Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

[Stefan]

 

 

From nuclearblast.de:

 

2014-12-22 12:00 - Right before the peaceful days of Christmas, Finland-based symphonic metal members of NIGHTWISH want to share some important news with everyone. On March 27th (EU), 30th (UK) and 31st (US), the long expected new studio album will be released, entitled »Endless Forms Most Beautiful«.

"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.”
- Charles Darwin, »The Origin Of Species«

“This classic quote is where it all began. We set sail for the ultimate journey in March 2015, join us!”, adds Tuomas Holopainen secretly.

 

The detailed cover-artwork was created by longtime collaborator Toxic Angel. »Endless Forms Most Beautiful« features eleven new songs and will be released in different formats:

Standard CD
Digibook (incl. instrumental CD)
2LP (vinyl in gatefold) in different colours
Earbook (incl. instrumental and orchestral CD)
Earbook (deluxe version incl. bonus vinyl)
Download

 

Beforehand there will be the release of the first single called 'Élan', which will be out on February 13th. The 4-track single features the album version, radio edit and an alternate version of 'Élan', as well as the non-album bonus track 'Sagan'.

 

»Endless Forms Most Beautiful« will be the first NIGHTWISH studio album to feature Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen. Longtime drummer Jukka Nevalainen will sit out on the recording sessions due to health issues; Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN a.o.) will replace him. NIGHTWISH also revealed the famed evolutionary biologist and writer, Professor Richard Dawkins as a guest on this eighth studio album.

 

 

[Gibbo]

I'm looking forward to hearing this - Floor Jansen has an amazing voice.

 

I never really liked Nightwish when Tarja was fronting the band - she was far too 'Celine Dion' for my liking (JamesEagle will now hunt me down and kill me), but the stuff they did with Anette Olzon was superb.

 

I just hope that, in a couple of years' time, we're not reading about how yet another singer has left the Nightwish camp!

[DaHun72]

Wow Gibbo my opinion is exactly the opposite. Lived the tarja material and couldn't stand the annette stuff. Keen to hear what this incarnation delivers.

[Jez]

This should be a great album. Love both the Tarja and Annette era's of the band and really looking forward to hearing Floor on her debut.

[Gibbo]

Wow Gibbo my opinion is exactly the opposite. Lived the tarja material and couldn't stand the annette stuff. Keen to hear what this incarnation delivers.

 

Yeah, I know I'm swimming against the tide when it comes to Tarja/Anette ... I can't help but wonder how Floor will cope with the Nightwish set-up, given that she had quite a hefty input to both After Forever and Re-Vamp ...

[Stefan]

 

Tracks:

 

01. Shudder Before The Beautiful
02. Weak Fantasy
03. Élan
04. Yours Is An Empty Hope
05. Our Decades In the Sun
06. My Walden
07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful
08. Edema Ruh
09. Alpenglow
10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula
11. The Greatest Show On Earth

[Stefan]

[AlphaMale]

Worlds most bland and boring song.

[Jez]

Good tune, without being too surprising..sets the album up nicely

[heavyharmonies]

Decent, but not earth shattering. I will say though, that I like that they didn't go with an operatic style vocalist. I much prefer the pop/rock vocal style (Delain, Within Temptation, etc.) with metal over the overly dramatic operatic style that seems to be the rage.

[DaHun72]

Zzzzz snoozefest. Completely underwhelming and boring. This band has lost their way since Tarja's departure. They now sound like one of the pack in this genre rather than being one of the leaders. So disappointing for me but it's been on this slide for a while so I guess it's no surprise.

[Gibbo]

I was expecting a little more ... 'oomph' ... especially when you think about Floor's work with After Forever and ReVamp ... I'll reserve judgement until I've heard a couple more songs, though

[Delbert]

Different things for different folks.......the first released track is total comfort to my ears......I have been a long time, no, all time fan of NIGHTWISH from the beginning. I did experience a downshift during the Annette Olzen era as I just didn't think she was the right fit for the band. Her vocals had nowhere near the range and strength of Tarja. Now, Floor Jansen steps to the front and she has a dynamic voice that blends extremely well with the style of symphonic metal that the band plays.

 

I am waiting with bated breath for this one and anxiously await another DVD concert as well!!

[Stefan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiblUUGQaN4

[Dark Star]

I preferred Nightwish with Tarja?? but this is not bad at all.....

[Stefan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJeQIZgSCq8

[mrbandwidth]

A bit late but... The Greatest Unofficial Videos on Earth:

 

-A shudder before the beautiful, intro words by scientist Richard Dawkins (author of The Selfish Gene and The Greatest show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution which inspired Tuomas Holopainen this album):

 

 

 

-Endless Forms Most Beautiful:

 

 

 

-Greatest Show on Earth, all the Universe's History in one video, final words are from Darwin, The origin of species:

 

 

 

-Edema Ruh, in the book The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss, the Edema Ruh are nomads which play at the villages they visit:

 

 

 

-My Walden, from Henry Thoureau's 1854 "Walden" essay about the life at the woods:

 

 

 

-Sagan, bonus track inspired by scientist Carl Sagan, creator of Cosmos TV series: