Nightwish - Imaginaerum

This is one of those albums I’m happy not to have to give a note… As most of you may know, Nightwish are a Finnish Symphonic Metal band from Kitee. Driven by Tuomas Holopainen’s creative mind, Nightwish have been the spearhead of the Symphonic Metal scene, as well as a flagship for Finnish art. However, a few years ago they have parted ways with their iconic lead singer Tarja Turunen, leaving them with a new record and no voice for it. That led to Dark Passion Play, an album labeled as “pop metal”. There were many problems with that particular CD but the main one was the new singer, Anette Olzon. She was singing out of her range (the tracks were made with Tarja’s voice in mind) which could only lead to a grand disaster…

But this time, with Imaginaerum, that “excuse” was no longer valid. And it is not needed.

The album, as a piece of art, is absolutely flawless: Big arrangements with powerful guitars and voice. Everything is blended together in absolute perfection.

However, there is a small problem: the album is happy.

To address this problem (and minimize its effect) one must first acknowledge that Nightwish are as trve as it gets. Their music is the perfect mirror for Tuomas’ life. With that said, Tuomas has said himself that the last few months were the happiest of his life, and as such we all can hear that in his music.

Does that make it easier for me to listen to Imaginaerum? Maybe… I’m happy for the guy. I hate and reject depression with the force of a thousand suns, and to see someone leave its mire-like claws and be able to tell the tale in such a big way is something that I profoundly admire. I like to focus my mind on that while listening to this album. That way I’m able to endure all that… happiness.

My highlights:  the pre-chorus of “Ghost River” and the first half of “Scaretale”. If the whole album was like that this would be one of my favorite albums.

Note: credit must be given to Anette. If I had any heroes or idols, she would be one of them. As she was passing through hell, a lot of people (loudly) expressed their hate for her and her voice and that almost led to the end of Nightwish. However, she persevered. She kept being herself (silly un-Metal stage behavior included) and, most importantly, delivered a beast of a performance. Anette, I hail thee.