Nightwish: Endless Forms Most Beautiful

So here it is, my promised review of the new Nightwish album. I have to confess, I wasn't as excited before it as before Imaginaerum, though I was super curious how it would sound, given the new singer and all. (Actually, it's scary to think about how Imaginaerum came out in 2012, when I was still in high school...) The Nightwish fandom in general is kind of unbearable - so much inner drama! At least with Floor, nobody can complain about the singing - or can they?

The review is littered with personal opinions and musings, so beware. Also, freaking long.

The fact that this past year I've gradually shifted away from symphonic metal and towards melodeath might have contributed to my seeming apathy. It is still a fact that I like Nightwish more than any other band, and they'd have to go full In Flames for that to change. Style change is something they definitely didn't do with the new record, so they're staying at the top place.

Despite my initial disappointment, I found myself constantly listening to the album. There's the complaint that they didn't use Floor's amazing abilities as a singer well enough, which is true, but her versatility still gets showcased properly. One will have to wait for the live versions for the full experience. I have nothing much to say on reusing past melodies and arrangements either - I have shitty audio memory and also no formal musical training. I do think this album overall sounds distinctly different from their past works, and it that's only shallow re-dressing, it's still fine by me.

The opening Shudder Before the Beautiful is actually amazing; this was the song to which I said: this might be an awesome record afterall. Heavy and beautiful, very old-school Nightwish. The next song, Weak Fantasy, is even better; hands down my favourite. It's more metal, and there are actually a few examples of how versatile Floor can sound. It's one of the few songs where Marco's also singing, which is a bonus to me. It's amazing. It's also the point where I'll digress a bit into the realm of lyrics - this album has a very clear subject matter. I admit the very straightforward anti-theism of Richard Dawkins makes me uncomfortable. I'm not a fan of his, and his views - not like I'm not an atheist, but of the strictly agnostic kind. Honestly, I find his (and Tuomas's) attitude condescending. Luckily, it doesn't translate as directly into the lyrics; it's just the amount I can absolutely agree with. I wonder what their Christian fans think though (or whether they have any left...). Anyway, particularly on Weak Fantasy, I love these lyrics.

Élan was kind of a weak beginning as a first single, and even though I liked it (especially after around 3:00), I was scared for a second - it is, after all, a rather commercial-sounding, probably the most on the whole album. I've grown to appreciate it for what it is; also, I actually like when lyricist stick to their personal symbolism. What is meadows of heaven? I don't exactly know, but it's clearly something to Tuomas, as are many other strange terms. Yours Is An Empty Hope is again a heavy song of the anti-religion kind; I just find the melodies a little less compelling than the previous one. Although I think this is one of those songs which could sound 100% more exciting live; here it's especially obvious Floor doesn't sound as strong on the album as she could have.

Our Decades in the Sun is painfully beautiful, yet I can't like it too much; mainly because of the lyrics. Floor sounds so sincere, so full of emotions, yet it's not about things I can actually emphatise with, which is a right shame. It's still heartbreaking (or more so). My Walden is the single most folkiest of songs - given my recent obsession with Finnish folk metal, I really love it. The picture painted by the lyrics is also all kinds of amazing; and there are some great quotes in there. Endless Forms Most Beautiful picks up the pace from the previous two songs - this is the song I've unexpectedly come to like. It's pretty standard Nightwish and pretty standard composition, but with some heavier elements. Although the guitars might be just a little too distorted.

And then comes yet again a ballad, Edema Ruh (if we count Élan, that makes for 3, which seems to be the standard for recent Nightwish albums). It is my favourite out of the three - it's definitely the most experimental. There's a shrilly piano intro which then gets completely forgotten, the same guitar theme from Our Decades in the Sun gets reused and expanded upon in a guitar solo, augmented with some pipes. I love it. And the bridge is kind of cute. Then comes the unarguably weakest song on the album, Alpenglow. Frankly, the choruses sound a little weird, I have also no idea what an alpenglow is, that weird part around the middle is unfitting, and then that key change in the middle of the verse... I mean, if even someone as tone-deaf as me can hear it, it's bad. What were you thinking, Tuomas?

We get to the last part with The Eyes of Sharbat Gula. The slight folk influence delivered in a very careful, sensitive way reminds me of the Angels Fall First-era instrumentals in all the good ways. The only complaint I have that it's slightly too long-winded, especially the first three minutes. Then comes the last one, the epic 24-minute journey that is The Greatest Show on Earth. It's undoubtedly a featful masterpiece of composition, but it's not without its failings. Yes, it's beautiful, but I refuse to believe it needed to be this long. I, for one, would have left out all the parts where Richard Dawkins talks... but seriously, these are the only downfalls. Part II and especially Part III are just glorious. This here is where Floor is best on the whole record. There's everything from truly operatic vocals to low spoken lines to angry metal singing to higher-pitched operatic screams. The 'we were here' part of the third act sends shivers down my spine.

All in all, what can I say? What an ambitious, breathtaking album. There are definitely some standalone songs on it, but it really comes together as a whole as well - the composition has a really nice arc to it. The album has shortcomings, yes, but I still think it's a masterpiece of a kind. A little imperfect, just like life itself, but endlessly beautiful.

Listen to: Shudder Before the Beautiful, Weak Fantasy, Edema Ruh
(the songs might get taken off by Nuclear Blast, so the links might stop working with time)