Concerts I've Attended (2015)

April: Nightwish
Support: Sabaton, Delain
Endless Forms Most Beautiful Tour

One does not simply miss a chance to see Nightwish after seeing the Showtime, Storytime DVD. Floor Jansen's voice is a force beyond human comprehension.

I had a lovely view of this show from start to finish, as I was at the very front of the little venue's second tier. Delain opened first, and I only knew two of their songs at the time, but I really enjoyed songs on their set like "Army of Dolls" and "Electricity" so I looked them up afterward, bought their album The Human Contradiction, and loved it. Sabaton performed next, and while I'm not exactly a fan of their music, they are fantastic performers. The energy level was borderline ridiculous, and they all seemed so nice! The Cleveland crowd certainly humbled them... It was the most energetic crowd I've been in so far. A couple of children were in the crowd and the Sabaton guys invited them on stage - it was really cute. The singer was so happy to see such a wide age range at the show: "Metal is for everyone!"

Then, the lovely headliner Nightwish took the stage. I was treated to a glorious setlist which consisted of many brand new tracks from their album Endless Forms Most Beautiful but also included a couple of their best pieces from Oceanborn, their 1998 sophomore album. Some of the highlights were expected, but even though it became one of my favorites from Endless Forms Most Beautiful quite quickly, I never anticipated "Weak Fantasy" to be as epic as it was in a live setting - what a rush! Between its general live sound and crazy lighting I was dizzy and happy. The crowd knew every word to "The Islander" and we seemed to truly impress Floor with how well we knew the words to their newer single "Élan." I was dancing along to the pipe-led folky tunes but by the time we made it to "Stargazers" I stood in awe - I feel so lucky to have seen that classic live.

The last song before the encore was "The Greatest Show on Earth" (parts two and three, "Life" and "The Toolmaker"), which became my favorite Nightwish song on the first listen... I may have gone a smidge crazy. Right as "The Toolmaker" begins when animal noises dominate the tracks I came to a startling realization: Most of the growling I was hearing (both at my show and performances I saw on YouTube just before my show) wasn't playback... It was Floor. I actually confused her for a lion - A LION, I TELL YOU. If that doesn't prove her power, nothing will. After the encore (consisting of the masterpiece "Ghost Love Score" and the perfect closer "Last Ride of the Day") the final instrumental sections of "The Greatest Show on Earth" played while the band took their bows. Nightwish's creator Tuomas Holopainen took the final bow before the rest of the group as "The Understanding" came to its final gorgeous chords. He looked so tired but passionate and proud of the band's performance, and I unabashedly screamed I loved him like a crazed fangirl.

Other associated memories: The person standing next to me was holding his signed VIP poster and tour book, so like an awe-struck fangirl I started asking him about how the meet and greet was and how Floor and the guys were. Well, he must have felt bad for me for not being able to get a VIP ticket because DUDE GAVE ME HIS SIGNED STUFF. His explanation: "I'm old. What am I going to do with this stuff?" But he wasn't even old. I was so gracious! 

May: Lana Del Rey
Support: Grimes
The Endless Summer Tour

As per usual when I go to non-rock/metal concerts, I saw Lana Del Rey with Nick at Aural Fixation Reviews. I was so excited to see her at the beginning of summer during her Endless Summer Tour since that's the season I have always associated her with, but she really could have changed it to the Endless Winter Tour for my show because it was forty eight degrees (Fahrenheit). I was freezing and couldn't feel my feet afterward, but it was worth it. Lana's live performances have improved significantly since her start in 2012, and honestly, she did a perfect job. I absolutely lost my shit during "Born to Die" and I love how she changed the chorus a bit. "Video Games" was the first song I discovered by her so of course hearing that beautiful track live was pretty wonderful too, and she played the lovely unreleased "Serial Killer." Being the hipster that I am, I was kind of expecting a lot of the people attending to be people who have only ever heard the "Summertime Sadness" remix on the radio, but all the fans at this show were diehards: This crowd collectively knew EVERY WORD of every song! Her live band was really energetic too and gave me a whole new appreciation for "Off to the Races," the last song of her set, and honestly the backdrops and props were some of the beautiful I've seen in a live artist's performance. We may have been freezing our asses off, but when I think of that show visions of summer still manage to fill my head. 

Still, a large part of the reason this concert will always be so damn special to me is that it led me to the spunky electronic artist Grimes, which is ironic considering I was initially annoyed that I wouldn't be able to see Courtney Love (she opened for the first half of the Endless Summer Tour). As I always say, I often end up liking supporting acts I didn't initially care for after seeing them live, but... Grimes is my spirit animal. I was intrigued after the very first song, "Circumambient," and then she grabbed my attention again with "Nightmusic" and "Go." My best friend Nick showed me some of her more 'normal' songs before the concert like "REALiTi" and "Oblivion," and even though I love those songs now, they just weren't the right entry point in her discography for me to take. I needed to hear the darker sounds first. Unfortunately, she didn't have a very energetic crowd (some girls in front of me were standing up so I couldn't see her and taking selfies... brats) but she was so incredibly nice and appreciative anyway.

I will most definitely see her again and I will unabashedly dance around no matter how dead the crowd is. And I will probably cry. (Sorry, Nick. Prepared to be even more embarrassed than you were when we saw the final Harry Potter movie.)

Other associated memories: Trying to find our ride home. Why is that always so hard for us? Also, me laughing at absolutely nothing on the way home because I was too tired to function like a sane human being.

Click here to see what shows I attended from 2012 to 2014.

Endless Forms Most Beautiful | Nightwish

It's finally here. Nightwish has released their very first studio album with Dutch legend Floor Jansen, Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Nightwish has had quite a variety of singers over the years, but fans have been especially excited for Jansen considering how versatile her voice is and how well she performed with them during their last round of touring when filling in for Anette Olzon. This is also the band's first album to feature Troy Donockley on pipes (or whatever exactly that instrument is) and backing vocals and Kai Hahto on drums. Expectations are high: Endless Forms Most Beautiful must be unique, heavy, and bombastic -  Tuomas Holopainen's genius must highlight the skills of new members and create something utterly ambitious.

Like with some of their older albums, I needed to listen to each song a few times before I truly can appreciate it, which is actually something both Jansen and bass guitarist/vocalist Marco Hietala suggested for this album specifically since the tracks are so thick, but there were certainly moments that stuck out right away. This album is just as heavy and beautiful as I expected... But Endless Forms Most Beautiful actually surpassed my high expectations in a few ways... Each song is so full of life, but the final track alone is enough to leave any listener utterly astounded.
 

"Shudder Before the Beautiful" kicks the album off with a softspoken narration by scientist Richard Dawkins for about seven seconds before all those expectations get thrown in listeners' ears all at once. The orchestration is thick and ambitious, and it's reminiscent of songs like "Dark Chest of Wonders," "The Poet and the Pendulum," and even a little bit of "Stargazers." The chorus is both deep and lighthearted as Floor Jansen essentially sings about the Romantic-era concept of the sublime - specifically the night sky and the universe in general, and how we are all humbled by the sight. The middle eight is filled with an epic choir and heavy riffs, and by the time the end has been reached, I felt rather refreshed as Floor and the band resolve and the orchestra sways. Nightwish makes some killer opening tracks, and "Shudder Before the Beautiful" is certainly one of them.

Even though we're only two tracks in, "Weak Fantasy" makes its mark as one of the heaviest songs. Once the strings and choir really get going, the overall sound is eerie. The verses and the beginning of the middle eight are different from other Nightwish material with its twangy acoustic guitar line, but once the full instrumentation comes in during the middle eight we're exposed to an incredibly catchy string line, and the chorus is a punch of adrenaline. I love this one.

Oppositely, the band shows their softer side with "Élan," which prominently features Donockley on his pipes to give it the folky feel Nightwish has always presented so well off and on throughout their discography. Jansen sings very softly in the verses, and as Jansen fans know, that's unusual for her, but she sounds great and her voice grows along with the song. The middle eight really helps the song escalate before the key change.

Along with "Weak Fantasy," "Yours in an Empty Hope" stands out as one of the heaviest tracks from the album. With guitar riffs that recall "Wish I Had An Angel" and dark atmosphere, both Jansen and Marco Hietala have room to show off. It will definitely please all the Floor fans dying to see how her versatility will be taken advantage of: Her vocals in the verses are rougher, and while Marco sings the melody in the chorus, she growls. One of the best parts is the middle eight, where Floor vocally just lets it all hang out - I'm not sure if it qualifies as a scream or a growl, but it's certainly a yell and its staccato rhythm will be a huge crowd pleaser when performed live.

The fifth song, "Our Decades in the Sun," is the only ballad on Endless Forms Most Beautiful. It took the longest song to grow on me, but ultimately I just love the vocal line and the way Floor handles it. As the song continues she generally gets louder and louder, and it's a song that takes its time. Something about it vaguely reminds me of "Meadows of Heaven."

"My Walden" displays Nightwish's fun folky side, kind of like with "I Want My Tears Back." Troy Donockley kicks off the song with his layered vocals quite nicely, and once again, Floor's vocals are really soft in the verses. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it at first, but anyone with a soft side for Nightwish's folk songs will be won over after that second chorus; it's like a hobbit explosion of happiness. The title track is also quite the jam session: Like "My Walden," it has more of a carefree feel. It demonstrates a love of life, a prominent theme on this album. And as much as I love the whole thing for its heavy riffs... Let's address the middle eight. The strings start with melody, then the band plays it back, and the they merge, building and building afterwards. Gradually, an epic choir part kicks in... It's awesome altogether.

Even though it isn't a bad song and I like the instrumentation a lot, "Edema Ruh" is my least favorite on the album. The vocal line is a bit corny to me. At first I got a similar mediocre vibe "Alpenglow," but I just had to listen to it a few times before it could grow on me. I like it much better now though it doesn't stand out as much as others; it reminds me quite a bit of Dark Passion Play, and I love that album to death. Both have a pretty instrumentation, with "Edema Ruh" adding delicate synth and "Alpenglow" being the more energetic of the two.

Nearing the end, "The Eyes of Sharbat Gula" is the tenth track and the only instrumental piece on Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Tuomas Holopainen has said it was written about the girl on a1980s National Geographic cover and war in general, and the darkness of the song certainly seems to capture the essence of the subject. It's subtle, like something one would hear in a film score, but it definitely builds and has some of Nightwish's folk influences incorporated. Donockley has backing vocals and the song also features a children's choir, and they make the song more haunting. This song stood out to me right away.

At last, we encounter "The Greatest Show on Earth," a piece that clocks in at about twenty-four minutes long... Bear with me as I try to explain my thoughts coherently, but this is the best Nightwish song ever created - and without a doubt one of the best songs of the current age - no questions asked. It's about evolution and goes through its stages, and overall, it matches up that concept of the sublime as Nightwish described in "Shudder Before the Beautiful" but they truly accomplish it with this song. It's either extremely loud or extremely soft... It's so beautiful it's almost terrifying.

The first part of this monstrous track, "Four Point Six," is led by a resonating piano part interrupted occasionally by orchestral explosions (listen to the song and you'll know what I mean... it's loud and it's wonderful) that help this section build itself up a bit, and because of the tricky rhythm, it comes in when you least expect it. Floor fans will be more than satisfied with this song overall, especially since she has operatic vocals in this first part and they're spot on (of course). Donockley's pipe eventually finds its way into this section as Richard Dawkins narrates, just before the second section, "Life," comes crashing in with the full band. I nearly came out of my seat when I heard the verse vocals - Floor's multi-layered part is scary in the best way possible and the lyrics are just pure genius: "The cosmic law of gravity pulled the newborns around a fire / A careless, cold infinity in every vast direction." She belts her way through the section's chorus, and even though Nightwish has made a ton of fun choruses, none of them make me quite as happy as this one. The powerful middle eight is characterized by an adrenaline-filled choral section. Furthermore, "Life" is just so damn heavy!

"Life" cuts off somewhat abruptly to make way for ethnic percussion, and then Nightwish manages to do something I least expected: They added animal noises. It sounds like I entered a jungle and I love it. A lion's roar cues the band back in for "The Toolmaker," in which Marco and Floor sing back and forth in the verses. Here, Floor gets to show off her rock/metal style vocals in the verses as she and Marco sing about humanity's impact on Earth: "Gave birth to fantasy / To idolatry / To self-destructive weaponry." In this section's middle eight, Nightwish managed to incorporate different phases of music from around the world to tell humanity's tale, from tribal-sounding drums, to Gregorian choirs, a Victorian harpsichord... Then the band explodes (with Floor's operatic vocals overlapping) when we least expect it (which brought a big grin to my face), and there are traces of a banjo and synths. I didn't even notice it the first few times I listened, but it's a great way of summing up humanity phonetically. Eventually the feel-good chorus of "The Toolmaker" leads us to a hair-raising, gorgeous post-chorus, overlapped with piano. Marco and Floor repeat the profound expression "We were here," and once again, we're left with soft, orchestral instrumentation.

The fourth section, "The Understanding" crescendos as Dawkins comes back to narrate before we get to the final section, "Sea-Worn Driftwood." This last section is so beautiful and subtle. It's mainly a bunch of ocean sounds and light orchestra as Dawkins finishes up the Charles Darwin quote that Endless Forms Most Beautiful got its name from. Sea creatures splash and communicate, and the song fades to its end. "The Greatest Show on Earth" is perfect.

To say I reacted strongly to this song would be an understatement. Instead of feeling the typical rush that follows discovering a new favorite song, I felt exhilarated, as though I just embarked upon some galactic adventure. For the first time, I had to ask myself, "How will I listen to other music after hearing this?" Every time I listen to it I smile like a dumbfounded idiot; it makes me so happy.

 

One thing I have recently realized is that even though Nightwish is without a doubt one of my favorite musical acts of all time with its intricate songs and beautiful lyrics, I've rarely ever related to their music personally. Endless Forms Most Beautiful changes that a little. Holopainen said in the twelfth album trailer: "Hopefully we can illustrate with this album – that science can even be something profoundly spiritual."  I firmly believe in the connection between science and religion, and the concept of science and life appears throughout this album. Hence, I connected to this album very deeply - especially with "Shudder Before the Beautiful" and "The Greatest Show on Earth."

In short, I loved this album very much. Everything we could have wanted is there: Floor uses all of her styles at some point or another (although some complain they still wanted more of her 'big' moments), we get to hear plenty of folk influences, the songwriting is genial as ever, and it's quite heavy. Nightwish has a wonderful catalogue of albums and Endless Forms Most Beautiful stands on a sky-high pedestal with the rest of my favorites.

Albums I've Listened to Most... It Physically Shows

I've always preferred buying physical copies of albums instead of downloading them. Much like with my book OCD, I've got some album OCD as well. I want my CDs to be in fabulous condition, not only because it looks prettier, but because I love them. But unfortunately, when I really, really love a CD, it gets played a lot. Which means it gets more 'love marks.'

 

Granted, I have quite a few favorite albums, but there are four albums I own that have noticeably gotten beat up over the years. From this, I think it's relatively safe to assume that I have listened to these albums the most. And I'm not surprised; these are some of my favorite albums by my favorite bands.
 

 

Fallen by Evanescence
Released in 2003
Owned for 8 years
Damage: Love marks on the disc... Is the lyric booklet supposed to feel this worn?

This is without a doubt the most important album I received, so important to the point that I even remember which specific seat in which specific Burger King I sat in after my dad bought it for me. I initially wanted it for their hit single "Bring Me to Life," but I fell in love with each and every song; I'd never heard music like this before. Amy Lee's voice was so different compared to all the pop singers I was usually listening to, and I loved it. But Fallen didn't just introduce me to Evanescence, my favorite band, but I also discovered a lot of other bands and artists I love because of it, from rock bands like Breaking Benjamin, to symphonic metal bands like Within Temptation, to electronic phenomena Bjork... Almost all of my favorite artists were discovered through Evanescence, starting with Fallen. I listened to it over and over again; it never got old.


 

The Open Door by Evanescence

Released in 2006

Owned for 7 and a half years

Damage: The digipack is really beat up; the edges are all bent. Love marks are on the back of the disc.

 

The follow-up to Fallen. Just after I discovered the awesomeness of Evanescence in 2005,  I had plenty of time to fangirl when I heard the news that a brand new album was on the way. This is the first time I got ridiculously excited over a new release. I bought it the day it came out, and once again, I'd never heard anything like this (and still haven't - The Open Door is very unique). The Open Door added more fuel to my fandom as I wore out its wimpy little digipack.

 

  

 

The Heart of Everything by Within Temptation

Released in 2007

Owned for 7 years

Damage: Since these songs have a lot of lyrics to them, I was always taking out the lyrics booklet... Which resulted in a minor disaster: One corner is chunking off and the cover is whitening from moving it in and out so much. A few love marks on the disc.

 

This is the first album I bought by my other all-time favorite band, Within Temptation. I bought it for the song "Stand My Ground" (got the weird American edition that included this single, which was originally on The Silent Force) after hearing it in the Blood and Chocolate trailer and TV spots. It was fate, I tell you! The Heart of Everything was my first symphonic metal album. Of course, the epic blend of metal/rock and classical music mesmerized me, but I was also extremely impressed by Sharon den Adel's angelic voice - especially on those higher notes. While I repeatedly listened to this masterpiece, I also used it to help me strengthen my high notes. Sharon has had a huge influence on me; who knows what would've happened if I didn't purchase The Heart of Everything and listened to it as much as I did.

 

 

Dark Passion Play by Nightwish

Released in 2007

Owned for 6 years

Damage: Same lyric booklet problems as The Heart of Everything, but not nearly as extreme.

 

Anette Olzon got a lot of hate in general, but even more so for this album than Imaginaerum. Obviously, I loved it; I only listened to it about 40,000 times. Dark Passion Play has a lot of different vibes to it; sometimes it was exotic, sometimes heavy, calm, bombastic, and even soulful. Either way, the energy was high throughout and the music was complex yet catchy, giving it an addictive edge. Anette's voice really blended with the sound and did a good job of conveying the many emotions of Dark Passion Play.


Which albums have you noticeably listened to most? Do you like any of the albums I listed? Let me know.

Hallelujah! Floor Jansen is Staying in Nightwish

Every fan of symphonic metal knows that Nightwish has had some very prominent line-up changes. They started out with operatic powerhouse Tarja Turunen, but Anette Olzon took her place. Much drama tainted the fandom with this switch (which I discuss a bit in this post), for Anette's voice is so different than Tarja's. Anette has more of a rock/pop sound, and many complained that she wasn't the true face of Nightwish. Personally, I loved the two albums Anette made with Nightwish (Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum) but I've often been the odd one out in this situation.

 

However, even though I liked Nightwish with both Tarja and Anette, I never felt that either of them were the perfect fit for the music per se, with certain exceptions. Both have made amazing records with Nightwish, and both have made very different records with Nightwish. I love their sound with Tarja, and I love their sound with Anette. The only problem is, we'd never have both at the same time.

 

Recently, Anette left the band while they were on tour, and Floor Jansen of After Forever and ReVamp filled in. I'd never been a Floor fan simply because I'd never been a fan of any of the bands she's been in, I knew her voice well enough to know that she'd be able to bring older Tarja songs to the setlist, and all the tarja fans that loathed Anette would love Floor. I was indifferent. I tried looking up videos of live sets with Floor, but the crowds were oftentimes too loud for me to properly judge. Yet, I did.

 

Then, I saw an HQ video of Floor singing "Ghost Love Score" with the band in Buenos Aires. It's a long, classic Nightwish tune originally performed by Tarja on the album Once. I was sort of impressed, sort of indifferent as I heard the first half. It was good, no doubt about it. But then when things got epic during the second half, I kept becoming more and more excited. I saw how great she is with this band, a subconscious process I began to feel effects of amid my happiness.

 

Then I heard her new ending of the song; I heard the note. The note. I cried. This band I've always loved despite never finding either singer to necessarily be the perfect fit... Floor is the perfect fit. She didn't just fit; she helped enhance. Her ability to switch up vocal styles as needed made her unique as a singer already, but now that she's been with a band that has music that appeals to my personal taste, I can now truly appreciate her.

 

For a while, this was all very bittersweet. Though Nightwish finally found a singer that I consider perfect for the music, there was a possibility that she'd only stay for that tour and not an album. But, in this press release found on the official Nightwish site, it has been confirmed that she is the new lead singer of Nightwish.

 

I'm so excited and relieved to hear that she's staying. When I found out, I couldn't stop fangirling! She's a great vocalist and frontwoman for Nightwish, and the rest of the band seemed to be so happy with her performing alongside them. I can't wait to hear how the band will evolve for her voice on the next album, and I really want to see them live next time.

 

Towards the end of the year, their live DVD with Floor at the Wacken Open Air festival, Showtime, Storytime, will be released. "Ghost Love Score" is on the set, and the very performance in Buenos Aires that made me a Floor fan will be a bonus feature. It's as if they knew I'd want it. Until we can all get our hands on this DVD, I assume there will be much celebration among the fanbase. In all honesty, I haven't heard a single negative comment about Floor. For the first time since 2007, I think nearly all Nightwish fans will be happy.

Imaginaerum | Nightwish

Although released in late 2011 in other countries, Nightwish's new album, Imaginaerum, was finally released in the US (and a few other countries) weeks ago. However you may have previously felt about Nightwish, if their last album (Dark Passion Play) was still too far astray from Nightwish's norm for you, if you miss their old sound, if you like their new sound - give this album a try no matter which of these opinions are yours. Imaginaerum has elements that will appeal to fans old and new, including an accumulating heaviness and the more apparent return of Finnish folk influences.

The album opens with a music box winding up and then playing a beautiful tune, acoustic instruments and Marco Hietala's voice adding along the way. This first track is a Finnish song called "Taikatalvi," a soft but effective way to open a magical album before leading into "Storytime," the catchy and spirit-lifting first single that reveals the standard fantasy lyrical composition for the entire album.


Things get heavy with "Ghost River," which features both singers' vocals. Anette belts during the rather quiet verses, but Marco comes in for a booming chorus of screaming and singing (you know, the works). Later in the song, a children's choir comes in to sing the chorus. It's certainly not one of my favorites from the album on any level, but it's not bad. I think it'll make fans happy in general with it's undeniably cool guitar riffs and the balance of their two singers.

"Slow Love Slow" slows everything down in a way no Nightwish fan would have expected. Sure, the creepy piano part isn't far from typical Nightwish... but this is a jazz song. An amazing and haunting jazz song at that. Right away, this became one of my favorite songs from the album since I have an appreciation for jazz, but even one who listens to this song that doesn't like jazz may find they like the general eerie feel or even Anette's vocals. After all, this may just be the best I've heard of Anette Olzon's voice, as well as the most soothing Nightwish song ever created.

Next comes "I Want My Tears Back," where Nightwish returns to a more familiar sound. Fiddling can be heard throughout the song in the midst of the cool guitar riffs. The bridge, my favorite part of this song, is really just a fiddle solo, bringing back the Finnish folk influences that I love so much! Whenever I hear that part, I want to dance around like a Hobbit (Tolkien)! Plus, Anette and Marco's voices blend in the chorus with a powerful tone, adding to the greatness of this rather fun song. Really, that's what I've always loved most about Nightwish: the musicianship. I never had a fit over them changing singers because, quite frankly, I didn't care. The musicianship and the different sounds accomplished throughout Nightwish's history (primarily by Tuomas Holopainen) is what attracted me to this awesome band.

"Scaretale" follows, and it's SCARY. The stringline is scary, the children singing "Ring Around the Rosey" is scary... then we get to hear some amazing symphonic metal riffs that made my heart race... then Anette starts singing. And (I mean this in the best way possible) she sounds absolutely frightening. I don't know how she's capable of singing in such a bizarre, old witch-like style, but she nailed it, and it went perfectly with the freaky lyrics. Marco comes in during a rather circus-like part, and he sounds almost as terrifying as Anette. Though I compliment the singers, the creativity, and the amazing riffs, this is my least favorite track from the album for whatever reason. Circus themes just aren't my thing, I guess.

An instrumental track called "Arabesque" keeps the creepy-factor, but it combines with a nature-feel and even a bit of urgency, making it more appealing to me but not necessarily a standout in my opinion. But then, we come to the eigth track, "Turn Loose the Mermaids," a highlight from the album as well as the band's history in general. Anette's voice is light and pretty, as are the guitars, but acoustic instruments that seem to imitate nature come in, making this song over-the-top with beauty. This reminds me of older Nightwish music in the sense that it just sounds... like nature. With lyrics that do it justice, of course. Almost tribal-like drums pick up slightly to add another epic layer towards the end of the track... And that fiddling at the end of the song... Oh my goodness, it makes me melt.

The music picks up the tempo in "Rest Calm," with a chorus softer than the verses (I find this unusual). Again, a children's choir in involved as the song goes on, keeping the theme of innocence flowing throughout the album, and both singers are present, like in the next track, "The Crow, the Owl, and the Dove," the planned second single written by Marco Hietala. It's a softer song, peaceful.

The next two tracks are two of my favorites (along with "Turn Loose the Mermaids"), starting with "Last Ride of the Day." The recurring theme of the whole song is the choir/string line is so catchy, along with the chorus that flows so well. Lyrically, the song is references roller coasters, and as a fan of roller coasters I say that this song captures the experience exteremely well. "Song of Myself" is my other favoite. It opens classically, and Anette is half whispering the lyrics until it picks up mid-verse. Though I adore the entire song in general, the climatic choir bit is what made me fall in love with this song. The bridge is very heavy, another aspect that I loved, and then it leads into one of the most amazing outros I've ever heard, with the climatic choir bit I mentioned on a loop. But, the final half of the song isn't so... big. It sounds like a decent film score with a man and woman speaking poetically over the music, which picks up as it goes, adding more voices. Although this part sort of drones on, it's beautiful.

"Imaginaerum," which is obviously the album's title track, comes last. It's completely classical, summarizing the sounds of various songs on the album, kind of like a little wrap-up. Personally, I've never heard of an album ending like this, and I thought it was an interesting idea to end a great album.

Not every single song was my favorite on this album, but I loved most of them. Since I bought the special edition, I can report that the instrumentals are not boring at all and I enjoyed those as well.  Maybe after a while I'll eventually love the songs that aren't exactly standouts for me at the moment, but even now, I feel this album deseves all five stars.

Imaginaerum is a creative album with different sounds bound to make just about anyone happy.

5/5 Stars