Small review'ish by me:
Changing the singer from Tarja Turunen to Anette Olzon was a big change - they are completely different types of singers, Tarja is highly trained classical singer, mezzo soprano, and Anette, while have had some classical training too, is more of "typical singer" so to say, even pop'ish in some songs, though she gets to show off the classical voice too in some of the songs.
The new album itself is perhaps a bit more varied than any of the earlier ones, it starts with unusual first song - nearly 14 minutes long Poet and the Pendulum - a very personal song by Tuomas Holopainen, the wizard behind most of Nightwish songs.
Poet and the Pendulum
The song is epic in nature, it goes from slow balladish parts to faster, heavier paced parts like the chorus. It shows glimpses of Anettes classical side, the lyrics are a story of sorts, of Tuomas himself, kinda his biography;
Tuomas: "That is a strange choice for the first song. This track should blow the listener away right at the beginning. This is my best song – and the soundtrack to my life".
Bye bye beautiful
This is a clear follow up to the song "Wish I had an angel" from the album Once on the musical side - Lyrics wise, it's a clear "goodbye and thanks for nothing" to Tarja; Here's the chorus to show you what I mean:
Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the world said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don’t you see?
You chose the long road, but we’ll be waiting
Bye bye, beautiful
Die die, beautiful
Bye bye, beautiful
Die die, beautiful
The song will as far as I know be released as the third single from the album.
And Tuomas's words on the song
Tuomas: "Musically both songs [Wish I had an Angel] are related – pressing and danceable. Actually Anette was supposed to sing the whole song but that would have been unfair. That’s because of the lyrics
Amaranth
Second song to be released as a single, addictive one too, kinda reminds me of Nemo in some ways, but still not quite the same
Video of the song, inspired by
Hugo Simberg's The wounded angel painting, can be seen at Nuclear Blast's site:
http://www.nuclearblast.de/events/clips/
(or straight at Youtube, since Nuclear Blast uses this on their site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZn7k5rZLQ&feature=PlayList&p=785E06C3AF1F3E95&index=0 )
Tuomas: "At the beginning this was the last bonus track. But with the orchestra and Anette it ended up on the album. But then it emerges as a single. That’s strange… This is not my favourite track.".
Cadence of her last breath
In my opinion, the worst song of the album - I don't know what to say about this, it's just... somehow plain, boring compared to the rest
Tuomas: "This is the song I like least of all. It divides. I do not like the refrain: It sounds too American-like, you suddenly want to start rapping on it.".
Master Passion Greed
This song is clearly the heaviest, angriest song ever made by Nightwish - by far.
The song is sang by Marco alone, excluding the chorus. It's clearly pointed for Marcelo Cabuli, Tarja's husband who Tuomas once called "the snake in his paradise", and the person who ultimately caused the fights between Tarja and rest of the band.
Rumoredly, this is the first time Tuomas opens his mouth on Nightwish albums after Anges Fall First, doing a bit growling on the side/behind of Marcos singing on the top.
Tuomas: "That’s our heaviest song in every aspect – very aggressive with a small influence from Children of Bodom".
Eva
The first single released from the album, and first public appearance of Anette as Nightwish's new singer. It's a nice ballad, first it caused some mixed feelings, but at least I learned to like it.
Something notable is, that all the profits from this single release were given to charity
Tuomas: "This is just a ballad with a nice little melody. The story is about a small girl who’s been mocked at school. An appetizer".
Sahara
This is a song I haven't had a chance to listen through enough yet to give any final judgement on it, it has some oriental-ish influences, but maybe I'll continue on this on later date when I've had the time to really get into the song
Tuomas: "This song progressed in a great way and surprised me positively. It is based on a dream".
Whoever brings the night
As far as I know, this is the first Nightwish song composed by the guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. It has a bit of the same feeling as Wish I had an angel and Bye bye beautiful, but closer to "normal" Nightwish still. I got addicted especially on the chorus rythm, it just works.
Tuomas: "I only wrote the lyrics and the vocal lines. This is a flirting song somewhere between love, sex, death and irony which humorously sounds like Tim Burton".
For the heart I once had
The song starts unlike any other Nightwish song, it sounds almost like finnish pop/rock band Yö, but luckily it's only the first impression of the song [cool]
Clearly one of the better songs of the album after getting really into it and shaking off the "pop/rock feeling"
Tuomas: "I like the result a lot especially the lyrics. This song balances on the border between ballad and heaviness".
The Islander
Acoustic song, Marco shows a new side of his singing capabilities, not heard in Nightwish nor Tarot before for all I can remember. Not my cup of tea, but not bad either.
Tuomas: "Before a show Marco came to me with an acoustic guitar and this riff. I was delighted right away and had a lighthouse keeper in front of my inner eyes".
The Last Of The Wilds
Instrumental song, catching rythm and melody, love the folk touch in this, but nothing much to say about it, it just works.
Tuomas: "Folk-instruments from Ireland, Emppus guitar-melodies and the Finnish national-instrument kantele: Everybody’s dancing on the table".
Seven Days to the Wolves
Quite average for Nightwish song in my opinion, but I instantly fell in love with Anette's skill and voice in the songs latter half, in a part which comes right after violin(?) solo - Light the fire, feast / Chase the ghost, give in / Take the road less traveled / Leave by, leave the city of fools / Turn every poet loose
Tuomas: "This song has the best chorus on the album – it is inspired by the American poet Walt Whitman from the 19th century".
Meadows of Heaven
A slow, calm song to end the album - suits it quite well in my opinion. The song is beautiful, but in my opinion ruined in the end by some background singer who sounds like some soul-type of singer or something, doesn't fit it at all, this isn't some damn ghetto gospel choir ffs!
Tuomas: "The song is the perfect end for this album. And the choir is awesome –enough said!"
That's the album, excluding one extra track for the Japanese as usual, but I haven't gotten my hands on that one yet.
For those who know the albums full promo version has leaked to the net - don't bother downloading it, trust me, it doesn't do justice to the album with the MP3 packed songs and especially the voice overs by Tuomas on the songs ruining half of 'em after hearing the real thing.
