It was a Sunday afternoon some time in the summer of 2006, during a break from band practice. Our guitarist gathered us around the computer to show us something funny on Youtube, as was the custom at the time. I had no inkling then (or for some time after) how much my life was about to change. Hamster. A Dentist. The “Wishmaster – The Misheard Lyrics” video is now widely known (to many, more than the actual lyrics). If you missed it, it can be found here.
We all had a good giggle, but I, sixteen and just dipping my toes properly into metal, had two questions. Who was this band, and where could I listen to more of them immediately?
Less than two years from that fateful band practice I walked into their show in my new city, not knowing a single other person there. I walked out with emails sharpied all over my arms. I am still friends with a number of those people, and others forever changed the course of my life via their musical influence.
In the time between discovering Nightwish and seeing them live, Anette Olzon was announced on vocals, singles dropped, and comment sections went radioactive. My excitement to see them was set against the backdrop of a discussion of “Real Nightwish” and whether they were worth paying attention to anymore. It reminds me of Star Wars in a way, where you have as many opinions on what counts as there are fans, and once-hated new things which were “ruining it” on release are, with time and distance, part of beloved or at least iconic eras.
The release of “Yesterwynde,” Nightwish’s tenth studio album, with its wistful, nostalgic title and clock-referencing cover art, has me thinking about time. I’ve also been thinking about how we relate to bands we love as both we and the band evolve. All our Nightwish opinions are intertwined with our personal history. For many like myself, they were a gateway band and are therefore wound up in our memories of a formative time. For others, their evocative sound and emotional lyrics were the soundtrack to major events or specific chapters of life.
A number of fans seem to feel personally betrayed when Nightwish doesn’t re-release a “Once” clone every three years, despite the fact that half their discography has come out and two thirds of their time as a band has elapsed since then. There’s a wave of “now they’re really over” comments with every lineup change as well. While it is perfectly natural to have favourite albums and eras, it took me a while to puzzle out the root of these reactions.
Common lyrical themes throughout much of Nightwish’s discography are innocence and rediscovering a sense of childlike wonder. It is one of the beautiful tragedies of life that we can never listen to a life changing album for the first time again. They are life changing because we are changed by them. I can’t expect to recapture that feeling even if the band put out a very similar album, because I have been made different. I may carry the same DNA, have some of the same friends, interests, or tastes, but I am not who I was at sixteen. It follows that Nightwish, while clearly carrying much of the same musical DNA, is also not who they were when I was sixteen. I can’t go back and wouldn’t want to, but I can experience something new if I’m open to it.
Another aspect I find leads to disappointment with new albums from beloved bands is simply, and fittingly, time. I’ve listened to “Oceanborn” on the outer deck of a moonlit ferry crossing. In 2016 I took an evening walk through a small mountain town during a farewell visit to my grandmother. Literal alpenglow setting in on the surrounding slopes while I listened to “Alpenglow” felt like a hug from the universe. If I started listing core memories associated with “Ghost Love Score” we’d be here for as long as that song is, at least. These are only a few examples of the kind of connection one simply cannot have with new material.
And yet there is familiarity. “Yesterwynde” is not only thematically nostalgic, but musically more reminiscent of older Nightwish work than “Human :||: Nature” was. New elements prevent the retreading of old ground, and yet much of it feels deeply familiar.
The opening and title track begins with the fluttering clatter of a vintage film projector before fading into a choral arrangement based in western ecclesiastical tradition with a hint of Enya. Pipes and folk strings have become more common on Nightwish albums since the addition of Troy Donockley as a permanent member. Here they put me in mind of “The Islander” in their simple wistfulness. Floor Jansen’s part is ethereal yet warm in a way that reminds me of “Our Decades in the Sun.” It fades out with pensive, yet somehow cinematic orchestration. The scene is set and there are numerous references to musical history and the band’s own past work. A lot can fit into less than three minutes when you know what you’re doing.
“An Ocean Of Strange Islands” follows. This was the third single and what took me from nervous to excited about “Yesterwynde” as a whole. Faster and punchier, this track is born of the same parts of Nightwish that gave us “Romanticide,” “Sahara,” “Scaretale,” and most of the heavier tracks on “Endless Forms Most Beautiful.” The nine and a half minute runtime (bold for a single) even has time for hints of early-eras harpsichord and a subtle flourish or two that wouldn’t have been out of place on “Wishmaster.” We then wind down with contemplative bagpipes.
Next up is “The Antikythera Mechanism.” While it continues to reference the sonic landscapes of “Once,” “Dark Passion Play,” and “Endless Forms Most Beautiful,” it’s a sign of things to come with new elements, with a hint of synthwave or even industrial here and there. Unfortunately as interesting as this song is, the brief moment of male vocals is the moment on the album where I miss ex-member Marco Hietala’s contributions the most, as I feel his style would be more suited to this particular track.
Many metal bands use classical styling or orchestral elements as intros, fillers, and flavouring. Very few of them have writers I’d classify first and foremost as composers, where the symphonic elements form more of the meat of the music. “The Antikythera Mechanism” is a clear reminder that Tuomas Holopainen is part of that latter group.
Second single “The Day Of…” opens with a more blatant synthwave style 80s beat, perhaps unsurprising since the lyrics reference “this grave new world of ‘84”. Nightwish is not a complete stranger to synths, but if we don’t count synthesised chorals, strings, or harpsichords in the early days, we have to go all the way back to “Angels Fall First,” to “Lappi Pt. II- Witchdrums” to find them in abundance, and there they’re more of a new age style than synthwave. For a beat similar to this it’s probably “Lagoon,” B-side to “Bless the Child.” However I am getting into the weeds. “The Day Of…” is interesting, I like seeing new elements introduced.
“Perfume Of The Timeless” as the first single had me worried. Clocking in at just over eight minutes it is another bold single choice, but its length was not what concerned me. It feels like it takes a while to get going on its own, but does make more sense in the context of the whole album. Once it does get going it’s another one for the “Once” fans, with slight shades of “The Siren,” but solidly of the Floor era as well, reminding me of “Edema Ruh” and others. Overall, my chief complaint is the pacing issue.
This album’s pretty ballad is “Sway,” and reminds me of several things across their discography. The acoustic duet portion would not have been out of place on “Angels Fall First,” tying together the pre- and post- Hietala eras in a way. There are also shades of “Walking In The Air” or “The Crow, The Owl, and The Dove” among others, and of course a trad-celtic melody towards the end which will feel obvious once I identify why I know it, but is currently eluding me.
“The Children of ‘Ata” is the most solidly recent sounding track, and would have fit well on either “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” or “Human :||: Nature.” It starts out with a chanted prayer in Tongan, which is referenced briefly later in the song, but I wish they had gone further with this instead of the orchestral strings direction. The dancier beat and synth elements are back in places, including the tiniest hint of almost psytrance that I would greatly like to hear expanded on in the future.
Second on the list of slow pretty songs is “Something Whispered Follow Me,” this time in the vein of “Eva,” “For the Heart I Once Had,” and the slower entries on “Oceanborn” and “Wishmaster.”
“Spider Silk” took me by surprise. It’s a style I like, but not one I normally look to Nightwish for. The overall vibe, especially in the chorus, reminds me more of Within Temptation or even a tiny glimpse of Evanescence. This is not a complaint. That said, the foundations are all classically Nightwish, and keen-eared listeners will hear a hint of “Gethsemane.” The last ingredient in this influence soup is some 70s Pink Floyd style guitar musings. I have no idea what genre this song is, but I like it.
Going from the third of our pretty slow songs to something more upbeat and back, we have “Hiraeth.” This track is its own thing, but if I had to make comparisons it would be by turns “Once Upon a Troubadour,” “The Islander,” “How’s the Heart,” “Harvest,” “Last of the Wilds” and “My Walden.”
“The Weave” picks the pace right back up for the penultimate track. The synth sounds are used to great atmospheric effect, a bit fantasy, a bit sci-fi. The orchestration is present and interesting but doesn’t get in the way of this being a metal song. This has the DNA of heavy tracks from most Nightwish eras, and is absolutely a hidden late-album gem.
Album ender “Lanternlight” slows back down for a denouement driven by vocals and keys, fitting given the origins of the band. We end with the sound of that same vintage projector winding down.
The “Perfume of the Timeless” lyric “we are because of a million loves” references how every human comes from a long line of ancestors. It reminds me that not only am I a combination of all my forbearers, I am also the sum of all my experiences, and influenced by everyone I have known. That lyric in the lead single may or may not intentionally carry this meaning, but “Yesterwynde” is clearly the result and combination of all Nightwish has been across the preceding nine albums.
What if you could listen to an album of greatest hits and deep cuts from one of your favourite bands, but have every song be new to you? While it took me a couple of listens to get it, that is what the experience of “Yesterwynde” is, with the added bonus of new elements and directions to look forward to in the future. It is familiar enough to be comforting and enjoyed by old fans, while avoiding sounding phoned in or directly recycling too much. A good balance for album number ten.
An out-of-ten rating is the hardest part of any review, especially something like this, which I know still needs time to settle in.
It isn’t exactly what I wanted it to be, but I think that’s ok, and even good. It’s a boring day when I know exactly what to expect from an album.
It’s an impressive feat of composition and there are strong performances from all members. I do think there are some pacing issues, more sweet sounding slow songs than would be my personal preference, and a track or two that falls short of its potential. That said, I like it more on each listen, and said “Oh, Hell Yes” out loud at least once.
I will give it a nine, and you should give it a chance.
Standout Tracks: “An Ocean Of Strange Islands,” “The Antikythera Mechanism,” “Spider Silk,” “The Weave”
Rating: 9/10
Release Date: 20th September, 2024
Label: Nuclear Blast
Tracklist:
1. Yesterwynde
2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands
3. The Antikythera Mechanism
4. The Day Of…
5. Perfume Of The Timeless
6. Sway
7. The Children of ‘Ata
8. Something Whispered Follow Me
9. Spider Silk
10. Hiraeth
11. The Weave
12. Lanternlight