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Erik · by Erik 05-21-2008, 01:25 PM

It is almost summer time here in beautiful San Diego. As I sit on the beach and look upon the beauty of nature, I quickly turn and check out the saucy little brunette down near the life guard tower who is wearing a white bikini that looks like whip cream from heaven covering her perfectly tanned body. Ah, I am in a good mood as of late. The fact that gas prices are sky rocketing or that our presidential hopefuls are all out to tear each other a new ass hole all the while our economy sinks deeper into chaos isn't really bothering me. The sun, the sand and hot women...it's good to be at peace and happy.

I hope the fact that I am in a good mood shines through with some of this writing because I feel that people's work is done best when they are happy with where they are. Nightwish is now like this. I had the pleasure of seeing them once before with Tarja and after all the videos of them with Annette, their new front lady, I don't like Nightwish more, I simply appreciate and respect them more.

I went back to Wishmaster the other day and it wasn't the same majestic odyssey that I remember. It felt stale with the melodies feeling to synthetic and too equipped to deal with Tarja's bombastic soprano vocals. After Tarja of course, it seemed every band that had a symphonic edge got an opera singer and it got really annoying. This followed straight into the pop-opera metal era with Century Child and Once. Once felt like a soundtrack to a movie with its catchy songs like "Nemo" and "I Wish I had an Angel" or it's ultimate Final Fantasy boss battle style epic, "Ghost Love Score". The production is crisp on all their albums and my only real problem with them is their general stale feeling. It is epic without commitment. This was probably a showcasing of the inner turmoil the band was going through during this time.

Nightwish in 2004 with Tarja

Tarja never liked metal. The fact that she is now a solo artist and her material is hard rock/metal-esk is upsetting. She is a commercial whore to say the least. She is capitalizing on her success and fanbase from Nightwish to embark upon a hopefully fruitful solo career. Nightwish was left to find a replacement for a singularly key member of the band. Then the Finns got a Swede. Annette was an interesting choice for the band being that she was not an opera singer, she was actually just a regular rock singer. Many feared for the worst when this happened and the fanbase screamed heavy cries of pain at the generic goth metal that was about to be unleashed upon them. I too was one of the angry miscreants that badgered the web with my over opinionated slander and vocalization about the death of something unique and the birth of sameness.

Nightwish 2007 with Annette...sadly they still look as gay as ever.

I kept this opinion for a long while until I gave their latest album, Dark Passion Play, another listen. It's not bad. The melody work is great and inventive and Annette's voice isn't over used or even pushed to try to prove that she is better than Tarja. Then it came to me. It's as if the band is starting over. After reading keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen's statement about the band's direction I understood what they were doing. Tarja's voice was never intended to be Nightwish. Tuomas, who is THE song writer for the band, wanted a sort of "campfire metal". This to me means a combination of folk with Enya style melodies, and then followed up with the grind of a metal guitar and some bass. That is what was achieved on their last album and they sound in sync.

You can really tell this with their live performances as all the band members are excited to be on stage and they play off of each other really well. Annette is a great front woman with an adorable demeanor that is tomboyish to a degree. She is the rock chick and is part of the band. I am hoping to see the band this Friday as well and I write this as a precursor and prediction. I find it all the more odd that I am not a huge fan of their music but, it has grown on me.

Their singles can still lick my balls though and if the entire band was like the start of this video, I wish they would.

Ashman · 02:14 PM

good article. ya, that was one thing i said about her right of the bat, she's definitly more of a front woman then tarja ever was. tarja was always just a singer with some music accompaniment. She never truley seemed part of the group. it was more like watching an opera singer belt out tunes with a orchestra underneath the stage. Ya, they play well together, but they kind of end up being 2 separate entities. annette is more a part of the band, and puts on a great show to boot. as i said, the first time i saw them, all she really said was "hello" in that adorable accent of hers, but this last time, she was chatting with the audiance, and having an overall grand time of it. i'll be seeing them again in august when they come back around.

SheWolf

I'm glad you saw the light Erik...you should have just listened to me in the frist place

would have saved yourself some time

well i don't really listen to Nightwish often anymore but i can say i still like them. I definetly would see them live again and will be intrested in their next album. I always thought Once was under par and i do see as Dark passion play as some what as a return to roots...it doesnt sound anything like the angels fall first (or any of the other first albums...i think it might sound more like Century child - i know people will dissagree with that probabbly)...but there is a feeling/energy/mood in the new album that seems more authentic, for lack of a better word.
Anyways like i said after i saw them live with Anette "Nightwish is not dead" But i admit i had to see them live to believe that.

Anyone else notice a lot of Erik's articles starts with him looking at a hot girl!

Dr. Lindgren

I do have to agree with the article, despite the fact that I'm a pretty big Nightwish fan. I don't know if I will go see them live when they come through my area on Tuesday though, seeing as I'm not too hot on the opening act. And for the record, I would not recommend Tarja's new album.

Amok

Good little article. I'd still take older Nightwish over the new Nightwish, but that's not saying much. At all.

Ashman Kneel before ZOD Moderator MRU Donor Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Scotia, NY USA Posts: 2,956 Images: 76 Horns up: 16 Horns up 297 times in 188 posts	good article. ya, that was one thing i said about her right of the bat, she's definitly more of a front woman then tarja ever was. tarja was always just a singer with some music accompaniment. She never truley seemed part of the group. it was more like watching an opera singer belt out tunes with a orchestra underneath the stage. Ya, they play well together, but they kind of end up being 2 separate entities. annette is more a part of the band, and puts on a great show to boot. as i said, the first time i saw them, all she really said was "hello" in that adorable accent of hers, but this last time, she was chatting with the audiance, and having an overall grand time of it. i'll be seeing them again in august when they come back around. Last edited by Ashman; 05-21-2008 at 02:14 PM.
	It's just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year long the grasshopper kept burying acorns for winter while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV. But then the winter came and the grasshopper died and the octopus ate all his acorns and also he got a racecar. Is any of this getting through to you?

SheWolf White and Nerdy Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Montreal, Qc, Canada Posts: 1,577 Images: 7 Horns up: 1 Horns up 11 times in 5 posts	I'm glad you saw the light Erik...you should have just listened to me in the frist place would have saved yourself some time well i don't really listen to Nightwish often anymore but i can say i still like them. I definetly would see them live again and will be intrested in their next album. I always thought Once was under par and i do see as Dark passion play as some what as a return to roots...it doesnt sound anything like the angels fall first (or any of the other first albums...i think it might sound more like Century child - i know people will dissagree with that probabbly)...but there is a feeling/energy/mood in the new album that seems more authentic, for lack of a better word. Anyways like i said after i saw them live with Anette "Nightwish is not dead" But i admit i had to see them live to believe that. Anyone else notice a lot of Erik's articles starts with him looking at a hot girl!
	'No Law can be more sacred to me but that of my nature' - Emerson

Dr. Lindgren At the Palace of Wisdom Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,043 Images: 35 Horns up: 21 Horns up 56 times in 48 posts	I do have to agree with the article, despite the fact that I'm a pretty big Nightwish fan. I don't know if I will go see them live when they come through my area on Tuesday though, seeing as I'm not too hot on the opening act. And for the record, I would not recommend Tarja's new album.
	Metal Psalter http://www.myspace.com/drlindgren

Amok They All Look At Me Funny Moderator MRU Donor Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Olympia, WA. Posts: 10,016 Images: 4 Horns up: 283 Horns up 606 times in 458 posts	Good little article. I'd still take older Nightwish over the new Nightwish, but that's not saying much. At all.
	Garbage Day!