Once there was a dream.
And once upon a time – many, many moons ago – there was an enchanting summery twilight – a night full of wishes – on the rocky shores of a North Karelian island. There and then, under the luminous sky and by the crackling campfire, the magic was refined: beautiful acoustic melodies and serene chords began to shine with shooting stars.
No difficulty has been able to stop them ever since as they have wandered the path of the elves, gazed at the stars, recited the poems of dead boys, slayed dreamers and wandered the meadows of heaven – just to name a few twists and turns along the fascinating journey.
They were certainly there – and they are still here.
They are the Finnish / Dutch / British troupe Nightwish – one of the most fascinating rock bands of the last decades, whose enigmatic paths have proceeded from acoustic passages to symphonic heavy metal and from catchy folk to progressive majesty. If there is one trait the band has year after year, it might be this: expect something familiar but also expect the unexpected. NIGHTWISH has indeed broken all kinds of boundaries – never deliberately, but perfectly naturally.
Now guess what? Nightwish's new studio album "Yesterwynde" – the band's tenth overall – is no exception to the rule. But it is more...
“'Yesterwynde' took more time to make than any previous Nightwish album”, nods keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, who once again envisioned most of the material. "The new album was intensively worked on for 3,5 years. My ambition and piety really skyrocketed, and I just couldn't let go of the creative process – and didn't want to. Along the way, "Yesterwynde" became both an exhilarating obsession and a comforting haven for me. All aspects of the making – compositions, lyrics, arrangements, cover art, videos, mixing and so on – were given more attention than ever before."
The result? There's a fascinating, but inexplicable feeling that Nightwish has once again been able to find unprecedented nuances, spices and perspectives in their new works – exactly: after a career of nine classic albums. ""Yesterwynde" is an experience that takes time to digest. The gravid ingredients of the songs are easily recognizable, but beneath the surface lies a large number of intriguing details and features", Holopainen describes.
Nightwish's next steps are clear. And they are not the most common ones.
"Nightwish will not go on a world tour this time. This was a decision made for personal reasons. But don't worry... Our contract with Nuclear Blast Records includes several albums, and there's plenty of motivation to create new music!"
May the dream continue...
Limited 2LP black vinyl pressing with 16 page booklet
Tracklisting
Side A:
1. Yesterwynde
2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands
3. The Antikythera Mechanism
Side B:
4. The Day Of...
5. Perfume Of The Timeless
6. Sway
Side C:
7. The Children Of ‘Ata
8. Something Whispered Follow Me
9. Spider Silk
Side D:
10. Hiraeth
11. The Weave
12. Lanternlight
