Dark Passion Play review - Kerrang! Magazine

sacrament_of_wilderness · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 3854 Location: England

Dark Passion Play

Nightwish

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Symphonic Finns deliver the album of their career

At first glimse, the letter sent from Nightwish to former frontwoman Tarja Turunen on October 22nd 2005 informing her she was being given the Alan Sugar goodbye didn't so much rock the boat as fire a volley of cannonballs squarely at the hull. Two years previously, British fans considered themselves lucky to see Nightwish with a bad sound in London's Mean Fiddler, never once dreaming they would play Download or headline Hammersmith Apollo. And here they were, risking it all as they stood on the cusp of greatness.
However, this wasn't the crippling blow some thought it would be. Turunen's sacking didn't for one second spell the end of Nightwish. They may have lost a terrifically talented singer, but it was a calculated move, set to ensure that when they returned, they would return stronger than ever. And by Christ, they have.
As the haunting opening bars of The Poet And The Pendulum cinematically unfurl, new singer Anette Olzon's voice introduces itself in a frail, ghostly fashion (The magazine seem to think the boy soprano is Anette... Rolling Eyes

), before the song explodes in a symphonic tidal wave of thunderous drums and full-throttle orchestral might. For the next 14 minutes, it twists and turns in spectacularly dramatic fashion, so packed with epic, classical pomp it's almost overpowering. It really is fantastic, the vastness of the Star Wars soundtrack filtered through a heavy metal band. Olzon's voice is simply incredible throughout, her massive range perfectly rounding off theatrical metal explosions like Cadence Of Her Last Breath and Amaranth.
As usual, keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen las left restraint to other bands. If a kitchen sink has strings, there would be one adding to Bye Bye Beautiful's heavy sonic armoury. It's not just the sheer amount of instrumentation that's so impressive, but how purposefully Holopainen has employed every string, whistle and parp to add amazing washes of colour to the songs. Even the cheesy Meadows Of Heaven and the The Islander's disposable neo-folk fiddling are saved by their impressive amount of vision.
For some, the idea of a Nightwish without Tarja Turunen is a weak Nightwish. But as long as they are making records with as much scope, ambition and imagination as this, it'll take a lot more than personnel changes to bring them down.