Just as the popular culture of the 1990s watered down the word "awesome," the various subcultures of the Internet in recent years have effected a similar dilution through overuse of "epic." And if there is one subgenre of music for which the idea of being epic is crucial, it has to be symphonic metal. At the top of the world of symphonic metal sits a Finnish powerhouse of a band called Nightwish. (Well, since 2007, they've been one-fifth Swedish, but that's beside the point.) Since their formation in 1996, each of their releases has been more epic than their previous, and around the end of last year and the beginning of this year, with release dates varying by country, the world finally heard the long-anticipated new album Imaginaerum, in which Nightwish go further over the top than they have ever gone before. And when I finally heard it myself after waiting a couple weeks for my special order of the 2-CD deluxe edition (second disc being instrumental mixes) to come in through Waterloo Records, the word "epic" failed me for the first time.
The credits of this album are far too long to give in full detail here, but before I break it down song by song, I think I should give anyone not familiar with Nightwish an idea of what all is included. Nightwish's current lineup consists of keyboardist and principal songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, lead singer Anette Olzon, bassist and backing vocalist Marco Hietala, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and drummer Jukka Nevalainen. In addition to the band proper, Imaginaerum features nine special guest players and, under the arrangement and direction of Pip Williams, the Metro Voices choir, the Young Musicians London children's choir, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (credited as the Looking Glass Orchestra.) The album was recorded by Mikko Karmila and Tero "TeeCee" Kinnunen at seven different locations, mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios, Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox, and produced by Tuomas Holopainen.
Enough introductions. Let's get to the review already.
- Taikatalvi - The album begins with this dreamy, fairytale-like song that rests heavily on Tuomas and the orchestra. Marco's vocal performance here is particularly noteworthy. As gruff and shouty (though very rarely does he grunt or growl) as he often is, one can sometimes do with a reminder like this that he is in fact an excellent singer.
- Storytime - This song was the lead-off single for the album, and the video can be found here. This is where the metal elements are brought into Imaginaerum, with an amazingly dextrous mix and arrangement balancing the band with the orchestra. The overall tone and flow of the song, with many strong pop elements throughout the composition and a fantastic and youthful feeling throughout the lyrics and arrangement, would best be described as one of adventure.
- Ghost River - Here, Nightwish take a step further into the weird and dramatic than usual with a particularly gnarly guitar hook, a pushing of the envelope of the "Beauty and the Beast" formula for symphonic metal duet vocals, and an appropriately creepy first use of the children's choir.
- Slow, Love, Slow - This song is in a style that has never before been heard from Nightwish: a smooth, dark, brooding, jazzy, cinematic '30s-style nightclub ballad, complete with a just-barely overdriven guitar solo and a lone trumpet jamming like mad just this side of the background. Another song for which the orchestra really shines.
- I Want My Tears Back - A bitchin' bit of Good Old Finnish Power Metal with a strong Celtic feel on top, featuring Troy Donockley on the uilleann pipes. This is the one song on Imaginaerum that does not include the orchestra, making it feel a little like a nod back to Nightwish's humbler roots. Pipes and guitar extended duet for the bridge is prime moshpit throwdown material. If I were an A&R guy, I'd pick this for a single.
- Scaretale - Coming back from the retrospective tone of "I Want My Tears Back," this song takes us even further into the weird and dramatic than "Ghost River" did, drawing us in at first with a soft intro leaning on the children's choir, then beating us over the head with the orchestra, preparing us for a song full of imagery from childhood nightmares and music that sounds like it belongs in a police chase through a traveling circus in an old movie. Some of Anette's best performances in the album are here.
- Arabesque - A big, heavily-orchestrated interlude. Huge reverberant space on the percussion, brass, and choir.
- Turn Loose the Mermaids - Soft and dreamy at first with lots of emphasis on the acoustic guitar, solo flute, and piano, with a very well-executed orchestral climax and ending fiddle solo.
- Rest Calm - Seamless alternations between big, doomy, gothic, crunchy verses, and a softer, poppier chorus worthy of waving cigarette lighters. Excellent background orchestration during the guitar solo, and impressive use of the children's choir afterwards in the break before the grand finale, which is massively grand, with nearly every section of the orchestra getting a chance to show off.
- The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove - This folksy power ballad will drop as the second single in Finland on February 29th and in the rest of the world on March 2nd. The acoustic guitar sparkles like a mountain stream, the bass is deep and massive enough to shake the Gates of Hell, and the duet vocals are some of the best I've heard in a long time.
- Last Ride of the Day - Here, the album has come back to a tone of adventure, though unlike the innocence and youth of "Storytime," this song's sense of adventure is one more of maturity and experience. More Good Old Finno-Celtic Power Metal, this time balanced against extensive orchestral and choral work for extra epicness.
- Song of Myself - This is the long song of the album. The lyrics channel Walt Whitman's poem of the same name, especially the spoken words of the fourth movement. The first and second movements feature lots of amazing work from the choir, and the third some killer bottom end on the piano and some massive percussion hits. For the fourth movement, the instrumentation takes a back seat to the spoken word, giving the string section a chance to really shine. There are also some really cool panning and reverb decisions in the mix of the spoken passages, especially beginning around the point where the guitar comes back in.
- Imaginaerum - The album closes with an all-orchestral medley arranged from various themes that occurred in the other songs. If I ever make a record for which I can afford to hire an orchestra, this medley has convinced me to hire Pip Williams to arrange it. Mix-wise, it's exactly what an orchestral recording should sound like: the feeling of being right in the sweet spot of the concert hall.
Overall, I cannot stress enough how amazing the whole balance of the mix of this album is. With everything involved in the arrangements, I would guess there must have been at least 150 tracks. Massive props to Mikko Karmila for a hell of a job damn well done in keeping it all sorted out and getting Imaginaerum to come out not only making sense but also displaying such complex clarity, dynamics, power, and soul as are rarely heard in rock mixes anymore.
In my opinion, Imaginaerum is one of the grandest and most ambitious achievements in the history of recorded music and a triumph of the arts. "Epic" is simply not strong enough a word to describe the amount of emotion, energy, and straight-up work that went into the making of this album. I therefore wish to coin a new word to describe things of such monumental magnitude: "Imaginaerial." Always capitalized, for it is a proper adjective. And don't abuse it, Internet idiots. But don't just take my word for it. Buy a copy from your favorite music retailer and experience Imaginaerum for yourself. In America, it is available on CD from Roadrunner Records and on vinyl from Nuclear Blast USA. (I'm sure you could also find legitimate and illegitimate downloads at various respectable and seedy places online, but if you've read this far, you will probably want a hard copy of this record.) As for myself, I have the CDs, I'll probably order the vinyl in the near future, and I just can't wait for the movie.
