Fugazi

Floor Fridays are back... sort of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVQtYAmT348

The background music to this short message from Tuomas sounds like it might be a snippet of new music? A looping track of tribal drums and a few string notes... intriguing. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/neXExs8sEpc

I might have considered waiting for a week or two, but 4 months until the album release is way too long! Not to mention that YouTube would be teasing me with the single(s) each and every day until September! 😁

Two weeks left before the first single is released, and the single cover has now officially been revealed to those who pre-save the single. Here's the teaser for that: Any expectations about the single? At 8:30 it could be either a slow building piece like 'Music' or 'The Greatest Show On Earth', or just an eclectic song like 'The Poet And The Pendulum' or GLS... The cover evokes a slow, mellow song like 'Our Decades In The Sun' or 'Procession', but somehow I don't think that a slow introspective song would serve the promotion of the new album that well. For instance, I don't think that 'Eva' went down so well as the first taste of Dark Passion Play and the introduction to Anette, from what I could read online! 😜

Updates from Arjen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6CJ2IpWA0U

A review of the full album: https://www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-review-anette-olzon-rapture-2024-frontiers-music In essence: "Rapture - Olzon’s third solo album - sees her finding a balance between powerful orchestral leanings and melodic symphonic / power metal. Individually, each song contains enough memorable hooks and dynamic choruses to please many fans of the singer and of the genre as a whole. There is no doubt that the album is well produced, slickly played and beautifully sung but listening to Rapture in its entirety, Hear My Voice aside, there is little to separate the songs in structure and technique and the tracks sometimes merge into one. How much the album will stand up to repeated listens will be down to the individual listener. Olzon deserves immense respect for everything she has achieved in a range of musical outlets and Rapture – which is not a poor album in any way - certainly encapsulates what she is best known for. While lyrically it is a strong statement, more unexpected turns, variations or refreshing deviations could have made it a great album rather than simply a collection of similar sounding good songs."

The big news today is that Epica singer Simone Simons is releasing in August a solo album that she has been working on secretly for a year, and the first single goes live tomorrow. But the perhaps bigger surprise is that the new album 'Vermillion' will be co-written, played and produced by Arjen Lucassen! https://simonesimonsmusic.com/ "For more than 20 years, ever since she was a teenager, Simone Simons has been spearheading the world of female fronted metal. As a lead singer, icon, and role model for a whole generation of female metalheads, the Epica lead singer remains one of the most prominent key figures in all things metal. After eight albums and countless global tours with her band, Simone Simons finally found the time to release her first solo album “Vermillion”, showcasing her many different influences ranging from prog rock to film scores to metal to electronic elements. Simone chose not to rush her solo project, opting instead to thoughtfully consider how she wanted to present herself. Enter stage right Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon). Her musical partner and longtime collaborator is no stranger to her soaring operatic voice. And while many would use their solo effort as a radical, even provocative departure from everything they stood for, Simone remains true to her love for epic melodies, huge choruses and monumental, intelligent music." 1 Aeterna 06:02 2 In Love We Rust 04:46 3 Cradle To The Grave (feat. Alyssa White-Gluz) 03:59 4 Fight or Flight 05:24 5 Weight of my World 04:21 6 Vermillion Dreams 04:36 7 The Core 03:56 8 Dystopia 04:44 9 R.E.D. 04:04 10 Dark Night Of The Soul 04:12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP_oPiU55rs We are releasing the 'Worlds Collide Tour - Live in Amsterdam' on DVD on June 21, 2024! Preorder yours now: https://www.within-temptation.com/collections/worlds-collide-tour During the Worlds Collide Tour, we played two sold-out shows in our home country at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. They were our first-ever headlining shows in Ziggo Dome and a total of 30.000 fans were there to witness. Relive the adrenaline-pumping excitement of the Worlds Collide Tour from the comfort of your own home as the first show in Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam (NL) on November 29, 2022, will be available on vinyl, CD, Blu-Ray/DVD and in a special 64-page hardcover artbook. About the Worlds Collide Tour Few collaborations in our career have ignited as much anticipation as our co-headlining tour with Evanescence, after it being postponed four times due to COVID! And as soon as the world reopened in 2022, the Worlds Collide Tour finally took place. Over the course of four weeks, the tour traversed 17 cities across Europe and the UK, delivering a total of 19 performances. For this tour, we saw, together with Evanescence, an amazing amount of over 200,000 tickets sold, 7703 km’s traveled, 8 tour buses serving as mobile homes for us and the crew, twelve trailers loaded with the gear to fuel the spectacle, and a dedicated team of over 80 experienced individuals whose tireless efforts ensured that every aspect of the tour ran seamlessly. The 'Worlds Collide Tour' DVD will be out on June 21, 2024.

Another drumcam video from Vaasa, this time 'Sahara'... good stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I85PJHGO-Tc

We have a new album cover to consider, this is Yesterwynde. I like the end result, but fans have noticed the use of a stock image for the spiral clock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/surreal-antique-old-clock-abstract-fractal-790152409

Yesterwynde (2024) Track list (with relevant threads when available) 1. Yesterwynde 2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 3. The Antikythera Mechanism 4. The Day Of... 5. Perfume Of The Timeless 6. Sway 7. The Children Of 'Ata 8. Something Whispered Follow Me 9. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight Credits: From Nuclear Blast: Once there was a dream. And once upon a time – many, many moons ago – there was an enchanting summery twilight – a night full of wishes – on the rocky shores of a North Karelian island. There and then, under the luminous sky and by the crackling campfire, the magic was refined: beautiful acoustic melodies and serene chords began to shine with shooting stars. No difficulty has been able to stop them ever since as they have wandered the path of the elves, gazed at the stars, recited the poems of dead boys, slayed dreamers and wandered the meadows of heaven – just to name a few twists and turns along the fascinating journey. They were certainly there – and they are still here. They are the Finnish / Dutch / British troupe NIGHTWISH – one of the most fascinating rock bands of the last decades, whose enigmatic paths have proceeded from acoustic passages to symphonic heavy metal and from catchy folk to progressive majesty. If there is one trait the band has year after year, it might be this: expect something familiar but also expect the unexpected. NIGHTWISH has indeed broken all kinds of boundaries – never deliberately, but perfectly naturally. Now guess what? NIGHTWISH's new studio album "Yesterwynde" – the band's tenth overall – is no exception to the rule. But it is more... “"Yesterwynde" took more time to make than any previous NIGHTWISH album”, nods keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, who once again envisioned most of the material. "The new album was intensively worked on for 3,5 years. My ambition and piety really skyrocketed, and I just couldn't let go of the creative process – and didn't want to. Along the way, "Yesterwynde" became both an exhilarating obsession and a comforting haven for me. All aspects of the making – compositions, lyrics, arrangements, cover art, videos, mixing and so on – were given more attention than ever before." The result? There's a fascinating, but inexplicable feeling that NIGHTWISH has once again been able to find unprecedented nuances, spices and perspectives in their new works – exactly: after a career of nine classic albums. ""Yesterwynde" is an experience that takes time to digest. The gravid ingredients of the songs are easily recognizable, but beneath the surface lies a large number of intriguing details and features", Holopainen describes. "It's interesting – but not surprising – that "Yesterwynde" has attracted quite a variety of opinions. Some have stated that it is the most 'band' record to date. For some it appears to be the heaviest and most ominous NIGHTWISH release. It has also been called our most progressive album. And the list goes on." And what does Tuomas think of it himself? "To me, "Yesterwynde" sounds, tastes and feels strongly like the true essence of NIGHTWISH – enriched with new moods and flavors." The lyrics of "Yesterwynde" deal with large-sized universal themes: memories, mortality, humanism, time and much more. "The new album is the conclusion of the trilogy – textually it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" and "Human. :II: Nature."", Holopainen says. "At the same time, "Yesterwynde" is the band's most lyrically driven album: our music has never been so 'married' to the lyrics. So here's a tip: if something in the composition puzzles you, the words might clear it up." "For me, one of the key lines is 'we are because of a million loves' – taken from the song "Perfume of the Timeless". Each of us is part of an unbroken chain that stretches back billions of years. If even one of your ancestors had died too young – mauled by a cave bear, for example – during this incredibly long period of time, you would never have been born. In other words: our existence is such an unfathomable privilege!” What does the term 'yesterwynde' mean? "It describes a feeling that cannot be found in any human language. That's why we had to invent a whole new word. The album is supposed to open that feeling to the listener." Without taking anything away from the solid delivery of guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, drummer Kai Hahto, bassist Jukka Koskinen and multi-instrumentalist/singer Troy Donockley, it might be worth highlighting one fact: the performance of the eloquent storyteller Floor Jansen is once again unparalleled. It is simply breathtaking how the singer is able to make songs fly with her performance. "Floor's second child was born just over a month ago, and we hadn't rehearsed together at all... So it was a little nerve-wracking to go to Floor's home studio for vocal recordings. Well, what happened? We had booked twelve working days and after six days everything was completed in style. Floor's preparedness for the sessions was something extreme!" After the recordings and mixing process, there was one more working phase. Mastering. Could you possibly guess that no shortcuts were taken at this point either? "The album was mastered seven times until we reached the finish line – one hundred percent satisfied!", states Tuomas. "When the record was eventually finished, a three-year, extremely inspiring adventure had come to an end. I felt very, very happy." NIGHTWISH's next steps are clear. And they are not the most common ones. "NIGHTWISH will not go on a world tour this time. This was a decision made for personal reasons. But don't worry... Our contract with Nuclear Blast Records includes several albums, and there's plenty of motivation to create new music!" May the dream continue... Written by Timo Isoaho in April 2024

Ok some quick highlights from the interview with Tuomas: "The whole theme of the album is time, history, humanism, mortality. And it has a really optimistic vibe going through it all." "There's going to be an atmospheric mix of the album and the orchestral version of the album.” "There were two journalists yesterday who said, ‘I was expecting something much more metal. This is a really mellow album.’ Really?" "The first single will be a song called Perfume Of The Timeless, and it's eight-and-a-half minutes long, and the chorus comes in at 3:30." "And this album was born from a certain sensation that I felt really strongly, but I couldn't find a word in human language to describe it. [...] It was something like time, memories going black and white, sepia, and I said, ‘something yesterday’. Then [Troy] said, ‘How about Yesterwynde?’ That's perfect! But yeah, it's just a made up word to describe what the album is about." "Jukka [Koskinen], the new bass player, is such a grounding personality that it's so easy to work with him. And his bass playing skills are tremendous, quite different from how Marko played the bass, which also brought a new spice into the music." "People shouldn't get worried. It's not the end of the band. We just signed a multi-record deal with Nuclear Blast, so there will be more music coming, definitely. But as far as shows, we're just gonna have a long breather now and see what happens." Also, I really like the cover image. I don't know if it's still ToxicAngel, but it looks like hand-drawn art instead of computer graphics, and in a world of fake AI imagery I appreciate that they went back to what looks like human-made art like in the Oceanborn-Wishmaster-Century Child period. And the 'X' right next to the Nightwish logo, like a reminder this is the 10th album... Well played! 👍 I wonder if the first song 'Yesterwynde' is a full song or just an introduction to the album, perhaps instrumental? 'An Ocean Of Strange Islands' reminds me of the islands poster Tuomas and Joanna have in their home where each island is a short or long term goal. According to wiki, "Hiraeth is a Welsh word that has no direct English translation. The University of Wales, Lampeter, likens it to a homesickness tinged with grief and sadness over the lost or departed, especially in the context of Wales and Welsh culture. It is a mixture of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness or an earnest desire for the Wales of the past." I find the song names have more of an Auri vibe than anything Nightwish, but it may be misleading if the music is really heavier. 🤔

This is it! 🤘 "Yesterwynde is a fantastical voyage through time, memory, and the better angels of human nature. Three years in the making, we’re thrilled beyond words to share our tenth album with the world on September 20th! Single 'Perfume Of The Timeless' will mark the beginning of this new era and will be released on May 21st. Pre-Save the single now: https://nightwish.bfan.link/perfumeofthetimeless.fpo" 1. Yesterwynde 2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 3. The Antikythera Mechanism 4. The Day Of... 5. Perfume Of The Timeless 6. Sway 7. The Children Of 'Ata 8. Something Whispered Follow Me 9. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight More details here: https://www.kerrang.com/nightwish-album-yesterwynde-interview-tuomas-holopainen-first-look

Many theories floating around on the Internet... One being that there will be some sort of announcement on April 30, 2024 because the latest social posts have featured 30 cogwheels ⚙️, 4 roses 🌹 and 24 butterflies 🦋. Also, on TikTok (!) Nightwish have posted "Which album are you, based on your birth month?" https://www.tiktok.com/@nightwish.official/photo/7361467999439637792 ...with a different album cover picture for each month of the year, except for May where it says 'Our next album' and a big question mark. Are they suggesting an album release as soon as May? Unlikely, but perhaps an album name or even a single in May would be possible.

Kai: This album will be hEaVY!! 🤘💀 Nightwish:

Butterflies, roses and gears? 🦋🌹⚙️ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ad5-sRPqKKQ https://twitter.com/NightwishBand/status/1783406996143710703 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6LWOoqNLy0/

Troy confirmed to return as guest musician on EoM's second album. https://www.facebook.com/eyeofmelian/posts/pfbid0KRK1a4zTWZi7g3AuHiee65f5iyk4aB2Sp8MWq7Jnrb9GdGKC8UeHtscbEwYdk1Ebl

Omega Alive, the 2021 virtual show, is now freely available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrppEWGl_ss It's definitely worth a watch. As mentioned at the time, it's not a true live performance but a concert-length staged "live" movie, but is nonetheless a good show.

An interview with Anette about the new album on Chaoszine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys4LVOjnNQg

Interesting! A butterfly? Ancient script? I wonder if the light color theme is representative of the actual album -- would be a nice change from the dark theme of basically every album after Once.

When official band socials are useless, Kai is still our best ally... https://www.facebook.com/kai.hahto.96/posts/pfbid0L1i9yjXxkSvnGbFqD2MVgkxtkpiyjRawYPo1EQ3WnGxx42fRCbZjgRtAbH3gTsFwl Now, how soon is soon? 👀

I do hope they come back for their next album with a longer set! 8 songs go by so quickly. 😮

Yes, former Delain's singer and lyricist, but the music has always been mainly Martijn's and Guus Eikens' work. I would qualify Charlotte's solo work more introspective and experimental, and certainly less metal for the most part but this third album promises to have heavier arrangements so I'm eager to hear more. But speaking about new music... this sounds exciting: https://www.instagram.com/p/C58riB8iC8g/