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New vocalist of nightwish. Nightwish band: history of creation, composition, soloist, interesting facts

New vocalist of nightwish. Nightwish band: history of creation, composition, soloist, interesting facts

20.06.2020

Tuomas Holopainen
Marco Hietala
Jukka Nevalainen
Emppu Vuorinen
Troy Donockley
Kai Hahto

On October 1, 2012, due to disagreements that developed within the group, Anette Olzon left the team.

History of the group

Angels Fall First (1996-1997)

The idea to start the band Nightwish came to Tuomas Holopainen after a night spent around a campfire with friends. The group formed shortly after this, in July 1996. Holopainen invited his friend Tarja Turunen, who graduated from the Jean Sibelius Academy in academic vocals, as a vocalist. Guitarist Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen was the third to join the band.

Their style was initially based on Tuomas' experiments with keyboards, acoustic guitar and Tarja's operatic vocals. From October to December 1996, the three musicians recorded an acoustic demo album. The album included three compositions - “Nightwish”, “The Forever Moments” and “Etiäinen” (“Forest Spirit”), the title of the first of which determined the name of the group.

Oceanborn/Wishmaster (1998-2000)

This album was very different from the first one in terms of performance technique and lyrics. Tapio Wilska from the band Finntroll took part in the recording of the album. His vocals appear on the tracks "Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean" and "The Pharaoh Sails to Orion". "Walking In The Air" is a cover of the soundtrack to The Snowman, written by Howard Blake. Howard Blake). Starting with this album, Nightwish's regular cover artist is Markus Mayer ( Markus Mayer).

Critics were surprised by the success Oceanborn. It rose to number five on the Finnish Official Albums Chart, and the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" was number one on the singles chart for a week. In the winter of 1999, Nightwish gave many concerts and toured throughout the country for three months. in spring Oceanborn was released outside of Finland. In May the band began playing again, touring all over the country for two and a half months, performing at almost every major rock festival. At the same time, the single “Sleeping Sun” was recorded, which was dedicated to the eclipse in Germany. In August, the single was released in Germany, also featuring the songs "Walking in the Air", "Swanheart" and "Angels Fall First". Then it became known that the album Oceanborn and the single “Sacrament of Wilderness” received Golden Disc status. At the same time, Nightwish toured Europe with the German band Rage.

In 2000, Nightwish participated in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest from Finland with the song "Sleepwalker". The group confidently won the audience vote, but in the second round, in which the jury voted, they were relegated to second place and were not allowed to participate in the competition.

Over the Hills and Far Away / Century Child (2001-2003)

The band in the video for the song “Over the Hills and Far Away”

In March 2001, Nightwish returned to the studio to record their version of the Gary Moore classic "Over the Hills and Far Away" with two new songs and a remake from the album Angels Fall First songs "Astral Romance". It appeared in Finland in June 2001.

German version Over the Hills and Far Away features six live tracks in addition to four unreleased songs. Shortly after this, bass player Sami Vänskä left the band and was replaced by Marco Hietala, leaving the Sinergy team. Marco is also the vocalist and bass guitarist of the Finnish metal band Tarot. The new bass player not only plays his instrument, but also sings with strong, high-pitched male vocals. It should be noted that Marco Hietala's singing style in Nightwish songs is slightly different from his singing style in the band Tarot.

The success of the album allowed the band to embark on a worldwide Once tour, including countries they had never performed in before. They took part in the opening of the 2005 World Athletics Championships held in Helsinki, performing the song "Nemo".

End of an Era (2005-2006)

After recording a new concert DVD End of an Era The band members decided that they no longer wanted to collaborate with Tarja Turunen, which they informed her about in an open letter. In a letter, they wrote to Tarja that her husband Marcello Kabuli and commercial interests turned her away from Nightwish, accused her of not wanting to participate in the life of the group and of having a contemptuous attitude towards fans. Tuomas Holopainen gave her a letter after the successful completion of the world tour with the final concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on the night of October 21, 2005. The open letter was later published on the group's official website.

Tarja reacted to the unexpected dismissal, saying that it was a shock for her. She was not warned in advance about the letter and says it is unnecessarily cruel. Tarja wrote a response letter to her fans and published it on her own website. She also gave many interviews to various television channels, magazines and newspapers about her attitude to what happened.

Dark Passion Play (2007)

For the same reason, the identity of the new vocalist was revealed earlier, and on May 24, 2007, 35-year-old Anette Olzon from Katrineholm, Sweden was introduced as Turunen's replacement. Holopainen said in an interview that he does not want to name the new vocalist until there is ready material, so that fans do not judge her only by photographs and past work.

The second single from the new album, "Amaranth", was released in Finland on August 22, approximately a month before the album, and was certified gold in less than two days of sales. This was the first CD single from the album, as "Eva" was distributed only via the Internet.

Dark Passion Play was released in Europe in the last week of September 2007, in the UK on October 1, in the US on October 2. The album was released in two editions: single-disc and double-disc. The latter contains one bonus track on the first disc and orchestral versions of all compositions on the second. Roadrunner also released a limited three-disc edition.

On this album, presumably because the former vocalist left the band, vocalist Marco Hietala was given more space for his vocals. He sings at least backing vocals on every song except "Amaranth", and lead vocals (not counting Anette Olzon's backing vocals) on "The Islander", "Master Passion Greed", "While Your Lips Are Still Red" and "Reach" (the last two from the Amaranth CD) and sings on the chorus in "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "7 Days to the Wolves".

Some magazines including Kerrang!, noticed that the departure of Tarja Turunen changed the image of the group and removed the border that separated them from other groups. The use of a 175-piece orchestra and the use of solo parts on the album has led to the band's work now being described as symphonic metal, especially the album's first 14-minute track, "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album received a 5/5 rating from the magazine Kerrang!

The band performed a "secret" concert at the Rock Café in Tallinn on September 22. In order to remain anonymous, they introduced themselves as Nachtwasser, a band performing Nightwish covers. Their first official concert with the new vocalist was given in Tel Aviv in Israel on October 6, 2007.

DVD End of an Era, received platinum status in Germany, having sold over 50,000 copies. The corresponding award was presented to the group during the Rock Am Ring festival, during which Nightwish performed on the main stage in front of an audience of more than 80 thousand. Album Dark Passion Play also received “gold” status in Germany, selling over 100,000 copies during the first week of sales from the moment of release.

Imaginaerum (2011)

On October 15, 2010, information appeared in the press that Nightwish were planning to record a new album. Just like four years ago, pre-production of the material began in a remote rural area in Finland, in the village of Savi. Rehearsals had to begin in the absence of Anette, who was expecting her second child at that time. On July 30, 2010, Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon gave birth to a son and in mid-October 2010, as planned, Nightwish officially began recording a new album. And a week later all the drum parts were recorded. At the beginning of January 2011, according to reports from the band's camp, the recording of the rhythm guitar and bass parts was almost completed. On February 10, 2011, Nightwish announced the title of their next studio album - Imaginaerum. In parallel with the recording of the new album, Nightwish are preparing to shoot a film of the same name. “Imaginaerum” is a musical fantasy film based on the upcoming album of the same name. The main character of the film is a composer with a wild imagination. He is already an old man, but still considers himself a boy. In his dreams, he travels to his distant past, where his old dreams return to him, intertwined with the youthful world of fantasy and music. In a dream, an old man strives to find the most important memories for him. Filming of “Imaginarium” took place in the spring of 2012 in Canada, and the film premiered on November 10 of the same year. To avoid possible copyright issues, the album was renamed Imaginaerum.

The first single was released on November 9, 2011, its title is “Storytime”.

Release Imaginaerum took place in Helsinki on the night of November 29–30, 2011; The official release date is November 30th.

The album was released on both CD and LP on Nuclear Blast in Germany.

In 2012, a world tour began in support of the album. The first concert took place on January 21 at the Gibson Theater in Universal City (Los Angeles, USA). The special guest at the concert was the group Amorphis.

On October 1, 2012, a statement was published on the official Nightwish website, according to which Anette Olzon had left the group. Before the completion of the Imaginaerum tour, the band intends to collaborate with Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

On October 9, 2013, Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen was introduced as the permanent replacement for Anette Olzon. Troy Donockley was also introduced as a full member of the group. This change will bring a sixth member to the group for the first time ever.

On August 7, 2014, it was announced that the band's drummer Jukka was taking a temporary break for health reasons. The drummer for Wintersun and Swallow the Sun took over his duties on the album. Kai Hahto.

On February 13, 2015, “Élan” was released - the first single from Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Along with the single, a video clip of the same name was released.

Video on the topic

Music

Influence

The author of the lyrics and music of Nightwish, Tuomas, claims that he gets inspiration from music of completely different styles and directions: heavy metal, classical, folklore and film soundtracks. Many of the group's compositions contain folk elements. To their music especially in albums Oceanborn And Wishmaster influenced by the work of such power metal bands as Stratovarius. In albums Century Child And Once The musicians made an attempt to combine the sounds of classical music and metal, recording them with the participation of a symphony orchestra. Similar experiments are characteristic of many famous bands, including Deep Purple, Rage, Metallica, Rammstein, as well as the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion, which influenced Nightwish. Examples of film music influence include "Beauty of the Beast" from the album Century Child and "Ghost Love Score" from Once. Nightwish's song lyrics are influenced by fantasy books and films.

And at the same time, Nightwish influenced other bands. Thus, Epica vocalist Simone Simons said that she started singing after hearing the album Oceanborn. Sander Gommans of After Forever said that Nightwish influences the new songs they create. The former Visions of Atlantis vocalist noted that Nightwish inspired their first album.

Musical style

Nightwish's music falls into the genres of symphonic metal and power metal. Thus, the portal The Metal Crypt defines it as power metal or as a mixed style of “symphonic-power metal”. Composer and lyricist Tuomas Holopainen himself once described their music as “melodic heavy metal with female vocals.”

I would say we play melodic heavy metal with female vocals. This is the simplest thing I can imagine. We're a metal band, we play melodic metal, we have female vocals, so that's enough.

Tuomas also has a positive attitude towards the definition of “symphonic metal”:

I love symphonic metal, that's obvious, and I'm quite happy with that definition. If you want, call Nightwish symphonic metal, that's absolutely fine.

The distinctive features of Nightwish's music are the combination of strong female vocals, guitar riffs and solos typical of metal, as well as atmospheric keyboard parts performed by Tuomas Holopainen. Tarja's academic vocals, characteristic of the classical opera stage, gave a special recognizable feature to the early music of Nightwish. Since the album Century Child the group began to use a symphony orchestra and various additional instruments in recordings, shifting the emphasis on them from guitar parts. Thus, the group made a gradual transition from power metal to symphonic metal, although the features of both genres remained to a greater or lesser extent always inherent in it. Also, some compositions on later albums used a second, male vocal by Marco Hietala and elements of folk music.

Members of the group

Current lineup

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)
Sami Vänskä (Finnish: Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)
Marjana Pellinen (Finnish: Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (performances only)
Samppa Hirvonen (Finnish: Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (performances only)
Anette Olzon (Swedish Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Invited musicians

Tony Kakko (Finnish: Tony Kakko) (Sonata Arctica) - mini-album Over the Hills and Far Away, song “Beauty And The Beast”, concert From Wishes to Eternity.
Tapio Wilska (Finnish: Tapio "Tonquemada" Wilska) (ex-Finntroll, Sethian) - albums Oceanborn And Over the Hills and Far Away, concert From Wishes to Eternity
Ike Vil (Babylon Whores) - Wishmaster
Sam Hardwick (eng. Sam Hardwick) - the voice of the dead boy on Wishmaster And Century Child
John Two-Hawks John Two-Hawks) - Once
Marc Brueland - Once
Johanna Salomaa (Finnish: Johanna "Jonsu" Salomaa) (Indica) - single "Erämaan viimeinen"
Kai Hahto(Finnish Kai Hahto) - drums on Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Timeline

Discography

Albums of the group

Angels Fall First( , Spinefarm Records)
Oceanborn( , Spinefarm Records)
Wishmaster( , Spinefarm Records)
Century Child( , Spinefarm Records)
Once( , Nuclear Blast)
Dark Passion Play( , Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)
Imaginaerum ()
Endless Forms Most Beautiful ()

Singles and mini-albums

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)
"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)
End of Innocence (2003)
End of an Era (2005)
Made in Hong Kong (2009)
Showtime, Storytime (2013)
Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Video clips

"Over the Hills and Far Away" (2001)

Covers

Only performed live

"Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne (Live in Amsterdam, 2002)
"Wild Child" W.A.S.P. (at the Live in Norway concert, Oslo 04 Jul 2003)
"Don't Talk to Strangers" by Ronnie James Dio

In releases

"Crimson Tide" Hans Zimmer (live) From Wishes to Eternity)
"Deep Blue Sea" Trevor Rabin (live) From Wishes to Eternity)
"Walking in the Air" Howard Blake (on the album Oceanborn)
"Over the Hills and Far Away" Moore, Gary (on EP Over the Hills and Far Away)
"Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber (on album Century Child)
"Where Were You Last Night" Anki Bagger(on the single "Wish I Had an Angel")
"Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth (on the single "The Siren")
"High Hopes" by Pink Floyd (in the collection Highest Hopes)
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman (on the single "The Crow, the Owl and the Dove")

Notes

Band Members (English) . nightwish.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015. Archived August 3, 2015.
Announcement of a new vocalist (English). Retrieved May 13, 2013. Archived August 28, 2011.
Classic Rock (English) . Retrieved October 5, 2012. Archived October 16, 2012.
It's Official: NIGHTWISH Parts Ways With Singer ANETTE OLZON (English). Blabbermouth. Retrieved October 1, 2012. Archived October 16, 2012.
Ms. Floor Jansen is a keeper
Review of the Nightwish album “Angels Fall First” (English). Retrieved February 3, 2008. Archived August 28, 2011.
Interview with Tuomas Holopainen, ROCK-City, February 1999. Retrieved February 4, 2008. Archived August 28, 2011.
O James Byrd Tribute - review of Nightwish "Oceanborn" (English) (inaccessible link -

14-10-2011

Finnish metal Nightwish band was formed in 1996 in Kitee, Finland, when quite experienced keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen had the idea of creating his own atmospheric keyboard-acoustic project, as they say, for friendly gatherings around the fire. With the help of guitarist Erno Vuorinen and classical vocalist Tarja Turunen, Holopainen recorded a demo entitled Nightwish that same year. Then he came to the conclusion that such music was too “light” for Turunen’s strong operatic voice, and decided to turn the trio into a full-fledged rock band - Vuorinen took up the electric guitar, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen joined the lineup.

In April 1997, the group went into the studio to record the 7-song demo Angels Fall First. It attracted the attention of the Finnish label Spinefarm Records, with which a contract was signed, and the full album Angels Fall First came out in November. The single "The Carpenter" reached number 3 on the national charts and was released as a split single with and Thy Serpent. The disc's material was a mixture of metal and atmospheric folk and ambient - interestingly, Holopainen himself sang on some songs. The band gave its first concert in December with a session bass player and an additional keyboard player and backing vocalist. Regular bass player Sami Vänskä, an acquaintance of Holopainen, arrived when the band began recording their second album Oceanborn in August 1998 (after some members had served in the military).

The album Oceanborn was released in October only in Finland and reached number 5 on the national charts, and the single “ Sacrament of Wilderness"took 1st place. In the spring of 1999, the disc was released outside the country, and in May the group recorded the single “Sleeping Sun”, which was a great success in Europe, which allowed Nightwish to tour with Rage. In August, Oceanborn and singles (including " Walking in the Air) received “golden” status in their homeland.

In 2000, the musicians took a break from recording a new album and took part in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest (the song “Sleepwalker”), although they took 2nd place. Disk " Wishmaster"was released in May and received gold status within three weeks, although critics found the material monotonous. After this, Nightwish went on their first world tour. In 2001, the mini-album “Over The Hills And Far Away” was released, which included the composition of the same name, composed by Gary Moore, and some previously unreleased songs. In the same year, the first live disc From Wishes To Eternity was released.

At the same time, a difficult period began in the history of the group - Vänskä did not take a responsible enough approach to musical activities, Vuorinen was dissatisfied with his role as a simple musician, and Holopainen, tired of the problems, practically declared Nightwish to break up. However, the founding father soon calmed down, Evo Pohjola became the new manager, and Marko Hietala became the new bass player ( Tarot, ex-Sinergy), who has since become responsible for clean vocals. New album Century Child, recorded with an updated line-up, was released in May 2002 and almost overnight received “gold” status, and three weeks later – “platinum”. In total, in 2003, over 350,000 copies of the disc were sold worldwide. In 2003, the group's second DVD was released - End of Innocence, and Turunen marries Argentine businessman Marcello Cabuli.

Album Once released in 2004. The London Philharmonic Orchestra took part in the recording. Single " Nemo"is still the band's most successful single to this day. The disc itself was well received by both the public and critics, and Nightwish went on another large-scale tour. A collection of the best things was released in September 2005 Highest Hopes. Another one was released in June 2006 DVD End of an Era with a recording of a concert in October 2005. This performance was the last for Turunen– the other participants notified her about this in an open letter. The official reason for the dismissal was the attitude towards the group as a “money machine”, not least thanks to Turunen’s husband, who, according to Holopainen, stuck his nose everywhere all the time. For Turunen herself, this dismissal came as a shock (according to her, she couldn’t even say goodbye to the fans).

In September 2006, Nightwish began recording new material, simultaneously looking for a new vocalist - she was Swedish Annette Olzon from the rock band Alyson Avenue. Her name was kept secret until the end of May 2007, when the single “ Eva" Holopainen stated that this was done so that fans would not judge the vocalist by her photo or previous group. The second single "Amaranth" was released in August, and the album itself Dark Passion Play appeared in stores at the end of September and immediately received double “gold” in its homeland and first place in the charts of European countries. The tour in support of the album started in October and ended in September 2009.

Preparation of new material for the new album began in the first half of 2009. For a long time, all work was carried out under a veil of secrecy; neither the name of the album nor any specific details were disclosed. In February 2011, information appeared that the new disc would be called Imaginarium(spelling later changed to Imaginaerum, to avoid confusion with many other projects of the same name). The release of the first single was scheduled for November. The musicians also promised to release a film of the same name in 2012, based on the concept of the album.

(c) Jester

My Walden, 2015
Nemo
Nightwish
Nymphomaniac Fantasia
Ocean Soul
Over The Hills And Far Away
Passion And The Opera
Planet Hell
Rest Calm
Riddler
Sacrament Of Wilderness
Sagan, 2015
Scaretale
She Is My Sin
Shudder Befor The Beautiful, 2015
Sleeping Sun
Sleepwalker
Slow, Love, Slow
Song Of Myself
Stargazers
Storytime
Swanheart
Taikatalvi
The Carpetner
The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
The Forever Moments
The Greatest Show On Earth, 2015
The Heart Asks Pleasure First, 2012
The Islander
The Kinslayer
The Last Ride Of The Day
The Phantom Of The Opera
The Pharaon Sails To Orion
The Poem And The Pendulum
The Siren
The Wayfarer
Tutankhamen
Two For Tragedy
Walking In The Air
Weak Fantasy, 2015
While Your Lips Are Still Red
Whoever Brings The Night
Wish I Had An Angel
Wishmaster
Turn Loose The Mermaids
Yours Is En Empty Hope, 2015

Biography (history) of the group Nightwish
Compound
Marco Hietala
Tuomas Holopainen
Anette Olzon
Jukka Nevalainen
Emppu Vuorinen

Former members
Tarja Turunen
Sami Vänskä

The idea of creating a project Nightwish originated in my head Tuomas Holopainen in July 1996 years when he whiled away the night with his friends near the fire. To begin with, he composed three songs. According to Tuomas, these songs were to be performed by a girl to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar and keyboards. Tuomas took over the keys himself, his friend Emppu took up the guitar, and they asked a mutual friend, a student at the Sibelius Music Academy, to sing. Tarja Turunen. Everything turned out exactly as Tuomas intended: Tarja’s voice suited his compositions perfectly. Several demos were recorded under the name "Nightwish". The recordings were not intended for distribution, but some of them still ended up in several well-known record labels, where they received fairly high ratings. Among the shortcomings, a narrow focus was noted, as well as not a very wide variety of music performed.

The experiments did not end there: it was decided to add drums (this is how Jukka Nevalainen got into the group), and use an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. After several weeks of training, in April 1997 they settled into the studio. During this period, seven songs were recorded (which later formed the bulk of their first album, Angels Fall First).

The result was not long in coming. In May 1997, Nightwish signed a two-album contract with the Spinefarm record label, and in August the musicians returned to the studio to record four new songs. Shortly before the release of "Angels Fall First", their single "The Carpenter" was released, which reached number eight on the official Finnish chart. Released in early November, the band's first full-length album, "Angels Fall First", which contained twelve portions of atmospheric gothic-influenced music with beautiful female vocals, reached number 31 on the Finnish national album chart.

On December 31st, 1997 Nightwish give their first concert in Kitee. After this, the musicians perform only seven times, because Jukka and Emppu leave to serve in the army, and Tarja continues her studies. But the potential that the group possessed was noticed, and by mutual agreement Nightwish and Spinefarm extended the contract to three albums.

in spring 1998 The first video for the song "The Carpenter" was shot in 2008, and Tuomas and Tarja give interviews in one Finnish show. In the summer, the band has a new member, bassist Sami Vanska. Rehearsals for new songs take place throughout the summer, and in early August the musicians begin recording their next album, which ends in late October. On November 13th Nightwish will perform in China. The video clip "Sacrament of Wilderness" is being filmed based on this concert. The single of this song was released on November 26th, and the new album called "Oceanborn" was released on December 7th.

Everyone was surprised by the impressive success of "Oceanborn" (in my opinion, nothing surprising; after the hundredth listen to such compositions as "Passion and the Opera", "Stargazers", "Sacrament of Wilderness", etc., there is a strong desire to throw all your home acoustics, surround yourself with crystal clear sounds of 6-channel DolbyDigital and finally begin to live like a human being - approx. translation.). It reached number five in the official Finnish album chart, and the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" occupied number one on the singles chart for several weeks! In the winter of 1999, Nightwish traveled with concerts throughout the country, taking part in almost all major rock festivals. The public welcomes the musicians with open arms, all concert venues are filled to capacity with enthusiastic fans, and this despite the fact that they have performed only a few times before. At the same time, a new song called "Sleeping Sun" is being recorded, dedicated to the solar eclipse. In August, the single "Sleeping Sun" was released, which, in addition to the title song, contained three more ballads: "Walking in the Air", "Swanheart" and "Angels Fall First". In Germany, this single is received with "Hurray!" (in just a month it sells 15,000 copies!). Further more. Nightwish learn that their album "Oceanborn" and single "Sacrament of Wilderness" have been certified gold. After such news, the musicians decide to organize a tour of Europe, consisting of 26 gigs, together with the famous German rock band Rage.

At first 2000 the band returns to the studio to create their third album. Nightwish's performance with the song "Sleepwalker" in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest interferes with the process. The group easily overcomes the qualifications, but in the overall standings they take only (and without any quotes - approx. translation) second place, despite a stunning victory in the audience vote.

In May, a new album called "Wishmaster" is released, and in the same month the "Wishmaster Tour" starts from the musicians' hometown of Kitee. After this grand show, the group is awarded well-deserved gold discs for the album "Oceanborn" and the singles "Sacrament of Wilderness", "Walking in the Air" and "Sleeping Sun". "Wishmaster" hits number one on the Finnish album chart and maintains this position for three weeks. During these three weeks it also turns gold. "Wishmaster" was praised by both fans and critics, and the German magazine "Rock Hard" named it album of the month (despite the fact that long-awaited albums by such controversial bands as Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden were released during the same period).

"Wishmaster" also debuted in the national German and French charts at positions 21 and 66 respectively! The "Wishmaster World Tour", which started from Kitee, began with large festivals in Finland, and in July 2000 it was already booming in South America. The band members consider the three-week tour of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Panama and Mexico one of their most successful (sometime go to www.nightwish.com and read the guest book - approx. translation).

Nightwish's next project is the release of a DVD & VHS recording of their concert, which took place in Tampere on December 29, 2000. In April 2001, the recording appeared on the shelves of Finnish stores, and then throughout the world. By this moment, the volume of copies of the album "Wishmaster" and the single "Deep Silent Complete" sold exceeds 40,000, i.e. they become platinum!!! (Regarding the song “Deep Silent Complete” I would like to quote a statement from one of the group’s fans, which I really liked: “In this song, Tarja’s voice covers the guitars like a mountain river covers sharp stones.” - approx. translation.).

In March 2001 Nightwish are back in the studio recording their version of the Gary Moore classic "Over The Hills And Far Away", two new songs, and also re-recording a song called "Astral Romance" from their first album "Angels Fall First" ". The release of this EP took place in June 2001 (at the time of writing these lines, "Over The Hills And Far Away" had successfully reached platinum status in its homeland - approx. translation.). The German version, in addition to the above songs, also contained six live recordings of the group.

Start 2002 The year is marked by good news, compared to previous difficult times. As a group and as individual musicians, Nightwish tops all sorts of reader polls in local and foreign magazines. Fans did not abandon them after all the changes, but vice versa. Ever Dream, the first single from the new album, receives gold status after 2 days of sales. At the same time, Nightwish announced an upcoming break after the end of the Century Child World Tour 2002, in order to allow Tarja to complete her studies in Germany. This report is causing all sorts of speculation among fans.

The new album "Century Child" was released in May 2002 and broke the sales record, receiving gold status in 2 hours of sales! Within two weeks it sold out in a platinum (30,000 copies) edition. At the same time, Nightwish topped the album and singles charts, which is the first time this has happened. Foreign charts respond in kind: in Germany, Century Child goes straight to 5th place, and in Austria to 15th; these are the highest positions occupied by the group abroad so far. In July, the group successfully tours South America, almost all concerts are sold out. In Brazil, the first edition of Century Child sold out in one day, and the successful European tour that year did not go unnoticed by ticket agencies. Many of the European performances were streamed live on the internet, needless to say there were frequent connection outages. Almost 10,000 fans tried to watch their live performance. With 59,000 copies sold in Finland, Century Child became the second best-selling album in the country in 2002.

The break began at the end of 2002, and the guys, no doubt, had no time to rest: Jukka played with the bands Sethian and Bitch Driven; Tuomas with Sethian, For My Pain... and Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus; Emppu played with Altaria, and Marco with his band Tarot. In general, the break should not have lasted a year, back on the road...

Start 2003 The year was marked by better results in reader polls in various magazines, and the studio was ordered in order to begin recording the next album, which was planned for release the following year. Events also happened on the family front: on March 11, 2003, Jukka and his girlfriend Satu had a daughter, Luna. Nightwish received the award for the double platinum Century Child, which sold 60,000 copies. The band performs mainly abroad, the only performance in Finland was at the RMJ 2003 festival on June 20. The first performance in Sweden took place at the Gates of Metal festival in the city of Hultsfred. During 2003, material was collected for the documentary DVD End of Innocence, and its release was delayed several times due to the sheer volume of material.

In May 2003, Tarja announced that she had secretly gotten married a few months earlier and would be moving back to Finland. The End of Innocence DVD was eventually released on October 6, 2003, by which time Nightwish had already begun recording a new album. Their fifth album, Once, would be the most important release in the band's history. Meanwhile, Finnish President Tarja Halonen also takes note of Nightwish's achievements, and invites Tarja and her husband Marcelo Cabuli to the presidential residence for the annual Independence Day party. Tarja's dress was named the most beautiful dress of the evening.

Before Christmas 2003, Nightwish are auctioning off the Century Child World Tour backdrop, with all profits going to charity. 1,750 euros were given to the Parikanniemi orphanage in Ristiina in December 2003. The money was presented personally by Tarja, and Michael "Big Tini" Leipold from Germany became the new proud owner of the backdrop.

The new album, entitled "Once", was released on June 7 2004 year, after the single “Nemo” (“Nobody” - Latin) from this album. An orchestra took part in the recording of 9 of the 11 songs on the album. Unlike "Century Child", the recording of "Once" did not involve a Finnish orchestra, but a London session orchestra, which also participated in the recording of the soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings". This is also the second album to feature a song entirely in Finnish, "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" ("Death Makes the Artist"). The Lakota Indian John “Two-Hawks” took part in the recording of the song “Creek Mary’s Blood”. He sings in his native language and plays the flute.

The following singles were released: "Wish I Had an Angel" (soundtrack to the film Alone in the Dark), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (released only in Finland) and "The Siren". The new album was well received by critics, who compared it to Oceanborn.

The success of the album allowed the group to go on the Once worldwide tour, including countries they had never performed in before (however, the group never visited Russia). They took part in the opening of the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, performing the song "Nemo".

Released in September 2005 year, the collection “Highest Hopes” consists of songs collected from the entire discography of the group. It also includes a cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes". In addition, the video for the song “Sleeping Sun” was re-shot.

After recording the new live DVD "End of an Era" the band members decided that they no longer wanted to collaborate with Tarja Turunen , as reported to her in an open letter. In a letter, they wrote to Tarja that her husband Marcello Kabuli and commercial interests turned her away from Nightwish, accused her of not wanting to participate in the life of the group and of having a contemptuous attitude towards fans. Tuomas Holopainen gave her a letter after the successful completion of the world tour with the final concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on the night of October 21, 2005. The open letter was later published on the group's official website.

IN 2006 year, the group began recording their sixth studio album. The recording process started with drums, then guitar, bass and keyboard demos. The orchestra and choir were recorded at Abbey Road Studios, followed by final recording of synthesizers and vocals.

To replace Tarja as a vocalist, on March 17, 2006, the group invited candidates for the vacant position to send their demo recordings. During the group's selection of vocalists, speculation arose around who would eventually become the new member of the group. In response to these and other rumors, the group posted an announcement on its website asking them not to trust any information other than what was officially published.

For the same reason personality of the new vocalist was disclosed earlier, and on May 24, 2007, the 35-year-old Anette Olzon from the Swedish Katrineholm (en) was introduced as a replacement for Turunen. Holopainen said in an interview that he does not want to name the new vocalist until there is ready material, so that fans do not judge her only by photographs and past work.

The voice and style of performance of the new vocalist are very different from the previous one. “Tarja had her own style, which no one in the world could have replicated better,” said Tuomas. “That’s why we were looking for a completely different voice.”

"Eva", the first single from the new album, was announced in February. At the same time, a sample of the song became available on the band's website, along with other songs from the new album: "7 Days to the Wolves", "Master Passion Greed" and "Amaranth". The release was originally scheduled for May 30, but due to a leak from a British music website, the single was released on May 25.

On June 13, Nightwish revealed the title of their new album, "Dark Passion Play", and artwork on their website along with the title and artwork of their second single, "Amaranth". The single includes the song "While Your Lips Are Still Red", written by Tuomas as the main theme to the Finnish film "Lieksa!". Formally, this composition is not Nightwish, as it is performed by Marco as a vocalist and bass guitarist, Tuomas as a keyboard player and Jukka as a drummer. The video for the song was presented on June 15.

"Dark Passion Play" was released in Europe in the last week of September 2007 year, in the UK - October 1, in the USA - October 2. The album was released in two editions: single-disc and double-disc. The latter contains one bonus track on the first disc and orchestral versions of all compositions on the second. Roadrunner also released a limited three-disc edition.

Some magazines, including Kerrang!, noted that Tarja Turunen's departure changed the band's image and removed the boundary that separated them from other bands. The use of a 175-piece orchestra and the use of solo parts on the album led to the band's work now being described as symphonic metal, especially the album's first 14-minute track, "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album received a 5/5 rating from Kerrang!

The band performed a "secret" concert at the Rock Cafe in Tallinn on September 22. In order to remain anonymous, they introduced themselves as the band "Nachtwasser", performing Nightwish covers. Their first official concert with the new vocalist was in Tel Aviv in Israel on October 6, 2007.

The DVD "End of an Era" was certified platinum in Germany, selling over 50,000 copies. The corresponding award was presented to the group during the Rock Am Ring festival, during which Nightwish performed on the main stage in front of an audience of more than 80 thousand. The album “Dark Passion Play” also received gold status in Germany, selling over 100,000 copies during the first week of sales from the moment of release.

Imaginaerum (release plan - end 2011 of the year)

October 15 2010 In 2018, information appeared in the press that Nightwish were planning to record a new album. Just like four years ago, pre-production of the material began in a remote rural area in Finland, in the village of Savi. Rehearsals had to begin in the absence of Anette, who was expecting her second child at that time. On July 30, 2010, Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon gave birth to a son and in mid-October 2010, as planned, Nightwish officially began recording a new album. And a week later all the drum parts were recorded. At the beginning of January 2011, according to reports from the band's camp, the recording of the rhythm guitar and bass parts was almost completed. On February 10, 2011, Nightwish announced the title of their next studio album - Imaginarium. In parallel with the recording of the new album, Nightwish are preparing to shoot a film. "Imaginarium" is a musical fantasy film based on the upcoming album of the same name. The main character of the film is a composer with a wild imagination. He is already an old man, but still considers himself a boy. In his dreams, he travels to his distant past, where his old dreams return to him, intertwined with the youthful world of fantasy and music. In a dream, an old man strives to find the most important memories for him. Filming on Imaginarium will begin this spring in Canada and the film will premiere in 2012. To avoid possible copyright issues, the album was renamed "Imaginaerum".

The album release is scheduled for the end of 2011.

A world tour in support of the album is scheduled for 2012. The first concert will take place on January 21, 2012 at the Gibson Theater in Universal City (Los Angeles, USA). The special guest at the concert will be the band Amorphis.

Official (updated) biography on http://www.site
Official site: http://www.nightwish.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nightwish
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nightwishband
Mail.ru blog: no.
Nightwish Video Channel YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nightwishofficial
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nightwish
iTunes: no.
Photo on FLICKR: none.

Materials used to create the biography:
1. Official website of the Nightwish group.
2. Ru.Wikipedia.
3. Media.
4. Photos from open sources.

A combination of classic and rock. How many articles have been written about how many musicians have experimented, trying to “harness a horse and a tremulous doe” (c). The site already has a number of articles devoted to the topic of symbiosis. The group Apocalyptica recently stunned us with their cello drive. What if “we marry a white rose with a black toad” (c), combine classical female vocals and rock? They tried to do this in Finland, and they succeeded. Today I will introduce you to the band Nightwish.

The group was created by Tuomas Holopainen in 1996 in the city of Kitee. By this time, Tuomas had extensive experience participating in local musical projects and realized that he was ripe for his own. Initially, he wanted to create only acoustic music, and told his friend Emppu Vuorinen about this. “I just wanted an acoustic guitar, some flutes, strings, piano, keyboards and definitely female vocals.” Work on creating a group has begun. Conservatory student Tarja Turunen was chosen as the soloist. She was the first of three Nightwish vocalists, each of whom contributed to the overall sound.

The early work of Nightwish was distinguished by the combination of female operatic vocals of the first soloist Tarji Turunen(Bagina, Finnish nightingale, three-octave range, by the way) keyboard-symphonic arrangement and heavy guitar base. This style is most often defined as a mixture of power metal and symphonic metal.

For the first time, Nightwish's music was recorded on an acoustic album. It included only three songs - Nightwish, The Forever Moments and Etiäinen. The first one eventually became the name of the group. Cassettes with recordings were sent to major labels and publications.

The first review of the group’s work was not laudatory, but it went down in the history of the Nightwish group, as it pushed them to change their sound to a heavier one. As a result, Jukka Nevalainen joined the project, and Emppu picked up an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. A role in this was played by the fact that friends Emppu and Jukka had previously played together in several heavy bands and they really liked this kind of music. From that moment on, Tuomas' project could safely be called the rock band Nightwish.

On December 31, 1997, the first performance of Nightwish took place at the New Year's disco in Kitey. For this and the next six performances, a friend of the musicians, Samppa Hirvonen, was invited to the lineup, since they still could not find a permanent bassist.

This is a brief summary of the formation of the group.

The beginning was difficult. Success came to the group only at the end of 1999. Tours and public recognition followed.

In the summer of 2001, Nightwish went on another tour of festivals and cities in Europe, followed by several concerts in Asia. By this point, it became apparent that there were several issues within the group that needed to be resolved in order for the project to be viable. Both the bassist, the guitarist, and most unpleasantly, the lead singer began to move away from the group. Driven to white heat by everything that was happening, Holopainen said that he no longer wanted to work like that. Tuomas informed the label management that the Finnish band Nightwish was no more. Of course, he gave up hope that there would still be another album if everything went well, but he flatly refused to give concerts. Holopainen reported the same information to the musicians and posted it on the website.

But the group found the strength to overcome the crisis and got to work. Quite unexpectedly, Tarja Turunen announced that in the future she intended to pursue a solo career, but continued to go on tour and participate in recordings and concerts. By this time she had gotten married, and her husband did not encourage his wife’s participation in the turbulent life of the team. Tarja herself has said more than once that parties and group gatherings have a bad effect on her voice. The conflict had been brewing for quite some time. Only in 2005, Nightwish posted an open letter to Tarja on the website, informing her that further collaboration was not possible. The letter came as a shock to her. The break in the relationship between Tarja and the musicians was inflated perhaps to the scale of a national tragedy, and for a very long time the publications in the press did not subside, and the fans split into two camps - some defended Tuomas, and others Tarja. The dismissal from the group was unexpected for her. She had to build her solo career, which, by the way, is very successful.

The era of the second vocalist has arrived - Swedish siren Anette Olzon (Princess, Nettie)

On March 7, 2006, the group announced that they were looking for a new lead singer, Nightwish, and the criteria she had to meet were announced.

“Nightwish doesn't necessarily need a classical singer like Tarja Turunen. We consider all styles and voices: natural, choreographed, from rock and pop to classical and everything in between. But candidates must be prepared to sing with great dynamism and flexibility, loud and high parts and very sensual material."

The auditions were completed only by mid-January 2007; in total, the musicians had to familiarize themselves with more than 2,000 demo recordings. As a result, only three finalists were chosen from the entire set, one of whom eventually received a ticket to a new star life.

The work in the studio was positive, all the musicians liked Anette, and the singer herself was completely delighted with working with professionals. As a result, on May 24, the whole world learned that the new vocalist of Nightwish now bears the name Anette Olzon. But a little earlier, the leader of Nightwish made it clear that the group would change its identity in terms of music:

“The voice and style of singing of the new vocalist Nightwish are very different from the previous one. Tarja had her own style that no one in the world could replicate. That's why we were looking for a completely different voice." Not all fans liked the new soloist and new music. Threats began to be received against Anette. The group did everything possible to support their new member; the musicians treated Anette’s condition with understanding and care. Several concerts were canceled when she could not cope with nervous tension after attacks from Tarja's fans.

In general, the Princess knew how to sing, but Tarja couldn’t pull out the trickiest parts and broke her voice trying to pull them out. According to rumors, this and the very busy schedule of concerts caused Anyuta to have health problems. And just as Anya began to come to her senses, a new test arose. “Trouble” came from unexpected places. The news that the lead singer of Nightwish is pregnant has put the musicians in a rather difficult position. Holopainen understands that during the tour there will inevitably be problems with Anette’s health and, most likely, some concerts will have to be cancelled. It was probably at this time that the band's leader made a decision and called Floor Jansen, asking her about the possibility of performing with them at the end of the tour - in November-December as a temporary replacement for Anette. The conflict within the group flared up due to different priorities between Tuomas and the singer. Olzon was unable to understand the motives of the team leader, who did not want to cancel the concerts and declared his readiness to temporarily replace Anette with Flor, and Tuomas could not understand how it was possible to behave so unprofessionally and jeopardize the tour, because from the point of view of professionalism, the cancellation of the remaining concerts threatened the musicians with a serious blow to their reputation, not to mention financial losses.

The news that the lead singer in Nightwish had once again changed quickly spread throughout all musical circles and caused a very unexpected reaction - some musicians supported Tuomas’ decision.

The result of this is known to everyone as an official statement made on the Nightwish website on October 1, 2012:

“Another chapter in the history of Nightwish has been completed. Anette Olzon and Nightwish have decided to separate by mutual decision and for the common good.

New soloist of Nightwish 2013 - Valkyrie Floor Jansen (Warrior)

Flor was accepted on board surprisingly easily; unlike Anette, it was much easier for her to win over the fans.

Before the release of the DVD, the music world received unexpected news - the musicians, who had previously stated that the name of the soloist would be announced no earlier than 2014, made a loud statement. Now it has become clear that Nightwish has a new chapter written in her biography, called Floor Jansen, and this happened on October 9, 2013. In addition, Troy Donockley, who spent the entire previous tour with the Finns, also joined the lineup as a permanent participant. The reason that the musicians revealed the name of the vocalist before the expected date was quite simple:

“It has become very convenient for us. We have a new DVD coming out, and we need to promote it, give interviews, during which it would be stupid not to reveal the decision that has already been made. The fact that Flor is now a soloist in Nightwish was decided back in the summer, in June/July,” Tuomas said in an interview. Thus, a new voice appeared in the group. In terms of voice and style of singing, Flor is generally very different from both Anette and Tarja. And all because Flor manages to combine different singing styles on stage: here you have soft chants, powerful pop howls, hoarse-aggressive screams, and near-academic soprano.

The group tours a lot, prepares new albums, creates new projects. True, I had to take a forced break due to Flor’s pregnancy. Despite the fact that Nightwish promised not to return to the studio until 2019, due to the birth of Flor's child, a new album will be released this year, the material for which is really not usual for the group. The addition to the family of vocalist Floor Jansen, as expected, made adjustments to the band’s creative plans: the next release will be a mini-album of lullabies in the band’s characteristic symphonic metal style. It is known that there will be 4 tracks on it, three of which the band leader Tuomas Holopainen wrote in different periods of creativity, but they were not suitable for albums and were waiting in the wings to present them to a wider audience. The EP will also feature one special song that Tuomas wrote in honor of Freya, the newborn daughter of Floor Jansen and Sabaton drummer Hannes van Daal. “New life is so inspiring!” - said Holopainen. “Childcharmer for me is a way to celebrate this new life. This is a gift not only for Freya, but also for all our fans, regardless of age, for whom life is the same inspiration as it is for us.” “Singing while heavily pregnant was difficult,” adds Flor, “But lullabies don’t require full vocal dedication, they need more emotion, and I have plenty of that now!”

Current compound

Floor Jansen - vocals

Tuomas Holopainen (Finnish: Tuomas Holopainen) - composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the early years of the group)

Marco Hietala (Finnish: Marco Hietala) - bass guitar, vocals

Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen (Finnish: Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen) - drums

Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen (Finnish: Emppu Vuorinen) - lead guitar

Troy Donockley - bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki, bowran

Former members

Tarja Turunen (Finnish: Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)

Sami Vänskä (Finnish: Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)

Marjaana Pellinen (Finnish: Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (performances only)

Samppa Hirvonen (Finnish: Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (performances only)

Anette Olzon (Swedish Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Albums of the group

Angels Fall First (1997, Spinefarm Records)

Oceanborn (1998, Spinefarm Records)

Wishmaster (2000, Spinefarm Records)

Century Child (2002, Spinefarm Records)

Once (2004, Nuclear Blast)

Dark Passion Play (2007, Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)

Imaginaerum (2011)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

Singles and mini-albums

"The Carpenter" (1997)

"Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)

"Passion and the Opera" (1998)

"Walking in the Air" (1999)

"Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" (1999)

"The Kinslayer" (2000)

"Deep Silent Complete" (2000)

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)

"Ever Dream" (2002)

"Bless the Child" (2002)

"Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)

"Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)

"The Siren" (2005)

"Sleeping Sun" (2005)

"Amaranth" (2007)

"Erämaan viimeinen" (2007)

"Bye Bye Beautiful" (2008)

"The Islander" (2008)

"Made in Hong Kong" EP (2009)

"Storytime" (2011)

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" (2012)

"Élan" (2015)

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

Wishmastour 2000 (2000)

Tales from the Elvenpath (2004)

Best Wishes (2005)

Highest Hopes (2005)

Wishsides (2005)

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)

End of Innocence (2003)

End of an Era (2005)

Tour Edition (2012)

Showtime, Storytime (2013)

Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Traditionally, I offer some videos of the group.

Nightwish - Dark Chest of Wonders (Anette, Floor & Tarja) Three beauties sing together at one of the concerts.

youtu.be/wIZOsoA2gzg

Nightwish - Dark chest of wonders (Live at Lowlands) Anette

youtu.be/5WT17jg9RDU

Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel HD Tarja

youtu.be/B0Q1rKpDNE4

NIGHTWISH - Romanticide (OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO)

youtu.be/zz_7OCCQlXs

youtu.be/2OIrpU_NmKo Sleeping Sun

youtu.be/-7Oj3tyyTxQ Sacrament of Wilderness

youtu.be/9hmzR1CKGtA Nightwish Nemo (Official Music Video HD)

Happy listening.

Linda specially for TopRu.org

In the modern world there is so much different music, so many different genres, trends and performers who work in them, that it’s simply dizzying. And what is most surprising is that any musician finds his audience, regardless of the genre that he has chosen for himself. For example, the Finnish rock band Nightwish has been delighting its fans with its creativity for a couple of decades. But how did the history of the group begin?

The beginning of the way

Nightwish owes its existence to the Finnish musician, lover of rock, metal and underground Tuomas Holopainen. When he was twenty years old (in the ninety-sixth year of the last century), he and his friends went on a night hike. By that time, he was already very interested in music, composing both melodies and lyrics, but most of them were sent to the table. And all because Tuomas played guitar in small local projects, but did not take it seriously enough.

In the forest, the guys lit a fire and, as always happens when you sit by the fire, they probably sang songs. It was at that moment that Tuomas, who knew how to play the synthesizer, first thought: “It would be great to have your own band! And one that the whole world would know about it!”

It often happens that a thought flashes through your head and disappears, but this time this did not happen to Tuomas. The idea haunted him even after returning home, and the young man decided: he had to act. All that remains is to find like-minded people.

Group assembled

There is a well-known saying: “The eyes fear, but the hands do.” So Tuomas was worried that nothing would work out, but unexpectedly quickly found people with whom he was lucky to move in the same direction. The first to join him was his longtime acquaintance Erno Vuorinen, a virtuoso guitarist who had been playing guitar since the age of twelve. A bassist and keyboard player (that is, Tuomas himself) were found immediately; all that was needed was to get hold of a vocalist. And then Tuomas remembered a girl he knew named Tarja. She had a wonderful operatic voice and was educated in academic vocals. Tuomas thought that the combination of Tarja's voice with heavy guitar music and light synthesizer would become the band's feature, thanks to which the band would become recognizable. No sooner said than done. He invited Tarja to cooperate, and she agreed. Finally, Nightwish came together.

First recordings

The birth of the new band took place in the summer of 1996, and less than six months later, in December, the “newborns” released their first acoustic album. Strictly speaking, it was difficult to call it an album in the real sense, because it contained only three songs. However, it became significant for the team: firstly, with its help the guys declared themselves; secondly, the first song on this record - Nightwish - gave the name to the “gang” itself. This phrase can be translated in different ways, but perhaps the most suitable option can be considered “cherished desire”. Considering that the newly formed trio intended to make the whole world fall in love with them, such a name for the group is the most logical.

It was immediately decided to sing in the British language. After all, you can’t conquer the universe in Finnish, but English is still international. The Nightwish group sent the released album to all major companies with an accompanying note. However, the reviews were not exactly critical, but not too laudatory either. The guys were informed that although there were no complaints about the vocalist’s voice and the playing of the musicians, it was nevertheless very doubtful that famous labels would want to take risks by collaborating with an unknown group with a “strange” sound. The first pancake came out lumpy, but this only encouraged the budding world-class stars.

Changes

After receiving the first feedback, the guys took some steps to modify the group. Firstly, Erno changed his guitar - instead of an acoustic one he took an electric one. Secondly, the “staff” was expanded to four people - Jukka Nevalainen, who plays the drums, joined the guys. Now the team could rightfully call itself the rock band Nightwish. The time has come to record a full-length album, which is what the friends did. It was ninety-seven...

Promotion

In April 1997, the group's first full-length disc was ready. Angels Fall First - “Angels fall first” - that’s what it was called. And in the same month, one of the Finnish labels became interested in the young group. They were given a chance by releasing their debut album with a circulation of eight and a half thousand copies, and for newcomers this is a very good result.

However, they did not rely on newly-minted artists, giving them, by and large, the right to pave the way to their listeners themselves. That is why (after all, the Finnish group Nightwish did not receive proper promotion at that time) they were still unable to “shoot” abroad.

The disc was released not only in Finland, but also in other countries, such as the USA, Poland, Thailand. However, the residents of the country of Suomi did not make much of an impression on foreign music connoisseurs. But for their fellow citizens - quite. It cannot be said that the guys woke up famous in their homeland, no, but they acquired a certain weight.

First performance and video

In the winter of 1997/1998, Jukka and Erno went to serve in the army, and Tarja studied. Along the way, she sang in an opera choir, which she came to work in even before the appearance of the Nightwish group. Therefore, the guys could not perform often. However, they all gathered together for their first performance, despite being busy - this happened right before the New Year. Then, at the first performance, the band acquired a fifth member - bassist Samppa Hirvonen.

And in the coming year, in the spring, the time came for filming the first video. For these purposes, we chose the song The Carpenter (“Carpenter”). The video appeared in May, however, apart from the lead singer of the Nightwish group Tarja against the backdrop of the stunning Finnish landscape, viewers did not see anyone else in it.

Second album

The composition of the Nightwish group still could not settle down - the guys had just gotten used to each other when Samppa, the bassist, was drafted into the army. This happened in the summer of ninety-eight - the group was just getting ready to write a new album, leaving no hope of entering the world market. And what a surprise! We had to quickly look for a new bass player; Fortunately, he was found quickly - Tuomas's old acquaintance Sami Vänskä filled the gaping hole in the team.

The album Oceanborn appeared in October and unexpectedly hit the bull's eye. Even the guys themselves, although hoping for recognition, did not imagine that the success would be so grandiose. The album reached fifth place in the ranking of the top forty albums in Finland and went platinum. They started talking about the group, the dream came true.

And away we go... concerts and performances began to be scheduled one after another. The guys went on a big tour, although so far only in their native country - but this was just the beginning. And the “continuation” happened a year later, when the Nightwish group went on a big tour (twenty-five concerts) throughout Europe, with a thoughtful program of their own songs. This happened in the fall of 1999, so we can safely say that the artists celebrated the New Year of 2000 “on horseback” - on the wave of real popularity that hit them like a tsunami.

What's next?

And then - progressively: in the year 2000 - a new album with a tour and participation in the selection for the well-known Eurovision; a year later - another album and big concerts in other countries... And in between all this - interviews, filming and, of course, recording new songs.

To date, Nightwish has released eight albums - this does not count mini-LPs and individual singles. What can we say about the clips - the team has sixteen of them, and the concerts given by the guys are countless!

Team composition

The composition of the gang was constantly changing for various reasons. So, due to disagreements in the team, Tarja left the group thirteen years ago. Another soloist was invited to take her place, but she also did not stay long in Nightwish. The group currently has a third vocalist, her name is Flor. In addition to her and the permanent Tuomas and Erno, there are now four more on the team. Thus, Nightwish currently has seven members.

"Golden Trio": short biography

We need to briefly talk about the trio who launched this project and gave life to the group - these are Tuomas, Erno and Tarja.

It starts with the leader. Tuomas was born in the seventy-sixth year of the last century in the most ordinary average Finnish family, in which, in addition to him, two more children grew up - Suzanne and Petro.

As a child, he learned to play several musical instruments at once. Tuomas fell in love with music from an early age and decided on his cherished desire - to become a musician. In ninety-three, he first began playing in a group. He is interested in Disney cartoons, Tolkien books, fishing and loves to travel.

Erno is two years younger than the group leader. As mentioned earlier, at the age of twelve he learned to play the guitar and was very successful in this matter. In addition to him, there were five more children in the family, and Erno (or Emppu, as his family called him) turned out to be the eldest of them. And the shortest. He himself treats this with humor, ironically calling himself a gnome.

With all this, since childhood, Erno has been very active and mobile - always in action. As a teenager, he practiced judo, was a member of the national team, and even believed that this sport was cooler than music.

A year younger than Tuomas and a year older than Erno. She was born in a small village into the family of an administration employee and a carpenter. Besides her, her parents had two more sons. She began singing in church at the age of just three.

Three years later, Tarja learned to play the piano. She listened to and performed songs of different genres, but when she turned eighteen, she chose opera.

One of the possible reasons for Tarja’s departure from the team is said to be Tuomas’s disagreement with the girl’s husband. She got married two years before leaving the team.
The current lead singer of the group, Flor, can play guitar, keyboards and flute.
Tuomas' mother is a music teacher.
Tuomas learned to read very early - at the age of 2-3 years.
Tuomas' wife is also a singer.
The band's songs were used as soundtracks for some films.
The Nightwish group recorded one of their albums with the participation of the London Symphony Orchestra, and one of the songs on it was performed with a real Indian.
Tuomas’s creativity is partly inspired by poems. Thus, it was under the influence of this author that the entire last album of the guys, released in 2015, was recorded.

All songs of the Finnish rock band Nightwish, regardless of the year of their release, can be listened to both on the band’s official website and simply on the Internet. Listen and be impressed!