Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Nightwish aim incredibly high on their new album. ’Yesterwynde’, the (mostly) Finnish symphonic metallers’ tenth outing, “describes a feeling that cannot be found in any human language” according to keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen, but, perhaps fortunately, we aren’t getting any bogus consciousness expansion or some kind of mystic enlightenment. What they deliver instead is a solid next stage in their ever-escalating world-building, an album three years in the making that maximises the ‘symphonic’ end of their sound. The feelings evoked by ‘Yesterwynde’ do have words in English at least: wonder and respect.
Releasing an advance single that’s a mighty eight minutes long is a power move. Releasing a second one that’s even longer is walking the line between genius and madness. Both ‘An Ocean of Strange Islands’ and ‘Perfume of the Timeless’ contain a fair amount of pit potential, but largely feel like miniature operas, each one with narratives rapidly and breathlessly conveyed by Floor Jansen. Nightwish have always been one of the most symphonic of the symphonic metal gang, and if you’re into that half of their sound then this will be your record of the year without a doubt. However, if you long for the simpler ‘Nemo’ era of Nightwish, or even think of them still as the same band, then ‘Yesterwynde’ is going to be your wakeup call. They’ve moved on, out of the conventional and into trying to ponder the complexities of the world via full orchestral arrangements.
That said, it’s not all vast machinations put to music. ‘The Day Of…’, the third single, feels brief in comparison at a mere four minutes, channelling an ominous energy with pleasantly eerie choral interludes. In between the epics there are yet more tracks which are still tied to this reality; ‘Spider Silk’ spirals through string-heavy and split vocal harmonising, and ‘The Weave’ contains enough shredding and killer drumming to make anyone happy. There’s a decent level of sound clash thrown into the mix to keep you on your toes along the way too. ‘Sway’ flows between Led Zep folkiness and almost Heilung levels of campfire primitive drumming, and, dare we say it, ‘The Children Of Ata’ is the closest to a classic, bombastic Nightwish track on this album. But at the edges of each song, there’s always a touch of otherworldly grandiosity.
Take closer ‘Lanternlight’, for instance. Ending a record with a slow and pretty ‘goodbye song’ is always a safe move, and the piano work and depth of reassurance in Jansen’s vocals has an undeniable beauty which will make eyeliner run down the cheeks of more than a few listeners. Along it’s way, the song becomes untethered, floating through solos, eerie bells, laments and different characters, becoming less a song and more of a soundtrack to a short film that we need to create within our heads. The band have been open about their attempts to create cinematic experiences for listeners, and this is very much an album you’ll be appreciating on your own, with your headphones on.
As it turns out, ‘Yesterwynde’ conveniently will remain a studio-only experience. Nightwish are taking an ‘indefinite hiatus’ from touring, but unless they’d found a Stargate to a more orchestral planet, they probably wouldn’t have been able to capture the full experience on a mere earthbound stage anyway. They’ve surpassed the era where they chucked out ‘Over The Hills And Far Away’ as a fan-pleaser, and come out the other side with a desire to make something that stretches them. Perhaps that’s the enlightenment they were aiming for in creating an album that we need to sometimes puzzle through in order to fully appreciate, and you finish with answers to questions you didn’t realise you had. It’s an unexpected and challenging experience, but one that you have to respect.
‘Yesterwynde’ is an album that you can lose yourself in, and with any luck, you’ll come out the other side with an appreciation for what Nightwish have achieved with a record constructed on scale this monumental.
KATE ALLVEY
Releasing an advance single that’s a mighty eight minutes long is a power move. Releasing a second one that’s even longer is walking the line between genius and madness. Both ‘An Ocean of Strange Islands’ and ‘Perfume of the Timeless’ contain a fair amount of pit potential, but largely feel like miniature operas, each one with narratives rapidly and breathlessly conveyed by Floor Jansen. Nightwish have always been one of the most symphonic of the symphonic metal gang, and if you’re into that half of their sound then this will be your record of the year without a doubt. However, if you long for the simpler ‘Nemo’ era of Nightwish, or even think of them still as the same band, then ‘Yesterwynde’ is going to be your wakeup call. They’ve moved on, out of the conventional and into trying to ponder the complexities of the world via full orchestral arrangements.
That said, it’s not all vast machinations put to music. ‘The Day Of…’, the third single, feels brief in comparison at a mere four minutes, channelling an ominous energy with pleasantly eerie choral interludes. In between the epics there are yet more tracks which are still tied to this reality; ‘Spider Silk’ spirals through string-heavy and split vocal harmonising, and ‘The Weave’ contains enough shredding and killer drumming to make anyone happy. There’s a decent level of sound clash thrown into the mix to keep you on your toes along the way too. ‘Sway’ flows between Led Zep folkiness and almost Heilung levels of campfire primitive drumming, and, dare we say it, ‘The Children Of Ata’ is the closest to a classic, bombastic Nightwish track on this album. But at the edges of each song, there’s always a touch of otherworldly grandiosity.
Take closer ‘Lanternlight’, for instance. Ending a record with a slow and pretty ‘goodbye song’ is always a safe move, and the piano work and depth of reassurance in Jansen’s vocals has an undeniable beauty which will make eyeliner run down the cheeks of more than a few listeners. Along it’s way, the song becomes untethered, floating through solos, eerie bells, laments and different characters, becoming less a song and more of a soundtrack to a short film that we need to create within our heads. The band have been open about their attempts to create cinematic experiences for listeners, and this is very much an album you’ll be appreciating on your own, with your headphones on.
As it turns out, ‘Yesterwynde’ conveniently will remain a studio-only experience. Nightwish are taking an ‘indefinite hiatus’ from touring, but unless they’d found a Stargate to a more orchestral planet, they probably wouldn’t have been able to capture the full experience on a mere earthbound stage anyway. They’ve surpassed the era where they chucked out ‘Over The Hills And Far Away’ as a fan-pleaser, and come out the other side with a desire to make something that stretches them. Perhaps that’s the enlightenment they were aiming for in creating an album that we need to sometimes puzzle through in order to fully appreciate, and you finish with answers to questions you didn’t realise you had. It’s an unexpected and challenging experience, but one that you have to respect.
‘Yesterwynde’ is an album that you can lose yourself in, and with any luck, you’ll come out the other side with an appreciation for what Nightwish have achieved with a record constructed on scale this monumental.
KATE ALLVEY