Is it me or is Nightwish essentially trying to one-up themselves on every album they put out now? Century Child saw the recruitment of Finnish metal legend Marco Hietala as bassist/vocalist, Once brought in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Dark Passion Play had a dramatic lead singer switch with Anette Olzon coming aboard and brought them greater recognition here in the States.
Now four years later, Nightwish has come back with what may be their most ambitious effort to date: a concept album about a dying writer falling back into childhood with its own tie-in film! But while the band does have its eyes set on some pretty big heights, the reality may be a little more comfortable than one might think.
I Am The Voice of Never-Neverland
Like the last couple albums that Nightwish has put out, Imaginaerum could best be described as a collection of symphonic pop metal songs with a few genre-bending moments and an overall conceptual feel. Of course, the narrative is emphasized more than usual with there being an atmospheric opener (“Taikatalvi”), an exotic instrumental interlude (“Arabesque”), and a nifty closing medley.
This album also seems to continue the trope of the band members themselves offering rather mixed prominences with their performances. On one hand, the guitars and drums are still relegated to rather basic patterns outside of the more aggressive songs. On the other hand, the keyboards are strong in the face of the orchestra and the bass is surprisingly quite driving.
But in a rather surprising twist for a Tarja supporter like me, I think Anette’s performance may be the most enjoyable thing on here. She was pretty good on Dark Passion Play, but she sounds much more at home on here. She’s playful, seductive, generous with vibrato, and even hams it up on the enjoyably goofy “Scaretale.” Unfortunately, Marco’s vocals aren’t as strong though he does get some fun moments and sweet harmonizing in here and there.
And like the last few albums, the orchestra and symphonic elements are as omnipresent as ever. They fit in pretty well overall though there are some instances that would’ve been best if executed in a more subtle fashion. The choral elements may sound great on tracks like the “O Fortuna” inspired “Last Ride Of The Day,” but seriously guys, was the children’s choir on “Ghost River” really that necessary?
Don’t Give Me Love
At any rate, the extensive variety in the songwriting is what ultimately makes this album worth looking into. The more upbeat songs are probably the most entertaining though even these differ in several ways from one another. “Storytime” was an incredibly wise choice for lead single thanks to its infectious vocal lines and grandiose chorus while “I Want My Tears Back” has the folk feel that made “Last Of The Wilds” such a fun listen.
The album also has a melodic side that also manages to work quite well. While the bombarding “Rest Calm” is largely driven by chugging verses, its sweeping chorus does have a feel similar to that of “Amaranth.” The unusually titled “Turn Loose The Mermaids” and “The Crow, The Owl, And The Dove” are also noteworthy ballads that avoid stereotypical structures in favor of a more subdued outlook.
As several others have pointed out, “Slow, Love, Slow” is easily the album’s biggest surprise. Serving as an atmospheric jazz ballad, it features a very sly Anette crooning with a sweet piano backing and smooth brushes of percussion standing out. Not a bad experiment for a group of musicians that had no previous experience with jazz whatsoever!
Unfortunately, the album does have one underwhelming track in the form of the thirteen-and-a-half minute long “Song Of Myself.” Nightwish has had an amazing track record with lengthy suites in the past but this one seems to fall flat. It still has some good moments in the first half but the spoken segments during the second half really overstay their welcome. The monologues themselves are interesting in terms of what is being said but there’s no way you can have seven minutes of spoken material in a piece without having it come off as padding…
An Old Man Gets Naked And Kisses A Model-Doll In His Attic
Ultimately, this album isn’t too far removed from the band’s last few albums. At this point in time, I think Dark Passion Play may be a stronger album in terms of songwriting but the more conceptual feel and the more comfortable band dynamic may be enough for this to eventually be seen as a superior release.
Of course, even if Anette’s vocals are better than they were this time around, this release probably won’t be enough to end the lead singer debate that has surged over the last few years. Cynical buggers like me will still yearn for the days when Nightwish had more instrumental complexity and Tarja’s operatic delivery, but this is a pretty decent album for what it is. Think the movie will be any good?
Current Highlights:
- “Storytime”
- “Slow, Love, Slow”
- “I Want My Tears Back”
- “The Crow, The Owl, And The Dove”
- “Last Ride Of The Day”
Christopher Latta - I am the lead singer/bassist of Psychic Faith and the writer of many hard rock and heavy metal reviews
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