Nightwish
Dark Passion Play

I have just finished listening for the fifth time to the CD "Dark Passion Play" (with the dual translation: "Dark Representation of the Passion (of Christ)" or "Dark Passion to Perform/Play") by Nightwish. For the fifth time because at first impact I didn't understand it at all. The melodies, in fact, are very elaborate and the lyrics are not banal at all. Holopainen seems to have dedicated himself completely to this work to finally mock Turunen, who, under the control of her new hubby, is now singing songs of a stunningly bland pop. Of course, the album doesn't lack references to this affair which seems to have affected Tuomas a lot (could it be that there was a bit of envy for the Argentinean? Well, as he always says in all his lyrics, "let's leave the imagination to the reader").

The new singer, a certain Annette Olzon, is a woman in her thirties who at first glance may vaguely remind one of Turunen, but has a completely different timbre. If Nightwish had been characterized by that soprano lyrical voice, there is now a perfect upheaval, despite Holopainen's skill in continuing the same genre started in "Once" (a mix of gothic metal and symphonic metal; 2 points for the pianist and 0 for the new pop star) we face a voice decidedly less powerful but more feminine, in my opinion. Another wise choice by Tuomas because if he had taken a carbon copy of Turner, it would have shown that the Nightwish era had ended, while in this way, he renews it, 3-0. But the war isn't over. Unlike "Once," in "Dark Passion Play" the orchestra and choirs are inserted in almost all the songs in a much more defined way than in the previous album, which increases the complexity of the tracks. 4-0. Let's say that if with this album Holopainen wanted to prove that Nightwish without Tarja loses nothing, indeed, he succeeded brilliantly.

Let's analyze the tracks.

Let's start with "The Poet And The Pendulum," a track of exactly 13 minutes and 53 seconds, divided into 5 parts. I won't recount it in detail, but I'll tell you that the main theme is the story "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe, seen in the version of the tough period that Holopainen experienced in 2005 (even going as far as to describe his own death, surely you'd have to be strongly depressed...). Anyway, after the first listen (where there is a strong urge to step away step by step from the stereo, wondering if dear old Tuomas is suffering from hallucinations in addition to depression) it is a really well-structured piece and also pleasant to listen to and understand (but not if you're used to pop genres with choruses like "Oh Nana what's my name?" which, besides having no sense, also annoy the midgets... Ok, I'm going off-topic, sorry for my rants).

The second track "Bye Bye Beautiful" is directly addressed to Tarja, where the band vents about her but never admits to having replaced her, as the point says, "... you chose the long road but we'll wait!" Once again, we have to play with our imagination. Apart from this, we must remember the grand performance of our beloved Viking Marco Hietala in the chorus (how I love it when he gets angry). If I were to continue the odious Holo-Turu battle from before, I would say we're at a good 5-0.

"Amaranth". Ok, there are people who hate this song, but I cannot help but express my love for it (I don't know if you have noticed my name) with its slightly Ottoman rhythm, a flash of light in the Dark of Passion Play telling the story of this tough man who hides goodness inside himself. Annette is completely approved in the interpretation, though in some parts she sounds a bit shrill, especially because I'm still used to Tarja's more homogeneous timbre.

"Cadence Of Her Last Breath" is a track that speaks of the last breath of a butterfly, which a man seeking eternal beauty tries to capture. As far as the meaning is concerned, I could stop here, but let's remember it's a song written by that double-entendre-master Holopeinen, so it might mean that the last breath indicates the moment one falls in love (hey hey, easy with the sentimentalism, it doesn't suit Nightwish!) which one always tries to grasp even though it's difficult because it lasts so little (now I recognize you! Let's crush every glimmer of happiness! FUCK!). Remember that I warned you about my ravings before? Keep that in mind...

"Master Passion Greed", aka Marcelo, the Argentine husband of Turunen: here are the Nightwish in schoolboy version, starting to give nicknames to everyone. At least they had the dignity to have Hietala sing it completely because involving Annette wouldn't have been the right case, given the arrangement and some citations that are very Children Of Bodom, the Nightwish are barely visible, so the song stands out in a curious way within the album.

"Eva", the launch single of Annette, now become a cult, tells the story of a little girl mocked and not involved in the games of her peers but who still does not lose hope and decides to run away to reach a faraway world. The proceeds of this single were given to an association for children's protection. In my opinion, it's one of the best songs on the album, sweet and melancholic, reminiscent of everyone's childhood solitary moments.

"Sahara": "a ballad for a dark queen" and we've said almost everything. The music takes us to a magical atmosphere mixing ancient Egypt and the Middle East (the 1001 nights are mentioned in the chorus, but the title is Sahara... Tuomas 10 in English, 5 in geography...) where you get carried away little by little, because at first listens it feels really strange. A song very suitable for Annette's voice, I don't think it would have had the same effect with Tarja, especially in the vocalizations.

"Whoever Brings The Night" the naughtiest song on the album, although, of course, nothing is too explicit, at times reminiscent of Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride," but the meaning is completely different. Nice music, although nothing too special, too fast and rhythmic for Annette, who is once again shrill.

"For The Heart I Once I Had" a melancholic song in memory of our old child's heart lost forever. At the first listens of the album, the song may seem a bit marginal despite Annette's wonderful performance, but after a while, it's the song you get most attached to, so much so that I found myself trying to sing it in the shower but with poor results (oh yes, Nightwish in the shower). Please continue to ignore my rantings.

"The Islander", sung by Marco (not in scream: he has an unexpectedly pleasant voice) is about an old sea wolf. From the title, at first, I thought of a "Nemo II the revenge of the nameless sailor who moved to the Island of the Famous" (I’ll put down the joint now, I promise) but it's completely something else, so I can't even say which of the two products is better because they have nothing in common.

"Last Of The Wilds" is a uniquely instrumental piece, where the music of Northern Europe blends into a fantastic "war" among them, here you understand all the work of the orchestra for this album.

"7 Days To The Wolves" is an anthem to destruction and wolves, with a strong message about "living but in a sensible way because the wolves could arrive at any moment." The most Power Metal song on the album, but still retains the ever-present Symphonic Metal that accompanies the entire album. Excellent duet (once again) between Hietala (in scream) and Olzon, very compatible voices.

And last but not least, "Meadows Of Heaven," a sweet song related to Finnish childhood that makes you regret growing up in Italy with spectacular final choirs, perfect for closing the album in grand style, leaving one breathless, just to sigh a "wooow..." with wide-open eyes at the end of the song and immediately start listening to the album again.

As always, Nightwish has amazed, while remaining in their type of music, so much so that they managed to fully appreciate Tarja's exit and Annette's entry. We'll see if this acclaim and style will continue upon the release of the next album, Imaginarium... We'll see.

p.s.: Thanks for enduring my ramblings, I hope you still took this review seriously.