Even weaker than its predecessor ... shame!

What I have not hoped that Nightwish would overcome their deep with this album ... after my opinion weak predecessor Dark Passion Play that suffered from exaggerated orchestral inserts and completely overloaded worked, the single "Storytime" sounded again promising. I was confident that Tuomas finally gets its act.

Unfortunately, all the problems of DPP and partly also of Once show while listening to the album even worse here as well: The album seems fragmented, not at all as a unified whole. The orchestra and choirs are less than ever like parts of songs, but even more as a stopgap and songs executor - foreign bodies instead organically integral part. Partially also old tunes are shamelessly recycled ("I want my tears back" - "Last of the Wilds"). One could say that the adopted with Once and DPP direction will continue - I like it but not at all. The older songs of Nightwish were simpeler, but so much more impressive.

But on the positive aspects I would like to: Anette can show in some songs that she's a pass Abele singer. It is often scolded unjustly because the lady can sing very well - but unfortunately not in a metal band. Accordingly, it is also the atypical, slow songs where Anette can shine. But whenever heavier passages come whenever blaring the orchestra and the choirs mount up, Anette is lost - you can only do a really suffering. Consequently, Anette is frequently supported especially in such passages from Marco.

All in all, the album would actually unfortunately worth only two stars for me to old Nightwish standard. It fits everything easy for me even less together than DPP. Good approaches are raised repeatedly at times and then clubbed mercilessly by orchestra and choir.
I give the album yet three star, I do not review as compared to the old records - in the Metal category it fits for me anyway just little (which is not bad in itself).

Too bad. Very unfortunate.