Nightwish

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Nightwish in 2005. From left to right: Marco Hietala, Tuomas Holopainen, Tarja Turunen, Jukka Nevalainen and Emppu Vuorinen.
Background information
Origin	Finland
Genre(s)	Symphonic metal Power metal
Years active	1996–present
Label(s)	Spinefarm Nuclear Blast Roadrunner Records NEMS Enterprises Century Media Records Drakkar Records
Website	http://www.nightwish.com
Members
Tuomas Holopainen Marco Hietala Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen
Former members
Tarja Turunen Sami Vänskä

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band formed in 1996 in the town of Kitee. Nightwish composes songs that are often classified as either symphonic metal or power metal, and sometimes as variants of the genre called opera metal and epic metal. Nightwish is considered one of the main developers of the symphonic metal genre, which encompasses similar bands such as Epica, After Forever and Visions of Atlantis.

Although the band has been prominent in their home country since the release of their first single ("The Carpenter"), they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the album Once (2004). This album led to Nightwish video clips being shown on MTV in the United States and inclusion of their music on U.S. movie soundtracks. Their biggest U.S. hit, "Wish I Had an Angel", made it onto 2 U.S. film soundtracks, as a way to promote their first North American tour. They produced 3 more singles and music videos from this album, and a final one, "Sleeping Sun", from a 2005 "best of" compilation, Highest Hopes, prior to vocalist Tarja Turunen's departure.

As of 2006, the band is searching for a replacement for Turunen, who was fired at the end of 2005. A replacement for the soprano singer has not yet been found, and the band has stated that they do not plan to make any decisions on this issue before 2007.^[1]

Contents 1 Band history 1.1 Angels Fall First (1996–1997) 1.2 Oceanborn / Wishmaster (1998–2000) 1.3 Over the Hills and Far Away / Century Child (2001–2003) 1.4 Once (2004–2005) 1.5 End of an Era (2005–2006) 1.6 Recording the successor to Once (2006—) 2 Influence 3 Musical style 4 Line-up 4.1 Former members 4.2 Guest vocalists 5 Discography 5.1 Albums and EPs 5.2 Compilations 5.3 DVDs 5.4 Singles 5.5 Cover songs 5.5.1 Covers only played live 5.5.2 Covers appearing on albums 6 Further reading 7 See also 8 References 9 Notes 10 External links

[edit] Band history

[edit] Angels Fall First (1996–1997)

Nightwish was the brainchild of Tuomas Holopainen, conceived after spending a night around a campfire with friends. The band formed shortly after, in July 1996. Holopainen invited guitarist Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen, who was a fairly new acquaintance, and vocalist Tarja Turunen to the project, as she was gaining renown around the school they attended for her excellent vocal skills.

Their style at the time was based on the experimentations of Holopainen with using keyboards, acoustic guitars and the operatic vocals of Tarja Turunen. The three musicians then recorded an acoustic demo album from October to December of 1996. There were three songs on this demo: "Nightwish" (of which the band derived its name), "The Forever Moments" and "Etiäinen". However, Holopainen decided that Turunen's voice was too powerful for an acoustic project and decided to add in metal elements.

In early 1997, drummer Jukka Nevalainen joined the band. At the same time the acoustic guitar was replaced by an electric guitar. In April the band went into the studio in order to record seven songs, including an improved version of the demo-song "Etiäinen". These songs can be found on the limited edition of the album Angels Fall First.

In May of the same year, they signed with the Finnish record label Spinefarm Records for two albums. Angels Fall First was released in November and reached number 31 on the Finnish album charts. A previously released single, "The Carpenter", reached number 3 on the Finnish singles chart.

Angels Fall First was not received well by critics. All Music Guide rated the album 2 out of 5^[2] and sources like The Metal Observer stated that Nightwish's debut album paled drastically in comparison to their later work.^[3]

December 1997 marked their first concert, which was played in their hometown. During the winter of 1997–98, the band performed only seven more times because Nevalainen and Vuorinen were fulfilling their obligatory military service and Turunen had not yet finished her studies.

[edit] Oceanborn / Wishmaster (1998–2000)

In 1998 bassist Sami Vänskä, an old friend of Holopainen, joined the band. After shooting a video clip for the song "The Carpenter", they released Oceanborn, the follow-up to Angels Fall First. This album was more technical and progressive than their first release in terms of songwriting and arrangements.^[4] The album also featured Tapio Wilska (ex-Finntroll) on two songs ("Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion"). It reached number 5 on the Finnish album charts. The first single from that album Sacrament of Wilderness, went straight to number 1 on the Finnish single charts. (sample).

The second single to come out was "Walking in the Air", a cover of Howard Blake's piece, part of The Snowman soundtrack.

In 1999, they recorded the single "Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)", for the solar eclipse in Germany. This single sold 15,000 copies during the first month in Germany. Oceanborn was a certified gold in August.^[5]

In 2000, Nightwish participated in the Finnish qualification for the Eurovision song contest with the song "Sleepwalker". They finished the contest in second place. They won the public televoting, but the jury overruled (sample). In May they released the album Wishmaster which went straight to number 1 on the Finnish album charts, and remained there for three weeks. During those three weeks it was certified gold. Wishmaster was, despite long-awaited releases from Iron Maiden and Bon Jovi, which happened simultaneously, declared album of the month by the German magazine Rock Hard.

[edit] Over the Hills and Far Away / Century Child (2001–2003)

In 2001 Nightwish recorded a cover of Gary Moore's "Over the Hills and Far Away" together with a few new songs and a remake of an old one. This was released as the EP Over the Hills and Far Away. The record counted with guest performances by Tony Kakko (from the power metal band Sonata Arctica) and Tapio Wilska. They also released a VHS, DVD and CD with live material recorded in a show in Tampere, on December 29, 2000. All of these were entitled From Wishes to Eternity. Shortly afterwards, Sami Vänskä was asked to leave the band by Tuomas, and Marco Hietala (Tarot, ex-Sinergy) joined the band, effectively leaving Sinergy. The bassist would, apart from playing his instrument, also perform male vocals.

In 2002 Nightwish released Century Child, and the singles "Ever Dream" and "Bless the Child". The main difference from previous albums is the use of a live orchestra from Finland on "Bless the Child", "Ever Dream", "Feel For You" and "The Beauty of the Beast", to get a more present feeling of classical music. An enduring favorite of fans, though, is the band's version of "Phantom of the Opera", from the famous musical of the same name by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Century Child was certified gold two hours after its release, and platinum two weeks afterwards. It set a record on the Finnish album charts as well; never before had the second been so distant from the first place. After the "Bless the Child" video, a second one was recorded, without any single support. The chosen track was "End of All Hope". The clip contains pieces from the Finnish movie, Kohtalon kirja (English: The Book of Fate).^[6]

In 2003, Nightwish released a second DVD, entitled End of Innocence that tells the story of the band in Holopainen and Nevalainen's words for 2 hours. The documentary also features bits of live concerts, exclusive footage, etc. Tarja also got married during the summer of 2003, and there were rumours that the band was about to be dissolved. These rumours were, at the time, proven to be false, as the band continued on to play concerts for another year and released another album.

[edit] Once (2004–2005)

A new album entitled Once was released on June 7, 2004, along with their first single, "Nemo" (Latin for "nobody"), from that album. The single topped the charts in Finland and Hungary, and reached the top ten in five additional countries. "Nemo" therefore remains their most successful single release up to date.

Once utilizes a full orchestra in 9 of the 11 songs on the album. Unlike Century Child, Nightwish decided to look for an orchestra outside of Finland this time, choosing the London Session Orchestra. It is also their second album to feature a full-length song in Finnish, "Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (English: "Death Creates an Artist"). Once has sold triple platinum in Finland, platinum in Germany, gold in Sweden and reached #1 in the Greek, Norwegian and Hungarian album charts. The following singles were: "Wish I Had an Angel" (featured on the soundtrack of the Alone in the Dark film), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (released only in Finland and Japan) and "The Siren". Besides the commercial success, Once was also accepted by critics, with many positive reviewers (such as Metalfan.nl^[7] and RockReport.be^[8]) drawing comparisons with Oceanborn.

The success of the album allowed them to perform the Once World Tour, which enabled them to play in many countries the band had never visited before. Nightwish performed at the opening ceremony of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, held in Helsinki,^[9] highlighting acclaim the band has recently gained.

A "best of" album was released in September 2005, containing songs from their whole discography. The compilation is entitled Highest Hopes, also featuring a live cover of Pink Floyd's song "High Hopes" (from the The Division Bell album).

This song was the first in which Hietala performs the vocals by himself (sample). Besides High Hopes, a remake of "Sleeping Sun" (from Oceanborn) was put on the album, which was also released as a single. A new video for "Sleeping Sun" was shot, featuring a medieval battle, and can be found on the German release of the single and as a separate DVD released by Spinefarm.

[edit] End of an Era (2005–2006)

After the recording in the Hartwall Areena (Helsinki) on the 21st of October, 2005, of the new live DVD End of an Era (released June 2006), the four other members of Nightwish decided that it was best to continue Nightwish without Tarja Turunen,^[10] a feeling they expressed through an open letter. This was due to the fact that they felt that her husband Marcelo Cabuli and commercial interests had changed her attitude towards the band. Tuomas Holopainen gave the letter to Turunen after the band ended the concert. The letter was later published on the band's website for all to see.

The replacement for Tarja Turunen has not yet been announced. Holopainen has repeatedly stated in interviews that Nightwish's new singer will be announced in 2006. He said that she will have to be talented, charismatic and in possession of a great deal of self-esteem.

Meanwhile, many sources on the Internet have already begun to speculate who Turunen's successor will be. On December 6, "Lady Angellyca" of the Spanish band Forever Slave issued a statement where she said that she was one of the strong candidates to fill the vacant role,^[11] but the band itself has put up a message at their website which claims that the media who spread rumours about a new singer should not be believed.

Turunen has responded to the incident, saying that her dismissal came entirely as a shock to her. She felt that the personal attacks on her husband were unwarranted, and playing the issue out to the public was "senselessly cruel". Turunen was not consulted or spoken to before this letter was given to her. She wrote a letter saying most of this to her fans and published it on her own website.^[12] She was also interviewed by various TV stations, magazines and newspapers, stating her feelings towards the subject.

On September 15, the band posted a notice on their official website stating that the recording process for the new album had begun. The process is set to last around six months and the new album should be ready in the spring of 2007.

On September 27, 2006, the band updated their official web site to say that media sources in Finland have been spreading more rumours about the new lead singer. The notice also said that nothing should be believed unless posted on their official site.

On December 13, 2006, the band updated their website again, saying that candidates for the singer position should send their demos in before January 15, 2007. Only on January 16, the band will start deciding on the new singer.

[edit] Recording the successor to Once (2006—)

On March 17, 2006, the band added an advertisement on their website for all vocalists who are interested in auditioning as the new lead vocalist for Nightwish. To the surprise of some fans, they are not looking specifically for a classically trained singer, but are open to a variety of styles and backgrounds ("…all kinds of styles and voices, natural and trained, from rock and pop to classical, and all that you can find in between"). They go on to say that any potential candidate should be "…prepared to sing with a lot of dynamics and versatility. From loud and high to very sensitive stuff.", seemingly indicating that Nightwish will stay on track despite the departure of Turunen. On August 16, 2006, the band explained through their website that the search was still on, having received approximately 1,100 demos since their request was uploaded to their website in March.

On July 20, the band revealed in the official Nightwish videoblog that the demo of the sixth Nightwish album was ready to be mixed, and that the band would spread out until September. Then, some ultimate changes can be made prior to the actual recording of the new album.^[13]

According to their official website, the band entered the studio on September 15, 2006 to record their sixth full-length studio album. The process began with drum recordings, with guitar, bass and demo keyboards, followed by orchestral/choir recordings to follow. After those, the final synths and vocals will be recorded. The entire process is set to last around six months and the album should be available in August 2007 with the first single being released in May 2007.

While fans have been speculating about the title of the new album for some time, early indications in the Finnish press and various web communities suggest that the album will be entitled Lunar.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Influence

Tuomas Holopainen, writer of most of the band's lyrics and musical scores, says that he gets most of the inspiration for Nightwish's songs from film music. Songs like "Beauty of the Beast" (from Century Child) and "Ghost Love Score" (from Once) are examples of this influence. Other songs, such as "Romanticide" and "Wish I Had an Angel" (both from Once) have elements reminiscent of techno music.

On the other hand, Nightwish has also been noted as a source of inspiration for other bands. Simone Simons, lead singer of Epica, stated that she began singing due to Nightwish.^[14] Ex-singer of Visions of Atlantis Nicole Bogner also admitted that Nightwish had greatly inspired them for their first album.^[15] Sander Gommans of After Forever said that Nightwish "will certainly influence us in creating new songs".^[16]

[edit] Musical style

A precise definition for Nightwish's musical style is disputed. The band has been suggested as being part of the genres gothic metal, symphonic metal, and power metal.

Some fans of Nightwish have argued that the band belongs to the "gothic metal" genre due to the fact that all of their albums have female vocals in them with a dark sound and gothic subjects. Examples are "Wish I Had an Angel" and "Planet Hell".^[17] Other fans have argued otherwise, saying that they should rather be labeled "power metal",^[18] based on the argument that they play more to that style and lack core elements of "gothic metal". The Metal Crypt also proclaim the band to be "power metal", or even symphonic power metal, a sub-genre similar to the style developed by Italian bands such as Rhapsody of Fire.

Some fans and critics have proclaimed that the band is "symphonic metal"—due to the band's role in the evolution of the genre—while others, such as EOL Audio, have said that Nightwish should be categorized as an "opera metal" band,^[19] due to their use of orchestras for the albums Century Child and Once, and because Turunen was not a traditional metal singer, but rather an opera singer.^[20] This has been disputed though, due to "opera metal" being a variant name for female fronted "symphonic metal" bands.

Tuomas Holopainen once described their music as "melodic heavy metal with a female singer".^[21]

[edit] Line-up

• Tuomas Holopainen — Keyboards (since 1996), vocals on Angels Fall First
• Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen — Guitars (since 1996), bass on Angels Fall First
• Marco Hietala — Bass/Vocals (since 2001)
• Jukka Nevalainen — Drums (since 1997)

[edit] Former members

• Tarja Turunen — Vocals (1996–2005)
• Sami Vänskä — Bass (1998–2001)
• Samppa Hirvonen — Bass (1997) (only live)
• Marjaana Pellinen — Backing vocals (1997) (only live)

[edit] Guest vocalists

• Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica) — From Wishes to Eternity and Over the Hills and Far Away
• Tapio "Tonquemada" Wilska (ex-Finntroll, Sethian) — Oceanborn, Over the Hills and Far Away and From Wishes to Eternity
• Ike Vil (Babylon Whores) — Kinslayer voice on Wishmaster
• John Two-Hawks — Once and End of an Era
• Sam Hardwick — Dead Boy's voice on Wishmaster and Century Child

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums and EPs Angels Fall First (1997) Oceanborn (1998) Wishmaster (2000) Over the Hills and Far Away (2001) Century Child (2002) Once (2004) [edit] Compilations Wishmastour 2000 (2000) Tales from the Elvenpath (2004) Bestwishes (2005) Highest Hopes (2005) [edit] DVDs From Wishes to Eternity (2001) End of Innocence (2003) End of an Era (2006)

[edit] Singles "The Carpenter" (1997) (split with Children of Bodom and Thy Serpent) "Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998) (split with Darkwoods My Betrothed and Eternal Tears of Sorrow) "Passion and the Opera" (1998) "Walking in the Air" (1999) "Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" (1999) "The Kinslayer" (2000) "Deep Silent Complete" (2000) "Ever Dream" (2002) "Bless the Child" (2002) "Nemo" (2004) "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004) "Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004) "The Siren" (2005) "Sleeping Sun" (2005)

[edit] Cover songs

[edit] Covers only played live "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne[22] "Wild Child" by W.A.S.P.[23] "Don't Talk to Strangers" by Dio[24]

[edit] Covers appearing on albums "Where Were You Last Night" by Ankie Bagger (on "Wish I Had an Angel" single) "High Hopes (Live cover)" by Pink Floyd (on Highest Hopes compilation) "Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber (on Century Child album) "Symphony of Destruction (Live cover)" by Megadeth (on "The Siren" single) "Over the Hills and Far Away" by Gary Moore (on Over the Hills and Far Away EP) "Walking in the Air" by Howard Blake (on Oceanborn album) "Crimson Tide (Live cover" by Hans Zimmer (on From Wishes to Eternity live album) "Deep Blue Sea (Live cover)" by Trevor Rabin (on From Wishes to Eternity live album)

[edit] Further reading

• (Finnish) Ollila, Marko. Nightwish, Like Kustannus Oy, 2006. ISBN 9-52-471692-5

[edit] See also

• List of heavy metal bands
• Music of Finland
• Tero Kinnunen

[edit] References

• Nightwish.com. The band — History. Retrieved on December 28, 2005.
• Alexander Milas (October 1, 2005). "Nightwish Is Not My Only Goal In Life". Kerrang! (1076).
• Hannu Jarva (October 29, 2005). "Interview with Tuomas". Keskisuomalainen.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nightwish

• Nightwish official site
• Profile page at Drakkar
• Profile page at Roadrunner Records
• Profile page at Spinefarm Records
• Nightwish at MySpace
• Nightwish at MusicBrainz
• Nightwish at Last.fm
• Nightwish at Discogs
• Nightwish at Encyclopaedia Metallum
• Nightwish at MusicalDB

Nightwish
Tuomas Holopainen | Marco Hietala | Emppu Vuorinen | Jukka Nevalainen
Sami Vänskä | Tarja Turunen
Discography
Albums and EPs: Angels Fall First | Oceanborn | Wishmaster | Over the Hills and Far Away | Century Child | Once
Singles: "The Carpenter" | "Sacrament of Wilderness" | "Passion and the Opera" | "Walking in the Air" | "Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" | "The Kinslayer" | "Deep Silent Complete" | "Ever Dream" | "Bless the Child" | "Nemo" | "Wish I Had an Angel" | "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" | "The Siren" | "Sleeping Sun"
Live albums: From Wishes to Eternity | End of an Era
Compilations: Wishmastour 2000 | Tales from the Elvenpath | Bestwishes | Highest Hopes
Videos and DVDs: From Wishes to Eternity | End of Innocence | End of an Era
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