This long preface to illustrate how excited they were, like Nightwish with their new singer now sound. To make it short: Floor Jansen fits perfectly to the band, acting on "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" However, so, as if they had not completely let off the leash. Because: The songwriting has not really changed by switching on the mic and essentially corresponds to what has been offered on "Imaginaerum". Must be clear already by this statement, who does not need here any further. "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" is not an album that is reminiscent in some way of what Nightwish have made up, including "Once" (2004). With regard to the quality it does not surpass my opinion, his immediate predecessor "Imaginaerum", but rather just its predecessor, the "transitional album" and therefore the previously weakest Nightwish album "Dark Passion Play".
What it now suffers on "Endless Forms Most Beautiful"? My ears are several things that make the disk appear pale and colorless. First, one would Floor Jansen should be as described more room for development. This means in plain text: There is no singing at the force of aggressiveness. Who wants to have it quite bluntly: After enjoying the album to me is not clear at all what the singer has been changed. Musical reasons it can - have not really given - at least under this plate. But that is also - secondly - the songwriting. It does not have every song be a breaker - but on this album there have Nightwish clearly understated with the hardness. In fact, I would say that especially the previously known "Elan", which placed in the middle of album "My Walden" possess distinctive pop character with his "I Want My Tears Back" -Gedächtnis melody and the harmless rippling "Edema Ruh"; and in a way that you have not heard of Nightwish so - and as a seasoned metalheads do not necessarily want to hear. For the Euro Vision Song Contest would specifically "My Walden" however, already an asset. After all. Catchiness is fine and was for this band has always been quite normal - but then here I go too far, because it sounds simple very shallow. And that might already recorded under "Third": While the whole plate provides pleasing music - rough edges, something lasting entangled in the brain, but are missing the most part. A strange mixture of loose-flaky and scatterbrained simultaneously has become "Endless Forms Most Beautiful". (!) Especially in the final 24-minute film "The Greatest Show On Earth" falls on the: Such a long title just has to be consistently exciting or at least contain individual parts, "rip out" the possible lengths back. This piece is in my opinion not so. Complex is the whole, however, the already mentioned, rutted nature. As a unified whole is in any case different.
Otherwise, I still have problems with the excessively long instrumental "The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula" (important issue, unfortunately not implemented terribly exciting, perhaps it would have been better with vocals) and "Our Decades In The Sun" (content, although a nice idea, musical unfortunately completely inconsequential). And the title track is nothing that grows through oftmaliges listening and getting better. Rather Nightwish standard fare in the mid-tempo.
But after so much nagging, I would also positive about "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" report: The introduction to the album with "Shudder Before The Beautiful" well done, even if you look specifically at this piece (the one at that sharply "Storytime "of" Imaginaerum "recalls) asks why the band has ever needed a new singer. The best on this album: "Weak Fantasy" and "Yours Is An Empty Hope", the only pieces on the album, where you can enter the phrase "Heavy" and despite pop appeal very well done "Alpenglow".
Much more, it is not what I can emphasize positively to "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" and wants. Really disappointing in my view that the chance durchzustarten with new singer, was not used. Floor Jansen can not be used as you would have hoped her voice - and that's in addition to the weak songwriting the biggest problem I have with this album. This is somewhat reminiscent of the even weaker "Dark Passion Play", which also sounds as if it had been originally written for another singer as Anette Olzon. By the way, fans of the song by Marco Hietala must make strong concessions. Last one had indeed the impression that the bassist would have strengthened the position of the front man taken to the uncertain acting Anette Olzon to relieve a little. In "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" it seems, however, to go the opposite way and the new on the mic position as the sole frontwoman want to. Accordingly Hietala is no longer represented very prominently - also a pity, I think. In my opinion, you could calm can fit one or another duet that would have made the album certainly exciting.
Published on weltending.wordpress.com.
