Nightwish-Dark Passion Play

[symphonyXjapan]

I know there are a lot of people that like Nightwish and hate them, but, in regards to those who like them this thread is moreso for those people.

Anyway, the new Nightwish album will be coming out late this month/early October and with a new singer, Annette. I am one of those who didn't totally drool over Tarja and am personally glad she is gone. I am especially surprised the rest of the band actually kicked her out before she quit. I just felt her singing wasn't THAT great, it was ok, but kind of monotonous.

I have recently heard the promo copy of the new album because a friend of mine had a copy. All I have to say is that for anyone who has only heard the single "Amaranth", please don't let it cause you concern. It is definately THE most poppy/mainstream sounding song on the whole album. In fact, I would go as far as to say that is sounds almost like a totally different band than the rest of the album. The new singer Annette does not really show how great of a voice she really has on "Amaranth". I really like the new singer over Tarja because she has much more versatility in her voice, rather than Tarja's constant opera vocals. The new singer can even get a much better sound of passion than Tarja since Tarja's opera vocals focused more on technicality than passion. The word "passion" in the album title definately deserves to be there. I also like the fact that Marco gets a good bit of vocal parts on this album as well. The band is the main reason I listened to Nightwish before because I knew that Tarja never really even liked metal and was only in the band for exposure. Even though the band said Nightwish would never exist without Tarja I am so glad the band were able to get rid of her themselves and continue on with their music.

I know there are still a ton of huge Tarja fans out there and I am sorry to talk of her like I have but I just cannot help it. Annette is so much more passionate. The final track of the album called "Meadows of Heaven" is probably one of my favorite ballad-like songs ever due to some of the most passionate singing I have ever heard from a female singer.

If anyone out there didn't like Nightwish mainly due to Tarja should definately consider giving them another chance with Annette.

If anyone else here has heard the album yet and wants to post their own thoughts please do so.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

I have to first of all say that i haven't yet heard the new album but i'm supposed to cover it in GD's AA feature so I'll probably d/l it from the FTP tonight.

That said, my stance on Nightwish is that i think Angels Fall First was too immature, Oceanborn and Wishmaster were really great albums, Century Child had its moments (the addition of Marco was a big plus, Tarja going less operatic and more pop was a big negative) and Once was about the amount of times i listened to it before selling it. I don't hold high hopes for the new one, but it's good news that the single isn't necessarily a great portrayal of the disc as a whole. I'll definitely check this out with a much more open mind than i would have otherwise. I don't expect to be blown away by any means, but now i have some hope for something worthwhile.

I'm sure I'll be back in this thread once I listen to the disc.

 

[symphonyXjapan]

Oh yeah, I was worried when I saw the Amaranth video on youtube. But the rest of the album is great imo. If you are more of a Wishmaster/Oceanborn fan and hated Once then I don't know how you will like it. This is because there still isn't as heavy of a focus on keyboards as in those two albums. There is still a pretty heavy focus on orchestra arrangements like in Once, however, the keyboard that is in it is a lot better placed than the small amount of keyboard that was in Once. In Once it was like they tried too hard to fit some keyboard parts in it and threw it all into like 2 or 3 tracks which kind of ruined those tracks. Although I like Once a little more than you I didn't LOVE it or anything. I dunno, I guess you just have to listen to it for yourself and see. I really like Wishmaster and Oceanborn too but I also like the addition of orchestral arrangements in Once and the new album. I think the arrangements are mixed in with keys a LOT better than on Once though. But the biggest change that makes this album for me is like I said above, Annette.

If you do get around to hearing sometime today or tonight I would like to hear your thoughts. Or would I? LOL

 

[DoomsdayZach]

Well that was my problem with Once... a lot of stuff sounded forced. Also, that club beat in "I wish i had an angel" just killed the whole song. Again, not expecting to love it by any stretch, but that is encouraging that I may not despise it as much.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I HATED nightwish almost as much as PoS. Once totally drew me back because Tarjaw changed the way she sings, a bit, and that is something I had been dying to hear. She does have a great voice, and I always wanted to hear it used differently than she did, all the way up to Once. The new stuff is ok, I don't hate it, which says a lot....

 

[Phanto]

I downloaded the album and it sucks. The chorus of Amanarnahrnarth whatever kind of gets into my head though.

 

[Horus]

I heard the leak of Dark Passion Play, and I really liked it. Of all the songs on the album, the single is easily the worst of them. I still have it on my ipod even though I lost my old hard drive, and every time I use it, I always listen to The Poet and the Pendelum. It's like Ghost Love Score, but with bigger, juicier balls and a much more clever structure.
On each song individually, the orchestrations really impressed me, because what they did more than anything was add to the heaviness, rather than be there just for the sake of being there.
Contrary to what you all are probably gonna say about Anette when you hear the rest of the album, I think that having a singer like her is a really creative step on the part of the band, because it's something that can lead to anything. It is possible that I could end up not liking her either, but from what I've heard of DPP, I like the way she compliments the band. It's just a new soun for chick fronted mall-goth metal.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I hate Nightwish more than Jdub hates PoS

 

[DoomsdayZach]

ken, you also hate having a penis

 

[Kenneth R.]

meh, not as much as nightwish. seriously one of the most overrated bands of all metal.

 

[razoredge]

I sampled a handfull of Nightwish songs and didnt see the point. Why I havent deleted them yet is beyond me because I never listen to them and only gave them two tries in the first place. Im still searching for another band to put beside my DT - SX - FW - Savatage - Queensryche collection but most keep falling far short. I do have a short list of contenders now. If this new girl can really sing with passion I might be interested, but I have little use for an assult of "orchestral arrangments" or opera sopranos. I'll go listen to those Nightwish songs again now. Unenthousiastically that is.

 

[symphonyXjapan]

There are no opera sopranos of any kind on this album. She can sing with passion but she never goes to the point of trying to be an opera singer. When I heard Amaranth I though she sounded a bit too poppy but when I heard the rest of the album I found out that is the only track she sounds really poppy on. I can understand why Nightwish does nothing for many people, hell, I have never really liked them THAT much. They are the kind of band that I am just "sometimes in the mood" for. I like to mix up my metal because listening to too much of one kind gets a little boring, plus, my mood for music changes. The only thing musically that never changes for me is that I like metal in genereal whether its prog, power, goth, symphonic, neoclassical, death, black or any mix of in betweens.

 

[symphonyXjapan]

Oh, and believe it or not it actually is one of those albums that don't really hit you until after a few listens. The first time I listened through it I wasn't overly impressed, but, by the time I was hearing it about the third time I was starting to really feel the vocals.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

I downloaded it last night, going to listen to it once this Netherbird ep is done (what a crappy disc this is... it's not all bad by any stretch of the imagination, but fucking hell!!!).

Will update later

 

[symphonyXjapan]

Maybe what you are listening to now will make the new Nightwish sound all that much better when you get around to listening to it. LOL

 

[DoomsdayZach]

It did. Still not really into it, but it's not as bad as i had thought. I'll have to get back to you with a further review.

 

[rockyracoon]

meh, not as much as nightwish. seriously one of the most overrated bands of all metal.

Saying a band is overrated is just foolish. You can't define what constitutes overrated beyond your own opinion, it's completely a subjective term.


That said, Nightwish was really starting to lose me with Once. I've gotten sick of the operatic style vocals. On Dark Passion Play, Nightwish moves in a different direction, away from anything Tarja related, and brings something new to the table with Annette. Where Tarja failed to understand the importance of holding back on the operatics and where to just sing, Annette succeeds. Nightwish will probably not lose any fans with this move at all, and in fact I'm guessing they will get even bigger...and of course more overrated for people like Kenneth.

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Saying a band is overrated is just foolish. You can't define what constitutes overrated beyond your own opinion, it's completely a subjective term.

Well said.

That said, Nightwish was really starting to lose me with Once. I've gotten sick of the operatic style vocals. On Dark Passion Play, Nightwish moves in a different direction, away from anything Tarja related, and brings something new to the table with Annette. Where Tarja failed to understand the importance of holding back on the operatics and where to just sing, Annette succeeds. Nightwish will probably not lose any fans with this move at all, and in fact I'm guessing they will get even bigger...and of course move overrated for people like Kenneth.

Although I've only heard a few tracks from the new album, I really like the vocals. Tarja was good, but her voice was a bit "mousy" for me (listen to The Riddler from Oceanborn to know what I'm talking about). I wasn't crazy about Once, either (minus a few great tunes, like Ghost Love Score).

 

[DoomsdayZach]

Saying a band is overrated is just foolish. You can't define what constitutes overrated beyond your own opinion, it's completely a subjective term.

This is just arguing semantics. Saying a band is overrated is a perfectly acceptable way of getting a point across quickly and effectively.

 

[rockyracoon]

This is just arguing semantics. Saying a band is overrated is a perfectly acceptable way of getting a point across quickly and effectively.

It's a perfectly acceptable way of sounding ignorant. Saying that you don't personally like a particular band is one thing. Trying to argue/prove whether or not a band is overrated is just as ridiculous and without merit as claiming a band "sucks."