Review d'Imaginaerum par Imperium

Encore une petite review bien sympathique sur Imaginaerum :) Source.

"Preliminary report: How did Nightwish’s Imaginaerum sound like?

The Finnvox studio is as comfortable as a construction site container. Apparently they haven’t invested in the furniture after the 70s. It is in some way so typical for Finns that successful products are made in darkened department buildings. And even if the symphonic orchestras are roaring on Nightwish’s albums, the band has focused on the content instead of walls, just like the owners of Finnvox.

In the end, Nightwish’s popularity is based on Tuomas Holopainen's compositions and their big implementation, although sometimes the band is about to slip into as artistic as posters in a home decor department of a department store. Decks and hipsters do not dig it, but in Europe, Nightwish plays their fantasy operas at the same ice stadiums as the AC/DC.

When the bombs are exploding and people cheering, it’s hard for an androgyny who is wearing spectacles and pipe jeans to come and say: “Bonnie Prince Billy is better. I read it on Pitchfork with my Mac.”

The band members, excluding Anette Olzon, are present, as well as the manager Ewo Pohjola. He shows how the internationally successful company is run. Pohjola is wearing the best sweatpants he has found in his wardrobe.

Imaginaerum is as bombastic as it can be, surprisingly. Nightwish makes all kinds of music. The material contains pure Zimmer-Elfman soundtrack music, symphonic heavy metal, soft acoustic music, and one jazz pastiche. The band sounds relaxed and Anette Olzon’s vocals are often remarkably good.

Since the descriptions of each song in chronological order after one listening wouldn’t probably be accurate or correct, here are briefly the best moments of Imaginaerum.

Slow, Love, Slow

The surprise attack on the jazz side is possibly the best song of this album. Anette Olzon sings nicer than ever in Nightwish. When the band practiced the new material in Kitee, the drum virtuoso Kai Hahto visited in the training sessions teaching the drummer Jukka Nevalainen some secrets of drum brush techniques.

Last Ride of the Day

The best heavy metal song of the album, quick and aggressive. It begins with a choir, but its savage echo shrinks into shambling and dry roar. The folkish chorus lightens the weight of the roaring metal band and gigantic orchestration. Emppu Vuorinen gets to play a great shredding solo and nice stems. The string arrangement at the end is awesome.

Turn Loose the Mermaids

An ethereal song that begins acoustically. Once again references to children's songs and Irish folk. When Nightwish gets rid of the compulsory distortion guitars and double bass drums, the compositions will truly take you along. The further away from the power metal conventions the band can reach, the more interesting its music becomes.

Storytime

The first single of the album. And it’s a conservative choice. Nightwish plays heavily and the orchestra roars like hell. The song is a typical Nightwish composition, in a good way. The band sounds more relaxed than ever before. Either the material is composed especially for Anette Olzon, or the production team has managed to disclose her best skills. Olzon sounds relaxed and expressive compared to most metal screamers.

As a whole, the 75-minute album causes some listening fatigue from time to time. There is simply so much information that it feels a heavy packet to be listened to at one time.

At times, even the sharpest modern metal elements feel superimposed, as if Nightwish was playing heavy metal just for the sake of heavy metal. Even Holopainen isn’t able to write a hit chorus for every song. A good example is I Want My Tears Back.

On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with the parts composed for the Imaginaerum movie, which is currently in post production. While in most movies the fateful mood is created with sample libraries and piped music, the soundtrack of Imaginaerum is implemented exceptionally carefully, and it sounds authentic.

Rock movie is a difficult genre. Or do you know a KISS fan who has found the band through the movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park? Therefore, you have to take your hat off to anyone who is crazy enough to try."