The Finish Symphonic Metal band, Nightwish has been my number one
band for years now with no sign of being knocked down any time soon. The moment
I first heard my first song of theirs, Lagoon, Tarja Turunen’s strong, operatic
vocals complete with the deep pounding bass of the guitars and drums, and along
with a powerful choir, I instantly took a liking to them. The band has had a bumpy
ride when it comes to their main singer, but they remain as strong as ever,
even making their own feature film, Imaginaerum, a Finnish-Canadian musical
fantasy film. Each new singer bringing their own uniqueness to the band and
allowing the band to be much more versatile in their music. Their current singer,
Floor Jansen, and successor to Anette Olzon, sung on their newest album,
Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
Tomorrow, 19th December 2015, they are going to be headlining,
for the first time ever, at the Wembley Arena, and so it was a no-brainer to
snatch up a ticket as soon as possible. Today, I want to count down my favourite
top ten songs of theirs across their eight studio albums.
Number 10:
Sahara (album – Dark passion Play; singer – Anette Olzon)
Starting off with a mystical tune before quickly ramping up the
guitars and drums, this song is unarguably epic throughout. The mystical
sounding introduction is blended perfectly with the inclusion of the guitars
and drums, and all of that sits brilliantly with Anette’s vocal range. This would
be a Nightwish song without a powerful choir and we certainly get to hear that
as the song gradually gets more and more impressive before reaching its incredible
and striking ending.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Number 9:
Rest Calm (album – Imaginaerum; singer – Anette Olzon and Marco
Heitala)
This song doesn’t bother starting off gradually. It hits you with
everything that it’s got right from the word go, and doesn’t stop until it has blown
your socks clean off. Usually, calmer parts are during the verses and the
heavier parts are during the chorus, but this time it’s the other way round.
Marco sings the verses this time, whereas Anette sings the choruses. They are
helped by the beautiful and almost poetic sounding children’s choir before going
heavier than ever before. An experience that will be sure to get your
adrenaline pumping, you might want to have a lie down after listening to this
one.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Number 8:
Wish I Had an Angel (album – Once; singer – Tarja Turunen and
Marco Hietala)
The original sound of Nightwish. Tarja’s powerful operatic voice
complete with Marco’s equally powerful voice, and Tuomas Holopainen’s keyboard,
this is the pure definition of Symphonic Metal.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Number 7:
Over the Hills and Far Away (album – Over the Hills and Far Away;
singer – Tarja Turunen)
This marks the band’s first EP, Over the Hills and Far Away is a
cover by the singer, Gary Moore. This song is the only one to be a cover, and I
know there are plenty of other songs that I could have included instead of
this, say Nightwish’s own songs, but as soon as you hear this song, you’ll
instantly know why I had to put it in this list. Starting off with an epic drum
solo and including a mind-blowing guitar solo halfway through, and replacing
the original’s violin with their keyboards, this cover captures everything that
the original had, plus Nightwish’s unique spin to make it their own.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Youtube Video:
Number 6:
The Islander (album – Dark Passion Play; singer – Marco Heitala
and Anette Olzon)
A calmer sounding song and one that I would say would help you
recover from the state that Rest Calm will leave you in, this song has become a
classic among Nightwish’s fans. Breaking away from their usual Symphonic Metal
they usually play, this song is heavily influenced by Folk Metal instead. Marco
is the main singer in whilst playing an acoustic guitar. Anette’s cool, calm
and collective voice provides the backing vocals halfway through, switching
their usual line up of Anette being the main singer with Marco provides the
backing vocals. As well as the two singers, this song features guest musician,
Troy Donockley who plays the pipes. The accompanying video artistically shows
exactly what this song is all about. A must watch.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Number 5:
Turn Loose the Mermaids (album – Imaginaerum; singer – Anette
Olzon)
Another calm video featuring guest musician Troy Donockley and
acoustic guitar. Anette is the main singer throughout. The lyrics are easy to
sing along to and the song itself is surprisingly easy to sit back and relax,
close your eyes and let your imagination run as Anette’s outstanding vocals and
poetic music set the scene for you to get lost in. It’s simple, effective,
incredible.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Number 4:
Weak Fantasy (album – Endless Forms Most Beautiful; singer Floor
Jansen and Marco Heilata)
After you’ve listened to those two calm songs, brace yourself for
the heavy pounding of Nightwish’s roots. Starting off with thumping drums and guitar
before introducing Floor’s incredible vocal range, this song does something
that I didn’t think was possible. I mentioned that Wish I had an Angel was the
pure definition of Symphonic Metal, and I’m still sticking to that. Weak Fantasy,
on the other hand, rewrites that definition for its own benefit. When you listen
to this, you might be wondering why I put a loud and heavy song at number 4
that doesn’t really add anything that unique to the table compared to the two
songs before it. But, then the second half kicks, Marco starts singing and the
music is sublime. That is all.
The backing choir is enchanting as well, and when you listen to
the orchestral version of this song, that choir is the main focus that is why I
added this song at number 4.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Original song -
Orchestral version -
Number 3:
The Crow, the Owl and the Dove (album – Imaginaerum; singer –
Anette Olzon and Marco Heilata)
And we’re right back to the calm. I know, why am I not being
consistent? To be fair, the chorus is a bit heavy. Basically, this is another great
blend of calm and heavy, much like Rest Calm is. The reason why I put this song
here is the same for why I put Weak Fantasy 4th, the backing choir is
incredible and adds so much depth to the song, and the orchestral version
empowers that so much more, creating a completely different atmosphere
altogether. I love it.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
Youtube Video:
Original song -
Orchestral version -
Number 2:
The Eyes of Sharbat Gula (album – Endless Forms Most Beautiful;
singer N/A)
The second song of theirs to not feature a singer. Tuomas said
that he wanted to add lyrics to the song but, couldn’t find the right ones to
fit the music, and I think we’re all pleased he didn’t. An enchanting instrumental
that is hard to describe other than that. The children’s choir comes in halfway
through and adds another layer to the song. Tuomas did write this with a solid
meaning, but I believe that this is an open ended song that allows you to
create your own. And you won’t be able to create your own lyrics for you will
be lost for words throughout, anyway.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
N/A
Youtube Video:
Number 1:
The Greatest Show on Earth (album – Endless Forms Most Beautiful;
singer – Floor Jansen and Marco Heilata)
The Universe
has always fascinated me. From its many mysteries of how it began, and the many
more we have yet to answer, the topic of the Universe never fails to blow my
mind.
Combining
the two is a tricky thing, but Nightwish takes up the challenge and nails it on
the head. The Greatest Show on Earth focuses on the beginning of the Universe,
to the formation of Earth, to the evolution of us, to when the Earth is
spinning on its own after we’ve gone. At 24 minutes long, this is the longest
song they’ve ever done, and with a topic as big as the Universe, it would be
impossible to try and condense it down to five minutes. Floor and Marco’s
voices are superb throughout, accompanied by unrelenting music and, featuring a
guest performance by the legendary British Evolutionary Biologist, Richard
Dawkins, this is one heck of a song, easily grabbing the number one position on
the podium with both hands and not letting go. I cannot recommend this video
enough.
Here are two links for the lyrics and a Youtube video of the song:
Lyrics:
A fan-made video:
Thanks for reading
Antony Hudson
(TonyHadNouns)
My book, Sector 22: Zoey, now available on Amazon and E-bay:
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