Review by Rick Eaglestone for MPM
Undeniable symphonic powerhouse Nightwish return to present their latest opus full of grandeur in the form of new studio creation – Yesterwynde.
Nightwish certainly give nothing less than 100% into every composition they construct and well, from the classically laced instrumental introduction of title track Yesterwynde into the thunderous delivery of the albums longest track An Ocean Of Strange Islands which is a quintessential showcasing of just how technically prolific they are as a collective.
This then leads into the ominous tones of The Antikythera Mechanism which is sprinkled with that formula that is just so captivating so to does the electronic nature of The Day Of…
The lyrics of Yesterwynde deal with large-sized universal themes: memories, mortality, humanism, time and much more. “The new album is the conclusion of the trilogy – textually it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors Endless Forms Most Beautiful and Human: II: Nature,” Holopainen says. “At the same time, Yesterwynde is the band’s most lyrically driven album: our music has never been so ‘married’ to the lyrics. So, here’s a tip: if something in the composition puzzles you, the words might clear it up.
Flooded with film score tones and an unwavering presence of operatics is Perfume Of The Timeless which due to its length feels like a real piece to delve into to explore the albums aesthetic and overall presentation whilst having varying soundscapes come in left and right with a commanding nature.
The acoustic of Sway provides a gentle interlude and is certainly rich in folk structures, this is then coupled with honestly a track I would absolutely love to see in the next Eurovision song contest – The Children Of ‘Ata
Up next is the ballad like Something Whispered Follow Me which in particular has some excellent guitarwork which weaves into the piano laden Spider Silk which then transforms into anthemic structure in its own right – vocally this easily one of the albums highlights.
There is some more storytelling that lingers into the final trilogy of the album starting withHiraeth which lingers around the campfire into the flames of The Weave before the album concludes with its final chapter the full on emotionally heartbreaking Lanternlight.
For every formation of this band one thing has never left and that is the heart and passion that drives the force that is Nightwish!
“Yesterwynde took more time to make than any previous NIGHTWISH album”, nods keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, who once again envisioned most of the material. “The new album was intensively worked on for 3.5 years. My ambition and piety really skyrocketed, and I just couldn’t let go of the creative process – and didn’t want to.
Along the way, Yesterwynde became both an exhilarating obsession and a comforting haven for me. All aspects of the making – compositions, lyrics, arrangements, cover art, videos, mixing and so on – were given more attention than ever before.”
Yesterwynde Track listing.
1. Yesterwynde
2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands
3. The Antikythera Mechanism
4. The Day Of…
5. Perfume Of The Timeless
6. Sway
7. The Children Of ‘Ata
8. Something Whispered Follow Me
9. Spider Silk
10. Hiraeth
11. The Weave
12. Lanternlight
Line-up:
Floor Jansen | Vocals
Tuomas Holopainen | Keys
Emppu Vuorinen | Guitars
Jukka Koskinen | Basses
Troy Donockley | Uilleann Pipes, Low Whistles, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bouzouki, Bodhrán, Aerophone, Vocals
Kai Hahto | Drums & Percussion
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10/10
