Nightwish's Magnum Opus

In principle it is always easy to start with a phrase a review. In the case of Nightwish it would be that the band certainly is not without controversy in the metal scene, many hate them or not take on full, while others love them madly. That may be true everything, but no one will deny that Nightwish grandiose music making and mastered their craft. In addition, they are, if this is an acceptable reason, the success of law. Beaten four years have passed since their last album Dark Passion Play. For a long time, in the many fans wondered how it should go on. We remember: Anett Olzon had the thankless task to follow in the superhumanly big footsteps of beloved Tarja Turunen, who was not only the face of the band but also with their singing style icon of the genre and an inspiration for imitators, plagiarism and admirers.
And then there's Tuomas Holopainen, the ekzentrische head and father of the band who is trying to break up again and again in new musical dimensions. He is a visionary and genius who enjoys showing the little bit of megalomania that makes Nightwish to this unique band that she happens to be.
What can be expected waiting time of one band after four years? The answer is simple: Everything and nothing. In the present case it is surely everything. It is this little bit of megalomania, the vision of higher, faster, further. A planned in 2012 movie !!! Just always grab all the stops. What makes this album Imaginaerum (working title: Imagine and finally Imaginarium) at the end but then so irresistible, while every other band would get a reprimand for as much bombast, pathos and frosting? It's simple: It is not about any other band, but Nightwish. The four boys and one girl have free rein in that respect.

The album begins with the completely alone presented by Marco Hietala Takaitalvi, an opener that begins acoustically until finally uses the orchestration and smooth Fade Out initiates in Storytime. You have to realize that what you heard at the end of the opener at the same time been a hint to this is what you get in the next 70 minutes. Imaginaerum is opulent and large.
The sinister, mystical beginning of Storytime eventually runs wild in Nightwish typical riffs and jazzy orchestral colors before the song begins, and the listener into a true power metal earwig gets. The metal typical instruments keep up with strings and winds at least in the verses the scale while a bombast Zenit is achieved in the chorus and the final moments of the song (with distinct bonds to songs like Beauty Of The Beast or FantasMic), the probably only this one band even can beat. And yes: Throughout the album that will happen definitely. Storytime like it as an album version by the way much better than the previously known single release and is, despite its catchiness surprisingly a Grower.

The following Ghost River is my personal (first) peak of the measured to the season fledgling album. The polynuclear guitar playing of Emppu Vuorinen and the orchestral outbursts compete to be eventually replaced by Anette Olzons vocals, only to eventually lead to a further outbreak in the Marco Hietalas. This then takes over the chorus and dominated with his aggressiveness the song, the hyping itself by the second self. A children's choir begins. Completely unpeinlich and (what fails to each band) fit and intelligent. The whole sound structure becomes larger, raised, threatens to explode any second.
Slow, Love, Slow surprised when first ballad so that the song of perhaps untypical, the Nightwish ever wrote. Barjazzelemente! Why not? Although the bombast curve (chorus) but then becomes steeper towards the end, there is a right to come out of the film noir translucent coolness here. Note only the bass, the cello, the trumpet. Woman Olzon proves impressively the range of their voice, which every critic should silence. To put it mildly: Tarja Turununen would Slow, Love, Slow never present in life so. Quite thick out tip !!!

I Want My Tears Back is a powerful up-tempo number, which reminds with its Irish Folk / Celtic elements almost frightening to Last Of The Wilds from the previous album. Vocally is Olzon and Hietala alternate who use as a slogan called song title is the same as the chorus at times in unison. Towards the end of the folk elements eventually increase to the point that a clear homage Michael Flatley produced. Absolutely gorgeous, incidentally Olzons vocals in the verses, which reminds with its fragility and tenderness at similar moments of Turunen era, while her powerful chorus use almost iconic for their style (Keyword Amaranth or the B-side of The Escapist) is. It would not surprise me the way, if I Want My Tears Back would be the second, or at least one the following, single.

With Scaretale follows an atmospheric monster which first properly asses occurs with a healthy hardness (double bass and guitar orientation in the first half) before the musical carnival gets finally granted catchment and towards confirms the hint of the overall sound of the band to film score more and more. Scaretale is probably the quintessential work of Nightwish from Symphonic Power Metal towards a Danny Elfman on electric guitar. Scaretale will polarize: There is oil on the fire of the tilt Nightwish opponents, but is the same for opulence and grandeur. A difficult song, shouting about to be able to grow in the ear canals of fans. The vocal performance is phenomenal way: Anett Olzon played their roles of bitingly angry and aggressive bishin to abysmal-twisted and completely out of line with a wonderful dose of eroticism. Please, please more of it! Almost seamlessly the song is finally in the instrumental arabesque that continues the musical concept of the previous Scaretale.

The melancholy ballad Turn Loose The Mermaids initiates the second half of the album. Olzon manages to capture the listener it with ease, the gentle flutes do her way, until finally drums are getting louder and lead to a whistled tune brand Ennio Morricone and make this quiet and worn number to a very special experience. Turn Loose The Mermaids gets better each time. Perhaps the secret star of the album.
Rest Calm is in my ears the absolute highlight of Imaginaerum. Atmospheric and hard, the song rises to an overwhelming tension and ultimately redeemed by the beautiful chorus. The orchestra begins. Then the game begins again. On and on the drama is increased, repeatedly saves us Olzons singing. As this then acts to merge with the onset of the children's choir, this is a most magical moments that the band has ever offered its fans. The final is orchestral, bombastic and (although I actually reluctantly use the term in relation to music) epic. Alone for this song it is worth buying the album.

The Crow, The Owl And The Dove is here quite similar. Dreamy and seductive offers the power ballad with folky midsection and the use of song Troy Donockley which appears responsible for the arrangements of folk elements of this album, Nightwish in absolute top form. Lyrically and musically great and appealing unusually conciliatory and carefree, but equally difficult to tear and ultra intense The Crow, The Owl And The Dove is an exceptionally sumptuous feel-good song.
On the other hand is almost traditionally Last Ride Of The Day. With bombastic, choir use as it has already worked on Century Child or Once, Last Ride Of The Day is an up tempo number that would have made next to songs like Dark Chest Of Wonders or End Of All Hope a good figure. An absolute Abgeh- and euphoria number, vocally super with crunchy guitars and a lead foot on the accelerator: One of these songs, in which one is inclined to push right the first Reinschnuppern the album on repeat instead of learning strictly familiar song by song in succession. Great!

The Grand Finale is then called Song of Myself. The Long Track 13 minutes can be split into four parts. It's orchestral and dramatic going: up-tempo, choirs, a powerful and energetic Anett Olzon. The dynamics of the refrain goes apart from the orchestra in the background even marginally in the AOR corner à la Europe, but never to such an extent that the overall image of the song which could be badly affected. Then it is mystic and majestic, dark and bombastic. Then a stark interface. Ballads and melancholic follows the grand finale. Song Of Myself makes his name to the program: Different people recite situations from life, all supported by the orchestra, and later of the electric guitar and choir until the music disappears completely (very large!). Nightwish move with that radio play part certainly on a very narrow wire between kitsch and art: I would not be surprised if the entire last part would be completely rejected by one or the other handset. The one will be angry, the other will listen spellbound. Simply take a picture even! Quite subjectively I like it pretty good, definitely better than similar at least in rudimentary form The Poet And The Pendulum from its predecessor. The virtuosity of the words, if I may because so express it, waver high, but I think that this particular song has the potential individually addressing each listener and touch, if only because some places as much bitter and unvarnished truth through the headphones flows.
The final title track eventually provides a majority of the musical themes of the songs on the album in a purely instrumental and orchestral form. Here all the stops are pulled again and played cleverly with the sentimentality of what is heard / experienced. The film core character is stressing significantly.

At the end forms a wonderfully coherent and homogeneous picture, which has 13 compositions, which although are good as a concept album, but could in principle also available on its own. The fact is that always resonates the idea that the film is scheduled and you turn on the projectors of his own head cinemas in the first place. But apart from the fact, would be the thought that this could be here an album of film music also come without the ulterior motive. There is no doubt that Nightwish earlier to compose more and more so that flirted imaginary film scores. Just think once Ghost Love Score or Seven Days To The Wolves. It is rather the case that the band, or Mastermind Holopainen, the style are consistently gone / is and has been reached on the peak Imaginaerum. Everything will appear in future of the band, will probably have to be measured with Imaginaerum unless a stark change in style occurs. If one were to classify the album in a genre, it would probably involve Symphonic Power Metal in which the focus is more than ever before on Symphonic. At that time the Italians Rhapsody Of Fire attempted to establish (Formerly Rhapsody) or their label terms such as Symphonic Epic Hollywood Metal or Symphonic Epic Movie Core Metal. In terms of Nightwish that hits the nail on the head. As mentioned this is not necessarily welcome everyone who dogged Metaler, which already was the Anfangsära the band popig or bombastic, should not even listen in Imaginaerum. All others get an album on offer, which was clearly driven towards perfection and in my eyes even the Opus summum is because I find among the 13 songs not fail, what the predecessors was quite a regularity for me and it actually acts as as had been worked on since Imaginaerum Angels Fall First consistently. Compositions like Ghost River, remaining calm, Song of Myself or the innovative Slow, Love, Slow among the finest moments of the band ever.
Especially singer Anett Olzon manages ostentatious really. She draws from reserves that have kept many probably never possible for. As much as I appreciate the albums with Tarja Turunen know: Olzon with her warm and multi-faceted voice is in my eyes the greatest gain, the band could ever make. She manages just never reduce their performance on pure sensationalism, but at the same time the listener to capture, which is quite a huge achievement. The remaining musicians are all a team in which everyone does their job so fulfilled that ultimately construct a kaleidoscope gives a colorful and fascinating whole.
And yes, Imaginaerum may seem constructed and are criticized as therefore. But it's also incredibly good!