Newest Nightwish offering solid, despite fans’ concerns

Powered by their new vocalist Anette Olzon, Nightwish has just released their new album “Dark Passion Play” after a hiatus of three years (the longest in the band’s history).

When previous lead vocalist Tarja Turunen left the band in October 2005, many of their fans believed that Nightwish was dead; however, in many ways this new album proves them wrong. With her unique and beautiful voice that enhances many of the songs on the album, Olzon is a strong successor to Turunen and a good addition to the Nightwish lineup.

Continuing the trend that began with their previous album, “Dark Passion Play” combines a number of harder metal songs with other, softer ballads. One positive aspect of this album, as compared to previous Nightwish releases, is a greater variety of vocalists. Traditionally, Turunen would sing all of the songs with occasional growling parts by bassist Marco Hietala and keyboardist/composer Tuomas Holopainen. However one of the later songs on “Dark Passion Play,” a Celtic-sounding piece titled “The Islander,” features a softer style of vocals from Marco.

The new album begins with the track “The Poet and the Pendulum,” a nearly 14 minute long epic written by Holopainen. The title of the track is based on “The Pit and the Pendulum,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, and talks about Holopainen’s life, going so far as to figuratively die at one point during the song.

The second track, “Bye Bye Beautiful,” and the fifth track, “Master Passion Greed,” are two of the more interesting pieces on the album, referring indirectly to Turunen and her husband/manager, respectively. The former talks about Holopainen’s relationship with Turunen and her subsequent dismissal from the band, while the latter attacks her husband for pulling her away from the rest of the band.

Another interesting track is “Amaranth,” named from the Greek word amarantos, meaning never-fading. The music video for “Amaranth” is based on a Finnish painting, “The Wounded Angel,” by painter Hugo Simberg. “Amaranth” is also the second of two singles from the album, following “Eva” and proceeding “Bye Bye Beautiful” (the planned third single).

Overall, the new Nightwish album is everything a true fan of Nightwish could hope for. Despite, or perhaps because of, the new vocalist, “Dark Passion Play” continues Nightwish’s strong recording tradition. With a wide variety of tracks, audiences across the board can find something to enjoy on “Dark Passion Play.”