Nightwish group: history of creation, composition, soloist, interesting facts. Lyrics (words, lyrics) of the group Nightwish Nightwish vocals

30.06.2020

A combination of classic and rock. How many articles have been written about how many musicians have experimented, trying to “harness a horse and a tremulous doe” (c). The site already has a number of articles devoted to the topic of symbiosis. The group Apocalyptica recently stunned us with their cello drive. What if “we marry a white rose with a black toad” (c), combine classical female vocals and rock? They tried to do this in Finland, and they succeeded. Today I will introduce you to the band Nightwish.

The group was created by Tuomas Holopainen in 1996 in the city of Kitee. By this time, Tuomas had extensive experience participating in local musical projects and realized that he was ripe for his own. Initially, he wanted to create only acoustic music, and told his friend Emppu Vuorinen about this. “I just wanted an acoustic guitar, some flutes, strings, piano, keyboards and definitely female vocals.” Work on creating a group has begun. Conservatory student Tarja Turunen was chosen as the soloist. She was the first of three Nightwish vocalists, each of whom contributed to the overall sound.

The early work of Nightwish was distinguished by the combination of female operatic vocals of the first soloist Tarji Turunen(Bagina, Finnish nightingale, three-octave range, by the way) keyboard-symphonic arrangement and heavy guitar base. This style is most often defined as a mixture of power metal and symphonic metal.

For the first time, Nightwish's music was recorded on an acoustic album. It included only three songs - Nightwish, The Forever Moments and Etiäinen. The first one eventually became the name of the group. Cassettes with recordings were sent to major labels and publications.

The first review of the group’s work was not laudatory, but it went down in the history of the Nightwish group, as it pushed them to change their sound to a heavier one. As a result, Jukka Nevalainen joined the project, and Emppu picked up an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. A role in this was played by the fact that friends Emppu and Jukka had previously played together in several heavy bands and they really liked this kind of music. From that moment on, Tuomas' project could safely be called the rock band Nightwish.

On December 31, 1997, the first performance of Nightwish took place at the New Year's disco in Kitey. For this and the next six performances, a friend of the musicians, Samppa Hirvonen, was invited to the lineup, since they still could not find a permanent bassist.

This is a brief summary of the formation of the group.

The beginning was difficult. Success came to the group only at the end of 1999. Tours and public recognition followed.

In the summer of 2001, Nightwish went on another tour of festivals and cities in Europe, followed by several concerts in Asia. By this point, it became apparent that there were several issues within the group that needed to be resolved in order for the project to be viable. Both the bassist, the guitarist, and most unpleasantly, the lead singer began to move away from the group. Driven to white heat by everything that was happening, Holopainen said that he no longer wanted to work like that. Tuomas informed the label management that the Finnish band Nightwish was no more. Of course, he gave up hope that there would still be another album if everything went well, but he flatly refused to give concerts. Holopainen reported the same information to the musicians and posted it on the website.

But the group found the strength to overcome the crisis and got to work. Quite unexpectedly, Tarja Turunen announced that in the future she intended to pursue a solo career, but continued to go on tour and participate in recordings and concerts. By this time she had gotten married, and her husband did not encourage his wife’s participation in the turbulent life of the team. Tarja herself has said more than once that parties and group gatherings have a bad effect on her voice. The conflict had been brewing for quite some time. Only in 2005, Nightwish posted an open letter to Tarja on the website, informing her that further collaboration was not possible. The letter came as a shock to her. The break in the relationship between Tarja and the musicians was inflated perhaps to the scale of a national tragedy, and for a very long time the publications in the press did not subside, and the fans split into two camps - some defended Tuomas, and others Tarja. The dismissal from the group was unexpected for her. She had to build her solo career, which, by the way, is very successful.

The era of the second vocalist has arrived - Swedish siren Anette Olzon (Princess, Nettie)

On March 7, 2006, the group announced that they were looking for a new lead singer, Nightwish, and the criteria she had to meet were announced.

“Nightwish doesn't necessarily need a classical singer like Tarja Turunen. We consider all styles and voices: natural, choreographed, from rock and pop to classical and everything in between. But candidates must be prepared to sing with great dynamism and flexibility, loud and high parts and very sensual material."

The auditions were completed only by mid-January 2007; in total, the musicians had to familiarize themselves with more than 2,000 demo recordings. As a result, only three finalists were chosen from the entire set, one of whom eventually received a ticket to a new star life.

The work in the studio was positive, all the musicians liked Anette, and the singer herself was completely delighted with working with professionals. As a result, on May 24, the whole world learned that the new vocalist of Nightwish now bears the name Anette Olzon. But a little earlier, the leader of Nightwish made it clear that the group would change its identity in terms of music:

“The voice and style of singing of the new vocalist Nightwish are very different from the previous one. Tarja had her own style that no one in the world could replicate. That's why we were looking for a completely different voice." Not all fans liked the new soloist and new music. Threats began to be received against Anette. The group did everything possible to support their new member; the musicians treated Anette’s condition with understanding and care. Several concerts were canceled when she could not cope with nervous tension after attacks from Tarja's fans.

In general, the Princess knew how to sing, but Tarja couldn’t pull out the trickiest parts and broke her voice trying to pull them out. According to rumors, this and the very busy schedule of concerts caused Anyuta to have health problems. And just as Anya began to come to her senses, a new test arose. “Trouble” came from unexpected places. The news that the lead singer of Nightwish is pregnant has put the musicians in a rather difficult position. Holopainen understands that during the tour there will inevitably be problems with Anette’s health and, most likely, some concerts will have to be cancelled. It was probably at this time that the band's leader made a decision and called Floor Jansen, asking her about the possibility of performing with them at the end of the tour - in November-December as a temporary replacement for Anette. The conflict within the group flared up due to different priorities between Tuomas and the singer. Olzon was unable to understand the motives of the team leader, who did not want to cancel the concerts and declared his readiness to temporarily replace Anette with Flor, and Tuomas could not understand how it was possible to behave so unprofessionally and jeopardize the tour, because from the point of view of professionalism, the cancellation of the remaining concerts threatened the musicians with a serious blow to their reputation, not to mention financial losses.

The news that the lead singer in Nightwish had changed once again quickly spread throughout all musical circles and caused a very unexpected reaction - some musicians supported Tuomas’ decision.

The result of this is known to everyone as an official statement made on the Nightwish website on October 1, 2012:

“Another chapter in the history of Nightwish has been completed. Anette Olzon and Nightwish have decided to separate by mutual decision and for the common good.

New soloist of Nightwish 2013 - Valkyrie Floor Jansen (Warrior)

Flor was accepted on board surprisingly easily; unlike Anette, it was much easier for her to win over the fans.

Before the release of the DVD, the music world received unexpected news - the musicians, who had previously stated that the name of the soloist would be announced no earlier than 2014, made a loud statement. Now it has become clear that Nightwish has a new chapter written in her biography, called Floor Jansen, and this happened on October 9, 2013. In addition, Troy Donockley, who spent the entire previous tour with the Finns, also joined the lineup as a permanent member. The reason that the musicians revealed the name of the vocalist before the expected date was quite simple:

“It has become very convenient for us. We have a new DVD coming out, and we need to promote it, give interviews, during which it would be stupid not to reveal the decision that has already been made. The fact that Flor is now a soloist in Nightwish was decided back in the summer, in June/July,” Tuomas said in an interview. Thus, a new voice appeared in the group. In terms of voice and style of singing, Flor is generally very different from both Anette and Tarja. And all because Flor manages to combine different singing styles on stage: here you have soft chants, powerful pop howls, hoarse-aggressive screams, and near-academic soprano.

The group tours a lot, prepares new albums, creates new projects. True, I had to take a forced break due to Flor’s pregnancy. Nightwish promised not to return to the studio until 2019, in connection with the birth of Flor’s child, but in April of this year an announcement appeared on the group’s fan website that “a new album will be released in June, the material for which is really not usual for the group. The addition to the family of vocalist Floor Jansen, as expected, made adjustments to the band’s creative plans: the next release will be a mini-album of lullabies in the band’s characteristic symphonic metal style. It is known that there will be 4 tracks on it, three of which the band leader Tuomas Holopainen wrote in different periods of creativity, but they were not suitable for albums and were waiting in the wings to present them to a wider audience. The EP will also feature one special song that Tuomas wrote in honor of Freya, the newborn daughter of Floor Jansen and Sabaton drummer Hannes van Daal. “New life is so inspiring!” - said Holopainen. “Childcharmer for me is a way to celebrate this new life. This is a gift not only for Freya, but also for all our fans, regardless of age, for whom life is the same inspiration as it is for us.” “Singing while heavily pregnant was difficult,” adds Flor, “But lullabies don’t require full vocal dedication, they need more emotion, and I have plenty of that now!”

Everyone believed it, but it was an April Fool's joke.

Current compound

Floor Jansen - vocals

Tuomas Holopainen (Finnish: Tuomas Holopainen) - composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the early years of the group)

Marco Hietala (Finnish: Marco Hietala) - bass guitar, vocals

Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen (Finnish: Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen) - drums

Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen (Finnish: Emppu Vuorinen) - lead guitar

Troy Donockley - bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki, bowran

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish: Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)

Sami Vänskä (Finnish: Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)

Marjaana Pellinen (Finnish: Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (performances only)

Samppa Hirvonen (Finnish: Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (performances only)

Anette Olzon (Swedish Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Albums of the group

Angels Fall First (1997, Spinefarm Records)

Oceanborn (1998, Spinefarm Records)

Wishmaster (2000, Spinefarm Records)

Century Child (2002, Spinefarm Records)

Once (2004, Nuclear Blast)

Dark Passion Play (2007, Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)

Imaginaerum (2011)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

Singles and mini-albums

"The Carpenter" (1997)

"Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)

"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)

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)

"Ever Dream" (2002)

"Bless the Child" (2002)

"Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)

"Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)

"The Siren" (2005)

"Sleeping Sun" (2005)

"Amaranth" (2007)

"Erämaan viimeinen" (2007)

"Bye Bye Beautiful" (2008)

"The Islander" (2008)

"Made in Hong Kong" EP (2009)

"Storytime" (2011)

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" (2012)

"Élan" (2015)

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

Wishmastour 2000 (2000)

Tales from the Elvenpath (2004)

Best Wishes (2005)

Highest Hopes (2005)

Wishsides (2005)

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)

End of Innocence (2003)

End of an Era (2005)

Tour Edition (2012)

Showtime, Storytime (2013)

Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Traditionally, I offer some videos of the group.

Nightwish — Dark Chest of Wonders (Anette, Floor & Tarja) Three beauties sing together at one of the concerts.

youtu.be/wIZOsoA2gzg

Nightwish — Dark chest of wonders (Live at Lowlands) Anette

youtu.be/5WT17jg9RDU

Nightwish — Wish I Had An Angel HD Tarja

youtu.be/B0Q1rKpDNE4

NIGHTWISH — Romanticide (OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO)

youtu.be/zz_7OCCQlXs

youtu.be/2OIrpU_NmKo Sleeping Sun

youtu.be/-7Oj3tyyTxQ Sacrament of Wilderness

youtu.be/9hmzR1CKGtA Nightwish Nemo (Official Music Video HD)

This is a brief summary of the formation of the group.

The beginning was difficult. Success came to the group only at the end of 1999. Tours and public recognition followed.

The era of the second vocalist has arrived - Swedish siren Anette Olzon (Princess, Nettie)

On March 7, 2006, the group announced that they were looking for a new lead singer, Nightwish, and the criteria she had to meet were announced.

The news that the lead singer in Nightwish had changed once again quickly spread throughout all musical circles and caused a very unexpected reaction - some musicians supported Tuomas’ decision.

The result of this is known to everyone as an official statement made on the Nightwish website on October 1, 2012:

“Another chapter in the history of Nightwish has been completed. Anette Olzon and Nightwish have decided to separate by mutual decision and for the common good.

New soloist of Nightwish 2013 - Valkyrie Floor Jansen (Warrior)

Flor was accepted on board surprisingly easily; unlike Anette, it was much easier for her to win over the fans.

The group tours a lot, prepares new albums, creates new projects. True, I had to take a forced break due to Flor’s pregnancy. Despite the fact that Nightwish promised not to return to the studio until 2019, due to the birth of Flor's child, a new album will be released this year, the material for which is really not usual for the group. The addition to the family of vocalist Floor Jansen, as expected, made adjustments to the band’s creative plans: the next release will be a mini-album of lullabies in the band’s characteristic symphonic metal style. It is known that there will be 4 tracks on it, three of which the band leader Tuomas Holopainen wrote in different periods of creativity, but they were not suitable for albums and were waiting in the wings to present them to a wider audience. The EP will also feature one special song that Tuomas wrote in honor of Freya, the newborn daughter of Floor Jansen and Sabaton drummer Hannes van Daal. “New life is so inspiring!” - said Holopainen. “Childcharmer for me is a way to celebrate this new life. This is a gift not only for Freya, but also for all our fans, regardless of age, for whom life is the same inspiration as it is for us.” “Singing while heavily pregnant was difficult,” adds Flor, “But lullabies don’t require full vocal dedication, they need more emotion, and I have plenty of that now!”

Current compound

Floor Jansen - vocals

Tuomas Holopainen (Finnish: Tuomas Holopainen) - composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the early years of the group)

Marco Hietala (Finnish: Marco Hietala) - bass guitar, vocals

Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen (Finnish: Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen) - drums

Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen (Finnish: Emppu Vuorinen) - lead guitar

Troy Donockley - bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki, bowran

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish: Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)

Sami Vänskä (Finnish: Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)

Marjaana Pellinen (Finnish: Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (performances only)

Samppa Hirvonen (Finnish: Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (performances only)

Anette Olzon (Swedish Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Albums of the group

Angels Fall First (1997, Spinefarm Records)

Oceanborn (1998, Spinefarm Records)

Wishmaster (2000, Spinefarm Records)

Century Child (2002, Spinefarm Records)

Once (2004, Nuclear Blast)

Dark Passion Play (2007, Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)

Imaginaerum (2011)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

Singles and mini-albums

"The Carpenter" (1997)

"Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)

"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)

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)

"Ever Dream" (2002)

"Bless the Child" (2002)

"Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)

"Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)

"The Siren" (2005)

"Sleeping Sun" (2005)

"Amaranth" (2007)

"Erämaan viimeinen" (2007)

"Bye Bye Beautiful" (2008)

"The Islander" (2008)

"Made in Hong Kong" EP (2009)

"Storytime" (2011)

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" (2012)

"Élan" (2015)

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

Wishmastour 2000 (2000)

Tales from the Elvenpath (2004)

Best Wishes (2005)

Highest Hopes (2005)

Wishsides (2005)

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)

End of Innocence (2003)

End of an Era (2005)

Tour Edition (2012)

Showtime, Storytime (2013)

Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Traditionally, I offer some videos of the group.

Nightwish - Dark Chest of Wonders (Anette, Floor & Tarja) Three beauties sing together at one of the concerts.

youtu.be/wIZOsoA2gzg

Nightwish - Dark chest of wonders (Live at Lowlands) Anette

youtu.be/5WT17jg9RDU

Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel HD Tarja

youtu.be/B0Q1rKpDNE4

NIGHTWISH - Romanticide (OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO)

youtu.be/zz_7OCCQlXs

youtu.be/2OIrpU_NmKo Sleeping Sun

youtu.be/-7Oj3tyyTxQ Sacrament of Wilderness

youtu.be/9hmzR1CKGtA Nightwish Nemo (Official Music Video HD)

Happy listening.

Linda specially for TopRu.org

77 rebounds, 1 of them this month

Biography

Finnish metal band performing songs mainly in English. It was founded in 1996 in the city of Kitey. Nightwish's early work was distinguished by a combination of female academic vocals of former vocalist Tarja Turunen and a peculiar power metal atmosphere. This style is most often defined as power metal and symphonic metal. Current vocalist Anette Olzon's voice is significantly different from the band's previous voice. Despite the fact that in their home country they achieved success after the first single, world recognition came to them only after the albums “Oceanborn” (1998) and “Wishmaster” (2000), with videos that were successful on famous TV channels.

In 2007, the group released the album Dark Passion Play, which featured new vocalist Anette Olzon. She replaced former lead singer Tarja Turunen, who left the group in 2005.

History of the group

Angels Fall First (19961997)

The idea to start the band Nightwish came to Tuomas Holopainen after a night spent around a campfire with friends. The group formed shortly after this, in July 1996. Holopainen invited his friend Tarja Turunen, who graduated from the Jean Sibelius Academy in opera vocal class, as a vocalist. Guitarist Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen was the third to join the band.

Initially, their style was based on Tuomas' experiments with keyboards, acoustic guitar and Tarja's operatic vocals. From October to December 1996, three musicians recorded an acoustic demo album. The album included three compositions: “Nightwish”, “The Forever Moments” and “EtiГ¤inen” (Finnish: Forest Spirit), the title of the first of which determined the name of the group.

At the beginning of 1997, drummer Jukka Nevalainen joined the band, and the acoustic guitar was replaced with an electric one. In April, the band went into the studio to record seven songs, including a revised demo of "EtiГ¤inen". Three songs can be found on the album "Angels Fall First", the only album by the band with vocals by Tuomas Holopainen. The bass guitar parts for this album were recorded by Erno Vuorinen. Many sources, such as The Metal Observer, note that this album is very different from their subsequent work.

On December 31, 1997, the group performed a concert in their hometown. Over the next winter, Nightwish performed only seven times, as Emppu and Jukka served in the army and Tarja was busy with her studies.

Oceanborn/Wishmaster (19982000)

In April 1998, filming began on the first video clip for the song “The Carpenter”, which was ready in early May.

In 1998, bass player Sami Vänskä, an old friend of Tuomas, joined the band. Over the summer, the songs for the new album were completed, and the band went into the studio in early August. The recording was completed at the end of October. On November 13, Nightwish played a concert in Kitei, and at this concert a video clip for the song "Sacrament of Wilderness" was filmed. The single of the same name was released on November 26, followed by the release of the new album, Oceanborn, on December 7.

This album was very different from the first one in terms of performance technique and lyrics. Tapio Wilska from Finntroll took part in the recording of the album. His vocals appear on the tracks "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". The song "Walking In The Air" is a cover of the soundtrack to the animated film "The Snowman", written by Howard Blake. Since this album, Nightwish's permanent cover artist has been Markus Mayer.

Critics were surprised by the success of "Oceanborn". It rose to number five on the Finnish Official Albums Chart, and the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" was number one on the singles chart for a week. In the winter of 1999, Nightwish played a lot of concerts and toured all over the country for three months. Oceanborn was released outside of Finland in the spring. In May the band began playing again, touring the entire country for two and a half months, playing almost every major rock festival. At the same time, the single “Sleeping Sun” was recorded, which was dedicated to the eclipse in Germany. In August, the single was released in Germany, also featuring the songs "Walking in the Air", "Swanheart" and "Angels Fall First". At the same time, it became known that the album “Oceanborn” and the single “Sacrament of Wilderness” acquired Golden Disc status. At the same time, Nightwish toured Europe with the German band Rage.

In 2000, Nightwish participated in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest from Finland with the song "Sleepwalker". The group confidently won the audience vote, but in the second round, the jury vote, they were relegated to second place and were not allowed to participate in the competition.

The new album "Wishmaster" was released in May and a new tour began from Kitee in support of the new album. "Wishmaster" peaked at number one on the album chart and stayed at that position for three weeks. During this time, he received the status of “Golden Disc”. "Wishmaster" was recognized by fans and critics, and was named album of the month in the sixth issue of Rock Hard magazine in 2000.

"Wishmaster" also debuted on the German national charts at number 21 and at number 66 in France. The Wishmaster World Tour, which began in Kitee, continued first to major festivals in Finland and then to South America in July 2000. The three-week tour of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Panama and Mexico turned out to be one of the band's greatest experiences. All this was accompanied by successful shows at Wacken Open Air and Biebop Metal Fest. The group also took part in the European tour together with Sinergy and Eternal Tears of Sorrow. Nightwish played two shows in Canada in November.

Over the Hills and Far Away / Century Child (20012003)

Nightwish recorded a video for DVD (full live album) and VHS with a trimmed live concert (Finland only), which took place in Tampere on December 29, 2000. The recording included Tony Kakko (en) from the band Sonata Arctica and Tapio Wilska. The material was released in April 2001 in Finland, and throughout the summer throughout the world. The DVD was released under the title "From Wishes to Eternity". At the end of the show, Nightwish received platinum discs for "Wishmaster" and gold discs for "Deep Silent Complete".

In March 2001, Nightwish returned to the studio to record their version of the Gary Moore classic "Over the Hills and Far Away" with two new songs and a remake of "Astral Romance" from the Angels Fall First album. It appeared in Finland in June 2001.

The German (Drakkar) version of "Over the Hills and Far Away" includes six live tracks in addition to four unreleased songs. Shortly after this, bass player Sami Vänskä left the band and was replaced by Marco Hietala, leaving the Sinergy team. Marco is also the vocalist and bass guitarist of the Finnish metal band Tarot. The new bass player not only plays his instrument, but also sings with strong, high-pitched male vocals. It should be noted that Marco Hietala's singing style in Nightwish songs is slightly different from his singing style in the Tarot group.

In 2002, the group released the album "Century Child" and the singles "Ever Dream" and "Bless the Child". The main difference from the previous album is that a Finnish orchestra took part in the recording of many songs, bringing it closer to classical music. After the first video, “Bless The Child,” the second, “End of All Hope,” was recorded. It used excerpts from the Finnish film “Kohtalon Kirja” (Finnish: “Book of Destiny”) (en).

In 2003, Nightwish released their second DVD, End of Innocence. Also in the summer of 2003, Tarja got married. After this, rumors arose that the group might break up, but despite this, the group continued to perform and released a new album the following year.

At the end of August 2001, as part of the tour, the group came to Russia. Nightwish gave two concerts, one in St. Petersburg, at the small arena of the Yubileiny Palace of Culture, the second in Moscow, at the Gorbunov House of Culture.

Once (20042005)

The new album, entitled "Once", was released on June 7, 2004, following the single "Nemo" (Latin: Nobody) from this album. An orchestra took part in the recording of 9 of the 11 songs on the album. Unlike "Century Child", the recording of "Once" did not involve a Finnish orchestra, but a London session orchestra, which also participated in the recording of the soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings". This is also the second album to feature a song entirely in Finnish, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (Finnish: "Death Makes the Artist"). Lakota Indian John Two-Hawks took part in the recording of the song “Creek Marys Blood”. He sings in his native language and plays the flute.

The following singles were released: "Wish I Had an Angel" (soundtrack from the film Alone in the Dark), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (released only in Finland) and "The Siren". The new album was well received by critics, who compared it to Oceanborn.

The success of the album allowed the group to go on the Once worldwide tour, including countries they had never performed in before (however, the group never visited Russia). They took part in the opening of the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, performing the song "Nemo".

Released in September 2005, the collection "Highest Hopes" consists of songs collected from the entire discography of the group. It also includes a cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes". In addition, the video for the song “Sleeping Sun” was re-shot, which in turn was re-recorded and released as a single.

End of an Era (20052006)

After recording the new concert DVD “End of an Era”, the band members decided that they no longer wanted to collaborate with Tarja Turunen, which they informed her in an open letter. In a letter, they wrote to Tarja that her husband Marcelo Kabuli and commercial interests turned her away from Nightwish, accused her of not wanting to participate in the life of the group and of having a contemptuous attitude towards fans. Tuomas Holopainen gave her a letter after the successful completion of the world tour with the final concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on the night of October 21, 2005. The open letter was later published on the group's official website.

Tarja reacted to the unexpected dismissal, saying that it was a shock for her. She was not warned in advance about the letter and says it is unnecessarily cruel. Tarja wrote a response letter to her fans and published it on her own website. She also gave many interviews to various television channels, magazines and newspapers about her attitude to what happened.

Dark Passion Play (2007)

In 2006, the group began recording their sixth studio album. The recording process started with drums, then guitar, bass and a keyboard demo. The orchestra and choir were recorded at Abbey Road Studios, followed by final recording of synthesizers and vocals.

To replace Tarja as a vocalist, on March 17, 2006, the group invited candidates for the vacant position to send their demo recordings. During the group's selection of vocalists, speculation arose around who would eventually become the new member of the group. In response to these and other rumors, the group posted an announcement on its website asking them not to trust any information other than what was officially published.

For the same reason, the identity of the new vocalist was revealed earlier, and on May 24, 2007, 35-year-old Anette Olzon from Katrienholm, Sweden was introduced as Turunen's replacement. Holopainen said in an interview that he does not want to name the new vocalist until there is ready material, so that fans do not judge her only by photographs and past work.

The voice and style of performance of the new vocalist are very different from the previous one. “Tarja had her own style, which no one in the world could replicate better,” said Tuomas, “That’s why we were looking for a completely different voice.”

"Eva", the first single from the new album, was announced in February. At the same time, a sample of the song became available on the band's website, along with other songs from the new album: "7 Days to the Wolves", "Master Passion Greed" and "Amaranth". The release was originally scheduled for May 30, but due to a leak from a British music website, the single was released on May 25.

On June 13, Nightwish revealed the title of their new album, "Dark Passion Play", and artwork on their website along with the title and artwork of their second single, "Amaranth". The single includes the song "While Your Lips Are Still Red", written by Tuomas as the main theme to the Finnish film "Lieksa!". Formally, this composition is not Nightwish, as it is performed by Marco as a vocalist and bass guitarist, Tuomas as a keyboard player and Jukka as a drummer. The video for the song was presented on June 15.

The second single from the new album, "Amaranth", was released in Finland on August 22, approximately a month before the album, and was certified gold in less than two days of sales. This was the first CD single from the album, as "Eva" was distributed only via the Internet.

"Dark Passion Play" was released in Europe in the last week of September 2007, in the UK on October 1, in the US on October 2. The album was released in two editions: single-disc and double-disc. The latter contains instrumental versions of all the tracks on the second disc. Roadrunner also released a limited three-disc edition. Subsequently, due to its enormous popularity, the disc was released in several more versions.

On this album, presumably because the former vocalist left the band, vocalist Marco Hietala was given more space for his vocals. He sings at least backing vocals on every song except "Amaranth", lead vocals (not counting Anette Olzon's backing vocals) on "The Islander", "Master Passion Greed" and sings the chorus on "Bye Bye Beautiful". and "7 Days to the Wolves".

Some magazines, including Kerrang! noticed that the departure of Tarja Turunen changed the image of the group and removed the border that separated them from other groups. The use of a 175-piece orchestra and the use of solo parts on the album led to the band's work now being described as symphonic metal, especially the album's first 14-minute track, "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album received a 5/5 rating from Kerrang!

The band performed a "secret" concert at the Rock Café in Tallinn on September 22, 2007. In order to remain incognito, they introduced themselves as the band "Nachtwasser", performing Nightwish covers. Their first official concert with the new vocalist was in Tel Aviv in Israel on October 6, 2007.

The DVD "End of an Era" was certified platinum in Germany, having sold over 50,000 copies. The corresponding award was presented to the group during the Rock Am Ring festival, during which Nightwish performed on the main stage in front of an audience of more than 80,000. The album “Dark Passion Play” also received gold status in Germany, selling over 100,000 copies during the first week of sales from the moment of release.

The single "The Islander" topped the Finnish singles charts.

Musical style

There is no single definition of Nightwish's musical style. Supposedly, it lies on the border between symphonic metal, power metal and gothic metal.

A distinctive feature of Nightwish's early work is the combination of Tarja's strong operatic voice, more typical of the classical opera stage, and hard guitar riffs, an aggressive atmosphere characteristic of heavy metal. The compositions also use folklore elements characteristic of such groups as the Finnish Amorphis. All this is complemented by pompous keyboard passages.

Thanks to the combination of different styles, there are many opinions as to which of them the group’s work can be attributed to. Thus, the authoritative portal The Metal Crypt defines it as power metal or as a kind of derivative style of “symphonic power metal” created by the Italian group Rhapsody of Fire. While another EOL Audio classifies them as “operatic metal”, given the unusual style of performance of the first vocalist of the group.

I would say we play melodic heavy metal with female vocals. This is the simplest thing I can imagine. We're a metal band, we play melodic metal, we have female vocals, so that's enough.

Current lineup

Tuomas Holopainen (Finnish: Tuomas Holopainen) composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the early years of the group)
Anette Olzon vocals
Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen drums
Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen guitar
Marco Hietala bass guitar, vocals

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish: Tarja Turunen) vocals (19962005)
Sami Vänskä (Sami VГ¤nskГ¤) bass guitar (19982001)
Marjaana Pellinen vocals (1997) (performances only)
Samppa Hirvonen bass guitar (1996) (performances only)

14-10-2011

Finnish metal Nightwish band was formed in 1996 in Kitee, Finland, when quite experienced keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen had the idea of creating his own atmospheric keyboard-acoustic project, as they say, for friendly gatherings around the fire. With the help of guitarist Erno Vuorinen and classical vocalist Tarja Turunen, Holopainen recorded a demo entitled Nightwish that same year. Then he came to the conclusion that such music was too “light” for Turunen’s strong operatic voice, and decided to turn the trio into a full-fledged rock band - Vuorinen took up the electric guitar, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen joined the lineup.

In April 1997, the group went into the studio to record the 7-song demo Angels Fall First. It attracted the attention of the Finnish label Spinefarm Records, with which a contract was signed, and the full album Angels Fall First came out in November. The single "The Carpenter" reached number 3 on the national charts and was released as a split single with and Thy Serpent. The disc's material was a mixture of metal and atmospheric folk and ambient - interestingly, Holopainen himself sang on some songs. The band gave its first concert in December with a session bass player and an additional keyboard player and backing vocalist. Regular bass player Sami Vänskä, an acquaintance of Holopainen, arrived when the band began recording their second album Oceanborn in August 1998 (after some members had served in the military).

The album Oceanborn was released in October only in Finland and reached number 5 on the national charts, and the single “ Sacrament of Wilderness"took 1st place. In the spring of 1999, the disc was released outside the country, and in May the group recorded the single “Sleeping Sun”, which was a great success in Europe, which allowed Nightwish to tour with Rage. In August, Oceanborn and singles (including " Walking in the Air) received “golden” status in their homeland.

In 2000, the musicians took a break from recording a new album and took part in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest (the song “Sleepwalker”), although they took 2nd place. Disk " Wishmaster"was released in May and received gold status within three weeks, although critics found the material monotonous. After this, Nightwish went on their first world tour. In 2001, the mini-album “Over The Hills And Far Away” was released, which included the composition of the same name, composed by Gary Moore, and some previously unreleased songs. In the same year, the first live disc From Wishes To Eternity was released.

At the same time, a difficult period began in the history of the group - Vänskä did not take a responsible enough approach to musical activities, Vuorinen was dissatisfied with his role as a simple musician, and Holopainen, tired of the problems, practically declared Nightwish to break up. However, the founding father soon calmed down, Evo Pohjola became the new manager, and Marko Hietala became the new bass player ( Tarot, ex-Sinergy), who has since become responsible for clean vocals. New album Century Child, recorded with an updated line-up, was released in May 2002 and almost overnight received “gold” status, and three weeks later – “platinum”. In total, in 2003, over 350,000 copies of the disc were sold worldwide. In 2003, the group's second DVD was released - End of Innocence, and Turunen marries Argentine businessman Marcello Cabuli.

Album Once released in 2004. The London Philharmonic Orchestra took part in the recording. Single " Nemo"is still the band's most successful single to this day. The disc itself was well received by both the public and critics, and Nightwish went on another large-scale tour. A collection of the best things was released in September 2005 Highest Hopes. Another one was released in June 2006 DVD End of an Era with a recording of a concert in October 2005. This performance was the last for Turunen– the other participants notified her about this in an open letter. The official reason for the dismissal was the attitude towards the group as a “money machine”, not least thanks to Turunen’s husband, who, according to Holopainen, stuck his nose everywhere all the time. For Turunen herself, this dismissal came as a shock (according to her, she couldn’t even say goodbye to the fans).

In September 2006, Nightwish began recording new material, simultaneously looking for a new vocalist - she was Swedish Annette Olzon from the rock band Alyson Avenue. Her name was kept secret until the end of May 2007, when the single “ Eva" Holopainen stated that this was done so that fans would not judge the vocalist by her photo or previous group. The second single "Amaranth" was released in August, and the album itself Dark Passion Play appeared in stores at the end of September and immediately received double “gold” in its homeland and first place in the charts of European countries. The tour in support of the album started in October and ended in September 2009.

Preparation of new material for the new album began in the first half of 2009. For a long time, all work was carried out under a veil of secrecy; neither the name of the album nor any specific details were disclosed. In February 2011, information appeared that the new disc would be called Imaginarium(spelling later changed to Imaginaerum, to avoid confusion with many other projects of the same name). The release of the first single was scheduled for November. The musicians also promised to release a film of the same name in 2012, based on the concept of the album.

(c) Jester

Tuomas Holopainen
Marco Hietala
Jukka Nevalainen
Emppu Vuorinen
Troy Donockley
Kai Hahto

On October 1, 2012, due to disagreements that developed within the group, Anette Olzon left the team.

History of the group

Angels Fall First (1996-1997)

The idea to start the band Nightwish came to Tuomas Holopainen after a night spent around a campfire with friends. The group formed shortly after this, in July 1996. Holopainen invited his friend Tarja Turunen, who graduated from the Jean Sibelius Academy in academic vocals, as a vocalist. Guitarist Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen was the third to join the band.

Their style was initially based on Tuomas' experiments with keyboards, acoustic guitar and Tarja's operatic vocals. From October to December 1996, the three musicians recorded an acoustic demo album. The album included three compositions - “Nightwish”, “The Forever Moments” and “Etiäinen” (“Forest Spirit”), the title of the first of which determined the name of the group.

Oceanborn/Wishmaster (1998-2000)

This album was very different from the first one in terms of performance technique and lyrics. Tapio Wilska from the band Finntroll took part in the recording of the album. His vocals appear on the tracks "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". "Walking In The Air" is a cover of the soundtrack to The Snowman, written by Howard Blake. Howard Blake). Starting with this album, Nightwish's regular cover artist is Markus Mayer ( Markus Mayer).

Critics were surprised by the success Oceanborn. It rose to number five on the Finnish Official Albums Chart, and the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" was number one on the singles chart for a week. In the winter of 1999, Nightwish gave many concerts and toured throughout the country for three months. in spring Oceanborn was released outside of Finland. In May the band began playing again, touring the entire country for two and a half months, playing almost every major rock festival. At the same time, the single “Sleeping Sun” was recorded, which was dedicated to the eclipse in Germany. In August, the single was released in Germany, also featuring the songs "Walking in the Air", "Swanheart" and "Angels Fall First". Then it became known that the album Oceanborn and the single “Sacrament of Wilderness” received Golden Disc status. At the same time, Nightwish toured Europe with the German band Rage.

In 2000, Nightwish participated in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest from Finland with the song "Sleepwalker". The group confidently won the audience vote, but in the second round, in which the jury voted, they were relegated to second place and were not allowed to participate in the competition.

Over the Hills and Far Away / Century Child (2001-2003)

The band in the video for the song "Over the Hills and Far Away"

In March 2001, Nightwish returned to the studio to record their version of the Gary Moore classic "Over the Hills and Far Away" with two new songs and a remake from the album Angels Fall First songs "Astral Romance". It appeared in Finland in June 2001.

German version Over the Hills and Far Away features six live tracks in addition to four unreleased songs. Shortly after this, bass player Sami Vänskä left the band and was replaced by Marco Hietala, leaving the Sinergy team. Marco is also the vocalist and bass guitarist of the Finnish metal band Tarot. The new bass player not only plays his instrument, but also sings with strong, high-pitched male vocals. It should be noted that Marco Hietala's singing style in Nightwish songs is slightly different from his singing style in the band Tarot.

The success of the album allowed the band to embark on a worldwide Once tour, including countries they had never performed in before. They took part in the opening of the 2005 World Athletics Championships, held in Helsinki, performing the song "Nemo".

End of an Era (2005-2006)

After recording a new concert DVD End of an Era The band members decided that they no longer wanted to collaborate with Tarja Turunen, which they informed her about in an open letter. In a letter, they wrote to Tarja that her husband Marcello Kabuli and commercial interests turned her away from Nightwish, accused her of not wanting to participate in the life of the group and of having a contemptuous attitude towards fans. Tuomas Holopainen gave her a letter after the successful completion of the world tour with the final concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on the night of October 21, 2005. The open letter was later published on the group's official website.

Dark Passion Play (2007)

For the same reason, the identity of the new vocalist was revealed earlier, and on May 24, 2007, 35-year-old Anette Olzon from Katrineholm, Sweden was introduced as Turunen's replacement. Holopainen said in an interview that he does not want to name the new vocalist until there is ready material, so that fans do not judge her only by photographs and past work.

The voice and style of performance of the new vocalist are very different from the previous one. “Tarja had her own style, which no one in the world could have replicated better,” said Tuomas. “That’s why we were looking for a completely different voice.”

Dark Passion Play was released in Europe in the last week of September 2007, in the UK on October 1, in the US on October 2. The album was released in two editions: single-disc and double-disc. The latter contains one bonus track on the first disc and orchestral versions of all compositions on the second. Roadrunner also released a limited three-disc edition.

On this album, presumably because the former vocalist left the band, vocalist Marco Hietala was given more space for his vocals. He sings at least backing vocals on every song except "Amaranth", and lead vocals (not counting Anette Olzon's backing vocals) on "The Islander", "Master Passion Greed", "While Your Lips Are Still Red" and "Reach" (the last two from the Amaranth CD) and sings on the chorus in "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "7 Days to the Wolves".

Some magazines including Kerrang!, noticed that the departure of Tarja Turunen changed the image of the group and removed the border that separated them from other groups. The use of a 175-piece orchestra and the use of solo parts on the album has led to the band's work now being described as symphonic metal, especially the album's first 14-minute track, "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album received a 5/5 rating from the magazine Kerrang!

The band performed a "secret" concert at the Rock Café in Tallinn on September 22. In order to remain anonymous, they introduced themselves as Nachtwasser, a band performing Nightwish covers. Their first official concert with the new vocalist was given in Tel Aviv in Israel on October 6, 2007.

DVD End of an Era, received platinum status in Germany, having sold over 50,000 copies. The corresponding award was presented to the group during the Rock Am Ring festival, during which Nightwish performed on the main stage in front of an audience of more than 80 thousand. Album Dark Passion Play also received “gold” status in Germany, selling over 100,000 copies during the first week of sales from the moment of release.

Imaginaerum (2011)

On October 15, 2010, information appeared in the press that Nightwish were planning to record a new album. Just like four years ago, pre-production of the material began in a remote rural area in Finland, in the village of Savi. Rehearsals had to begin in the absence of Anette, who was expecting her second child at that time. On July 30, 2010, Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon gave birth to a son and in mid-October 2010, as planned, Nightwish officially began recording a new album. And a week later all the drum parts were recorded. At the beginning of January 2011, according to reports from the band's camp, the recording of the rhythm guitar and bass parts was almost completed. On February 10, 2011, Nightwish announced the title of their next studio album - Imaginaerum. In parallel with the recording of the new album, Nightwish are preparing to shoot a film of the same name. “Imaginaerum” is a musical fantasy film based on the upcoming album of the same name. The main character of the film is a composer with a wild imagination. He is already an old man, but still considers himself a boy. In his dreams, he travels to his distant past, where his old dreams return to him, intertwined with the youthful world of fantasy and music. In a dream, an old man strives to find the most important memories for him. Filming of “Imaginarium” took place in the spring of 2012 in Canada, and the film premiered on November 10 of the same year. To avoid possible copyright issues, the album was renamed Imaginaerum.

The first single was released on November 9, 2011, its title is “Storytime”.

Release Imaginaerum took place in Helsinki on the night of November 29–30, 2011; The official release date is November 30th.

The album was released on both CD and LP on Nuclear Blast in Germany.

In 2012, a world tour began in support of the album. The first concert took place on January 21 at the Gibson Theater in Universal City (Los Angeles, USA). The special guest at the concert was the group Amorphis.

On October 1, 2012, a statement was published on the official Nightwish website, according to which Anette Olzon had left the group. Before the completion of the Imaginaerum tour, the band intends to collaborate with Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

On October 9, 2013, Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen was introduced as the permanent replacement for Anette Olzon. Troy Donockley was also introduced as a full member of the group. This change will bring a sixth member to the group for the first time ever.

On August 7, 2014, it was announced that the band's drummer Jukka was taking a temporary break for health reasons. The drummer for Wintersun and Swallow the Sun took over his duties on the album. Kai Hahto.

On February 13, 2015, “Élan” was released - the first single from Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Along with the single, a video clip of the same name was released.

Video on the topic

Music

Influence

The author of the lyrics and music of Nightwish, Tuomas, claims that he gets inspiration from music of completely different styles and directions: heavy metal, classical, folklore and film soundtracks. Many of the group's compositions contain folk elements. To their music especially in albums Oceanborn And Wishmaster influenced by the work of such power metal bands as Stratovarius. In albums Century Child And Once The musicians made an attempt to combine the sounds of classical music and metal, recording them with the participation of a symphony orchestra. Similar experiments are characteristic of many famous bands, including Deep Purple, Rage, Metallica, Rammstein, as well as the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion, which influenced Nightwish. Examples of film music influence include "Beauty of the Beast" from the album Century Child and "Ghost Love Score" from Once. Nightwish's song lyrics are influenced by fantasy books and films.

And at the same time, Nightwish influenced other bands. Thus, Epica vocalist Simone Simons said that she started singing after hearing the album Oceanborn. Sander Gommans of After Forever said that Nightwish influences the new songs they create. The former Visions of Atlantis vocalist noted that Nightwish inspired their first album.

Musical style

Nightwish's music falls into the genres of symphonic metal and power metal. Thus, the portal The Metal Crypt defines it as power metal or as a mixed style of “symphonic-power metal”. Composer and lyricist Tuomas Holopainen himself once described their music as “melodic heavy metal with female vocals.”

I would say we play melodic heavy metal with female vocals. This is the simplest thing I can imagine. We're a metal band, we play melodic metal, we have female vocals, so that's enough.

Tuomas also has a positive attitude towards the definition of “symphonic metal”:

I love symphonic metal, that's obvious, and I'm quite happy with that definition. If you want, call Nightwish symphonic metal, that's absolutely fine.

The distinctive features of Nightwish's music are the combination of strong female vocals, guitar riffs and solos typical of metal, as well as atmospheric keyboard parts performed by Tuomas Holopainen. Tarja's academic vocals, characteristic of the classical opera stage, gave a special recognizable feature to the early music of Nightwish. Since the album Century Child the group began to use a symphony orchestra and various additional instruments in recordings, shifting the emphasis on them from guitar parts. Thus, the group made a gradual transition from power metal to symphonic metal, although the features of both genres remained to a greater or lesser extent always inherent in it. Also, some compositions on later albums used a second, male vocal by Marco Hietala and elements of folk music.

Members of the group

Current lineup

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish: Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)
Sami Vänskä (Finnish: Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)
Marjana Pellinen (Finnish: Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (performances only)
Samppa Hirvonen (Finnish: Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (performances only)
Anette Olzon (Swedish Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Invited musicians

Tony Kakko (Finnish: Tony Kakko) (Sonata Arctica) - mini-album Over the Hills and Far Away, song “Beauty And The Beast”, concert From Wishes to Eternity.
Tapio Wilska (Finnish: Tapio "Tonquemada" Wilska) (ex-Finntroll, Sethian) - albums Oceanborn And Over the Hills and Far Away, concert From Wishes to Eternity
Ike Vil (Babylon Whores) - Wishmaster
Sam Hardwick (eng. Sam Hardwick) - the voice of the dead boy on Wishmaster And Century Child
John Two-Hawks John Two-Hawks) - Once
Marc Brueland - Once
Johanna Salomaa (Finnish: Johanna "Jonsu" Salomaa) (Indica) - single "Erämaan viimeinen"
Kai Hahto(Finnish Kai Hahto) - drums on Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Timeline

Discography

Albums of the group

Angels Fall First( , Spinefarm Records)
Oceanborn( , Spinefarm Records)
Wishmaster( , Spinefarm Records)
Century Child( , Spinefarm Records)
Once( , Nuclear Blast)
Dark Passion Play( , Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)
Imaginaerum ()
Endless Forms Most Beautiful ()

Singles and mini-albums

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)
"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)
End of Innocence (2003)
End of an Era (2005)
Made in Hong Kong (2009)
Showtime, Storytime (2013)
Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Video clips

"Over the Hills and Far Away" (2001)

Covers

Only performed live

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne (Live in Amsterdam, 2002)
"Wild Child" W.A.S.P. (at the Live in Norway concert, Oslo 04 Jul 2003)
"Don't Talk to Strangers" by Ronnie James Dio

In releases

"Crimson Tide" Hans Zimmer (live) From Wishes to Eternity)
"Deep Blue Sea" Trevor Rabin (live) From Wishes to Eternity)
"Walking in the Air" Howard Blake (on the album Oceanborn)
"Over the Hills and Far Away" Moore, Gary (on EP Over the Hills and Far Away)
"Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber (on album Century Child)
"Where Were You Last Night" Anki Bagger(on the single "Wish I Had an Angel")
"Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth (on the single "The Siren")
"High Hopes" by Pink Floyd (on compilation Highest Hopes)
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman (on the single "The Crow, the Owl and the Dove")

Notes

Band Members (English) . nightwish.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015. Archived August 3, 2015.
Announcement of a new vocalist (English). Retrieved May 13, 2013. Archived August 28, 2011.
Classic Rock (English) . Retrieved October 5, 2012. Archived October 16, 2012.
It's Official: NIGHTWISH Parts Ways With Singer ANETTE OLZON (English). Blabbermouth. Retrieved October 1, 2012. Archived October 16, 2012.
Ms. Floor Jansen is a keeper
Review of the Nightwish album “Angels Fall First” (English). Retrieved February 3, 2008. Archived August 28, 2011.
Interview with Tuomas Holopainen, ROCK-City, February 1999. Retrieved February 4, 2008. Archived August 28, 2011.
O James Byrd Tribute - review of Nightwish "Oceanborn" (English) (inaccessible link -