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After putting their lengthy ‘Decades: World Tour’ to bed, and after several solo projects, Nightwish have returned with their first studio album in five years. A double album no less, and, somewhat surprisingly, only the second studio album to feature Floor Jansen on vocals. A surprise simply because Jansen slotted in so seamlessly in 2012 that it feels like she has been there since day one.
A new Nightwish studio album has become an “event” in itself and album number nine lives up to the lofty expectations placed upon it by the legions of Nightwish fans worldwide. Although ‘Human. :II: Nature’ pulls you in from the first listen, it impresses more with each visit as the listener discovers hidden subtleties missed the first time around. Tuomas Holopainen grows in stature as a songwriter and composer with each recording, be it Nightwish, Auri or his only solo album to date; the mesmerizing ‘Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge’, and ‘Human. :II: Nature’ enhances his reputation as one of the genres most respected composers.
‘Human. :II: Nature’ begins with the slow, atmospheric build up of ‘Music’, where three instrumental minutes pass before Jansen is heard. Tribal drumming, heaps of percussion, pipes, loops, choral arrangements, the lot; then Jansen appears. A gentle introduction from Jansen that builds alongside a simple and very effective drum sound from Kai Hato, on five minutes the song explodes to life with a soaring, uplifting vocal performance from Jansen. It’s also one of the few occasions where Emppu Vuorinen has a guitar solo, although he can be heard delivering his trademark crunching riffs throughout the album. Listening to ‘Music’ it’s hard to imagine anything but this opening the live shows whenever they resume. Less bombastic than you might expect from an album opener, it is however seven minutes of sheer magic. The bombast does appear though on ‘Noise’, one of those moments which you might class as “classic Nightwish”, although the change in direction midsong that shepherds in some heavy riffing does come as a surprise. Now is as good a time as any to mention the incredible drumwork from Kai Hahto. Taking over the drum stool from Jukka Nevalainen was a tall order, but Hahto excels throughout (especially on the thrilling ‘Tribal’) and his bass drum work is monstrous.
The magical, mythical charm of Nightwish appears on ‘Shoemaker’ (named after planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker), and the introduction of harmony vocals courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley works perfectly. Donockley takes over lead vocals on the Celtic-folk tinged ‘Harvest’, a bit of a lighter side to Nightwish but if you are aware of Auri then it shouldn’t come as any major surprise. Likewise, on ‘How’s The Heart’, Donockley also plays a major role, and reinforces his status as a key player. Jansen delivers a multi-faceted performance, going from a whisper to a scream in seconds, and proves yet again why she is so highly respected amongst her peers. ‘Pan’ runs through all the emotions normally featured on a Nightwish album, and the introduction of a choir is simply spellbinding, as are the gentle, dreamy vocals from Jansen on ‘Procession’. ‘Tribal’ is not so gentle though; harsh vocals, an incredible tribal drum sound, serious riffage, and Marko Hietala laying down his fat bass licks. No coincidence that it’s left to Marko to bring the main album to a close on ‘Endlessness’. The unsung hero of Nightwish delivers his usual nailed-on lead vocals over seven swirling, mystery filled, epic minutes. The harmonies between Marko and Floor Jansen are hair-raising and leave the listener spent. It’s hard to single out one particular track on an album full of highlights, but Marko is King Marko for a reason.
Disc two consists of ‘All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World’, some thirty odd minutes of orchestral music, composed by Tuomas Holopainen and performed by The Pale Blue Orchestra conducted by James Shearman. If you enjoy ‘Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge’ then you will enjoy this. Look out for spoken word parts from the actress Geraldine James, and Holopainen’s wife and fellow Auri bandmate Johanna Kurkela.
‘Human. :II: Nature’ is the sound of a band evolving into something more than simply a symphonic metal band, they refuse to stand still, and constantly reinvent themselves while staying true to their origins.
Available now on Nuclear Blast Records.
Review – Dave
