Nightwish

Nightwish is a Finnish Symphonic Metal band formed in 1996 in Kitee, North Karelia, by keyboardist and composer Tuomas Holopainen. Throughout its history, the band has had eleven musicians in its lineup.

Nightwish had been popular in Finland since the release of their first album, “Angels Fall First” (1997), and gained fame in Europe with the album “Oceanborn” (1998).
However, it was with the albums “Wishmaster” (2000) and “Century Child” (2002) that he gained worldwide recognition.
The 2004 album, “Once”, was a huge international success, allowing Nightwish to undertake several tours visiting dozens of countries around the world, and the single “Nemo” included the band within MTV programming, as did the single “Wish I Had an Angel”, both used in American film soundtracks.
By the end of 2005, “Once” had sold more than a million copies worldwide, and its tour had more than 130 concerts performed.

On October 21, 2005, after the end of Once Upon a Tour, vocalist Tarja Turunen was officially fired from the band through an open letter to the press.
After the dismissal, the band spent the entire year of 2006 on break until finally announcing the new singer, Anette Olzon, on May 24, 2007.
The band also released the hit “Amaranth” before finally releasing their sixth studio album, “Dark Passion Play”, later that same year. A massive world tour followed the album’s release and lasted about two years, ending on September 19, 2009, at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, the Finnish capital.

Two years later, in 2011, the group returned with the single “Storytime”, and with it, the conceptual seventh album, “Imaginaerum”, was released together with a film of the same name, written by the band.
Sometime later, on October 1, 2012, Olzon left the band in the middle of the Imaginaerum World Tour and was provisionally replaced by Floor Jansen, who ended up becoming an official member along with multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley on October 9, 2012. 2013.

In the meantime, Nightwish recorded their eighth album, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, with the new lineup released in 2015 and followed by a long world tour with around 150 concerts held worldwide.
After these events, they took a year’s sabbatical in 2017. They returned the following year with the release of a special compilation and a tour commemorating 20 years of their career entitled Decades: World Tour.

Later, on January 12, 2021, bassist and vocalist Marko Hietala left the band following the release of their ninth studio album, “Human. :II: Nature”. (2020), being replaced by musician Jukka Koskinen.
The world tour promoting the album concluded on June 17, 2023, with a special performance in the Finnish city of Vaasa. Currently, the band is recording the tenth album of its career, which will be released in the first quarter of 2024 and followed by an indefinite hiatus.

According to the Finnish music industry, it is estimated that Nightwish has sold more than seven million CDs and DVDs worldwide, making them Finland’s most successful group. Metal Hammer magazine described Nightwish as the most successful Metal band in continental Europe, competing for the position with Germany’s Rammstein.

Nightwish abandoned their classic style for a heavier sound, starting with the albums “Century Child” and “Once”; their music was recognized by soprano Tarja Turunen, described as a “charismatic leader with a powerful voice”, with critics pointing out that her vocal style in The band became less operatic after “Century Child”, in 2002.
Many magazines also mentioned that, with Turunen’s departure, the band had adopted a new style, “freeing themselves” from the old demure style. The increased use of vocal and instrumental choirs, in addition to a large number of orchestras, led Nightwish to become known as an “Epic Metal” band, mainly in the 2007 song “The Poet and the Pendulum”, and even with the entry of Anette Olzon, who has a very different vocal timbre from Turunen, the group’s songs followed the same line as always, fusing Heavy Metal with orchestras. However, this vocal style was later reintroduced with the singer’s entry, Floor Jansen.

Current

Tuomas Holopainen – keyboards, synthesizers, piano (since 1996)
Emppu Vuorinen – guitar, acoustic guitar (since 1996), bass (1996–1997)
Troy Donockley – Irish harmonica, tin whistle, bouzouki, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals (since 2013 · session/live: 2006–2013)
Floor Jansen – vocals (since 2013 · live: 2012–2013)
Kai Hahto – drums (since 2019 · session/live: 2014–2019)
Jukka Koskinen – bass (since 2022 · live: 2021–2022)

Studio Albums

Angels Fall First (1997)
Oceanborn (1998)
Wishmaster (2000)
Century Child (2002)
Once (2004)
Dark Passion Play (2007)
Imaginaerum (2011)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)
Human. :II: Nature. (2020)