The
long-awaited new album of
Nightwish has finally arrived and
its title, "Dark Passion Play".
The band's decision to part
ways with its former singer, Tarja
Turunen, shocked the majority of
their fans not just because her voice
was a vital part of the group's
sound and success but also cause
this divorce came in a time that
nobody could expect. It had to be
a tough decision since Nightwish
had reached the peek of success with
the release of the "Once" album.
So, everyone was curious about how
the new singer would sound and if
the band's style would change.
After a long period of searching
the band finally found Tarja'a
replacement in the face of Annete
Olzon.
The first glimpse of the new album
came with the release of the "Eva" single
in the internet. It's true
that the song didn't fill me
with enthusiasm after the first one
or two listenings but time after
time it came to be one of the best
songs I listened to this year. A
beautiful sensational ballad with
symphonic parts and an excellent
performance by Annete. The fans finally
had the chance to come in touch with
Nightwish's new
voice, a voice much different from
the operatic one of Tarja. It was
obvious that the group would follow
a new path as it was concerning the
vocals' orientation.
Many felt betrayed, other were excited…You
know how it goes on these occasions...
The album starts
with its most ambitious composition,
"The Poet and the Pendulum",
a fourteen minutes long symphonic
power metal opus by Tuomas Holopainen
and every doubt I had about the new
Nightwish goes away! Great orchestration
and changes. One of the best tracks
he has ever composed. The great thing
about "Dark
Passion Play" is that the whole
album remains in this high level
of quality. I'd dare to say
that it is even more multifaced than
their previous work. Symphonic epics
( "The
Poet and the Pendulum"), dynamic
power metal tracks ("7 Days
to the Wolves", "Master
Passion Creed"), beautiful
emotional soft moments ("Eva",
"Meadows of Heaven"),
inspired catchy melodies ("For the
Heart I Once Had", "Cadence
of her Last Breath"), folk
influences ("The Islander", "Last
of the Wilds"), wannabe-hits
("Amaranth", "Bye
Bye Beautiful"), this album
is so many things. Maybe Annete's
voice isn't imposing or "distinctive" such
as the one of her predecessor but
she definitely has a wider field
of music styles for performance.
A big difference between old and
new Nightwish can be obviously seen
in Marco Hietala's
role as a vocalist. From the supporting
role he had in "Once" he
advanced to be the main singer of
the group in many compositions with
Annete constricted to a backup role,
a very clever and successful move
in my opinion. The production is
amazing for one more time with many
different instruments and sounds
combined in a fabulous way. In a
few words, "Dark Passion
Play" is an exceptional work.
Less symphonic with a more mainstream
orientation than their previous albums
but with great quality that no one
can dispute. Nightwish took a great
risk and the final result can only
prove them right. I don't know
if this one is even better than "Once",
probably not, but it's second
without a doubt in my Nightwish's
personal list and a wonderful piece
of art that no fan of symphonic/
melodic metal should leave go unnoticed.
One of the best releases for the
year 2007! |
