Nightwish - Imaginaerum review
| Band: | Nightwish |
| Album: | Imaginaerum |
| Style: | Symphonic power metal, Symphonic metal |
| Release date: | November 30, 2011 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
Disc I
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. Ghost River
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
1 - From A Dusty Bookshelf
2 - All That Great Heart Lying Still
3 - Piano Black
4 - Love
13. Imaginaerum
Disc II [bonus] [2CD: instrumental version / tour edition: orchestral version]
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. Ghost River
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back [instrumental version only]
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
1 - From A Dusty Bookshelf
2 - All That Great Heart Lying Still
3 - Piano Black
4 - Love
13. Imaginaerum
Disc III [DVD] [tour edition bonus]
+ Making Of Imaginaerum
+ Storytime [video]
Seventh album Imaginaerum is the band's second with new singer Anette, and comes with the added twist of an accompanying feature-length film next year. Nightwish who have always been at the forefront of symphonic metal, provide this latest addition to the catalogue with good intentions. Although presented as a stand-alone album, it perhaps pushes the line between creative indulgence and focused musicianship too far.
Imaginaerum sounds like all of Tuomas' influences, efforts and life's work culminated into one fairytale-like fantasy. The attention to detail, the emotion and care that has so obviously gone into this work is almost tangible, Imaginaerum is his most extravagant and imaginative project thus far.
More so than before, Nightwish take their brand of symphonic metal even further with hints of jazz and folk influence, and an even stronger desire for theatrics. "Storytime" might not open the album in the most adventurous of ways, but the catchy "Ghost River" is soon the first hit. The rest of the album is pieced together surprisingly well for the variety on offer; no two songs are the same like chapters in a book, as symphonic metal meets a selection of other styles. The band sound liberated, as if Dark Passion Play was the trial run and this is the real thing.
Imaginaerum has some great moments, from the up-beat and folky "I Want My Tears Back" to the stomping power metal "Last Ride Of The Day" and even Anette does a great, creepy performance on the fanciful "Scaretale". The album is far from perfect however, with some songs failing to register such as "Rest Calm", but perhaps the biggest flaw is that the whole thing just feels too much like a film soundtrack than an actual music-focused album.
All the detail, the effort and work that has gone into polishing this album doesn't salvage the fact that Imaginaerum was created with a film in mind, rather than a solid standalone album. Some songs included here are great, but they, along with the rest of the album feel almost like a by-product of a greater project.
The diversity on Imaginaerum is like no other Nightwish album. Although it is masterfully produced and put together, the cost of this diversity is the sometimes disjointed and chaptered feeling that a free-flowing album shouldn't have. Imaginaerum is a softer but more adventurous album than the previous, but it may leave a few scratching their head.
--
Symphonic metal
Finland
Length: 1:14:28
Nuclear Blast
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 86
Visited by: 879 users
| ErnilEnNaur Account deleted |
ErnilEnNaur
Account deleted Written by X-Ray Rod on 02.12.2011 at 17:49 Yeah, I don't like the album much, but I am not convinced that this is just intentionally made bad stuff. They ARE making a film and the whole album does in fact sound like a soundtrack to me, every single song. This suggests to me that making a crappy album wasn't Tuomas' intention. It doesn't make the music any better, but it might explain it, though nothing excuses it obviously. They released Imaginaerum as a studio album, it will be judged as a studio album and the judgement on my part is that it is painfully mediocre. But I am beating a dead wife now. I mean HORSE! Yes! That's what I meant... horse, right. 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18439  |
Written by [user id=105293] on 02.12.2011 at 18:00 Yeah, I totally get what you are saying here. I also add that most soundtrack stuff isn't always good on its own. Together with the movie/videogame/whatever it usually makes some sense... thus making the album even worse.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603  |
Written by [user id=105293] on 02.12.2011 at 16:58 What I meant is that people who wanted to hear new music from Nightwish would be pissed for getting the album a year later because some film they don't care about has to be taken care of firstly. And guess it's the other way around for me, I can't handle big disappointments well - check out any Dream Theater thread with posts by me 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6817  |
Written by [user id=105293] on 02.12.2011 at 18:00 Dead horse's poem... Wake up, dead horse... who's behind my window, oooh... a dead horse! Time will not heal... a dead horse's scars... It's always the same dead horse's song... I do admit that I'm a bit fed up with the lyricist constantly milking that same DEAD cow... "the dead boy's" element has been present in their work since "Wishmaster" but don't you think that it becomes annoying when it's being repeated over and over again for years? I'd be glad if they reduced this dead boy's and ocean soul's topic frequency and did something more awesome and serious... such as... they could just write some Tolkien inspired stuff... Like Epica, right? I am also slightly annoyed by their constant "revolutionary" lyrics. They could become an ideological band for some totalitarian dictatorship like that... I already imagine a music video with Simone dressed up as a scientist (with the choir representing the entire work force behind the great future of the society) walking in a lab and singing "Quantum physics is the way!" and the great symphonic orchestration sounds like some socialist opera...
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| LarsPedersen Posts: 1 |
My first post here in Metalstorm...  I must say that this album is so intens and very strong and emotionel... Yes this is mostly a soundtrack... but i do think that it's a dream come true for Toumas and the band... I really like the folk inspiration... I like the feeling... I'm looking forward to april... NW coming to Denmark... i'll be there... ...and the best performence from Anette... i'm impressed...
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Ernis on 02.12.2011 at 20:47 Because of Tuomas' self indulg... oh, pardon me, I meant to say artistic pain.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| tirim4 Posts: 63  |
I quite agree with the reviewer. It's a good album but it's just a bit TOO varied and the whole film thing feels a bit... I don't know... weird? I'd give the album a 7.5 though.
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6817 |
Written by Milena on 03.12.2011 at 03:52 I hope he gets over it... I'd love the band to write once again the lyrics about Tolkien, Egyptian mythology, mysticism, fantasy etc. Too often have the songs displayed Tuomas' "I'm never tired of setting myself on the podium" attitude. However, I am satisfied that "Imaginaerum" does have songs which don't bear the blatant "dead" topic... Nightwish are good at creating not just folk, country, jazz but also great oriental musical landscapes. There's so much material to be turned into good music. Tuomas and Emppu (and Marco) just need to concentrate their thoughts on this and I'm sure they're going to release kick-ass albums.
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| justfive Posts: 4 |
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941  |
Written by bodomdragon on 02.12.2011 at 10:55 This would be a very accurate description of what Rhapsody did with TOA. The orchestra took all the place and everything else was mediocre at best.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Moosh666 Posts: 132  |
Fantastic! Outstanding! Amazing! Beautiful! Deep! Magnificant! I just can't quite think of a way to describe how great this album is, it is definitely one of a kind! By gods Tuomas has out done himself! 10/10
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| bodomdragon Posts: 49 |
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| TimdeKW Posts: 11 |
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| Lonniehaskel Posts: 91 |
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| M C Vice ex-polydactyl Posts: 3418  |
It's out here a month early. Yay. Nearly finished, on the last track now. If you liked Dark Passion Play, you'll like Imaginaerum.
---- "I'm here to nunchuck and not wear helmets. And I'm all out of helmets." "I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples." " 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13262  |
Maybe I'm liking this album a little bit more now... really liking "Slow Love Slow" for some reason.
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| Moosh666 Posts: 132 |
Written by bodomdragon on 05.12.2011 at 12:01 Once was very good, but in my opinion Ghost Love Score was the only song there that deserved significant amount of praise as this.
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| Promonex Cathemeral Elite Posts: 9720  |
Written by M C Vice on 07.12.2011 at 07:48 I didn't like DPP, save for the opener. On my first spin of Imaginaerum and I really like what I hear so far. I'm quite surprised of it myself. Will see how it will fare in the long run.
---- All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu... This is the truth! This is my belief! ...At least for now. - The Mystery of Life, Vol. 841 Ch. 26
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| Anibx Posts: 58  |
Funny how people have so many diverse favorite on this one. Some say the best songs are Ghost River and I Want my Tears Back and the rest is crap. And some say those are the worst and Last Ride is the best. Yet all kinda agreed with the 7 rating. It seems like people are predisposed to say the album is average, and don't want to recognize that in fact it is a great album. Just say you like it and be done with it. I think the album is very good. Much better than DPP. More homogeneous, more diverse, better crafted. Annette's voice fits this time with the music. Without forcing the tone to fit the songs that were written for Taja. All in all a great album. And with the addition of belonging to an even greater production along with the movie.
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| Inkk Posts: 1 |
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| M C Vice ex-polydactyl Posts: 3418 |
Hey, this review is quoted on wikipedia.
---- "I'm here to nunchuck and not wear helmets. And I'm all out of helmets." "I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples." " 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by M C Vice on 10.12.2011 at 04:58 Wiki actually links to a lot of our new reviews (most notable for big-name bands like this) but it's nice to see they quoted it. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| SymphAlchemist Posts: 108  |
Very honest review. I liked the album. It is by far better mixed than Dark Passion Play and Anette's voice is a thousand times better too. I don't think I like it better than DPP though, for a matter of style, I don't know... but it's a great work.. It could have been better, but it's still good. And I agree with the reviewer, it's much more like a movie score. I can't wait to see this movie.
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 10.12.2011 at 20:24 Now if they could acknowledge our actual presence, that would be even better 
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Milena on 15.12.2011 at 13:32 Oh, right. We won that battle.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Milena gloom cookie Staff Posts: 4603 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.12.2011 at 18:53 I failed trying to look it up once, then. It even notes the conflict! Fun.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Walter Iego Author Elite Posts: 353  |
Yes, there are a few good songs, but as a whole, I don't like it. Why they released the album so far ahead of the movie is also a mystery, not the best choice if you ask me.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Walter Iego on 15.12.2011 at 21:40 That way they can re-release it with a few bonus tracks to coincide with the movie, and then sell them as a CD/DVD combo.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Ernis 狼獾 Posts: 6817 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.12.2011 at 18:53 Makes me smile to see that there's a lengthy article about MS in Persian as well. I wonder who wrote it.
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| IronAngel Posts: 4888  |
Haha, I finally listened to the album. Can't say anything particularly caught my attention. Same old mediocre melodies with overblown production and bad, bad riffs. Band's been garbage since Once, and even Century Child was inconsistent, IMO. What I find funny is that Slow, Love, Slow was marketed as a jazz piece reminiscent of smoky bars. I read this in several articles and reviews, and it's apparently part of the video sequence for the song. I was pretty interested to see how Nightwish manage jazz, but what a disappointment: it doesn't remind me of jazz AT ALL. What's even remotely jazzy about that piece, save for the sax blurb at the end? I was thinking we'd get some Nina Simone or Billie Holiday, but instead it was Evansescence. Even Sade is jazzier than this. It's not an awful song by any means, but how can a music journalist think it sounds like jazz?
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