C.
OSA Webmistress
- Aug 11, 2007
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Imaginaerum Opinions
- Thread starter Tramz
- Start date
nodoubtaholic
Member
C.
OSA Webmistress
- Aug 11, 2007
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That would be great, but honestly, I'm going into this with a "clean slate" frame of mind; not building up my hopes on anything in particular, so whatever comes is a pleasant surprise.
Far as I know, there are no differences between U.S./European releases; I'm just doing it to help support the band and give their record sales as much of a boost as I can.
Far as I know, there are no differences between U.S./European releases; I'm just doing it to help support the band and give their record sales as much of a boost as I can.
Taimi
Wishmistress
LONG review of Imaginaerum, the instrumentals.
After 5 weeks of waiting, and many, many hours of internal back and forth, and countless Messenger conversations, I decided to forgo 3 hours of sleep Monday and purchased Nightwish Imaginaerum[Special Edition] specifically for the instrumental tracks.
I admit that I am not the happiest of fans at this point with the album, and feel that the instrumentals warrant a separate review.
1. Taikatalvi- I can totally understand and appreciate the lullaby description of this song, and it remains a favorite, even with not understanding a lick of Finnish(standard form) or without lyrics. Great song and you can't take from that.
2. Storytime- I am noticing many personal pet-peeves part way through, such as a noticeably fuzzy Nightwish, and a BLARINGLY OBVIOUS orchestra. AND, the chorus is STILL audible! To me, it sounds like the band is playing through a feather-pillow filter, or someone got happy with the 'less-is-more' feature.
3. Ghost River- First, what REALLY bugs me is the 'clip-clop-clip-clop' of what sounds like an iron-shod horse on a cobble-stone or brick street throughout the choruses. Now, some people MAY not notice it, however, some people I've spoken to catch it clearly.
4. Slow Love Slow- The Nightwish song that is described as a journey to a smoky, 1930s era American jazz club. However, I do not hear 'jazz' when this is playing. I hear a miss-mash of sounds. I do not hear anything as brilliant as John Coltrane, who, to me, is the epitome of the jazz genre. Jazz has more excitement, while, personally, I find it very boring.
5. I Want My Tears Back- Again with the funky filter-job! Honestly, what's with the mixing and production on this album? Stop trying to be so 'out-of-the-box' and go back to writing stuff like you did with Century Child and Wishmaster. Hell, even Once is better, and it is all with the same crew. And by crew, I mean MUSICIANS. I KNOW Tarja isn't vocalist, and will never be again, that's not my complaint!
6. Scaretale- This seems to be a recurring theme on this album- brilliant with some astonishing orchestral bits, and then the volume drops and I'm checking my headphones and internal volume control, thinking I accidentally hit it when I hear another LOUD instrument, and the level of the music increases, then drops back when the band can be heard. That's not distortion, that's how you produced it.
7. Arabesque- One of my favorite tracks thus far, and just the song to play when you are ass deep in Fable III in the Aurora scene. Sand furies, anyone?
8. Turn Loose The Mermaids- This song hits so low on my radar that I actually had to double-check to make sure that I had the right song title before writing this part of the review. I'm so unimpressed that this has played a total of 4 times, and that's usually because I'm so focused on schoolwork that it plays to tuned-out ears.
9. Rest Calm- Now, this is a song to get my pulse racing! I have found myself many a time just sitting and absorbing the music, or else looking like I'm getting electrocuted as I try to dance to Rest Calm while seated. Again, I notice the weird pillow filter, so it's a production issue, not my headphones. Friend of mine has some experience with production and would like to offer his services after hearing parts of the album through my handy-dandy MP3 player. He IS majoring in Music Business, after all, and has been producing old-school rap for YEARS. For someone as unfamiliar with the music as him offering to do that is telling.
10. Last Ride Of The Day- Again, great song to listen to, great beat, and would have been the perfect song to close the album with.
11. Song Of Myself- And the high I had coming off Last Ride Of The Day promptly dies a quick death around the 6:30 mark. Even without the poem that never ends, you have a track that drones on and on, kinda like Metallica and Lou Reed's LuLu.
12. Imaginaerum- Interesting track, another instrumental. Does sound like a proper closing-track, and that's fantastic. However, I am not all that into it, and usually skip it.
So, as you can see, I HAVE given the album a chance, even if it may seem like I've got some bias against the band. I AM paying very close attention to this album, and this band. I understand that I am only a week into my major, however, I do still have an ear for production, and a tendency to analyze any album I listen to, especially after getting into Shadows Fall. Great band, but it takes some time getting used to the band, and I discovered the ability to mentally turn down a layer of track to enjoy what lies beneath(no pun intended). I AM a music major, so it takes a lot of passion and intensity to even endure what will be for me 6-7 years for what would take a 'normal' person 4 years. It takes a HUGE love of music to want this B. M. concentrating in vocal-performance. Not to mention the will to use this successfully as an opera-singer.
*These are the opinions of Metalliwishfan, not the opinions of the entire OSA organization, so, if you wish to quote me, just link it*
After 5 weeks of waiting, and many, many hours of internal back and forth, and countless Messenger conversations, I decided to forgo 3 hours of sleep Monday and purchased Nightwish Imaginaerum[Special Edition] specifically for the instrumental tracks.
I admit that I am not the happiest of fans at this point with the album, and feel that the instrumentals warrant a separate review.
1. Taikatalvi- I can totally understand and appreciate the lullaby description of this song, and it remains a favorite, even with not understanding a lick of Finnish(standard form) or without lyrics. Great song and you can't take from that.
2. Storytime- I am noticing many personal pet-peeves part way through, such as a noticeably fuzzy Nightwish, and a BLARINGLY OBVIOUS orchestra. AND, the chorus is STILL audible! To me, it sounds like the band is playing through a feather-pillow filter, or someone got happy with the 'less-is-more' feature.
3. Ghost River- First, what REALLY bugs me is the 'clip-clop-clip-clop' of what sounds like an iron-shod horse on a cobble-stone or brick street throughout the choruses. Now, some people MAY not notice it, however, some people I've spoken to catch it clearly.
4. Slow Love Slow- The Nightwish song that is described as a journey to a smoky, 1930s era American jazz club. However, I do not hear 'jazz' when this is playing. I hear a miss-mash of sounds. I do not hear anything as brilliant as John Coltrane, who, to me, is the epitome of the jazz genre. Jazz has more excitement, while, personally, I find it very boring.
5. I Want My Tears Back- Again with the funky filter-job! Honestly, what's with the mixing and production on this album? Stop trying to be so 'out-of-the-box' and go back to writing stuff like you did with Century Child and Wishmaster. Hell, even Once is better, and it is all with the same crew. And by crew, I mean MUSICIANS. I KNOW Tarja isn't vocalist, and will never be again, that's not my complaint!
6. Scaretale- This seems to be a recurring theme on this album- brilliant with some astonishing orchestral bits, and then the volume drops and I'm checking my headphones and internal volume control, thinking I accidentally hit it when I hear another LOUD instrument, and the level of the music increases, then drops back when the band can be heard. That's not distortion, that's how you produced it.
7. Arabesque- One of my favorite tracks thus far, and just the song to play when you are ass deep in Fable III in the Aurora scene. Sand furies, anyone?
8. Turn Loose The Mermaids- This song hits so low on my radar that I actually had to double-check to make sure that I had the right song title before writing this part of the review. I'm so unimpressed that this has played a total of 4 times, and that's usually because I'm so focused on schoolwork that it plays to tuned-out ears.
9. Rest Calm- Now, this is a song to get my pulse racing! I have found myself many a time just sitting and absorbing the music, or else looking like I'm getting electrocuted as I try to dance to Rest Calm while seated. Again, I notice the weird pillow filter, so it's a production issue, not my headphones. Friend of mine has some experience with production and would like to offer his services after hearing parts of the album through my handy-dandy MP3 player. He IS majoring in Music Business, after all, and has been producing old-school rap for YEARS. For someone as unfamiliar with the music as him offering to do that is telling.
10. Last Ride Of The Day- Again, great song to listen to, great beat, and would have been the perfect song to close the album with.
11. Song Of Myself- And the high I had coming off Last Ride Of The Day promptly dies a quick death around the 6:30 mark. Even without the poem that never ends, you have a track that drones on and on, kinda like Metallica and Lou Reed's LuLu.
12. Imaginaerum- Interesting track, another instrumental. Does sound like a proper closing-track, and that's fantastic. However, I am not all that into it, and usually skip it.
So, as you can see, I HAVE given the album a chance, even if it may seem like I've got some bias against the band. I AM paying very close attention to this album, and this band. I understand that I am only a week into my major, however, I do still have an ear for production, and a tendency to analyze any album I listen to, especially after getting into Shadows Fall. Great band, but it takes some time getting used to the band, and I discovered the ability to mentally turn down a layer of track to enjoy what lies beneath(no pun intended). I AM a music major, so it takes a lot of passion and intensity to even endure what will be for me 6-7 years for what would take a 'normal' person 4 years. It takes a HUGE love of music to want this B. M. concentrating in vocal-performance. Not to mention the will to use this successfully as an opera-singer.
*These are the opinions of Metalliwishfan, not the opinions of the entire OSA organization, so, if you wish to quote me, just link it*
TheBlackWaltz
::Narri::
I first heard it while Radio Rock played it streaming through their website and it was sort of background noise. I just heard it in its entirity today and had some moments where I actually held my face in awe/amazement, and moments where it just faded into background noise. I'm currently writing a review for the website I work for so I'll post it when tis done. I cannot wait to see them.
C.
OSA Webmistress
- Aug 11, 2007
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Calinn
Queen of Sleep
I admit Rest Calm is still my least favourite, I just can't get into it :| I like the Anette solo parts and some of Marco's vocals, but the refrain...I don't like the melody that much, nor the lyrics.
TheBlackWaltz
::Narri::
Yeah, I've been trying to actually listen to the last 5 songs on the album as intently as I did the first 8 so I can finish this damn review but I just can't get into the rest of the album! The first 8 songs are just so intense/unique/unexpected/amazing, the last of the album kind of falls into an abyss. But its stilll AMAZING
Taimi
Wishmistress
C.
OSA Webmistress
- Aug 11, 2007
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Calinn: I have to agree, "Rest Calm" is not one of the songs "doing it for me". I just can't seem to find myself getting into it.
The best thing about Rest Calm (lyric-wise) is the two following lines:
Stay by my side until it all goes dark forever
When silent the silence comes closer
I love the transition form Marco's to Anette's voice but it's still a song that I don't listen to that often.
Stay by my side until it all goes dark forever
When silent the silence comes closer
I love the transition form Marco's to Anette's voice but it's still a song that I don't listen to that often.
Bianca74
Member
- Oct 1, 2011
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Like Taimi, I also find myself skipping the songs I originally didn't like, like "SLS", "Scaretale", "Ghost river" (nope, didn't grow on me like I thought it would) and "Arabesque". To me the latter part of the album sans the talking part of "Song of myself" is like someone said "top shelf".
Rest calm is one of my favourites, I especially like the intro and Marco's vocals.
Rest calm is one of my favourites, I especially like the intro and Marco's vocals.
C.
OSA Webmistress
- Aug 11, 2007
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I also find, though, that some songs change for me after seeing them live. So maybe the songs that are not ranking so high now might move up the list after Saturday.
C.
OSA Webmistress
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^I thought I heard somewhere that "Scaretale" wouldn't be on the setlist, but that song is just so made for a live audience that I don't see how it *can't* be included.
C.
OSA Webmistress
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^Well, that is what is so great about this album; there are all types of different sounds, so there is something for everyone.
Bianca74
Member
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that song is just so made for a live audience that I don't see how it *can't* be included
I have to say that wouldn't bother me in the least
But if it is, I promise to keep an open mind!Remember that this is my first live NW concert ever, so you can imagine all the exectations I have!
