Ah....ok. No cookie monster vocals, although the bass player does sing some lead. His voice is a bit gruff, but good and fits the music well.Originally Posted by JKL2000
Ah....ok. No cookie monster vocals, although the bass player does sing some lead. His voice is a bit gruff, but good and fits the music well.
Dark Passion Play is my favorite album.
I saw them just over a year ago for the first time after having been a fan for the better part of two decades now. (Their logo is one of only three tattoos I possess.) They exceeded my expectations, in spite of having two opening acts to cut into their set. Oceanborn (the second studio release from '98) will always be a personal favorite of mine. I do, however, enjoy most if not almost all of their catalogue (have heard all but a handful of tunes by them).While they may not have quite as many virtuosic instrumental tracks/passages as many other bands under the expansive umbrella of prog, they definitely can be loosely lumped in, as their brand of symphonic metal isn't just that. (I've heard everything from acoustic and electric folk, to classical, to circus music, to...well, you get the point.)
'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold
I wondered when you'd chime in here!
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
As I said before I'm not really a fan but they are fun to watch live and I like it that they are successful and have lots of happy fans.
Floor does add some growls in "yours is an empty hope"!
Floor is an incredible and versatile vocalist. I'm amazed with how effortless she makes some of those powerful vocals on the Ayreon (and related) albums look. And she's just flawless! I've always been SO impressed by her. I'm not into Nightwish but I have no doubt she does a bang-up job of that as well.
Check this out if you haven't already (it's short) :
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Four days ago, I posted in this thread that I'm "not into" Nightwish. But I decided to check out this latest album since I am such a fan of Floor. And against all odds, I fell in love with it! It's not my usual fare, but I'll be damned, I can't stop listening to it. Just ordered the 3-CD Earbook edition.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Floor really does bring a different element to the band. It also does not hurt that they have done a full blown prog epic in "The Greatest Show On Earth". My favorite album is still "Imaginarium" with Annette on vocals, but although I like the Tarja stuff, I think they have improved as songwriters over the years.Four days ago, I posted in this thread that I'm "not into" Nightwish. But I decided to check out this latest album since I am such a fan of Floor. And against all odds, I fell in love with it! It's not my usual fare, but I'll be damned, I can't stop listening to it. Just ordered the 3-CD Earbook edition.
In the four weeks or so since I finally got around to this band, I have become obsessed with them. I now own their entire catalogue with the exception of the Imaginaerum soundtrack and the singles/EPs. Had to buy Once and Dark Passion Play used, but Dark Passion Play showed up with the nice surprise of being autographed by the entire band!
Also been watching interviews from over the years. If I ever get the chance to interview Tuomas for the magazine, I will take it. He's an interesting guy. And I like that I was not around for the drama surrounding the two vocalist firings, because it doesn't taint my view of those periods of the band's career. I like all three singers for different reasons, and it's impossible at this point for me to pick a favourite album... but I do have standout songs. Ghost Love Score has got to be the ultimate Nightwish track - and does Floor ever NAIL it on the Showtime, Storytime DVD! Wow. Romanticide, The Greatest Show On Earth, The Poet And The Pendulum, Dead Boy's Poem... other current favourites.
How foolish of me to have ignored them for so long. I just missed them when they came through Toronto, a show the band claimed was excellent.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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^^ I've been aware of Nightwish for a long time and enjoyed watching the occasional video on YouTube. A couple of days ago though after watching a video of Ghost Love Score at Wacken I have become slightly obsessed too. I've just been listening to their most recent album Endless Forms Most Beautiful and fallen head over heels in love with it, what a concept! What emotional life affirming words and lyrics, it has me in tears at several points, just ordered the cd/dvd - Floor is a goddess! Suffice to say they have a new fan, now trying to work out which DVD set to get - Wacken or Wembley? Sadly I realised I missed them in London last month..
I actually like their more recent material better than what most consider their classic stuff with Tarja. The two albums they did with Annette are really good IMO, and Floor is simply an amazing vocalist and even more amazing performer. I only have the Wacken DVD / CD, but it is really good.
Wacken is an excellent show. Since I last posted in this thread, I ended up getting just about everything they've ever released, apart from some redundant CD singles and compilations. That includes the complete Tarja solo discography, which added a lot - and subtracted a lot of money from my wallet! BTW I agree that the two Annette albums are fantastic, and to take it a step further, her solo album Shine is one of my most listened-to of them all. It's really excellent, one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the whole trip for me!
I even delved into Marco's previous band Tarot, a great hard rock/heavy metal band that are a little more straight-ahead and less cinematic than Nightwish. I have five or six CDs so far and really enjoy them. They even do a couple of Tull covers.
I was already a Floor fan from her singing with Ayreon, so it was a treat to interview her recently for her album Northward, a collaboration with Jørn Viggo Lofstad of Pagan's Mind. And yes, the Endless Forms Most Beautiful album is fantastic. Really excited for the followup that they will finally begin recording next summer, for release in 2020.
I'm glad I wasn't heavily into them back in the day. I have no loyalty one way or another to any particular singer or phase of their career. I love it all, and the many offshoot albums as well (check out Tuomas' solo album, VERY good, or his Auri project released this year.) It's amazing to think this all happened this year for me. My collection and knowledge of the band (including books, documentaries, DVDs, etc.) would suggest otherwise!
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Floor's main gig back in the day was the band After Forever. They started off as a "beauty and the beast" band with alternating growl vocals, but evolved to feature Floor more. Their last, self-titled album from 2007 is a masterpiece--as good as anything Nightwish has ever released. Highly recommended.
Yes, I know them too. I'm not too into them or the other bands they are often mentioned with (Epica, etc.) but Floor was always outstanding in anything she did.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Speaking of side projects. Floor has a new one with the guitarist from Pagans Mind called Northward. It is more straight up hard rock, but really good.
Some of the tracks almost remind me of The Cult and some more modern alt-rock kind of bands. It's quite good, and loaded with great guitar riffs. We went through every track on the album, and Floor was quite eager to talk about them all!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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The first thing that came to my mind was Halestorm. It is definitely a stab in a more commercial direction, but Floor could probably sing the phone book and I would like it.
Some of the tracks almost remind me of The Cult and some more modern alt-rock kind of bands. It's quite good, and loaded with great guitar riffs. We went through every track on the album, and Floor was quite eager to talk about them all!
Agreed. She has such power, but is so beautifully controlled. Close to flawless IMO, and she's pretty dazzling in the operatic realm too. Oddly enough they haven't used her for that in Nightwish, perhaps to avoid the comparisons with Tarja, or perhaps simply because the material didn't call for it. But I'm always amazed by her.
Anneke van Giersbergen is another whose voice I will never tire of. She's my "phone book" singer, particularly the multi-tracked harmonies she comes up with in the studio.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Agree, Anneke is another amazing vocalist. I only got to see her live once when she was still with the Gathering. She has a very different stage presence from Floor, but great in her own way.
As a new fan I think I'll get the Decades compilation, just been listening on Spotify and pretty much like it all. I cant imagine how they will top Endless Forms next time but it does seem pretty amazing that for a band that has been going for 20 years they now seem to be at their peak. Its so much fun watching their live videos, the audience are so enjoying themselves and full of enthusiasm - if only we could have this at a Yes concert
On a more general note this reminds me of thoughts about female singers in rock bands. What if Nightwish had always had a male singer - would they have been successful - would we have even heard of them? I doubt it.
Steve, what other albums do you have? Decades is a nice compilation but you might be better served focusing on another full album. Just a thought.
As for the second part, it's hard to say. They grew quickly in popularity because of their unique sound combining operatic female vocals with dark and cinematic music. I don't know if there are many male vocalists who would have the proper range to sing the style of music that Tuomas writes.
Oddly enough, for how much I love all three vocalists, I also love a lot of the instrumental versions included on some of the special edition CDs. One particularly excellent listen is the instrumental version of The Poet And The Pendulum.
Just want to mention one more time about Anette's album Shine, just in case that got missed by anyone. I highly recommend checking it out. It's less than 40 minutes but a truly great album of songs from beginning to end.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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The “Decades” compilation is a really nice overview. When I saw them back in March you got it free with your ticket purchase, which was very cool (they handed them out at the door as you entered the theater).As a new fan I think I'll get the Decades compilation, just been listening on Spotify and pretty much like it all. I cant imagine how they will top Endless Forms next time but it does seem pretty amazing that for a band that has been going for 20 years they now seem to be at their peak. Its so much fun watching their live videos, the audience are so enjoying themselves and full of enthusiasm - if only we could have this at a Yes concert
On a more general note this reminds me of thoughts about female singers in rock bands. What if Nightwish had always had a male singer - would they have been successful - would we have even heard of them? I doubt it.
Regarding the audience. When I saw them in March they really had the perfect set up. They had a "pit" down front for the people who wanted to stand and then reserved seats in the rest of the theater. You still had the energy of a standing show up front on the floor, but for those who wanted to sit that was available too. As the debate between standing vs sitting shows constantly rages on this site, I love shows like this that provide both.
I doubt they would have had nearly as good a run without the female vocals.
I don't have any yet, Endless Forms is on its way to me though. To be honest I don't see myself buying up all their back catalogue, not yet anyway, so I thought the Decades set was a good idea. I also found the Elan single on E Bay which has the Sagan bonus track which I love, so going to get that too as well the Wembley DVD!
Agreed, there's something about having a good strong female vocalist that makes a band stand out from the crowd. I cant help wondering how different things would have been if Dream Theater had a female singer!
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