Nightwish

[AMBR]

I like "Bye Bye Beautiful". I thought it was pretty damn funny when I first heard it. Guess my sense of humor is warped. Tarja was naive and self absorbed and got what she set herself up for, husband, sacking, song and all.

I don't know how anyone could possibly say Oceanborne and Wishmaster are standard power metal. I never heard anything like them prior, or after actually. I liked Dark Passion Play when it came out, but after a year or so, I just never picked it up again. Listened once more today, and only felt like hearing about half the songs. Thomas still rules as a composer, and I think he really is their "sound", not so much the vocalist, but sometimes his compositions are too grandiose for casual listening.

I've seen Anette at least four times and she was 50/50. The NYC show at the Nokia really was a stinker. I'll keep listening to them for sure, but I wouldn't be crushed if she left to have that baby she's due to deliver and they came up with someone more of a cross between their two vocalists.

 

[J-Man]

Is not Tuomas himself something of a diva too?? Case in point - Bye Bye Beautiful. Nobody else would have needed to write that song on their band's album

Tuomas is far, far from being a diva, he is really just one of the most passionate, deep songwriters around. He writes from the heart

 

[General Zod]

While Nightwish was always Tuomas's band, their entire marketing gimmick WAS Tarja's bizarre operatic (though possibly not formally operatic) vocals on top of standard EuroPowerMetal.

When I first heard Nightwish, I viewed them as a bit of a gimmick band. However, I still gave them credit for doing something unique. While I think there's some considerable songwriting talent underlying what they do, there's no doubt that the same music, with a quality male vocalist, would not brought the band the same level of success.

 

[adaher]

That's fair. But give Nightwish credit, they were doing the female vocalist thing before it became popular, and even after it became popular they didn't go all goth. Instead, they upped the ante further by going with that cinematic sound.

 

[adaher]

The one thing I don't agree with is that it was a gimmick. Some of these bands these days look for a female vocalist and write music around that concept. I think in Tuomas' case, he had a certain kind of music in mind and realized that he needed an operatic-sounding female to make it work.

Then it got to be a gimmick with other bands from about 2000-2005. But nowadays, female vocalists are as ubiquitous as male vocalists, so there's really no novelty factor anymore. So if a new band has a female vocalist, that's probably just who auditioned best. There's really no value anymore in saying, "Hey, we're different, we've got a girl singing!"

 

[J-Man]

The one thing I don't agree with is that it was a gimmick. Some of these bands these days look for a female vocalist and write music around that concept. I think in Tuomas' case, he had a certain kind of music in mind and realized that he needed an operatic-sounding female to make it work.

Then it got to be a gimmick with other bands from about 2000-2005. But nowadays, female vocalists are as ubiquitous as male vocalists, so there's really no novelty factor anymore. So if a new band has a female vocalist, that's probably just who auditioned best. There's really no value anymore in saying, "Hey, we're different, we've got a girl singing!"

Great statement

 

[shreddy]

Not to get into the whole debate about how much they suck now but I was just listening to DPP today, I think its a very solid disc. There are a couple songs on there that I really dont care for but overall I really like it.

Some of my favorites on the disc

Cadence of Her Last Breath
Sahara
Whoever Brings the Night
Islander
Last of the Wilds
7 Days to the Wolves

 

[St Enigma]

.

These are the three original demo tracks of the "acoustic mood music" which Tuomas had in mind when he started recording with the two founding members Emppu and Tarja around Christmas 1996.

Mind you that the sond was very much affected by Tero Kinnunen who was the sound engineer at Kitee Youth Center's studio and helped Tuomas with putting it all together. He has been the main studio engineer at all Nightwish's recordings since day one and he also toured with them until 2005, previously taking care of soundboard and later the stage monitor sound. Credits to Tero, he is actually like the 6th member of Nw!

The Forever Moments



Nightwish (this is the song which gave it's name to the band)





Etiäinen




When you listen to these original tracks you can maybe understand what the guys were facing when they heard Tarja taking the operatic style to perform these songs for the first time in the studio... It was something that came as a huge surprise to all of them and it definitely wasn't a planned gimmick. The guys were totally awestruck when they heard her singing these tracks

The brilliant idea that followed was combining her vocals with the metal band sound. The rest is history.

.


.

 

[Creeps]

When I first heard Nightwish, I viewed them as a bit of a gimmick band. However, I still gave them credit for doing something unique. While I think there's some considerable songwriting talent underlying what they do, there's no doubt that the same music, with a quality male vocalist, would not brought the band the same level of success.

What he said.

I actually prefer Annette over Tarja. I like being able to understand everything the singer is saying in a song, I had issues with most of Tarja's vocals, but the music kept me buying the albums. Maybe I'm over the whole operatic thing.

Someone mentioned Annette wearing a Tiara earlier and that it was a metal band not a pop band. Meh, I don't recall seeing any pop stars wearing tiaras lately. One could argue about some of Tarja's outfits and say it's a metal show not a wedding. Who cares what they're wearing. Hell, I saw Cheap Trick at a water park in North Miami and it looked like the just came off a water slide when they took the stage in swim shorts and all and to this day one of the BEST shows I've ever seen.

 

[edgeofthorns]

Once that gimmick wore off (and crappy bands like Within Temptation began), NW hired Marco to be the new centerpiece. It isn't Annette's fault that Tuomas is over the hill.

I was this close from giving a smug reply, but it wouldn't stick to your mind, Ben.

~Brian~

 

[St Enigma]

What he said.
Someone mentioned Annette wearing a Tiara earlier and that it was a metal band not a pop band. Meh, I don't recall seeing any pop stars wearing tiaras lately.

She wore the tiara when she performed "The Islander" with Marco singing the lead. Anette appeared on stage half-way through the song wearing the tiara, sat on a high stool and got the spotlight focused on her while she sang the chorus: "Princess in the tower, children in the fields - Life gave him it all: an island of the universe."

It was a nice detail in a great performance, nothing more.

.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

One of my buddies said he lost interest in Nightwish when the Spice Girl took over on vocals. I thought that was a pretty funny line at the time.


Britt

 

[TheLongshot]

When I first heard Nightwish, I viewed them as a bit of a gimmick band. However, I still gave them credit for doing something unique. While I think there's some considerable songwriting talent underlying what they do, there's no doubt that the same music, with a quality male vocalist, would not brought the band the same level of success.

I don't know about that. I think it would have to depend on the vocalist.

There have been a few bands over the years where the lead singer was the main attraction. (Vision Divine w/ Michele Luppi comes to mind, same with Masterplan with Jorn)

 

[Jasonic]

One of my buddies said he lost interest in Nightwish when the Spice Girl took over on vocals. I thought that was a pretty funny line at the time.


Britt

Paul Di'Anno refers to the Maiden guys as the "Spice Girls"

I go through various periods where NW appeals to me.
Sometimes they pop up on shuffle and it grabs me, other times not so much.

I am in the minority who finds ONCE to be their best release.
I know it is many fans least fav.

 

[jem777az]

I actually prefer Annette over Tarja. I just don't get the whole operatic vocal thing with metal music. If I wanted to hear opera I'd go see a fucking opera. I prefer the Tarja albums after Marco joined. She actually started to sing and not do the opera stuff as much.

 

[Dustro25]

I actually prefer Annette over Tarja. I just don't get the whole operatic vocal thing with metal music. If I wanted to hear opera I'd go see a fucking opera. I prefer the Tarja albums after Marco joined. She actually started to sing and not do the opera stuff as much.

Tarja is CLASSICALLY trained and does NOT sing opera.:Spin:

 

[edgeofthorns]

I am in the minority who finds ONCE to be their best release.
I know it is many fans least fav.

Really? If I were to pick one NW album to be my favorite, I'd say it would be Once as well. I don't know how anyone in their right mind could say that Once isn't nothing short of stellar!

~Brian~

 

[nomisofsiman]

The one thing I don't agree with is that it was a gimmick. Some of these bands these days look for a female vocalist and write music around that concept. I think in Tuomas' case, he had a certain kind of music in mind and realized that he needed an operatic-sounding female to make it work.

Then it got to be a gimmick with other bands from about 2000-2005. But nowadays, female vocalists are as ubiquitous as male vocalists, so there's really no novelty factor anymore. So if a new band has a female vocalist, that's probably just who auditioned best. There's really no value anymore in saying, "Hey, we're different, we've got a girl singing!"

Agree totally. It seems every time a band does something new, they get lumped into being a gimmick, and I just don't agree with that.

 

[Corsair]

*delayed reaction*

I could never get into 'em, no matter how much people have tried to get me into 'em.

 

[adaher]

I think the first time someone does something new, it's original. If that becomes the main selling point of the band though, and they are unable to move beyond it due to lack of commercial viability if they do, then it becomes a gimmick.