Nightwish...

[cramx3]

The Endless Forms Most Beautiful studio album sounded muted on the vocal department, but seeing Floor sing Greatest Show, Weak Fantasy, Decades in particular was a treat. I think Noise sounds great in the vocal department, though I agree the riffs are a bit too familiar.

Yea, that's the only problem with Noise, the song is a very similar NW style song with those riffs, but Floor does sound great on it. It's still a good song, just like Harvest is a good song too.  While neither single truly blows me away, they don't really make me think the album will be any lesser either. 

[The Walrus]

Tepid song. Not a fan of Troy in the band. Not a bad song, just so uninteresting. Hope the album has a bit more adventure than this.

[Adami]

Song is fine. Bland but fine. I feel like it might be a grower. Who knows?

[cramx3]

Song is fine. Bland but fine. I feel like it might be a grower. Who knows?

I already liked it more on 2nd listen, I'm just not sure why they release a single without Floor being the lead singer.  She is so popular right now, they should be riding that wave. 

[Adami]

Song is fine. Bland but fine. I feel like it might be a grower. Who knows?

I already liked it more on 2nd listen, I'm just not sure why they release a single without Floor being the lead singer.  She is so popular right now, they should be riding that wave.

It seems to vaguely fall into their strategy. First single is the heavy rocking simple song that sounds like the others, and the second is the fun folksy Irish song, it might be that there isn't a version of that song with Floor as the lead singer on this album. I dunno.

[The Walrus]

Song is fine. Bland but fine. I feel like it might be a grower. Who knows?

I already liked it more on 2nd listen, I'm just not sure why they release a single without Floor being the lead singer.  She is so popular right now, they should be riding that wave.

It seems to vaguely fall into their strategy. First single is the heavy rocking simple song that sounds like the others, and the second is the fun folksy Irish song, it might be that there isn't a version of that song with Floor as the lead singer on this album. I dunno.

Remember the DPP demo of Amaranth with Marco singing? Oof. Sounds like an elf-troll is coming after me.

[Ben_Jamin]

I really liked that song. Made me feel I was at a harvest festival, sitting around a table outside in the fields (as in the video) laughing and having good conversations.

I didn't mind Floor taking a backseat, Troys vocals fit that mood/vibe way better than Floors would have.

[gazinwales]

I couldn't even listen more than a minute or so, had to turn it off.
Not sure why Troy is singing lead, his voice is weak, and they have two brilliant other singer who are way better.
Hopefully in the context of the album it will work.

[cramx3]

I really liked that song. Made me feel I was at a harvest festival, sitting around a table outside in the fields (as in the video) laughing and having good conversations.

I didn't mind Floor taking a backseat, Troys vocals fit that mood/vibe way better than Floors would have.

Yea, I like the theme of the song and generally, don't have an issue with Troy singing over Floor for a song, just question why this is the single without Floor.  Maybe that's part of the plan, you want Floor?  Get the album.  What do I know.  This is a middle track on the first disc of the album, I bet it makes for a nice change of pace type song within context of the full thing.  Probably will be cool live as well.

[Ben_Jamin]

I really liked that song. Made me feel I was at a harvest festival, sitting around a table outside in the fields (as in the video) laughing and having good conversations.

I didn't mind Floor taking a backseat, Troys vocals fit that mood/vibe way better than Floors would have.

Yea, I like the theme of the song and generally, don't have an issue with Troy singing over Floor for a song, just question why this is the single without Floor.  Maybe that's part of the plan, you want Floor?  Get the album.  What do I know.  This is a middle track on the first disc of the album, I bet it makes for a nice change of pace type song within context of the full thing.  Probably will be cool live as well.

Well, they did the same with releasing Amaranthe as a single, then releasing The Islander. We're getting both sides of Nightwish. I enjoy their folky, calm songs a lot, because it's the music of their heritage.

I couldn't even listen more than a minute or so, had to turn it off.
Not sure why Troy is singing lead, his voice is weak, and they have two brilliant other singer who are way better.
Hopefully in the context of the album it will work.

Because his voice fits the vibe of that song. Its calm and soothing, like a bard sitting on a hill in an open field.

Floor and Marco are amazing singers, but Troy has a tone that fits way more than the others vocals, they do add that ethereal feeling when they all harmonize.

[MirrorMask]

Heard the song. Lovely! as it has been said before, it feels like the "change of pace in the middle of the album" kind of song, it's baffling they picked it as single, but hey, more power to them to do what they want and be unconventional, after all one of the most famous songs ever in the world shouldn't have been a single because it was 6 minutes long and had a weird wacky operatic section in the middle.

The song is fine and catchy, and I respect the artistic decision to have a song for Troy only, but maybe having Floor singing the final chorus wouldn't have hurt.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I couldn't even listen more than a minute or so, had to turn it off.
Not sure why Troy is singing lead, his voice is weak, and they have two brilliant other singer who are way better.
Hopefully in the context of the album it will work.

I think Tuomas said in an interview somewhere that for the first disc, they utilized all 3 vocalists equally, and to their full potential.

[Cool Chris]

That would be great... if I wanted to hear all three vocalists equally.

[Adami]

Gave it a few more listens and I really dig it. I'm glad Nightwish is trying new things, and I think Troy's voice works pretty well for this.

Based on comments here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of people want every NW song to be Floor screaming/belting as high as possible as often as possible. I agree that she held back too much on EFMB, but that album did have her doing death growls. It's not shocking that the two released singles are as middle of the pack as they come, that's what NW has been doing forever. I do remember reading that this album features blast beats and such, so I'm sure we're in for a lot of surprises. Hopefully. Maybe not. Who knows?

[kaos2900]

Really like both songs so far. Can't for April 10th!

[Ben_Jamin]

Gave it a few more listens and I really dig it. I'm glad Nightwish is trying new things, and I think Troy's voice works pretty well for this.

Based on comments here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of people want every NW song to be Floor screaming/belting as high as possible as often as possible. I agree that she held back too much on EFMB, but that album did have her doing death growls. It's not shocking that the two released singles are as middle of the pack as they come, that's what NW has been doing forever. I do remember reading that this album features blast beats and such, so I'm sure we're in for a lot of surprises. Hopefully. Maybe not. Who knows?

I'm enjoying these two songs way more than what was released on EFMB.

[MoraWintersoul]

Based on comments here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of people want every NW song to be Floor screaming/belting as high as possible as often as possible. I agree that she held back too much on EFMB, but that album did have her doing death growls.

I'd even go a step further and suggest EFMB sounds the way it does because of a) the mildly flat production b) the fact that she just makes it all sound so easy. Try to sing the songs yourself and see if it's as easy as it sounds. She maintains a strong core sound all throughout the album, in the middle of her range, just swelling with beauty. Of course, the writing wasn't anything new, but I'm used to Nightwish being consistent to the point of self-plagiarizing.

[Adami]

Based on comments here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of people want every NW song to be Floor screaming/belting as high as possible as often as possible. I agree that she held back too much on EFMB, but that album did have her doing death growls.

I'd even go a step further and suggest EFMB sounds the way it does because of a) the mildly flat production b) the fact that she just makes it all sound so easy. Try to sing the songs yourself and see if it's as easy as it sounds. She maintains a strong core sound all throughout the album, in the middle of her range, just swelling with beauty. Of course, the writing wasn't anything new, but I'm used to Nightwish being consistent to the point of self-plagiarizing.

Oh totally. I also get that her other music is often WAY more energetic, and EFMB was mostly pretty calm or middle of the road. Even the heavy stuff wasn't super energetic or in your face.

[Evermind]

Yeah, I listened a couple more times to Harvest and I like it more and more with each listen. Good song.

[The Curious Orange]

See, to me, any song by any artist will sound better after they've got out and played it live for a while. In the old days, bands used to play new songs live, get to know them and develop them for a while, then go into the studio to record them. These days they don't, partially because they don't want phone footage of them all over the internet, and partially because audiences don't really want to hear new stuff anymore.

So to me album versions have gone from being the definitive version to being the first draft version. If you listen to either of the shows on Vehicles of Spirit, or the Decades show, you'll see that Floor has sang those EFMB songs for a few years, has got to know them, and really knows how and where to soar. So I'm expecting the versions on H:N to be a bit meh, but I'm expecting them to blow me away live.

[ErHaO]

They just released a track from the Nature disc.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VshpPBBehxE

It has a spoken word part and you can clearly hear Floor singing (but no words indeed). I like it. I don't feel much for spoken word parts in general, but in the context of like half an hour of mostly instrumental music, this can work in my opinion. And I do really like the orchestration here.

Also, the song is tied to a charity which is always a nice thing.

[MirrorMask]

She sings but no words? so she's vocalizing / jodeling?

[ErHaO]

She sings but no words? so she's vocalizing / jodeling?

Not sure what the description would be in official musical terms, but she sings along with the melody of the orchestration and it does sound nice (orchestral soundtracks to films and games often utilize this style of singing). But it remains to be seen how this part will fit in the larger whole.

[cramx3]

Musically it's pretty cool and kind of exactly what I thought this may sound like.  Also the spoken words... and animals.  I mean, this was all pretty much expected at this point.  I'd say this works really well as a public service announcement, not sure how I feel about it as a song that I will continue to listen to.  I'll have to see it in the context of the rest, but I'm getting the feeling the rest of disc 2 will be very similar to this just with different styles of music. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Nice soothing song. I enjoyed it. It would make a good live show intro.

[CrimsonSunrise]

"Harvest" is definitely not my cup of tea.  While I've always enjoyed the "folk-y" side of Nightwish, this takes it too a level I wouldn't organically travel.

[MirrorMask]

So, it's the final countdown. 10 days until the release.... and then we'll be able to hear the new album! and not a minute earlier, of course. Totally impossibile.

[cramx3]

In these times, this is something I am really looking forward to.  There aint much else out there to get excited about right now.  I wish they would just release it digitally now, but I expect I'll still be alive in 10 days

[gazinwales]

****Spoiler Alert****




















Had a chance to get an early listen of the album today, some of it is surprising, almost proggy in parts.
With not much orchestral stuff on disc one, it's almost a throwback in some ways to the Oceanborn/Wishmaster days.
Marco is MIA for all but one song, disappointing some what, as he should be heard more.
The second disc is pretty much er boring and I love classical music maybe needs a few more plays.
But all up a major improvement on the last album IMO.

[MirrorMask]

Something tells me that you won't be the only one to have an "early chance"....

So, it's basically confirmed now that all the orchestral stuff has been saved for the second disc... if Marco gets one song he has basically the same amount as Troy? uh well, as long as Floor kicks ass in all the other songs!

[gazinwales]

Yes indeed it has, and CD1 has enough new things going on to keep it fresh and interesting.

[Zook]

Is Disc 2 orchestral only or does the band play? I wouldn't mind an instrumental metal Symphony, but if it's just an orchestra, I'll probably find it boring too.

[MirrorMask]

Is Disc 2 orchestral only or does the band play? I wouldn't mind an instrumental metal Symphony, but if it's just an orchestra, I'll probably find it boring too.

There's on YouTube a track from that, Ad Astra. I expect the entire Disc 2 to be in the same style (orchestral, no band, maybe Floor vocalizing).

[Adami]

I really like Ad Astra on repeated listens. It sounds like it would be a cool closer to the song/disk.

I love classical music, I love orchestral music, so if it's just that, then I'm excited just as much as I would be if it were symphonic metal.

[cramx3]

Ugh, I may have checked some of this out, specifically disc 2 and not a bit of interest from me for that sadly.  I'm definitely salivating for disc 1 though