FYI: Tuomas Holopainen, the maestro keyboardist and primary (>90%) songwriter/lyricist since Nightwish's inception, collaborates with the orchestral conductor James Sherman on the extensive orchestration on this album - which alone spanned 6 months after the song were written and demoed. Tuomas writes ALL instruments and vocals (on keyboard - he writes for guitars/bass/drums but does not play them), which he presents as a complete demo to the rest of the band. Then the band rehearse the songs together before recording, sometimes the arrangement changes a little, sometimes a lot. As for the orchestra and choir, Tuomas demos most of the specific ideas on keys with samples, and the arranger James Shearman helps to arrange and transpose it to sheets for the entire ensemble - the two collaborate very closely on every detail of the orchestration that is recorded (thus taking so long). Nightwish compositions benefit from the strong, singular artistic vision of Tuomas as well as the collaboration with all of the bands' talented musicians and their input. Troy Donockley plays the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) - he is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, when he joined the band they added him as a 6th member. He sings and plays half a dozen instruments, incorporating an array of different timbres and textures on different songs. He's most well-known for the uilleann pipes and bring attention to the Irish cousin of bagpipes family which sounds exceptionally lyrical, elegaic and expressive. To me they sound simultaneously like a string instrument and an animal singing (sheep/birdsong hybrid?) - they trigger the tearjerking moment in Nightwish like no other, more emotional than traditional guitar solos for me!
Sorry guys but the main instrument at the end is a set of Uilleann (elbow) Irish pipes. Bellows pumped under right elbow to inflate bag under left arm. Played by British multi-instrumentalist member of Nightwish called Troy Donockley who plays multiple string and wind instruments.
@AirborneSealife Yeah the sound baffled me when I first heard it too. It's a double reed wind instrument like an oboe, except you use the air from the bellows instead of from your lungs. Playing a double reed from your elbow and sounding like a violin birdsong lol! Scottish highland bagpipes take all the fame and glory but imo these pipes far surpass those in beauty. Plus they leave the player free to sing as well, so you can be a one man band - vocals, melody, chords and droning bass.
Excellent commentary for my all-time favorite singer and band. Tuomas always tells a story with his creations. The people and places you meet and go in life are represented by the islands. The end of the journey is played beautifully by Troy on the Irish uilleann pipes. 😄🤘
I would be disappointed if NW does't evolve. I saw them live for the first time 1998. And so many times after that. I love this new album, it's awesome ❤ And I also listen to orchestal part... Get's me zen 😂
Great take on Nightwish's evolution and the orchestration on this song. Having been practically raised on NW for decades, I grew up on their symphonic metal storytelling and I grew up with them. As a kid I instantly attached to their rich kaleidoscopic sound and it opened the floodgates to most of my music taste in metal all the way to the underground, the extreme and the progressive. 10 albums later my musical resonance and emotional relationship with Nightwish have only deepened and evolved... An anomaly for me, since most bands I thought were the coolest in high school, I no longer think so highly of, nostalgia notwithstanding. They have now integrated the orchestral and the metallic more exquisitely than ever. Side note: not sure your video title is helping to attract a lot of views and engagements lol. More metal reviewers and reactors need to hear your perspective on the brilliance of the orchestration, instead of dismissing it as being overblown/overriding the lead vocals, or approaching NW from the frame of reference of metal with fancy keyboards and female vocals.
This song is about the people you encounter (islands on an ocean) and either pass by fleetingly or form relationships with during the course of your life. I feel like I found one or two easter eggs in this song, e.g. "you who glow in deepest woe, let it be, retiree, the water's fine, sail carefree" (this is about Marko), and the reference to Goddesses (the fans' affectionate name for Floor)... plus of course the reference to Lord of the Flies, which is more obvious. The last section I feel is about coming home (either literally or just finding your place or role in this world). The Uilleann Pipes always have that homely tone to them and it's a wonderful instrument to use for it - also note the appearance of seagulls (a sign of nearby land - your final, belonging destination) in the last part of the video.
On Yesterwynde and on Human Nature both albums have the orchestral parts as stand alone parts of the album. They work as compositions in their own right and to label them as padding is grossly unfair.
It’s not a folk string instrument at the end. Troy was playing Uilleann pipes. As far as a concept album, perhaps in a sense that the new album Yesterwynde starts with a film projector starting up on the first song and the last song lanternlight has the same projector shutting down signaling the end. The third album is also the last of the trilogy, following EFMB and Human Nature.
30 years of nightwish in 9 minutes. irish pipes is a standard thing through the years for the band.and a last thing,epica to nightwish is what you are to your father.
Don't know who is who but you are all talking sense👍Like Manuel's (?) remark about Epica is to the point: Epica is a symphonic metalband, but Nightwish turned into a metal symphonic band... AND you are talking a lot, like that. But now I think about this: After Forever's first album Prison Of Desire (with Mark Jansen!) starting with a beautiful Mea Culpa, so probably Epica's base is at least classic inspired. BTW I think all songs on this album do have an orchestral only version, that is not just the song without voice. Next song for a lot of discussion: "The Weave" from the same album!
This song contains 28 years of Tuomas journey with Nightwish! Also the lyrics are telling this. Some musical similarities in songs: Devil and the deep dark ocean, Scaretale, Sahara, Tribal (drumming). And then the use of the uileanne pipes at the end of the songs. The weaving of all of this is genious! But it seemes that you don't know a lot of their catalogue, otherwise you've heard a lot of the irish pipes in their songs. And yes, this is an evolution of the orchestral use, BUT the extense use of a full orchestra startet in 2004 with their album Once! So for me it's far away from a gimmick even in the early times! Only on the last album human||nature the orchestra was playing on the second CD. Live the band is in the front. Maybe try all the albums when you want more orchestra. I highly suggest the big 3: -Ghost love score (Once 2004 album) live 2013 at Wacken. - The Poet and the Pendulum (Dark passion play 2007) live at Wembley 2015 -The greatest show on earth, both, the album version ( Endless forms most beautiful 2015) and live at Tampere 2015!
FYI: Tuomas Holopainen, the maestro keyboardist and primary (>90%) songwriter/lyricist since Nightwish's inception, collaborates with the orchestral conductor James Sherman on the extensive orchestration on this album - which alone spanned 6 months after the song were written and demoed. Tuomas writes ALL instruments and vocals (on keyboard - he writes for guitars/bass/drums but does not play them), which he presents as a complete demo to the rest of the band. Then the band rehearse the songs together before recording, sometimes the arrangement changes a little, sometimes a lot. As for the orchestra and choir, Tuomas demos most of the specific ideas on keys with samples, and the arranger James Shearman helps to arrange and transpose it to sheets for the entire ensemble - the two collaborate very closely on every detail of the orchestration that is recorded (thus taking so long).
Nightwish compositions benefit from the strong, singular artistic vision of Tuomas as well as the collaboration with all of the bands' talented musicians and their input.
Troy Donockley plays the uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) - he is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, when he joined the band they added him as a 6th member. He sings and plays half a dozen instruments, incorporating an array of different timbres and textures on different songs. He's most well-known for the uilleann pipes and bring attention to the Irish cousin of bagpipes family which sounds exceptionally lyrical, elegaic and expressive. To me they sound simultaneously like a string instrument and an animal singing (sheep/birdsong hybrid?) - they trigger the tearjerking moment in Nightwish like no other, more emotional than traditional guitar solos for me!
Well done you explained it much better than I did.
Sorry guys but the main instrument at the end is a set of Uilleann (elbow) Irish pipes. Bellows pumped under right elbow to inflate bag under left arm. Played by British multi-instrumentalist member of Nightwish called Troy Donockley who plays multiple string and wind instruments.
THANK YOU! That was literally driving us crazy.
@AirborneSealife
Yeah the sound baffled me when I first heard it too. It's a double reed wind instrument like an oboe, except you use the air from the bellows instead of from your lungs. Playing a double reed from your elbow and sounding like a violin birdsong lol! Scottish highland bagpipes take all the fame and glory but imo these pipes far surpass those in beauty. Plus they leave the player free to sing as well, so you can be a one man band - vocals, melody, chords and droning bass.
@@AirborneSealife When you listen again, you can hear the cane vibrating now and then!
Yes! Tuomas is a genius! The Mozart of our time. This is a masterpiece! And the ending, Troy playing his Uilleann pipes, omg! 🔥🤘❤
Excellent commentary for my all-time favorite singer and band. Tuomas always tells a story with his creations. The people and places you meet and go in life are represented by the islands. The end of the journey is played beautifully by Troy on the Irish uilleann pipes. 😄🤘
We wanted to do this one justice. This song shocked us in the most positive way possible, especially towards the end.
Tuomas also wrote an orchestration version of every song which comes with the album.
I would be disappointed if NW does't evolve.
I saw them live for the first time 1998. And so many times after that.
I love this new album, it's awesome ❤ And I also listen to orchestal part... Get's me zen 😂
Great take on Nightwish's evolution and the orchestration on this song. Having been practically raised on NW for decades, I grew up on their symphonic metal storytelling and I grew up with them. As a kid I instantly attached to their rich kaleidoscopic sound and it opened the floodgates to most of my music taste in metal all the way to the underground, the extreme and the progressive. 10 albums later my musical resonance and emotional relationship with Nightwish have only deepened and evolved... An anomaly for me, since most bands I thought were the coolest in high school, I no longer think so highly of, nostalgia notwithstanding. They have now integrated the orchestral and the metallic more exquisitely than ever.
Side note: not sure your video title is helping to attract a lot of views and engagements lol. More metal reviewers and reactors need to hear your perspective on the brilliance of the orchestration, instead of dismissing it as being overblown/overriding the lead vocals, or approaching NW from the frame of reference of metal with fancy keyboards and female vocals.
This song is about the people you encounter (islands on an ocean) and either pass by fleetingly or form relationships with during the course of your life. I feel like I found one or two easter eggs in this song, e.g. "you who glow in deepest woe, let it be, retiree, the water's fine, sail carefree" (this is about Marko), and the reference to Goddesses (the fans' affectionate name for Floor)... plus of course the reference to Lord of the Flies, which is more obvious. The last section I feel is about coming home (either literally or just finding your place or role in this world). The Uilleann Pipes always have that homely tone to them and it's a wonderful instrument to use for it - also note the appearance of seagulls (a sign of nearby land - your final, belonging destination) in the last part of the video.
It’s all because of Tuomas. ❤
On Yesterwynde and on Human Nature both albums have the orchestral parts as stand alone parts of the album. They work as compositions in their own right and to label them as padding is grossly unfair.
They have been working with an or hestra since century child iirc
It’s not a folk string instrument at the end. Troy was playing Uilleann pipes. As far as a concept album, perhaps in a sense that the new album Yesterwynde starts with a film projector starting up on the first song and the last song lanternlight has the same projector shutting down signaling the end. The third album is also the last of the trilogy, following EFMB and Human Nature.
30 years of nightwish in 9 minutes. irish pipes is a standard thing through the years for the band.and a last thing,epica to nightwish is what you are to your father.
❤ there is also the "orchestra only versions" of the songs in the album
Oh that is a good thing to know, we will certainly look into it.
Don't know who is who but you are all talking sense👍Like Manuel's (?) remark about Epica is to the point: Epica is a symphonic metalband, but Nightwish turned into a metal symphonic band...
AND you are talking a lot, like that.
But now I think about this: After Forever's first album Prison Of Desire (with Mark Jansen!) starting with a beautiful Mea Culpa, so probably Epica's base is at least classic inspired.
BTW I think all songs on this album do have an orchestral only version, that is not just the song without voice.
Next song for a lot of discussion: "The Weave" from the same album!
This song contains 28 years of Tuomas journey with Nightwish! Also the lyrics are telling this. Some musical similarities in songs:
Devil and the deep dark ocean, Scaretale, Sahara, Tribal (drumming). And then the use of the uileanne pipes at the end of the songs. The weaving of all of this is genious!
But it seemes that you don't know a lot of their catalogue, otherwise you've heard a lot of the irish pipes in their songs.
And yes, this is an evolution of the orchestral use, BUT the extense use of a full orchestra startet in 2004 with their album Once! So for me it's far away from a gimmick even in the early times! Only on the last album human||nature the orchestra was playing on the second CD.
Live the band is in the front. Maybe try all the albums when you want more orchestra.
I highly suggest the big 3: -Ghost love score (Once 2004 album) live 2013 at Wacken.
- The Poet and the Pendulum (Dark passion play 2007) live at Wembley 2015
-The greatest show on earth, both, the album version ( Endless forms most beautiful 2015) and live at Tampere 2015!
This album is the end of a trifecta have you guys not.listened to the two previous albums?
Isn't recording actual orchestration really expensive and time consuming to
have you ever done Lorna Shore ? symphonic is the keyword for this ... ;)
Honestly this album feels alot like anette Olson side project the dark element