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Endless Forms Most Beautiful (album)

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Endless Forms Most Beautiful is the eighth album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Nightwish. It was released on March 27, 2015 in the EU and Argentina, and was released on March 30 in the UK (although pre-orders made via the Nightwish official site were released on 27 March 2015) and on March 31 in the USA.[6][7] It is the band's first album with new singer Floor Jansen, as well as the first to feature Troy Donockley, who played uillean pipes and various other instruments on Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum, as a full-time member.

It is also their first album without drummer Jukka Nevalainen, who had to take a temporary break from the band due to suffering of strong insomnia, leading him to step away from both the album and its subsequent tour. All the drum parts on the album were played by Kai Hahto from Wintersun and Swallow the Sun.[8] Due to this, the album features only five Nightwish members, despite being their first album released with the band being a sextet.

The first single from the album, titled "Élan", was leaked on February 9,[9] four days before its planned release date of February 13, 2015.[10]

Production

Concept

The album was primarily inspired by the work of naturalist Charles Darwin. According to Nightwish's main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, the album found its main inspiration from a famous quote from Darwin's 1859 highly influential book On the Origin of Species. This quote included the words "endless forms most beautiful", used by Darwin to describe the evolution from one common ancestor to all living organisms, that were subsequently chosen as the title of the album:[11][12]

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

Tuomas said he would like fans to listen to the album from beginning to the end, like they do when they watch a movie, instead of listening to songs on a random basis.[13] He also said there is a "very loose" concept in the album: "It's all about beauty of life, the beauty of existence, nature, science".[13] Comparing it with Imaginaerum, he said: "The previous album was a tribute to the power of imagination. Endless Forms Most Beautiful would be an equal tribute to science and the power of reason".[13]

Songwriting

As with every Nightwish album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful was mainly written and composed by Tuomas Holopainen. However, in the same way since 2002, singer and bassist Marco Hietala acted as secondary songwriter. Commenting on the songs after recording a first demo, Holopainen said "It's still too early to analyze the material more closely, but the album will once again explore all the ends of the spectrum, bringing the very best out of the newcomers Floor [Jansen] and Troy [Donockley]. And stealthily the album ended up having a theme running through it."[3] Holopainen composed the songs of the new album at the same time he was composing the songs for his first solo album, Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge; he mainly worked on the songs in late night and in the morning, stating "I think I haven't written a song after 6 PM for this album".[14]

Endless Forms Most Beautiful is the first Nightwish album featuring Floor Jansen.

New members Jansen and Donockley both discussed their roles in the new album; Jansen stated "[Holopainen's] style didn't change of course, but there are things that he hears me singing as well as for example Troy and Marco, and you can just feel that those parts really fit, and at the same time he's triggering me to do new things, so I'm gonna also find new, you know, sounds and borders within my sound, and 'Let's just try this!', and usually, you know, it just fits."[15] She said Holopainen "challenged me using everything I have to offer. High, low, soft, whatever, but definitely lower stuff and very soft and intimate things. Something that more by coincidence was something that I kind of missed doing. Something I haven't explored much and Tuomas wrote parts where I have to use this completely, where I have to go into it entirely. I'm very happy with what came out there." When asked if there would be operatic singing in the album, she answered "yes, but not so much" and that the band experimented with lots of different styles, with some occasional operatic backing vocals.[16] Tuomas later confirmed he did challenge her for he thought her voice could fit both heavier and softer songs.[13]

Despite the fact she was an active composer and lyricist in both her former band After Forever and her current other band ReVamp, Jansen was not a part of the songwriting process of her first Nightwish album. She commented "I don't feel the necessity of me being an active songwriting member, because the music is so good. It's about the songs and the music that goes first and not about my ego wanting to join like that. But if I can participate or add something with my creative input, of course I would love that. Of course, I have creative energy in me that needs to come out one way or another, but that's where ReVamp comes in."[17] Holopainen commented that, however, "she will bring a lot of interpretations, some arrangements and positive energy for sure."[18]

Donockley said about his parts: "[Tuomas] writes with challenging parts, you know, especially for the pipes, because the pipes are very much a part of a style and a tradition, so it's always nice for me to really push the boundaries of the instrument. But it's not to saturation point, you know, it's not pipes over every song."[19]

The style of the album has been described as "more band-focused".[15] Guitarist Emppu Vuorinen stated shortly after the beginning of rehearsals "I don't know if it has something to do with age – but the need to show off has diminished even more. It's more like you want to do justice to the song and not strut your stuff."[20]

Recording

Holopainen, Hietala and audio engineer Tero "TeeCee" Kinnunen first recorded a demo of 12 songs from late April to May 14, 2014.[3][18] The band subsequently begun rehearsals and recordings in the following months in Eno, Finland, in a "cabin" in the middle of a semi-deserted land of snow and trees that the band rented, and loosely referred by them as the "summer camp".[4]

Talking about their work environment, Donockley said "It's hard to describe, the peace, the stillness, the geology, the biology of the place. [...] I've never seen anything like this. It's a wondrous place". Jansen stated "I am very sensitive about environment. Don't put me in the middle of a city and maybe super shiny, fantastic studio and keep me inspired for weeks. But a place like this does. I love nature and I love calm. We can work for hours and then you can relax."[21] Discussing both the advantages and disavantages of the "summer camp" compared to an actual studio, Hietala said "It's nice, everything set up and we can record whenever we want. When we have something ready, we can just record it and listen to it. [...] Actual studios are safer in the way that they are soundproofed. You don't have to worry about outside noise. [Here], if there's a thunderclap, you can hear it on the vocal track, too.[19] Jansen also commented: "We all had our little cabin where we could sleep and have some privacy if we wanted to, which also allowed us to have our spouses, children, friends or whatever just coming around. In one of the main houses we built a rehearsal studio, and upstairs from that the recording studio. In the beginning of July we started rehearsing, and even though first they wanted to start with the instrumental base, I visited just out of curiosity. It was just so cool that I just stayed, which gave us even more time to go into details in regards to the vocals, something relatively new for Nightwish to do during the rehearsals."[16]

During the last month, it has become evident for me that due to my insomnia, I can't fulfill my duties as a musician in the way that I'd want and with the precision that the music deserves. Thus I have decided to step aside from my duties as the drummer of Nightwish during the recording of the forthcoming album and the subsequent tour.

Jukka Nevalainen, announcing his temporary break from Nightwish.

On August 6, 2014, the band's drummer, Jukka Nevalainen, announced he would not be a part of the upcoming album and its following tour due to suffering from strong insomnia, making it the very first Nightwish album without him.[22] He stated "I will still be involved in managing the day-to-day affairs of the band, but the dearest and the most important thing, playing, is, for the time being, not possible. Time will tell what the future holds. On a personal level, my decision obviously feels indescribably sad. Fortunately, looking at it with some distance, it is 'just' part of the constant, inevitable ebb and flow of life." He also announced that Kai Hahto, drummer of melodic death metal bands Wintersun and Swallow the Sun, long-time drum technician for Nightwish, and a good friend of his, would be his replacement on the album.[23]

On August 24, the band announced the drums recordings were done.[24] They subsequently announced the finished recordings of other instruments: bass on September 1, guitars on September 6, and Jansen and Hietala's vocals on September 26.[25][26][27] Holopainen himself was surprised of how well the recording went, finishing ahead of schedule: "I think it was because everything was so well-rehearsed this time. We've tried to work more like a band." [15] On September 28, the band announced they were leaving the "summer camp" after three months of work, to head to London in order to record the orchestra, choirs, and percussion.[28]

On October 8, they were recording with Pip Williams and the orchestra. Jansen, who had never worked with an orchestra before, said she was "stunned by the professionalism of the players, the conductor James Shearman, the studio engineers and by the amazing arrangements Pip made".[5] On October 14 they were still in London, recording various choir ensembles, including the Metro Voices, and percussion instruments.[29] Holopainen commented "“This must be the sixth or seventh time we're working with these people. We've realized what they can do during these years. So it's really not a surprise anymore but it hasn't ceased to amaze me. The level of professionalism is just unbelievable. But even more importantly, they clearly like what they're doing. The guys we've worked with for over 10 years are still up for it"[20] In the meanwhile, they also announced the same month the presence of evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins on the album as a guest.[30]

The mixing of the album was undertaken by Holopainen and long-time collaborators Mikko Karmila and Tero Kinnunen. On October 29, 2014, the band announced the beginning of mixing.[31] On December 16, the band announced that mixing was finished.[32]

Musical and lyrical content

Tuomas said the album is heavier than its two predecessors, citing "Weak Fantasy", "Yours Is an Empty Hope" and the title song as examples.[13] Jansen called it a "a 100% Nightwish" album with a "more band-oriented sound".[16] She also said the band went straight from rehearsals to the recording, "so that whole band-vibe was also put into the recordings."[16]

The first single "Élan" is about "the meaning of life, which can be something different for all of us. It's important to surrender yourself to the occasional 'free fall' and not to fear the path less travelled by."[33]

"The Eyes of Sharbat Gula" is an instrumental song originally planned to feature lyrics. Tuomas was inspired to write it a couple of years before when he bought an issue of National Geographic which featured a reproduction of the famous picture of Sharbat Gula.[13] Tuomas explained that the photograph "just made a huge impact on me. Those eyes, those wild, untamed and at the same time fearless and fearful eyes. I want to capture the essence of that photo in one of the songs".[13] The song was intended to be about children at war, but he was struggling with the lyrics due to the theme being too delicate. Following input by Troy, he decided not to add any lyrics at all apart from distant voices and a children choir.[13]

"The Greatest Show on Earth" is the longest Nightwish song to date and refers to "life and evolution by natural selection".[13] The title was taken from a book by Richard Dawkins.[13] Tuomas also said that the band is unlikely to play the entire song live, but there is a "band section" in the middle of it that they are willing to perform.[13]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net [34]
Dangerdog Music Reviews [35]
Metal Storm [36]
Metal Hammer(positive) [37]
The Guardian [38]

Endless Forms Most Beautiful received highly positive early reviews from critics. Metal Storm called it "a sweet album of awesome songs, and doesn't try to be some over the top attempt at grandly announcing a new era for the band. It's simply a great album. And that was a smart move", highly praising Jansen's vocals and how she challenged her voice compared to her previous works, mentionning how she uses "the soft and sweet side, the lows, the hushed serenade, as well as an even harsher side."[36]

In a positive review, Metal Hammer called "The Greatest Show on Earth" "comfortably the most spectacular thing Nightwish have ever written. The album is the most metal record they have done in a decade, and Floor has no trouble cementing her place in the band."[37]

Dangerdog Music Reviews states "The new Nightwish album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful is pretty darn terrific. [...] This is the Nightwish you know and love: breathtaking arrangements paired with massive orchestration and beautiful vocals."[35]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Tuomas Holopainen except "Weak Fantasy" and "Yours Is an Empty Hope" by Holopainen and Marco Hietala; all music is composed by Holopainen except where indicated

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Shudder Before the Beautiful" 6:29
2."Weak Fantasy (Hietala, Holopainen)"Holopainen, Hietala5:23
3."Élan" 4:45
4."Yours Is an Empty Hope (Hietala, Holopainen)" 5:34
5."Our Decades in the Sun (Hietala, Holopainen)" 6:37
6."My Walden (Holopainen, Hietala)" 4:38
7."Endless Forms Most Beautiful" 5:07
8."Edema Ruh" 5:15
9."Alpenglow" 4:45
10."The Eyes of Sharbat Gula" (Instrumental) 6:03
11."The Greatest Show on Earth"
  • I. "Four Point Six" (5:47)
  • II. "Life" (5:05)
  • III. "The Toolmaker" (Hietala, Holopainen) (6:22)
  • IV. "The Understanding" (3:00)
  • V. "Sea-Worn Driftwood" (3:48)"
 24:00
Total length:78:36[2]

Editions

Upon release across various online stores (Nuclear Blast, Mad Supply, EMP, Napalm etc.), Endless Forms Most Beautiful came in multiple editions, ready for pre-orders. Note that some of these editions are exclusive to certain websites.

  • Regular Edition A CD containing the 11 tracks on the album.
  • 2 CD Audiobook Edition The regular album and a bonus CD featuring instrumentals of all the songs, packaged in an audiobook/digipak.
  • 2 CD Necklace Edition The Audiobook Edition with a bonus limited edition necklace.
  • 2 LP Black Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 black vinyl records.
  • 2 LP Clear Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 clear vinyl records. It is limited to 500 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Splatter Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 "splatter" vinyl records. It is limited to 500 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Blue Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 blue vinyl records. It is limited to 500 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Gold Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 gold vinyl records. It is limited to 300 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Dark Green Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 dark green vinyl records. It is limited to 300 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Light Blue Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 light blue vinyl records. It is limited to 300 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Purple Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 purple vinyl records. It is limited to 200 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Silver Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 silver vinyl records. It is limited to 200 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Yellow Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 yellow vinyl records. It is limited to 300 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Yellow Vinyl Mad Supply Edition The regular album on 2 yellow vinyl records. It is exclusive to Mad Supply, and is specially numbered. It is limited to 200 copies worldwide.
  • 2 LP Neon Orange Vinyl Edition The regular album on 2 neon orange vinyl records. It is limited to 100 copies worldwide.
  • 3 CD Earbook Edition The regular album, the bonus instrumental CD and another bonus CD featuring orchestral versions of all the songs. It is packaged in a lush, 28 x 28cm earbook.
  • Deluxe 3 CD Earbook Silver Edition The Earbook Edition as well as a 10" Mini-LP silver vinyl.
  • Deluxe 3 CD Earbook Gold Edition The Earbook Edition as well as a 10" Mini-LP gold vinyl.

To promote the album, Mad Supply released special t-shirt bundles, while Nuclear Blast exclusively sells the light blue, dark green, purple and neon orange vinyls. Mad Supply also announced that two random pre-orders for the album would receive a copy of "Showtime, Storytime", specially signed by all members of the band.

Personnel

Nightwish
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[41] 15
Illegal chart entered Czech Republic 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[42] 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[43] 1
French Albums (SNEP)[44] 130
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[45] 32
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[46] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[47] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[48] 12
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[49] 1

References

  1. ^ "News of "Endless Forms Most Beautiful"". Facebook.com. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b 待望のニュー・アルバム完成！！3月25日、日本先行発売！！. Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). 2 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Tuomas Holopainen (May 14, 2014). "14th May - Demo update". Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "New album in the making, first trailer online!". July 9, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "The icing on the cake!". October 8, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  6. ^ Jarmo Lautamki, Christian Lessner, Benedikt Deicke, Estevo Camargo. "Nightwish - The Official Website".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Lanzamiento de Endless Forms Most Beautiful en Argentina" (in español). Facebook.com. Retrieved 4 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  8. ^ http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nightwish-drummer-jukka-nevalainen-forced-to-take-break-from-band-due-to-health-issues/
  9. ^ "NIGHTWISH's TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN Says Leak Of New Single 'Èlan' Is 'Huge Blow'". Blabbermouth.net. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  10. ^ Lach, Stef (8 December 2014). "Nightwish detail Elan single". Metal Hammer. TeamRock. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  11. ^ "NIGHTWISH – "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" comes to life!". Nightwish's official website. Nightwish. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  12. ^ a b Darwin, Charles (1859). "XIV". On The Origin of Species. p. 503. ISBN 0-8014-1319-2. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schleutermann, Marcus (27 February 2015). "Nightwish - Food for Thought". EMP Rockinvasion (in English for the most of it and small introduction and ending in German). Köln. Retrieved 10 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  14. ^ "NIGHTWISH - Making of new album 2015; Episode 3 (OFFICIAL TRAILER)". YouTube. August 20, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c "Get ready for the release of our seventh album trailer". Facebook. November 12, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c d "Raise the Blind: An Interview with Floor Jansen". Metal Blast. Amsterdam. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015. {{cite web}}: |first1= missing |last1= (help)
  17. ^ Holopainen, Tuomas (November 27, 2013). "FLOOR JANSEN Doesn't Feel Need To Get Involved In Songwriting For Next NIGHTWISH Album". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Holopainen, Tuomas (May 16, 2014). "NIGHTWISH's TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN Records Demo Of 12 Songs For Next Album". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  19. ^ a b "NIGHTWISH - Making of new album 2015; Episode 5 (OFFICIAL TRAILER)". YouTube. October 2, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Fourth "making-of" album trailer ("The beginning of the Nightwish summer camp") online!". September 11, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014. Cite error: The named reference "Trailer4facebook" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Fifth "making-of" album trailer ("More Campers") online!". October 1, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  22. ^ "Nightwish Drummer Jukka Nevalainen Forced To Take Break From Band Due To Health Issues". Blabbermouth.net. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Nightwish news for August 2014". Nightwish official website. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  24. ^ "The drum recordings are done and it all sounds fantastic! Onwards!". August 24, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  25. ^ "Marco finished the bass recordings!". September 1, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  26. ^ "The recording of the album is doing great!". September 6, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  27. ^ "VOX done! Marco and Floor finished their vocal recording!!!". September 26, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  28. ^ "We packed up the summer camp….and we feel the blues of saying goodbye to this beautiful place we called 'home' for the last three month". September 28, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  29. ^ "More cherries on the pie!". October 14, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  30. ^ "Nightwish's Next Album To Feature Guest Appearance By British Professor Richard Dawkins". Blabbermouth.net.
  31. ^ "THE MIXING OF THE ALBUM HAS BEGUN". October 29, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  32. ^ "The mix of our new album is finished". October 29, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  33. ^ "First Single "Élan" Announced By Nightwish, Due Out February". Metal Underground. Retrieved 4 January 2015. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  34. ^ "NIGHTWISH "Endless Forms Most Beautiful"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  35. ^ a b "NIGHTWISH: ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL". Dangerdog.com. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  36. ^ a b "Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful review". Metal Storm. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  37. ^ a b "ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL [featuring a reviews section]publisher=Mad Supply". 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  38. ^ "ENDLESS FORMS MOST BEAUTIFUL The Guardian". 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-02-04.
  39. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  40. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  41. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  42. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  43. ^ "Nightwish: Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  44. ^ "Lescharts.com – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  45. ^ "Charts.nz – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  46. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  47. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  48. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  49. ^ "2015-04-05 Top 40 Rock & Metal Albums Archive | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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