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"Less metal, more progressive and as symphonic as ever, “Yesterwynde” may suffer from a disappointing mix, but above all it stands out as a subtle and daring temporal fresco."
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4/5
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This year, Nightwish release their tenth studio album, entitled “Yesterwynde”. According to creator Tuomas Holopainen, this is the third part of a trilogy dedicated to man and nature, following “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” in 2015 and “Human. II: Nature.” in 2020. As the title and artwork suggest, the focus here is on man's relationship with time over the course of his history.
No real break with previous albums, then? Not so sure... Starting with the mix, which will leave fans of the band perplexed, since they're used to a clear, balanced sound that highlights each instrument to magnify Floor Jansen's exceptional voice. The mix on this 2024 vintage is somewhat surprising, as it often drowns out the vocals behind a wall of symphonic arrangements and instruments, to the detriment of the band's major asset of the past 10 years. Did Holopainen want to desacralize the iconic Floor to bring the whole band to the fore? Perhaps, but the result is a slightly muddled impression that doesn't match the usual grandiloquence of the Nightwish sound.
The musical similarities remain visible on tracks like 'Sway', immediately reminiscent of 'How's The Heart' on the previous opus, with Troy and Floor's voices blended in a gentle ballad, or 'Perfume of the Timeless', a powerful, epic track in the tradition of 'Storytime'. The children's choruses on the intro to 'An Ocean Of Strange Islands' clearly hark back to “Imaginaerum”, as does the rest of the track, epic though it is. The music composed by Tuomas still abounds in highly successful symphonic arrangements, but the guitar parts have generally been on the wane over the last two albums, and the nuance is even more marked on this “Yestrwynde”, with Emppu mostly confined to a rhythmic role to accentuate the more upbeat tracks.
Fortunately, Nightwish offer us some novelties in songwriting and interpretation, with original sounds such as 'The Day Of...', with its eighties disco groove. Not illogical, given that the track touches on themes from George Orwell's “1984”. In a different register, Holopainen tells us a highly symbolic story with 'The Children of 'Ata', on the theme of peoples attached to their land, set in the Tonga Islands. On 'The Antikythera Mechanism', Tuomas images the journey of the ancient engineering marvel that is the Antikythera Machine, the oldest known gear mechanism dating from the dawn of our era, against a back of epic progressive metal.
There are no less than four quiet tracks, making this Nightwish album the most packed in this respect. The most striking of these is the conclusive 'Lanternlight', which not only sounds magnificent, but also closes the album (and the trilogy) on a melancholy note. They are also tracks on which Floor Jansen's voice is deeper than usual, reinforcing the album's darker aspect. Finally, a word about one of the most epic moments on the album, with the title track 'Hiraeth', a progressive fresco that synthesizes all that Nightwish can produce in its most progressive and intriguing form, transporting the listener to the heart of its music.
“Yesterwynde” isn't Nightwish's most striking album, and it's likely to be divisive, as the most ambitious projects often are. It is, however, certainly the most progressive of their recent albums, with a variety that, while sometimes predictable or even repetitive, is nonetheless boldly written and intriguingly atmospheric. It's also the first album without Marco Hietala, and his power is lacking in the more energetic passages, which lack bite. As for the surprising mix, it could end up discouraging the less assiduous. However, many listens will be needed to grasp the (very) many progressive subtleties of this “Yesterwynde”, which could find increasing success in the months or years to come. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Yesterwynde 02. An Ocean Of Strange Islands 03. The Antikythera Mechanism 04. The Day Of... 05. Perfume Of The Timeless 06. Sway 07. The Children Of 'Ata 08. Something Whispered Follow Me 09. Spider Silk 10. Hiraeth 11. The Weave 12. Lanternlight
LINEUP:
Emppu Vuorinen: Guitares Floor Jansen: Chant Jukka Koskinen: Basse Kai Hahto: Batterie Troy Donockley: Chant / Guitares / Flûte, Cornemuse Tuomas Holopainen: Claviers
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2.3/5 (3 view(s))
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