to be raised again for the final verse.
Wanderlust Song: Well..."Wanderlust". Also "Nightquest", "Elvenpath", and "Away" (a less idealistic version).
What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?: Not within the music itself, but memetically. The Epic Rocking song "Ghost Love Score" is the basis of an entire wave of videos combining it with decidedly non-epic things.
Witch Hunt: Or actually more of a vampire hunt, from "Slaying the Dreamer".
Put a stake through my heart! And drag me into sunlight.
The video for "Wish I Had an Angel" uses footage from Alone in the Dark. Justified, as it's part of said film's soundtrack.
The video for "End of All Hope" had clips from a Finnish horror fantasy film "Kohtalon kirja"
The video for "While Your Lips Are Still Red" had clips from a Finnish romantic comedy "Lieksa!". The latter is justified in that "While Your Lips Are Still Red" was written for that film. It's technically not a Nightwish song, being credited only to Tuomas and Marco (Jukka does play drums on the track). However, it does appear as the B-side to "Amaranth," and Nightwish sometimes uses it in concert as a "give Anette a break" song.
"Storytime" is sort of a "Making Of" of the film Imaginaerum, featuring several behind-the-scene footage.
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