Fugazi

Is there? They sort of hinted during their show in Montreal that they would be back in 2024, but I'm looking forward an official statement and the actual dates! 🤘

This will be the first time Nightwish record anything in Sweden, except perhaps for Floor's vocals in the finale of Shoemaker. To think that the album is almost in final form, except for some tweaking! 😮

This announcement may also be on of interest to some: https://www.facebook.com/bestezangerslive/posts/pfbid0UzSDw5XLgPExyPTR653NLCAiZ1BmEZPHBVLozy6Ax3QdQkWQ1628tuJF2LXf7y72l https://bestezangerslive.nl/

More from Marko: a new collaboration with (formerly) cover band Exit Eden, now releasing original material! The first original release is 'Run' and Marko is featured on vocals and in the video. Amanda Somerville has just left the band, but they're moving on as a trio now.

Fresh news! Thankfully, everything seems to be fine with both Floor and the baby.

Am I jealous? Yes! 😁

Another update from Kai's FB: This guy James Shearman is now in charge of the orchestral arrangements now has Pip Williams has (presumably) retired. Shearman is not a newcomer to Nightwish music though, as he has been the conductor for all orchestral recordings from Once to Human Nature, and again on album #10.

I though I would mention here that today is the 20th anniversary of Oceansouls of America, and here is what was posted on their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Oceansouls.America/posts/pfbid021HWUcLJQGRXDiuPoUUNzQe83tv9tJFXjqphH4BQGToWCe2YeoH2bW6DH1jTcv1CZl That said, except for this rarely updated Facebook page and a dormant forum, I'm afraid there's not much of an online presence anymore for this venerable fan group. I wonder where are the Oceansouls today? https://ultimatemetal.com/forums/nightwish-ocean-souls/

I suppose so, especially given Floor's advancing pregnancy it might have been ill advised to go for a longer setlist or to throw in new songs.

Indeed! Orchestra, choirs, they seem to be following the usual recipe! 😁 The other day Kai mentioned a children choir. I don't think there was a children choir on Human Nature, they worked with the Metro Voices, but on EFMB they had both the Metro Voices and Young Musicians London Children's Choir. Also, there are heavy hints of a making-of video for the new album, probably to be used when the promotion drive for the album will get going. But of course they don't even have Floor's voice in the can yet, I wonder if she will record it in her home studio now that she is equipped to do so?

While on tour in South America, Marko is performing a new song presumably from his upcoming second album. It's likely that the album version will not be acoustic. Also not sure if there will be a finnish album counterpart as well?

I thought I would share this general article about how a tour is organized and paid for, I found it informative. It clearly defines the roles of all the people involved in getting a tour on the road. The Mechanics of Touring: How the Live Music Industry Works By Dmitry Pastukhov Published April 28, 2019 https://soundcharts.com/blog/mechanics-of-touring

Now available for streaming, "Live at the AFAS Live" was recorded in Amsterdam on January 27 2023. No physical release seems to have been planned for this recording. The day has finally come, you can stream our new EP, Live at the AFAS Live on all digital platforms today! Recorded in early 2023 at our biggest Dutch headline show to date, this will be our final sign of life, before we go into hibernation mode and record our new album. Enjoy this last trip down memory lane with us and watch the “Code Of Life” live video and stream the full 7-track EP!

Another Instagram update from Tero Kinnunen, this week the band is recording at Abbey Road Studios. It's probably orchestral and choir work. A photo shows the dates October 9-15 as their recording schedule. 17 years ago was during the Dark Passion Play album cycle. According to Wikipedia: When the drummer Jukka Nevalainen was asked about the overall cost of the new album [Dark Passion Play], he was quoted as saying "Roughly half a million... We don't know the exact sum down to the euros and cents as yet." Half of this cost was incurred in London, over an expensive eight days at the Abbey Road Studios in London, UK, during which time the London Session Orchestra, the Metro Voices Choir, a gospel choir and two Irish musicians recorded their parts at the studio. I wonder how much seven days at Abbey Roads costs today! 🤔

A series of interesting fan videos about Kitee and retracing the Nightwish presence there. The creator visits places related to the band in and around Kitee, fun stuff. Kitee episode 1: Nightwish history & museum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOrPUa51otQ Kitee episode 2: Röskö, Nightwish studio camp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA4YFP8bUHA Kitee episode 3: Rantakenttä stadium, Nightwish first rehearsal and performance place! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlNCuLanrN0 Kitee episode 4: first NIGHTWISH studio! HUVIKESKUS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ_yeHDIz6w

A cool and somewhat technical reaction to Storytime, comparing studio and live versions as well. Music Kingdom - Storytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqOa95klv9I While we're at it, he also gave a high score to GLS. Music Kingdom - GLS (studio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOVJs28V13s Music Kingdom - GLS (live): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0JW_vnOIfY

From Wiki: From ReVamp's YouTube channel here's an early interview with Floor explaining the band's genesis.

I'm not going to take credit for this, it's something I recently discovered on Discord... There's an easter egg in the intro of Noise, or actually two! The first is a snippet from the first ever YouTube video, 'Me At The Zoo' (link). We can hear 'Here we are in front of the elephants' at about 12 seconds into the song. Right after, and just before the band kicks in, Floor shouts 'Shut up!'. The first snippet is easier to hear, but Floor can only be heard when listening to the song in mono audio. Here it is in stereo: Noise stereo.mp3 And in mono: Noise mono.mp3 🤪

Fair enough. It's just that one might argue that the band hasn't been included in this particular experiment, except Floor for some bits here and there. 🙂 Curious to see how much orchestra will be a part of the upcoming 'heavier' album. They scaled down for Disc 1 of Human Nature but went full on with Disc 2. Will they return to the medium ground of EFMB?

They certainly have. The latest release, the virtual show, was licensed by 'A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts' to Nuclear Blast. 'A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts' is the company presumably formed by the current band members, whereas the old company 'Oily Empire' must have included Marko. My bet is that the new album will be paid for and licensed by 'A Lovely Bunch' to a record label, perhaps even Nuclear Blast, but that the band will therefore keep the rights to their music and any future re-releases.

It would appear that the aforementioned show will not be a one-off, but more like part of a full tour with Tarja and Marko. 👀 From Tarja's Facebook: Just days after wrapping up an extended and successful tour in South America on her own, an exciting news: March 2024 will witness the first time in 18 years when Tarja will tour again with Marko Hietala!! Having shared many albums and world tours, they will get back together on stage within Tarja´s own “Living the Dream – The Hits Tour 2024”. Tarja recently released her first greatest hits album: “Best of Tarja – Living the Dream”. Tarja chose the songs for the album, most of them fans' favorites and her own preferred ones. The album remastered at Sterling Sound presents her new single “Eye of The Storm” together with material from all her rock albums ‘My Winter Storm’, ‘What Lies Beneath’, ‘Colours in the Dark’, ‘The Brightest Void’, ‘The Shadow Self’ and ‘In the Raw’. Often recognized as the Queen on the symphonic rock scene, Tarja is the best-known Finnish solo artist in the world of music. Soprano, composer, and performer, she achieved worldwide fame by co-founding and being the voice and image of the Finnish metal band Nightwish for nine years, with whom she garnered Gold and Platinum records in many countries. But she was not alone in the band as Marko was an integral part of it as well. Marko will perform his own songs together with his band mate, the talented guitarist Tuomas Wäinolä and after that will join Tarja on stage for a memorable night. Expectations are high. What will Tarja and Marko come up with? Old songs? New ones maybe? What would you like to listen to in the set list of the 2024 concerts? Please name your favourite song in Tarja's SM and don’t miss out on these unique unrepeatable shows!!!! https://www.facebook.com/tarjaofficial/posts/pfbid02EyMHFmEZ9sxddzS8YtkZg8JZ3GchNj6Upv4ZoYFLWjFGw4dauLUpwYYLXcCJFyTPl I'm looking forward to more details, this could be a rare chance to see Marko in North America now that he's no longer in a major band, but so far only South American dates have been posted. What would you like to hear them sing together?

Has NW signed on with another label yet? Or have they extended their contract with Nuclear Blast? I don't think there have been any updates on this matter since last year?

There has been no mention on the 10th album of anything on the scale of All The Works Of Nature, so now with a couple of years of hindsight, what is your opinion on this type of extended orchestral piece on a Nightwish album? Myself I enjoyed the music, and I'll be forever glad that it provided us with Ad Astra, the memorable finale that works so well to close live shows. On the other hand, I'm a bit put off by the fact that this is not a band effort, but really Tuomas and an orchestra. All The Works Of Nature is integral to the band album, with Side A - Human and Side B - Nature. But it feels more like Nightwish :||: Tuomas than Human :||: Nature, and perhaps here the needs of art for art's sake have overridden the needs of the band -- and the fans? I'm on the fence -- I do like the whole of HN, and Tuomas will try anything once (eg. Imaginaerum movie) but do I want more of this? Probably not. We've been told about a heavier 10th album -- let's see what surprises Tuomas has in store this time. 😁

Kai will do a solo show in Helsinki next year, around the time I presume the next NW album will be released. ALONE - An evening with Kai Hahto "Witness his mesmerizing drumming skills at Apollo in Helsinki on Feb 3, 2024. "Alone" brings you unique renditions from Nightwish, Wintersun, Swallow the Sun, and more. How? All by himself, Alone! Don't miss out!" Kai is excited about the new project: "Alone is a tribute to my drum journey. Since the 90's I have toured and recorded with different bands, for example Cartilage, Wings, Misantropia, Rotten Sound, Vomiturition, Enochian Crescent, Aggressor, Max on the Rox, Swallow the Sun, Wintersun, Trees of Eternity, Auri and of course the last 9 years with Nightwish so now it's time to stop for a moment and look at everything that has been done in the last 30 years. Thousands of gigs and around 40 studio albums later, it's time to celebrate this journey, the music and my own 50th anniversary." https://allthingslive.fi/event/alone-an-evening-with-kai-hahto

An interesting read about Within Temptation's new album, using AI, and more. https://www.metaltalk.net/sharon-den-adel-reveals-all-about-new-album-bleed-out-and-going-independent.php I didn't know this album is going to be an independent release. It's available for pre-order on their website (https://www.within-temptation.com/). There's also a new single available, Ritual. I find it lighter, poppier than other recent singles. This is the 7th (!) single from the upcoming album, therefore only 4 tracks remain unheard. I hope this strategy doesn't hurt their album sales too much.