Review | Nightwish – Yesterwynde

Nuclear Blast Records

The tenth studio album of Nightwish, `Yesterwynde’, is a captivating and ambitious work that pushes the boundaries of the band’s signature symphonic metal sound. The new album represents the culmination of 3.5 years of intensive work and creative exploration, concluding the lyrical concept brought forward on the previous albums `Endless Forms most Beautiful’ and `Human. :II: Nature’. The trilogy explores themes such as mortality, humanism, time, and humanities implications on and towards earth.

Moving onto heavier terrain, digging deeper musically, `Yesterwynde’ unites all forces of the band’s most creative angles, while being loyal to their densely orchestrated and heavy roots.

THE SONGWRITING

`Yesterwynde’ is Nightwish’s heaviest album to date, maintaining a delicate balance between familiar elements and unexpected new directions. The album features a rich tapestry of sounds, from powerful crunchy riffs and intense soloing to richly textured orchestrations and intricate acoustic passages that land deep conveying spot-on intensity. Each of these new 12 tracks are meticulously crafted, with carefully planned transitions and a wealth of intricate details that reward repeated listens.

Tuomas Holopainen‘s songwriting shines throughout, demonstrating his ability to weave complex musical narratives that are closely tied to the lyrical themes. His ability to inflate the songs with keenly injected drama and well dosed pompous passages is what makes Nightwish the standout force it is.

The title track ,,Yesterwynde” opens the album with an atypical approach, featuring a choir, acoustic guitar, and uilleann pipes that set a mysterious (medieval) tone. Channelling aural immersive moments, the song links spiritual elements with lush cinematic scenery over which Floor Jansen sounds confident to inject perfectly dosed melancholy. Themepark-worthy it brings the album to life and immediately launches the listener into the front of the captivating journey `Yesterwynde’ is. 

NEXT LEVEL

Channelling aural immersive moments, the album takes its cinematic orchestration to the next level on the bombastic ,,An Ocean of Strange Islands” that bursts into action with Emppu Vuorinen’s crunchy riffs and Kai Hahto’s powerful tempo-changes. The torque of the track is enhanced by Floor’s intense phrasing, atop the jabbing keys and rich symphonic orchestration ebbing and welling into the front. The chorus is absolutely nesting, with Jansen belting out an immensely rich range utilizing all highs and lows of her register. 

Midway the song breaks with immense technical rhythmic wonder and powerful raining keys and string sections, pitching into a short solo that is equally rich. In terms of fervour, it blends the band’s most potent moments with a perfect fusion of Hans Zimmer and Holopainen’s own creative grandiosity. The momentum of the song is best reflected in the way it channels its energy. Making time feel futile, it conveys relentless high energy pace, with an ambitious breakdown accumulating from fierce hammering drums and Jukka Koskinen’s low growling bass runs underneath riffs spawning, before dying out in sonic serenity.

Mechanizing their motion, ,,The Antikythera Mechanism” displays the progressive prowess of Nightwish. Mixing heavy driven sections with meandering sonic scenes, the song keeps igniting when Floor takes over the pitch and belts out versatile and piercing, with commanding drama. Wailing louder and soaring with bitter sear, she transcends her persona, touching with her elemental power and vocal precision.

ALL THE FINEST ELEMENTS OF NIGHTWISH

Bringing a modern drum punch forward, Floor scats her vocals onto the verses of ,,The Day Of”, that erupts at its bridge and chorus, with dense orchestration and children’s choir vocals. The drizzling keys and the low droning bass pulls it forward with hauling stance. Increasing heavily, the song progresses with raucous riffs and ferocious drum interaction. The dynamics are in discord with the choirs, making it a track needing multiple spins to land correctly.

It perfectly paves ways for the previously reviewed ,,Perfume of the Timeless” which bridged all the band’s finest elements, united with a cinematic experience bringing the story and music to life with captivating scenery and immersive stills. Standing tall as one of the best tracks of 2024, it was the perfect calling card to `Yesterwynde’, lifting the veil of this marvel paragon record.

,,The Children of ‘Ata’’ surprises with its techno 80s/dance vibe reminiscent from Depeche Mode, showcasing the band’s willingness to experiment. There’s a middle eastern opening with hollow chants, taken over by Floor singing in pitching soprano, folding back melodic. Increasing drama and momentum, the licks are stacked atop the welling keys, with heavy bass ploughing in the low end. Swirling keys take the helm as the drama and turmoil is elevated with breaks and more jagged raw riffs and hooks dropping. Almost like Beethoven’s 5^th is injected with rousing outcalls and fist pump evoking. The stance is heavy and rich, with the modern beat vaporized into the powerful drama of the song.

CINEMATIC TEXTURES

Displaying Emppu’s wonderful guitar capabilities, ,,Something Whispered Follow Me” is set in motion with scorching solo and bluesy licks atop the lush jazzy rhythm and drizzling keys and piano. Floor seeks high ground for her soprano registers to resonate over the cinematic flourishing textures with Emppu’s wailing guitar recurring with notes extended echoing. Tuomas adds dramatizing orchestration as drums intensify and fire up more thunderous for the chorus. 

,,Spider Silk” blooms from its heartfelt and passionate ballad intro into a commanding heavy rocker with jagged riffs and swirling keys and string arrangements constantly morphing in drama. Donockley brings a subtle register that contrasts with Floor’s intense vocal outpour. Soaring and pitching high, she delivers a perfect execution touching wide. Channelling the right notes and reverting to sultry chants, she displays her compelling force as a performer. 

MELODIC BLISS

Opening with ominous tone ,,The Weave” shifts shape constantly with powerful melodic bliss and firing guitar riffs atop the drum blasts that run point in the mix. Chants and choirs mix up tension with Floor’s vocals counter balanced. The songs construction is progressive with 7/8^th drums dynamics mixed into the highly melodic vocal lines causing a rift of seeded intensity. Almost transgressional injected into the song’s melodic overhaul, before the song goes out with a loud bang and Jansen pitching high.

Amidst all the towering drama and symphonic perfection, the band scales back with wonderful acoustic tracks like ,,Sway” with its wonderful vocal interaction of Troy Donockley and Floor Janssen. There’s a medieval with maritime chanty singalong sections. 

Exploring richly textured ballad-terrain, Nightwish delivers the spawning ,,Hiaeth” that blends all their most striking elements with powerful vocal interaction of Troy and Floor. The lush atmosphere is harshly kicked up with the sudden explosion of musical drama, with Emppu laying down one his most powerful guitar licks to date. It lands immediately and the colorful orchestration the is built underneath empowers the instrumental accolades of Emppu’s alternating guitar exercise.

NIGHTWISH – THE CONCLUSION

,,Lanternlight’’ closes the album on a soft and beautiful note, bringing the melodics of this journey full circle. Floor Jansen’s vocal performance is particularly noteworthy, exploring new depths and heights of her impressive range, drawing from her recent solo effort the melodic richness and sultry emotions.

`Yesterwynde’ is a complex and challenging album that requires multiple listens for full appreciation. It showcases the ability of Nightwish to reinvent themselves while maintaining their core sound. The album is progressive, heavy, and at times intensely robust and ominous, but it also carries a central message of gratitude for the uniqueness of our existence.

`Yesterwynde’ offers a rich, immersive experience that cements Nightwish’s position as innovators in the symphonic metal genre. While it may not be immediately catchy, it promises a deeply rewarding journey for those willing to dive deep into its intricate soundscapes and thought-provoking themes. The album channels into the fiber of the listener and resonates for a long, long time.

The album’s mixing and mastering are precisely considered, with the Dolby Atmos version offering an immersive listening experience that adds new dimensions to the music. Headphones demanded!

Release date: 20 September 2024