Review Summary: Doing as dreamers do, once again
A delicate balance of resplendent theatricality and goofy pantomime lies at the heart of Nightwish’s signature sound. Even harking back to their earliest, more goth-infused selections, this caustic duology is consistently present, along with plenty of memorable occasions where the balancing act was down to a fine art. Though there had been certain moments of wayward sway beforehand, it was following the release of
Imaginaerum and the departure of vocalist Anette Olzon that the formula started to falter in a notable way. The reason for this had very little to do with Olzon’s contributions as vocalist, as even though the two records on which she featured were far from the band’s best they were nonetheless fine additions to their discography. Fundamentally, however, they both featured fully-realised concepts that allowed the lore to inform their tone. Using
Dark Passion Play as an example, the LP capitalised on its darker aesthetic with grand, sweeping orchestration and appropriate levels of solemnity where necessary. Nothing too far off the beaten path for Nightwish, to be sure, but having a musical style that doesn’t mesh with the conceptual infrastructure snatches the substance from all aspects the experience. Simply put, by leaning heavily into the thematics, the music finds an appropriate anchor point to maintain balance within the overtone. The band’s work post-
Imaginaerum has felt clumsy and quite bland in comparison to its predecessors; underdeveloped, poorly implemented ideas flanked by the usual one-two of symphonic hoo-ha and power metal riffs.
Yesterwynde, their tenth studio album (and first since
Century Child not to feature bassist/ vocalist Marko Hietala), doesn’t address all of the complacencies that have crept into the outfit’s recent sound, but it tinkers with just enough on the foundational level that the balance, though not fully even, has been somewhat restored.
Yesterwynde shares much with Nightwish’s previous two full-lengths, but also feels far more sonically in-step with the huge sound of the outfit’s late ‘90s/ early ‘00s iteration, even if this effect is only fleetingly apparent. True opener ‘An Ocean Of Strange Islands’ is a hell of an introductory composition and sets the album perfectly in gear, with a jubilant chorus and well-implemented classical elements reminiscent of some of the band’s landmark compositions. Echoes of the
Oceanborn era specifically can be heard in the riffs and the piece’s aggressive final throes, and overall the song is a perfect example of a balance struck between the silly and the serious; overblown, yet controlled. The same can be said of ‘The Children Of ‘Ata’, which upends its corny melody with a satisfyingly cataclysmic final third, allowing the composition to feel both rapturous and grounded in the same moment. Unfortunately, pieces like ‘The Day Of…’ and ‘Perfume Of The Timeless’ lean far too hard into tackiness, forming experiences that strive for stirring but overreach into the realm of trite, even borderline embarrassing. The former is perhaps the most glaring example of this; a stripped back and anthemic venture that feels extremely underwhelming given the dynamism of preceding number, ‘The Antikythera Mechanism’. Though infused with child-choir vocals and an earworm melody, the content has no weight at all and brings the flow of the record’s energy to a screeching halt at only three tracks in. By comparison, ‘Sway’, though also displaying a heavy imbalance on the cheese scale, is similarly slow-paced but a far more refined cut overall, gracefully transporting the listener to a shimmering musical landscape rather than violently attempting to instil a sense of artificial conviction. ‘Something Whispered Follow Me’ and ‘Hiraeth’, with their simple but carefully entwined instrumentation and soaring vocal performances also exemplify this nuance by allowing the atmospherics to soak in gradually, rather than half-heartedly forcing a poorly-realised feeling.
As previously noted, Nightwish typically succeed best when their conceptual foundation is rooted in fantasy or folkloric preoccupations, as such a focal point pairs ideally with their rousing brand of symphonic power metal. Unlike the scientific thematics of
Endless Forms or the sociopolitical ponderings found on
HVMAN, their most recent release focuses on memory and related psychological manifestations/ underpinnings. Though it remains more grounded at its core against Nighwish’s seminal LPs, its focus on the intangible, along with the use of fairytale imagery to express this, affords a greater sense of synchronicity with the bombastic music style. Nonetheless, primary songwriter/ keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen’s approach feels mostly unchanged, but thanks to the more appropriate sense of wonderment throughout, the typical orchestral components supplement the album’s core ideas to far greater effect. The uproarious but delirious use of strings on ‘The Weave’ are noteworthy in this regard, their shrill urgency accented by an accompanying choir and thunderous percussion. The impassioned but aggressive instrumental whirls and descents within the piece mirror the themes of the song superbly, which primarily concern ideas of love, fondness and memories thereof decaying, through evocative, emotional imagery within the lyrics. Vocalist Floor Jansen brings such lyrics to life in her signature virtuosic style, showcasing a stunning range throughout the record, with the alternating between low and high notes on ‘The Antikythera Mechanism’ being a particular highlight.
Yesterwynde, though not a complete return to form, maintains the elements of the expected Nightwish sound with some impressive dynamism, and although the attempted grandeur doesn’t always land flush, the resulting corniness never feels overbearing. In the modern era of Nightwish, the release exhibits far more character within the songwriting, predominantly thanks to the greater synchronicity with its concept, which feels fully-formed and appropriately rich. Of course, Jansen’s vocals are a highlight as always, but Holopainen’s songwriting has seldom been more compelling in times of late; overblown, rich, creative, and aided by a svelte production that allows every facet to shine within the broader scope of the sound. Moreover, the record is actually fun and uplifting, which is a feature that felt somewhat absent from the flat, serious tones of the band’s previous two albums. Admittedly, there is little here that feels quintessential as a Nightwish composition, but almost all of the material works well and has a classic power behind it that allows even the lesser pieces to flourish as distractions, if nothing else. It doesn’t feel like a ‘development’ as such, but it certainly feels like an improvement; more exuberant, timely, and refined in all the ways that matter.
