The composition of the nightwish group for the year. Biography. History of creation and composition

Combination of classic and rock. How many articles have been written about, how many musicians experimented, trying to "harness a horse and a quivering doe" (c). The site already has a number of articles on the topic of symbiosis. Apocalyptica stunned us recently with a cello drive. And if you “marry a white rose with a black toad” (c), combine classical female vocals and rock? They tried to do this in Finland, they succeeded. Today I will introduce you to the band Nightwish.

The group was founded by Tuomas Holopainen in 1996 in Kitee. By this time, Tuomas had a lot of experience in participating in local musical projects and realized that he was ripe for his own. Initially, he wanted to create only acoustic music, and he told his friend Empp Vuorinen about this. "All I wanted was an acoustic guitar, some flutes, strings, piano, keyboards, and a distinctly female vocal." Work on the creation of the group has begun. Tarja Turunen, a student at the conservatory, was chosen as the soloist. She was the first of three Nightwish vocalists, each contributing to the overall sound.

The early work of Nightwish was distinguished by the combination of the female operatic vocals of the first soloist Tarja Turunen(baguine, Finnish nightingale, a range of three octaves, by the way) keyboard-symphonic arrangement and heavy guitar base. This style is most often defined as a mixture of power metal and symphonic metal.

For the first time, Nightwish's music was recorded on an acoustic album. It only included three songs - Nightwish, The Forever Moments and Etiäinen. The first one eventually became the name of the group. Cassettes of recordings were sent to major labels and publications.

The first review of the group's work was not laudatory, but it entered the history of the Nightwish group, as it prompted them to change their sound to a heavier one. As a result, Jukka Nevalainen joined the project, and Emppu picked up an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. A role in this was played by the fact that friends Emppu and Yukka had previously played together with several heavy bands and they really liked this kind of music. From that moment on, Tuomas' project could be safely called Nightwish's rock band.

On December 31, 1997, the first performance of the Nightwish group took place at the New Year's disco in Kitee. For this and the next six performances, the band's friend Samppa Hirvonen was brought in as they still couldn't find a permanent bass player.

Here's a brief about the formation of the group.

The beginning was difficult. Success came to the group only at the end of 1999. Tours followed, the recognition of the public.

In the summer of 2001, Nightwish went on another tour of festivals and cities in Europe, followed by several concerts in Asia. By this point, it was obvious that there were several issues within the group that needed to be addressed in order for the project to be viable. And the bassist, and the guitarist, and the most unpleasant - the soloist began to move away from the group. Brought to white heat by everything that happened, Holopainen said that he no longer wanted to work like that. Tuomas informed the label management that the Finnish band Nightwish was no more. Of course, he gave up hope that there would still be another album if everything went well, but he flatly refused to give concerts. Holopainen told the musicians the same information and posted it on the website.

But the group found the strength to overcome the crisis and set to work. Quite unexpectedly, Tarja Turunen announced that in the future she intends to take up solo career, however, she continued to go on tour and participate in recordings and concerts. By this time, she was married, and her husband did not encourage his wife's participation in the hectic life of the team. Tarja herself has repeatedly said that parties and collective gatherings have a bad effect on her voice. The conflict has been brewing for a long time. Only in 2005, Nightwish posted an open letter to Tarja on the site, where she informed her that further joint work was not possible. The letter came as a shock to her. The break in relations between Tarja and the musicians was inflated, perhaps not to the scale of a national tragedy, and for a very long time publications did not subside in the press, and the fans split into two camps - one defended Tuomas, while the other Tarja. The dismissal from the group was unexpected for her. She had to build her solo career, which, by the way, is very successful.

The era of the second vocalist has come - the Swedish siren Anette Olzon (Princess, Nettie)

On March 7, 2006, the group announced that they were looking for a new lead singer, Nightwish, and the criteria that she had to meet were announced.

“Nightwish doesn't necessarily need a classical singer like Tarja Turunen. We consider all styles and voices: natural, choreographed, from rock and pop to classical and everything else in between. But the candidates must be ready to sing with great dynamism and flexibility, loud and high parts and very sensual material.”

Auditions ended only by mid-January 2007, in total the musicians had to get acquainted with more than 2,000 demos. As a result, only three finalists were selected from the entire set, of which one eventually received a ticket to a new stellar life.

The work in the studio went positively, all the musicians liked Anette, and the singer herself was completely delighted with working with professionals. As a result, on May 24, the whole world learned that now the new vocalist Nightwish is named Anette Olzon. But a little earlier, the leader of Nightwish made it clear that the band would change its face in terms of music:

“The voice and manner of singing of the new vocalist Nightwish is very different from the previous one. Tarja had her own style that no one in the world could replicate. That's why we were looking for a completely different voice." new soloist and new music Not all fans liked it. Annette began to receive threats. The group did everything possible to support their new member, the musicians treated Anette's condition with understanding and care. Several concerts were canceled when she could not cope with the nervous tension after the attacks of Tarja's fans.

In general, the Princess knew how to sing, but Tarja did not pull out the most intricate parts and broke her voice, trying to pull them out. According to rumors, from this and from a very busy schedule of concerts, Anyuta began to have health problems. And as soon as Anya began to recover, a new test struck. "Trouble" came from where they did not expect. The news that Nightwish's soloist is pregnant put the musicians in a rather difficult position. Holopainen understands that there will inevitably be problems with Anette's health on the tour and, most likely, some concerts will have to be canceled. It was probably at this time that the leader of the band made a decision and called Floor Jansen, asking her about the opportunity to perform with them at the end of the tour - in November-December, as a temporary replacement for Anette. The conflict within the group flared up due to different priorities between Tuomas and the singer. Olzon could not understand the motives of the band leader, who did not want to cancel the concerts and announced his readiness to temporarily replace Anette with Flohr, and Tuomas could not understand how it was possible to behave so unprofessionally and jeopardize the tour, because from the point of view of professionalism, the cancellation of the remaining concerts threatened the musicians with a serious blow to their reputation, not to mention financial losses.

The news that the soloist changed again in Nightwish quickly spread all over the musical circles and caused a very unexpected reaction - some musicians supported Tuomas' decision.

The result of this is known to all as an official statement made on the Nightwish website on October 1, 2012:

“Another chapter in the history of Nightwish has been completed. Anette Olzon and Nightwish have decided to part ways by mutual decision and for the common good.

New soloist Nightwish 2013 - Valkyrie Floor Jansen (Warrior)

Flor was accepted on board surprisingly easily, unlike Anette, it was much easier for her to win over the fans.

Before the DVD release musical world unexpected news awaited - the musicians, who had previously stated that the name of the soloist would not be announced until 2014, made a loud statement. Now it has become clear that Nightwish has a new chapter in his biography, called Floor Jansen, and it happened on October 9, 2013. In addition, Troy Donockley, who spent the entire previous tour with the Finns, entered the line-up as a permanent member. The reason that the musicians revealed the name of the vocalist before the expected date was quite simple:

“It has become very convenient for us. We have a new DVD coming out, and it needs to be promoted, interviewed, during which it would be foolish not to reveal the decision already made. The fact that Floor is now a soloist in Nightwish was decided back in the summer, in June/July,” Tuomas said in an interview. Thus, a new voice appeared in the group. In terms of voice and manner of singing, Flor as a whole is very different from both Anette and Tarja. And all from the fact that Flor manages to combine different styles of singing on stage: here you have soft chants, and powerful pop howls, and hoarse-aggressive screams, and a near-academic soprano.

The group tours a lot, prepares new albums, creates new projects. True, I had to take a forced break due to Flor's pregnancy. Despite the fact that Nightwish promised not to return to the studio until 2019, due to the birth of a child with Flor, a new album will be released this year, the material for which is really not familiar to the group. The addition to the family of the vocalist Floor Jansen, as expected, made adjustments to the creative plans of the group: the next release will be a mini-album of lullabies in the symphonic metal style characteristic of the group. It is known that there will be 4 tracks on it, three of which the leader of the band Tuomas Holopainen wrote in different periods of creativity, but they were not suitable for albums and were waiting in the wings to present them to a wide audience. Also on the mini-album will be one special song that Tuomas wrote in honor of Freya, the newborn daughter of Floor Jansen and Sabaton drummer Hannes van Dahl. " New life- it's so inspiring! Holopainen said. “Childcharmer is my way of celebrating this new life. This is a gift not only for Freya, but for all our fans, regardless of age, for whom life is as much an inspiration as it is for us.” “It was difficult to sing at a long pregnancy,” adds Flor, “But lullabies do not require complete vocal dedication, more emotions are needed here, and I have plenty of that now!”

Current compound

Floor Jansen (Dutch. Floor Jansen) - vocals

Tuomas Holopainen (fin. Tuomas Holopainen) - composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the band's early years)

Marco Hietala (fin. Marco Hietala) - bass guitar, vocals

Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen (fin. Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen) - drums

Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen (fin. Emppu Vuorinen) - lead guitar

Troy Donockley - bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki, bowran

Former members

Tarja Turunen (fin. Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)

Sami Vänskä (fin. Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)

Marjana Pellinen (fin. Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (only appearances)

Samppa Hirvonen (fin. Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (only appearances)

Anette Olzon (Swed. Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Group albums

Angels Fall First (1997, Spinefarm Records)

Oceanborn (1998, Spinefarm Records)

Wishmaster (2000, Spinefarm Records)

Century Child (2002, Spinefarm Records)

Once (2004, Nuclear Blast)

Dark Passion Play (2007, Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)

Imaginaerum (2011)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

Singles and mini-albums

"The Carpenter" (1997)

"Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)

"Passion and the Opera" (1998)

"Walking in the Air" (1999)

"Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" (1999)

"The Kingslayer" (2000)

"Deep Silent Complete" (2000)

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)

Ever Dream (2002)

Bless the Child (2002)

"Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)

"Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)

The Siren (2005)

Sleeping Sun (2005)

"Amaranth" (2007)

"Erämaan viimeinen" (2007)

"Bye Bye Beautiful" (2008)

The Islander (2008)

"Made in Hong-Kong" EP (2009)

"Storytime" (2011)

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" (2012)

"Élan" (2015)

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

Wishmastour 2000 (2000)

Tales from the Elvenpath (2004)

Best Wishes (2005)

Highest Hopes (2005)

Wishsides (2005)

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)

End of Innocence (2003)

End of an Era (2005)

Tour Edition (2012)

Showtime, Storytime (2013)

Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Traditionally, I offer some videos of the group.

Nightwish - Dark Chest of Wonders (Anette, Floor & Tarja) Three beauties sing together at one of the concerts.

youtube.be/wIZOsoA2gzg

Nightwish - Dark chest of wonders (Live at Lowlands) Anette

youtube.be/5WT17jg9RDU

Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel HD Tarja

youtube.be/B0Q1rKpDNE4

NIGHTWISH - Romanticide (OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO)

youtube.be/zz_7OCCQlXs

youtube.be/2OIrpU_NmKo Sleeping Sun

youtu.be/-7Oj3tyyTxQ Sacrament of Wilderness

youtu.be/9hmzR1CKGtA Nightwish Nemo (Official Music Video HD)

Happy listening.

Linda especially for TopRu.org

In today's world, there is so much different music, so many different genres, directions and performers who work in them, that your eyes just run wide. And what is most surprising is that any musician finds his audience, regardless of the genre that he has chosen for himself. For example, the Finnish rock band Nightwish has been pleasing its fans with creativity for a couple of decades. But how did the band's history begin?

The beginning of the way

Nightwish owes its existence to the Finnish musician, lover of rock, metal and underground Tuomas Holopainen. When he was twenty years old (in the ninety-sixth last century), he went on a night hike with his friends. By that time, he was already very fond of music, composing both melodies and lyrics, but most of them were sent "to the table". And all because Tuomas played the guitar in small local projects, but did not take it seriously enough.

In the forest, the guys lit a fire and, as it always happens when you sit by the fire, they probably sang songs. It was at that moment that Tuomas, who knew how to play the synthesizer, thought for the first time: "But it would be great to have your own band! And one that the whole world would know about it!"

It often happens that a thought flashes through the head and disappears, but this time with Tuomas this did not happen. The idea haunted him relentlessly even upon returning home, and the young man decided: he must act. The only thing left to do is to find like-minded people.

Complete group

There is a famous saying "The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing." Tuomas was the same way - he was worried that nothing would work out, but unexpectedly quickly found people with whom he was lucky to move in the same direction. The first to join him was his old friend Erno Vuorinen, a virtuoso guitarist who had been playing the guitar since the age of twelve. The bassist and keyboardist (that is, Tuomas himself) were found immediately, it was only necessary to get hold of a vocalist. And then Tuomas remembered a familiar girl named Tarja. She had a wonderful operatic voice and was educated in the direction of academic vocals. Tuomas thought that the combination of Tarja's voice with heavy guitar music and light synthesizers would be a feature of the group, thanks to which the band would become recognizable. No sooner said than done. He invited Tarja to cooperate, and she agreed. Finally, the band Nightwish came together.

First entries

The birth of the new band took place in the summer of 1996, and less than six months later, in December, the "newborns" released their first acoustic album. Strictly speaking, it was difficult to call it an album in the real sense, because it contained only three songs. However, he became a landmark for the team: firstly, with his help, the guys declared themselves; secondly, the first song on this disc - Nightwish - gave the name to the "gang" itself. This phrase can be translated in different ways, but perhaps the most suitable option can be considered "Cherished desire". Given that the newly formed trio intended to fall in love with the whole world, such a name for the group is the most logical.

It was decided to sing immediately in the language of the British. After all, you can’t conquer the universe in Finnish, but English is still international. The Nightwish group sent the released disc to all major companies with an accompanying note. However, the reviews were not that critical, but not too laudatory either. The guys were told that although there are no complaints about the voice of the vocalist and the playing of the musicians, it is nevertheless very doubtful that eminent labels will want to take risks by collaborating with an unknown group with a "strange" sound. The first pancake came out lumpy, but it only inflamed the beginning stars of the world scale.

Changes

After receiving the first feedback, the guys took some steps to modify the group. Firstly, Erno changed the guitar - instead of acoustics he took an electric one. Secondly, the "staff" was expanded to four people - Jukka Nevalainen, who plays drums, joined the guys. Now the team could rightfully call itself a rock band Nightwish. The time has come to record a full-fledged album, which the friends did. The ninety-seventh year stood in the yard ...

promotion

In April 1997, the band's first full disc was ready. Angels Fall First - "Angels fall first" - that's what it was called. And in the same month, one of the Finnish labels became interested in the young band. They were given a chance by releasing their debut album with a circulation of eight and a half thousand copies, and for beginners this is a very good result.

However, they did not rely on newly-minted artists, giving them, by and large, the right to make their own way to their listeners. That is why (after all, the Finnish group Nightwish did not receive proper promotion at that time) they still could not "shoot" abroad.

The disc was released not only in Finland, but also in other countries such as the USA, Poland, Thailand. However, the inhabitants of the country of Suomi did not make a special impression on foreign connoisseurs of music. But on their fellow citizens - completely. It cannot be said that the guys woke up famous in their homeland, no - but they gained a certain weight.

First performance and video

In the winter of 1997/1998, Jukka and Erno went to serve in the army, while Tarja studied. Along the way, she sang in the opera choir, which she came to work before the appearance of the Nightwish group. Therefore, the guys could not often perform. However, for their first performance, they all got together, despite being busy - this happened exactly under New Year. Then, at the first performance, the band acquired a fifth member - bassist Samppa Hirvonen.

And in the coming year, in the spring, the time came for filming the first video. For these purposes, they chose the song The Carpenter ("The Carpenter"). The clip appeared in May, however, except for the soloist of the Nightwish band Tarja against the backdrop of a stunning Finnish landscape, the audience did not see anyone else in it.

Second album

The composition of the Nightwish group still couldn't settle down - only the guys got used to each other, as Samppa, the bassist, was taken into the army. It happened in the summer of the ninety-eighth - the group was just about to write a new album, leaving no hope of entering the world market. And what a surprise! I had to hastily look for a new bass player; fortunately, he was found quickly - Tuomas' old friend Sami Vänskä closed the gaping gap in the team.

Album Oceanborn ("Born by the ocean") appeared in October and unexpectedly hit the bull's-eye. Even the guys themselves, although hoping for recognition, did not expect that success would be so grandiose. The album peaked at number five on Finland's top forty albums and was certified platinum. They started talking about the group, the dream came true.

And away we go ... concerts and performances began to appoint one after another. The guys went on a big tour, however, so far only in their native country - but this was just the beginning. And the "continuation" happened a year later, when Nightwish went on a big tour (twenty-five concerts) throughout Europe, with a well-thought-out program of their own songs. This happened in the autumn of 1999, so we can safely say that the artists met the New Year of 2000 "on horseback" - on the wave of real popularity that hit them like a tsunami.

What's next?

And then - on the rise: in the year 2000 - a new album with a tour and participation in the selection for the well-known Eurovision; a year later - again an album and big concerts in other countries ... And in between all this - interviews, shooting and, of course, recording new songs.

To date, Nightwish has released eight albums - this is not counting mini-LPs and individual singles. What can we say about the clips - the team has sixteen of them, and the concerts given by the guys cannot be counted at all!

Team composition

The composition of the gang was constantly changing for various reasons. So, due to disagreements that arose in the team, Tarja left the group thirteen years ago. Another soloist was invited to take her place, but she did not stay long in Nightwish either. Currently, the group already has a third vocalist, her name is Flor. In addition to her and the permanent Tuomas and Erno, there are four more in the team now. Thus, there are currently seven members in the Nightwish group.

"Golden Trio": a short biography

Briefly, we need to talk about the trinity that launched this project, gave life to the group - these are Tuomas, Erno and Tarja.

Start with the leader. Tuomas was born in the seventy-sixth year of the last century in the most ordinary average Finnish family, in which, in addition to him, two more children grew up - Susanna and Petro.

As a child, he learned to play several musical instruments at once. Tuomas fell in love with music from an early age and decided on his cherished desire - to become a musician. In the ninety-third year, he first began to play in a group. He is fond of Disney cartoons, Tolkien's books, fishing and loves to travel.

Erno is two years younger than the leader of the group. As mentioned earlier, from the age of twelve he learned to play the guitar and was very successful in this matter. In addition to him, five more children grew up in the family, and Erno (or Emppu, as they call him) turned out to be the eldest of them. And the lowest. He himself refers to this with humor, ironically calling himself a dwarf.

With all this, since childhood, Erno is very active and mobile - all the time in action. As a teenager, he practiced judo, was a member of the national team, and even believed that this sport was cooler than music.

One year younger than Tuomas and one year older than Erno. She was born in a small village in the family of an administration employee and a carpenter. In addition to her, her parents had two more sons. She began singing in church at the age of only three.

Three years later Tarja learned to play the piano. She listened to and performed songs of various genres, but closer to the age of eighteen she chose opera.

One of possible causes Tarja's departure from the team is called the disagreement between Tuomas and the girl's husband. She got married two years before she left the band.
The current soloist of the group, Flor, can play the guitar, keyboards and flute.
Tuomas' mother is a music teacher.
Tuomas learned to read very early - at 2-3 years old.
Tuomas' wife is also a singer.
The band's songs were used as soundtracks for some movies.
The Nightwish group recorded one of their albums with the involvement of the London Symphony Orchestra, and one of the songs on it was performed along with a real Indian.
Tuomas is partly inspired by poems. So, it was under the influence of this author that the entire last album of the guys, released in 2015, was recorded.

All songs of the Finnish rock band Nightwish, regardless of the year of their release, can be listened to both on the band's official website and simply on the Internet. Listen and be impressed!

My Walden 2015
Nemo
nightwish
Nymphomaniac Fantasia
ocean soul
Over The Hills And Far Away
Passion And The Opera
planet hell
Rest Calm
Riddler
Sacrament Of Wilderness
Sagan, 2015
scaretale
She Is My Sin
Shudder Befor The Beautiful, 2015
sleeping sun
sleepwalker
Slow, love, slow
Song Of Myself
Stargazers
storytime
Swanheart
Taikatalvi
The Carpetner
The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
The Forever Moments
The Greatest Show On Earth, 2015
The Heart Asks Pleasure First, 2012
The Islander
The Kingslayer
The Last Ride Of The Day
The Phantom Of The Opera
The Pharaon Sails To Orion
The Poem And The Pendulum
The Sirens
The Wayfarer
Tutankhamen
Two For Tragedy
Walking In The Air
Weak Fantasy, 2015
While Your Lips Are Still Red
Whoever brings the night
Wish I Had An Angel
wishmaster
Turn Loose The Mermaids
Yours Is En Empty Hope, 2015

Biography (history) of the band Nightwish
Compound
Marco Hietala
Tuomas Holopainen
Anette Olzon
Jukka Nevalainen
Emppu Vuorinen

Former members
Tarja Turunen
Sami Vyanskya

The idea of creating a project nightwish born in my head Tuomas Holopainen in July 1996 year, when he spent the night with his friends near the fire. To begin with, he composed three songs. According to Tuomas' idea, these songs were to be performed by a girl accompanied by an acoustic guitar and keyboards. Tuomas took the keys himself, his friend Emppu took up the guitar, they asked a mutual friend, a student of the Sibelius Music Academy, to sing, Tarja Turunen. Everything turned out exactly as Tuomas intended: Tarja's voice was perfect for his compositions. Several demos were recorded under the name "Nightwish". The recordings weren't intended for distribution, but some of them did make their way to several well-known record labels, where they got pretty high marks. Of the shortcomings, a narrow focus was noted, as well as a not very large variety of music performed.

The experiments did not end there: it was decided to add drums (this is how Jukka Nevalainen / Jukka Nevalainen / got into the group), and instead of an acoustic guitar, use an electric one. After several weeks of training, in April 1997 they settled into the studio. Seven songs were recorded during this period (which later formed the bulk of their first album "Angels Fall First").

The result was not long in coming. In May 1997, Nightwish signed a two-album deal with Spinefarm, and in August the musicians returned to the studio to record four new songs. Shortly before the release of "Angels Fall First", their single "The Carpenter" is released, which reaches the eighth line of the official Finnish chart. Released in early November, the band's first full-length album titled "Angels Fall First", which contained twelve portions of atmospheric gothic-influenced music with beautiful female vocals, reaches number 31 on the Finnish national album charts.

December 31st 1997 Nightwish play their first show in Kitee. After that, the musicians perform only seven times, because Jukka and Emppu go to serve in the army, and Tarja continues her studies. But the band's potential was noticed, and by mutual agreement, Nightwish and Spinefarm expand their contract to three albums.

spring 1998 the first video for the song "The Carpenter" was filmed, and Tuomas and Tarja give interviews in a Finnish show. In the summer a new member joins the band - bassist Sami Vanska. During the summer, there are rehearsals for new songs, and in early August, the musicians begin recording their next album, which ends in late October. On November 13th Nightwish will perform in Kitee. Based on this concert, a video clip "Sacrament of Wilderness" is filmed. The single of this song was released on November 26th and the new album called "Oceanborn" on December 7th.

Everyone was surprised by the impressive success of “OceanBorn” (in my opinion, nothing surprising; after the hundredth of listening to such compositions as “Passion and the Opera”, “Stargazers”, “Sacrament of Wilderness”, etc. There is a persistent desire to throw away all their homemade acoustics, and surround itself with crystal-clear sounds 6- And the channel Dolbydigital and finally begin to live humanly - approx. Translation.). It reached number five on the official Finnish album charts, while the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" occupied number one on the singles chart for several weeks! During the winter of 1999, Nightwish toured all over the country, taking part in almost every major rock festival. The audience welcomes the musicians with open arms, all concert venues are filled to overflowing with enthusiastic fans, and this despite the fact that before that they had performed only a few times. At the same time, a new song called "Sleeping Sun" is being recorded, dedicated to the solar eclipse. In August, the single "Sleeping Sun" was released, which, in addition to the title track, contained three more ballads: "Walking in the Air", "Swanheart" and "Angels Fall First". In Germany, this single is accepted by "Hurrah!" (In just one month it sells 15,000 copies!). Further more. Nightwish learn that their album "Oceanborn" and the single "Sacrament of Wilderness" have been certified gold. After such news, the musicians decide to organize a 26 gig European tour together with the famous German rock band Rage.

At first 2000 the band returns to the studio to create their third album. Nightwish's performance with the song "Sleepwalker" in the Finnish qualification of the Eurovision Song Contest intervenes in the process. The group easily overcomes the qualification, but in the overall standings takes only (and without any quotes - approx. translation.) Second place, despite a stunning victory in the audience vote.

In May, a new album called "Wishmaster" is released, in the same month, the "Wishmaster Tour" starts from the musicians' hometown of Kitee. After this grandiose show, the group is awarded well-deserved gold discs for the album "Oceanborn" and the singles "Sacrament of Wilderness", "Walking in the Air" and "Sleeping Sun". "Wishmaster" hit number one on the Finnish album chart and held that position for three weeks. During these three weeks, it also becomes gold. "Wishmaster" was acclaimed by both fans and critics, and was named Album of the Month by Germany's Rock Hard magazine (despite long-awaited albums from such notorious bands as Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden being released in the same period).

"Wishmaster" also debuted on the national German and French charts at numbers 21 and 66 respectively! The "Wishmaster World Tour", which started from Kitee, started with big festivals in Finland, and in July 2000 was already in full swing in South America. The three-week tour of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Panama and Mexico is considered by the band members to be one of their most successful tours.

Nightwish's next project is a DVD&VHS release of their concert in Tampere on December 29, 2000. In April 2001, the record appears on the shelves in Finnish shops, and then all over the world. By this time, the volume of sold copies of the album "Wishmaster" and the single "Deep Silent Complete" exceeds 40,000, i.e. they become platinum!!! (Regarding the song "Deep Silent Complete", I want to quote one of the band's fans, which I really liked: "In this song, Tarja's voice covers the guitars like sharp stones in a mountain river." - approx. translation.).

In March 2001 Nightwish are back in the studio recording their version of Gary Moore's classic "Over The Hills And Far Away", two new songs and a re-recording of a song called "Astral Romance" from their first album "Angels Fall First". This EP was released in June 2001. The German version, in addition to the above songs, also contained six live recordings of the band.

Start 2002 year is marked by good news, compared with the previous hard times. As a band and as individual musicians, Nightwish has topped every reader's poll in local and foreign magazines. Fans did not leave them after all the changes, but vice versa. Ever Dream, the first single from the new album, is certified gold after 2 days of sales. At the same time, Nightwish announces the upcoming break after the end of the Century Child World Tour 2002, in order to allow Tarja to finish her studies in Germany. This post is generating all sorts of speculation among fans.

The new album "Century Child" is released in May 2002 and breaks the sales record, having received the "gold" status in 2 hours of sales! In two weeks it is sold out "platinum" (30,000 copies) circulation. At the same time, Nightwish is at number one on the album and single charts for the first time. Foreign charts respond the same: in Germany, Century Child goes straight to 5th place, and in Austria to 15th; these are the highest positions held by the group abroad so far. In July, the group successfully tours South America, almost all concerts are sold out. In Brazil, the first edition of Century Child sold out in one day, and that year's successful European tour went unnoticed by the ticketing agencies. Many European performances were broadcast in live on the Internet, needless to say, there were often interruptions in the connection. Nearly 10,000 fans tried to watch them perform live. With 59,000 copies sold in Finland, Century Child was the second best selling album in the country in 2002.

The hiatus began at the end of 2002, and the guys, no doubt, did not have time for rest: Jukka played with the bands Sethian and Bitch Driven; Tuomas with Sethian, For My Pain… and Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus; Emppu played with Altaria and Marco with his band Tarot. In general, the break was not supposed to last a year, back on the road ...

Start 2003 The year was marked by better results in reader polls in various magazines, and the studio was booked to begin recording the next album, which was planned for release next year. Events also took place on the family front: on March 11, 2003, Jukka and his girlfriend Satu had a daughter, Luna. Nightwish received the award for a double platinum Century Child selling 60,000 copies. The group performs mainly abroad, the only performance in Finland was at the RMJ 2003 festival on 20 June. The first performance in Sweden took place at the Gates of Metal festival in Hultsfred. During 2003, material was collected for the documentary DVD End of Innocence, and its release was delayed several times due to the sheer amount of material.

In May 2003, Tarja announces that she had secretly married a few months earlier and that she will return to Finland. The End of Innocence DVD was eventually released on October 6, 2003, by which time Nightwish had already started recording a new album. Their fifth album, Once, would be the most important release in the band's history. Meanwhile, Finnish President Tarja Halonen also keeps his eye on Nightwish's accomplishments and invites Tarja and her husband Marcelo Cabuli to the presidential residence for their annual Independence Day party. Tarja's dress was named the most beautiful dress of the evening.

Before Christmas 2003, Nightwish auctioned off the back of the Century Child World Tour, with all profits going to charity. 1750 euros were donated to the Parikanniemi Orphanage in Ristiina in December 2003. Tarja personally handed over the money, and Michael "Big Tini" Leipold from Germany became the new proud owner of the backdrop.

The new album, titled "Once", was released on June 7 2004 year, after the single "Nemo" ("No one" - lat.) from this album. The orchestra took part in the recording of 9 out of 11 songs of the album. Unlike "Century Child", "Once" did not feature a Finnish orchestra, but the London Session Orchestra, which also featured on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. It is also the second album with a song entirely in Finnish "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" ("Death Makes an Artist"). Lakota Indian John "Two-Hawks" took part in the recording of the song "Creek Mary's Blood". He sings in his native language and plays the flute.

The following singles were released: "Wish I Had an Angel" (Original in the Dark soundtrack), "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" (Finland only) and "The Siren". The new album was well received by critics, who compared it to "Oceanborn".

The success of the album allowed the band to go on a world tour "Once", including those countries in which they had never performed (however, the band never visited Russia). They took part in the opening of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, held in Helsinki, performing the song "Nemo".

Released in September 2005 The Highest Hopes compilation consists of songs collected from the band's entire discography. It also includes a cover of "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd. In addition, the video for the song "Sleeping Sun" was re-shot.

After recording the new live DVD "End of an Era" the members of the band decided they didn't want to work with Tarja Turunen anymore about which she was informed in an open letter. In a letter, they wrote to Tarja that her husband Marcello Kabuli and commercial interests turned her away from Nightwish, accused her of not wanting to participate in the life of the group and of contempt for fans. Tuomas Holopainen gave her a letter after the successful completion of the world tour with the final concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on the night of October 21, 2005. The open letter was later published on the band's official website.

Tarja reacted to the unexpected dismissal, saying that it was a shock for her. She was not warned in advance about this letter and says that it is unnecessarily cruel. Tarja wrote a response letter to her fans and published it on her own website. She also gave many interviews to various TV channels, magazines and newspapers about her attitude to what happened.

IN 2006 The band began recording their sixth studio album. The recording process started with drums, then guitars, bass guitars and keyboard demos. Recording of the orchestra and choir took place at Abbey Road Studios, followed by the final recording of synthesizers and vocals.

To replace Tarja as vocalist on March 17, 2006, the band invited candidates for the vacant position to send their demos. During the group's selection of female vocalists, there was speculation about who would eventually become the new member of the group. In response to these and other rumors, the band posted a notice on their website asking them not to trust any information other than what was officially released.

For the same reason personality of the new vocalist was disclosed earlier, and on May 24, 2007, the 35-year-old Anette Olzon from Swedish Katrineholm (en) was introduced as a replacement for Turunen. Holopainen said in an interview that he does not want to name the new vocalist until there is ready-made material, so that fans do not judge her only by her photo and past work.

The voice and manner of performance of the new vocalist are very different from the previous one. “Tarja had her own style that no one else in the world could have done better,” said Tuomas. "That's why we were looking for a completely different voice."

"Eva", the first single from the new album, was announced in February. At the same time, a sample of the song was made available on the band's website, along with other songs from the new album: "7 Days to the Wolves", "Master Passion Greed" and "Amaranth". Originally slated for a May 30 release, the single was released on May 25 due to a leak from a UK music site.

On June 13, Nightwish revealed the title of their new album "Dark Passion Play", cover art on their website along with the title and cover art of their second single "Amaranth". The single includes "While Your Lips Are Still Red", written by Tuomas as main theme for the Finnish film "Lieksa!". Formally, this composition is not Nightwish, as it is performed by Marco as a vocalist and bassist, Tuomas as a keyboardist and Jukka as a drummer. The video for the song was released on June 15th.

The second single from the new album "Amaranth" was released in Finland on August 22, about a month before the album and was certified gold in less than two days of sales. It was the first CD single from the album, as "Eva" was distributed only via the Internet.

Dark Passion Play was released in Europe in the last week of September 2007 of the year, in the UK - October 1, in the USA - October 2. The album was released in two editions: one-disc and two-disc. The latter contains one bonus track on the first disc and orchestral versions of all tracks on the second. Roadrunner also released a limited three-disc edition.

On this album, presumably because the former vocalist left the band, vocalist Marco Hietala was given more scope for his vocals. He sings at least backing vocals on every song except for "Amaranth", lead vocals (not counting backing vocals by Anette Olzon) on "The Islander", "Master Passion Greed", "While Your Lips Are Still Red" and "Reach" (the last two from the Amaranth CD) and sings the chorus on "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "7 Days to the Wolves".

Some magazines, including Kerrang!, noticed that the departure of Tarja Turunen changed the image of the group and removed the border that separated them from other groups. The recruitment of 175 orchestra members and the use of solo parts on the album has led to the band's work being now described as symphonic metal, especially the album's first 14-minute track "The Poet and The Pendulum". The album was rated 5/5 by Kerrang!

The band performed a "secret" concert at the Rock Cafe in Tallinn on 22 September. In order to remain incognito, they introduced themselves as the band "Nachtwasser", performing covers of Nightwish. Their first official concert with the new vocalist was in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 6, 2007.

The "End of an Era" DVD was certified platinum in Germany, selling over 50,000 copies. The corresponding award was presented to the group during the Rock Am Ring festival, in which Nightwish performed on the main stage in front of more than 80,000 people. The album "Dark Passion Play" was also certified gold in Germany, selling over 100,000 copies within its first week of release.

Imaginaerum (release plan - end 2011 of the year)

October 15 2010 2009, information appeared in the press that Nightwish were planning to record a new album. Like four years ago, the pre-production of the material began in a remote rural area in Finland, in the village of Savi. Rehearsals had to start in the absence of Annette, who at that time was expecting her second child. On July 30, 2010, Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon gave birth to a son, and in mid-October 2010, as planned, Nightwish officially started recording a new album. A week later, all the drum parts were recorded. At the beginning of January 2011, according to reports from the band's camp, the recording of the rhythm guitar and bass parts was almost completed. On February 10, 2011, Nightwish revealed the title of their next studio album, Imaginarium. In parallel with the recording of the new album, Nightwish are preparing for the filming of the film. Imaginarium is a musical fantasy film based on the upcoming album of the same name. Main character film is a composer with a wild imagination. He is already an old man, but still considers himself a boy. In his dreams, he travels to his distant past, where his old dreams return to him, intertwined with the youthful world of fantasy and music. In a dream, the old man seeks to find the most important memories for him. Imaginarium will begin filming this spring in Canada, with a 2012 premiere. To avoid possible copyright issues, the album has been renamed "Imaginaerum".

The release of the album is scheduled for the end of 2011.

A world tour is scheduled for 2012 in support of the album. The first concert will take place on January 21, 2012 at the Gibson Theater in Universal City (Los Angeles, USA). Amorphis will be the special guest at the concert.

Official (updated) biography at http://www.site
Official site(Official site): http://www.nightwish.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nightwish
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/nightwishband
Mail.ru blog: no.
Nightwish Video Channel YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nightwishofficial
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nightwish
iTunes: no.
Photo on FLICKR: no.

Materials used in the creation of the biography:
1. Official website of the Nightwish group.
2. Ru.Wikipedia.
3. Media.
4. Photo from open sources.

Here's a brief about the formation of the group.

The beginning was difficult. Success came to the group only at the end of 1999. Tours followed, the recognition of the public.

But the group found the strength to overcome the crisis and set to work. Quite unexpectedly, Tarja Turunen announced that she intended to pursue a solo career in the future, but continued to go on tour and participate in recordings and concerts. By this time, she was married, and her husband did not encourage his wife's participation in the hectic life of the team. Tarja herself has repeatedly said that parties and collective gatherings have a bad effect on her voice. The conflict has been brewing for a long time. Only in 2005, Nightwish posted an open letter to Tarja on the site, where she informed her that further joint work was not possible. The letter came as a shock to her. The break in relations between Tarja and the musicians was inflated, perhaps not to the scale of a national tragedy, and for a very long time publications did not subside in the press, and the fans split into two camps - one defended Tuomas, while the other Tarja. The dismissal from the group was unexpected for her. She had to build her solo career, which, by the way, is very successful.

The era of the second vocalist has come - the Swedish siren Anette Olzon (Princess, Nettie)

On March 7, 2006, the group announced that they were looking for a new lead singer, Nightwish, and the criteria that she had to meet were announced.

“The voice and manner of singing of the new vocalist Nightwish is very different from the previous one. Tarja had her own style that no one in the world could replicate. That's why we were looking for a completely different voice." The new soloist and new music did not please all fans. Annette began to receive threats. The group did everything possible to support their new member, the musicians treated Anette's condition with understanding and care. Several concerts were canceled when she could not cope with the nervous tension after the attacks of Tarja's fans.

The news that the soloist changed again in Nightwish quickly spread all over the musical circles and caused a very unexpected reaction - some musicians supported Tuomas' decision.

The result of this is known to all as an official statement made on the Nightwish website on October 1, 2012:

“Another chapter in the history of Nightwish has been completed. Anette Olzon and Nightwish have decided to part ways by mutual decision and for the common good.

New soloist Nightwish 2013 - Valkyrie Floor Jansen (Warrior)

Flor was accepted on board surprisingly easily, unlike Anette, it was much easier for her to win over the fans.

Before the release of the DVD, unexpected news awaited the music world - the musicians, who had previously stated that the name of the soloist would not be announced until 2014, made a loud statement. Now it has become clear that Nightwish has a new chapter in his biography, called Floor Jansen, and it happened on October 9, 2013. In addition, Troy Donockley, who spent the entire previous tour with the Finns, entered the line-up as a permanent member. The reason that the musicians revealed the name of the vocalist before the expected date was quite simple:

“It has become very convenient for us. We've got a new DVD coming out and it needs to be promoted, given interviews where it would be silly not to reveal a decision that has already been made. The fact that Floor is now a soloist in Nightwish was decided back in the summer, in June / July, ”Tuomas said in an interview. Thus, a new voice appeared in the group. In terms of voice and manner of singing, Flor as a whole is very different from both Anette and Tarja. And all from the fact that Flor manages to combine different styles of singing on stage: here you have soft chants, and powerful pop howls, and hoarse-aggressive screams, and a near-academic soprano.

The group tours a lot, prepares new albums, creates new projects. True, I had to take a forced break due to Flor's pregnancy. Nightwish promised not to return to the studio until 2019, due to the birth of Flor's child, but in April of this year, an announcement appeared on the band's fan site that "a new album will be released in June, the material for which is really not familiar to the group. The addition to the family of the vocalist Floor Jansen, as expected, made adjustments to the creative plans of the group: the next release will be a mini-album of lullabies in the symphonic metal style characteristic of the group. It is known that there will be 4 tracks on it, three of which the leader of the band Tuomas Holopainen wrote in different periods of creativity, but they were not suitable for albums and were waiting in the wings to present them to a wide audience. Also on the mini-album will be one special song that Tuomas wrote in honor of Freya, the newborn daughter of Floor Jansen and Sabaton drummer Hannes van Dahl. “New life is so inspiring!” Holopainen said. “Childcharmer is my way of celebrating this new life. This is a gift not only for Freya, but for all our fans, regardless of age, for whom life is as much an inspiration as it is for us.” “It was difficult to sing during a long pregnancy,” adds Flor, “But lullabies do not require complete vocal dedication, more emotions are needed here, and I have plenty of that now!”

Everyone believed, but it was an April Fool's joke.

Current compound

Floor Jansen (Dutch. Floor Jansen) - vocals

Tuomas Holopainen (fin. Tuomas Holopainen) - composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals (in the band's early years)

Marco Hietala (fin. Marco Hietala) - bass guitar, vocals

Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen (fin. Jukka "Julius" Nevalainen) - drums

Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen (fin. Emppu Vuorinen) - lead guitar

Troy Donockley - bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki, bowran

Former members

Tarja Turunen (fin. Tarja Turunen) - vocals (1996-2005)

Sami Vänskä (fin. Sami Vänskä) - bass guitar (1998-2001)

Marjana Pellinen (fin. Marjaana Pellinen) - vocals (1997) (only appearances)

Samppa Hirvonen (fin. Samppa Hirvonen) - bass guitar (1996) (only appearances)

Anette Olzon (Swed. Anette Olzon) - vocals (2007-2012)

Group albums

Angels Fall First (1997, Spinefarm Records)

Oceanborn (1998, Spinefarm Records)

Wishmaster (2000, Spinefarm Records)

Century Child (2002, Spinefarm Records)

Once (2004, Nuclear Blast)

Dark Passion Play (2007, Nuclear Blast, Spinefarm Records, Roadrunner Records)

Imaginaerum (2011)

Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)

Singles and mini-albums

"The Carpenter" (1997)

"Sacrament of Wilderness" (1998)

"Passion and the Opera" (1998)

"Walking in the Air" (1999)

"Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse)" (1999)

"The Kingslayer" (2000)

"Deep Silent Complete" (2000)

Over the Hills and Far Away EP (2001, Spinefarm)

Ever Dream (2002)

Bless the Child (2002)

"Wish I Had an Angel" (2004)

"Kuolema tekee taiteilijan" (2004)

The Siren (2005)

Sleeping Sun (2005)

"Amaranth" (2007)

"Erämaan viimeinen" (2007)

"Bye Bye Beautiful" (2008)

The Islander (2008)

"Made in Hong-Kong" EP (2009)

"Storytime" (2011)

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" (2012)

"Élan" (2015)

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" (2015)

Collections

Wishmastour 2000 (2000)

Tales from the Elvenpath (2004)

Best Wishes (2005)

Highest Hopes (2005)

Wishsides (2005)

DVD

From Wishes to Eternity (2001)

End of Innocence (2003)

End of an Era (2005)

Tour Edition (2012)

Showtime, Storytime (2013)

Vehicle of Spirit (2016)

Traditionally, I offer some videos of the group.

Nightwish - Dark Chest of Wonders (Anette, Floor & Tarja) Three beauties sing together at one of the concerts.

youtube.be/wIZOsoA2gzg

Nightwish - Dark chest of wonders (Live at Lowlands) Anette

youtube.be/5WT17jg9RDU

Nightwish - Wish I Had An Angel HD Tarja

youtube.be/B0Q1rKpDNE4

NIGHTWISH - Romanticide (OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO)

youtube.be/zz_7OCCQlXs

youtube.be/2OIrpU_NmKo Sleeping Sun

youtu.be/-7Oj3tyyTxQ Sacrament of Wilderness

youtube.be/9hmzR1CKGtA Nightwish Nemo (Official Music Video HD)

The Finnish heavy metal band "Nightwish" is a combination of academic female vocals with heavy music. The team is one of the most famous representatives of their country in the world musical Olympus. In Russia, the team also has its loyal fans. Despite the place of birth and residence, the musicians perform songs mainly in English.

History of creation and composition

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal/power metal band formed by rock musician Tuomas Holopainen in 1996.

The history of creation began with the desire of Tuomas to perform only acoustic music. On vacation near the city of Kitee, the musician shared his thoughts with a friend - guitarist Emppu Vuorinen.

As planned, the newly minted team included several musical instruments- acoustic guitar, flutes, strings, piano, keyboards. The vocals were supposed to be female. Passion for the bands "Third and the Mortal", "Theatre of Tragedy", "The Gathering" influenced the choice of Holopainen.

Emppu offered the role of soloist. At first, Tuomas did not like the girl at all. As a vocalist, the leader saw someone like Kari Rueslotten ("Third and the Mortal"). But at the audition, the girl managed to impress.

Turunen has been musically gifted since childhood. The music teacher recalled that the girl could perform any song without preparation. For several years she sang hits and. After she became interested in the classical repertoire, she was especially inspired by the style of "The Phantom of The Opera", which the aspiring singer chose to work with.

Anette Olzon became the second vocalist, replacing Tarja Turunen. The girl was chosen from 2 thousand applicants. She sang in Naightwish from 2007 to 2012.

The official website lists the current composition of the group. It consists of: Floor Jansen (vocals), Tuomas Holopainen (composer, lyricist, keyboards, vocals), Marco Hietala (bass guitar, vocals), Jukka Julius Nevalainen (drums), Erno Emppu Vuorinen (guitar), Troy Donockley (bagpipes, whistle, vocals, guitar, bouzouki) and Kai Hahto (drums).

Music

The first acoustic album in the band's discography is dated 1997. It has 3 songs: "Nightwish", "The Forever Moments" and "Etiäinen". The first composition received the name of the group. There is no official translation of the word "nightwish", fans prefer to interpret it as "cherished desire", or "dream of life". The album on cassettes was sent to reputable labels and publications.

The first review of their work spoke of good vocals and high quality of music performance. But there was also an idea that the latter would not be of interest to major labels, since they work primarily for sales, and there is little chance of getting on the radio.

At first, Tarja Turunen's vocals sounded so strong that the acoustic music was lost against it. We decided to take on a drummer, which was Jukka Nevalainen, and Emppu changed his acoustic guitar to an electric one. Heavy metal sounded.

In April 1997, Nightwish recorded their first full-length album, Angels Fall First. It included 7 songs, 3 of which were performed by Tuomas Holopainen. After that, his vocals were no longer heard. Emppu Vuorinen played the bass guitar. The first edition was limited to 500 copies. Then the material was finalized, and the original version today is a great rarity, which is hunted by collectors.

The first performance of the group took place on December 31, 1997. That winter, the musicians gave only 7 concerts. The reason for this is Tarja's studies, as well as the army service of Emppu and Jukka. In early May 1998, they released a video for the song "The Carpenter". It was attended by musicians and actors. The composition is an allegory on religious themes. In the clip, an engineer constructs a renaissance glider, on which he flies into the sky in the finale.

The song "The Carpenter" by Nightwish

In the summer of 1998, Nightwish released a new album, Oceanborn. In August, work began on a studio recording, which was released in October. On November 13, another concert of the group took place in Kitee, where a video for the song "Sacrament of Wilderness" was created.

Recording the album proved to be fraught with great difficulties. But despite this, "Oceanborn" shot, hitting #5 on the official Finnish charts and reaching platinum status. Musicians were invited to television. On the air of the TV2 - "Lista" program, they performed the compositions "Gethsemane" and "Sacrament of Wilderness", the latter then stayed at the 1st place of the singles chart for a week.

Song "Sacrament of Wilderness" by Nightwish

In 1999, the team toured a lot in Finland. The musicians participated in all significant rock festivals. At the same time they are recording the single "Sleeping sun" - a song on the theme of the solar eclipse on August 11 in Germany. It was the first commissioned track.

The popularity of the group grew not only in their native country, but also in Europe as well. In the fall of 1999, the musicians went on tour with the German band Rage. The big surprise for Nightwish was that at some concerts, half the audience left immediately after their performance. This has become a kind of indicator of popularity.

Song "Sleepwalker" by Nightwish

In 2000, the group participated in the selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song "Sleepwalker" confidently won the audience vote, but did not pass the jury's selection. In the same year, the band recorded the album "Wishmaster", which turned out to be tougher than the previous ones.

In addition to the composition of the same name, it included "She Is My Sin", "The Kinslayer", "Come Cover Me", "Crownless", "Deep Silent Complete" and others - a total of 12 tracks. The album took 1st place in the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks. Long before the official release, fans from Estonia and Russia were already buying Wishmaster. This became possible thanks to the pirates, which once again proved the popularity of the group outside of Finland.

Song "Wishmaster" by Nightwish

At the same time, Rock Hard magazine chose Wishmaster as album of the month. And in the summer, the team went on their first full-fledged independent tour of Europe. Their opening act was "Sinergy" and "Eternal Tears of Sorrow". At a concert in 2000, the band recorded the first full-fledged live album with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. "From Wishes to Eternity" on DVD, VHS and CD.

In the spring of 2001, the band recorded a cover of Tuomas's favorite since childhood Gary Moore's "Over the Hills and Far Away". A video was then shot, which went platinum and stayed in the top 40 singles for 49 weeks. The mini-album also includes 2 new songs and a remake from the debut album "Astral Romance".

Nightwish's first concert in Russia took place during the tour in the summer of 2001. The musicians performed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. After that, for 2 years in a row, the group came at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn. Then there was a break of 6 years, and the next appearance in Russia took place only in 2009, and then in 2012 and 2016.

In 2002, the album "Century Child" was released. Some of the songs were recorded with a symphony orchestra. The next one - "Once" - was released 2 years later. In between, the band recorded their second DVD, End of Innocence. Before the release of the collection, the group released the single "Nemo", which they then performed during a world tour in Helsinki at the opening of the World Championships in Athletics.

Song "Nemo" by Nightwish

The new album is notable for the fact that out of 11 songs 9 were recorded with the participation of the London Session Orchestra. One composition from the album sounds in Finnish, and another Lakota Indian participated in the recording, who played the flute and sang in his native language. "Century Child" became the second biggest seller in Finland and won the "Export Emma" award. In addition, at that time, "Once" became the most expensive in the history of heavy music in Finland.

In 2005, a world tour took place in support of the new album. Fans from more than 130 countries saw the idols live. The group visited Europe, visited Australia, Poland, Greece and a number of other countries for the first time. After the tour, Nightwish said goodbye to soloist Tarja Turunen.

This was preceded by tensions within the team. At some point, the vocalist unplannedly canceled several concerts due to being busy, refused to give interviews and participate in advertising. From that moment on, Tarja began to appear with the group only in the photo.

The musicians wrote a letter to the soloist, which they handed to her, and subsequently posted on the official website. It presents claims to a friend and team member with whom they are forced to say goodbye. The final summed up:

""Nightwish" is life path and working with a lot of obligations both to each other and to the fans. With you, we can no longer take care of fulfilling them."

In 2006, work began on the album "Dark Passion Play", which was recorded with the new soloist Anette Olzon. The single "Amaranth" was certified gold after 2 days of sales.

In mid-October 2011, Nightwish began recording their 7th studio album, Imaginaerum, which was released on CD and 2 LPs. In parallel, based on his motives, a fantasy film of the same name was shot.

And before the end of the tour in support of the album, Anette left the band. Instead, they invited Floor Jansen. The 2015 album Endless Forms Most Beautiful was recorded with her.

Nightwish now

In March 2018, the band released the compilation album Decades, which features the band's discography in reverse order. It contains remastered versions of the original songs. At the same time, the Decades: World Tour began touring.

In the spring of 2020, Naightwish plans to release a new album. In an interview, the founder of the group, Tuomas Holopainen, said that work on it is already in full swing.