Sooo... here now my detailed review for the new Nightwish album in which I'll turn every song twice to reveal all its hidden treasures (if there are some.)
I decided to once again go for the complete edition with 3 CDs including instrumentals as well as the orchestral versions for the sake of the completeness of my collection xD
Soo...
Let's begin with the cover and the physical content.
Who is used to the indigo of the last albums will sit there thinking "wtf" at first for a minute. But ey - changing color scheme isn't that bad. At least I think so. It brings in something fresh. Though I felt myself reminded of Epica at first in some way.
Not to mention this immensly detailed drawing ... I mean ... wow, that one's a genius who is able to create stuff like this!
The earbook comes in the size of a vinyl record, in stable cardboard and printed in black and silver. Incredibly beautiful.
The 3 CDs are packed nicely right at the first page of the book. When you turn the pages you'll find a 25 page book with the lyrics and stunning graphics. (I have only one photo of this here (of my fave graphic out of them all) because it's sooo much it would really get too big here.) In the back part photos of the band and from the recording. Neat. Very neat. I love the graphics. They're awesome. Someone has put real effort into the design of this album. Me gusta.
Then to the songs
1. Shudder before the beautiful
Comes as a mix of Dark Chest of Wonders and Storytime at first with a slight bit of Stratovarius. Orchestra from Once, hard guitar riffs. The old Nightwish recipe here with an interesting little new element. On top Floors voice to which the ears still aren't adjusted somehow but that fits good into the whole picture. I have to say the song bored the hell out of me at first because the spontanity was somehow missing. But after a few more listens it's not that bad anymore. Also the whoosh that I love so much about symphonic metal appears then after all. The chorus melody immediately gets stuck in your ears. I love the choir part that literally puts you somewhere out into nature where you gaze up into the stars at night and feel absolutely small and un-important. The instrumental inbetween is made very well. The end of the song has again much of Once.
Well-made song in general. Me gusta.
2. Weak Fantasy
A very dramatic, but somehow very movie-score like beginning (well ok the whole album has something of a movie score if you ask me.) And a friend has pointed out to parallels with Billy Idol's song "Flesh for fantasy" that I don't find that out of the blue. The question is: coincidence or intention? ;) The chorus is Billy Idol in any case. 10 minus points for originality. I mean the song itself isn't bad at all, no. But copied is and stays copied. Sorry.
But the melody gives the text somehow a very fitting, slightly aggressive creepy effect. It has kind of an end time - feeling to me.
What belongs to the text... I'm very baffled to hear / read something like this from the feather of the maestro himself. Would have never believed that day would come. Respect.
Yeah ... have nothing more to add.
3. Élan
Nothing what I haven't already said. At first I found this song boring as hell (Another one, yeah.) and thought of it as a 2nd last of the wilds. Didn't change even after hearing it repeatedly. Only after I had the single running in my car while driving through the mountains near here I slowly started to get what the writer wanted to express with this song. Like already with Shudder before the beautiful you feel small and so un-important when you have something as majestic as the mountains in front of you while hearing that song.
Not much to say for the arrangement. Sounds a little like Amaranth or reminds me of it. Typically Nightwish. But still after "Our decades in the sun" the 2nd weakest song on the album.
4. Yours is an empty hope
Recycled riff from Dead gardens right at the beginning. I do understand that it's hard to come up with something new after all this years but well..
But as soon as Floor starts singing it becomes ok. What I find interesting here - because NW never had that in this form - the grunting in the chorus. (Who's grunting here, Floor or Marco?) A little strange at first to hear this on a symphonic metal album but it's somehow a nice little new thing.
I also like the instrumental part a lot. It brings back the Imaginaerum - atmosphere and puts you right back into a freak show for a moment. (Yeah, I just love that album I can't help it. xD)
Then a little Master passion greed at the ending ... well what can I say but: song ok but way too much stuff recycled.
5. Our decades in the sun
I like the atmosphere of that song somehow. But it again has this Tarot - lasty sound that I already found un-fitting for a Nightwish album with "Turn loose the mermaids".
Ok in the whole but for me the weakest song on the album.
6. My Walden
Holy moly do I like this (so Nightwish - un-typical in some way) beginning! I think the language welsh. And it has something magical about it. (Who sings that? Troy?)
The whole song sounds like a completely different world that you also immediately see before you. Has I think a book as reference where I don't remember the title anymore.
Nice elements from Troy, nice arrangement. I assume this could be the next single.
Don't have much to say to this but: LIKE.
7. Endless forms most beautiful
Reminds extremely of storytime in the beginning. Typical Nightwish song that is well... somehow ok but doesn't really get you hooked. Don't know. Haven't much to say about this one. Just maybe that I like the bombast in it.
Well... average song.
8. Edema Ruh
Very beautiful, dreamy beginning. The song title has a book (The name of the wind) by Patrick Rothfuss as reference. (A very nicely written book like I think because I've started reading it out of interest.)
Beautifully arranged in general, beautiful melody that gets stuck in your ear and lets pictures appear in front of your inner eye. Nice Floor x I don't know who (Troy?) part at 3 minutes 40. The little keyboard sprinkles here and there give that song a certain magic.
All in all, very good. Could also be a single.
9. Alpenglow
Alpine fires then, yeah? (I can't believe that google translator doesn't have a better word for this, really.) The song has reminded me at first from the text / the story very much of Eluveitie, I just couldn't help myself xD
The Intro is clearly taken from Ever dream. Partly. What disturbs me already on other songs on the album is this snaring drums that gives an impression of low quality in some way in my ears...
The voice acrobatics of Floor are just awesome and sound quite dangerous in some parts. Fits the song very well. Here also this "we were here" - thread starts weaving itself through the songs where I don't yet understand what this is about.
Partly also very atmospheric song. Well... well done in any case I'd say.
10. The eyes of Sharbat Gula
The eyes of that girl that probably everyone has already seen on that famous photo.
I had expected a heavy track like Master passion greed here but instead there's a movie score stomping towards you. Very cool, somehow tibetan / indian flair due to the use of exotic instruments that I like very much. I can't say it often enough: Tuomas should do movie scores. That song simply rocks. Even without guitar or big drums. Nothing more to say except: LIKE.
11. The greatest show on earth
BOOM. And I mean with that: boom! Very nice piano intro that has a sudden and unexpected explosive end. Epicness is epic and so. Also again the dangerous nouance of Floors voice here.
I don't even start with a song description here because this would take days I think. I can only say: 1. With 24:01 minutes the longest song I think I've ever heard. 2. For me very fascinating in some way because I like natural sciences very much too (though I'm more at home in the rock department here.) and 3. Well.. bombast! Can't help myself but loving this song. I feel almost slain by it. I'm not sure if I can do justice to this majestic song with the painting I've planned for it ... Very much diversity. Interesting also the animal noises inbetween and the end with those.
Very beautiful.
Final conclusion:
Very unfamiliar to new. But still again everything known well. And somehow more like a movie score than a metal album. I think the album is very complex and it takes more to multiple listens to take it all in. (But please with good earphones or a good stereo system. In this point Tuomas sadly is right. Much of the sound gets lost when you listen to it via laptop speakers or phone.) The melodies are hard to remember this time because the songs have almost no structure at first and that makes it hard to make them stick in the brain..
With Floor, this band has unending possibilities now. Just listen to that vocal variety!
Very cool also (though I'm not a fan of that evolution theory stuff) that Richard Dawkins appears at some points on that album. You can really hear out that Tuomas must love his subject deeply. Just like I love rocks maybe. The album is for me a score for (also the birth of) the earth, to life itself somehow.
And I love the bombast. I just love it. And the dreamy parts.
On my personal level, this album has an incredible inner power that tries to show you the beauty of life in all its forms.
Very nicely done, but more movie score than metal in my ears.
I left out the instrumentals and the orchestrals here because I think there's not much to say about them.
And for those of you who still have the leak version: ditch it. The real record is mixed better. At least that's what I think. The quality is way better.
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