I LOVE Once. lol It's my 2nd favorite Nightwish album after Wishmaster.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 07:05

Anyone else get tired of having other people tell you to listen to an album more times than you want to because it took them more listens to "get it" than it took you?

Sometimes - very very rarely - it is actually good advice, but only if it is presented with a bit of humility and intelligence. There's a big difference between telling someone that maybe they are too dumb to get it and telling them that repeat listens might change their mind. It worked for me with Opeth and I had to keep trying for six months. "It's an acquired taste" they told me and it was the best advice I have ever been given. However, here's my humble recommendation as a Nightwish fan: don't bother with "Imaginaerum". This album is not only a poor one, but it is a poor example of what they are actually capable of, it's almost like a self-parody as the lyrics state: "What is left for encore, it's the same old dead boy's song". Unless of course I am too dumb to get it...

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 07:14

melodic stuff like this is easy to digest in a single listen.

That's the point. It's just straight and clear music with lots of catchy tunes and a perfect production which allow you to enjoy it (or not) since the first listen; it doesn't need to be *studied*.

Written by [user id=105293] on 08.12.2011 at 12:48

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.12.2011 at 07:05

Anyone else get tired of having other people tell you to listen to an album more times than you want to because it took them more listens to "get it" than it took you?

Sometimes - very very rarely - it is actually good advice, but only if it is presented with a bit of humility and intelligence. There's a big difference between telling someone that maybe they are too dumb to get it and telling them that repeat listens might change their mind. It worked for me with Opeth and I had to keep trying for six months. "It's an acquired taste" they told me and it was the best advice I have ever been given. However, here's my humble recommendation as a Nightwish fan: don't bother with "Imaginaerum". This album is not only a poor one, but it is a poor example of what they are actually capable of, it's almost like a self-parody as the lyrics state: "What is left for encore, it's the same old dead boy's song". Unless of course I am too dumb to get it...

How would you compare it with Dark Passion Play? I'm just curious as to your opinion. I personally prefer it over DPP, but not everyone does.

Written by Jair Crawford on 08.12.2011 at 18:04

How would you compare it with Dark Passion Play? I'm just curious as to your opinion. I personally prefer it over DPP, but not everyone does.

Imaginaerum leaves me completely unimpressed overall, I only really like the awfully titled "Turn Loose The Mermaids", but everything else is boring. There are virtually no original riffs on this album, the melodies are equally uninspired. The whole album almost sounds like another band with loads of money trying to do Nightwish, but not pulling it off in any area besides the production, which is amazing obviously. Dark Passion Play had weak moments too, but the good moments made up for it IMO. DPP was a completely logical follow-up to Once and Century Child, but in my opinion it was a slight improvement. The Poet And The Pendulum was the most cinematic and emotional song they'd ever done and it was an authentic emotional catharsis, it wasn't pretentious and uninspired like Song Of Myself. There were many other excellent songs on DPP, many of which are among my favorite Nightwish songs. I especially love Master Passion Greed (the best angry song they've ever done) and The Islander, which is my favorite song to play on an acoustic guitar around a campfire (though I suck at playing even such simple songs ). DPP had it's share of commercial and somewhat boring songs too, but the album overall worked very well for me, not 10/10 well, but 8/10 well. It started very well, almost dropped the ball a few times, but always picked it up again with some truly great and catchy melodies and riffs. Even the lyrics on DPP were great and very cinematic ("The horizon is swarming with death" freakin awesome!). The irony is that Imaginaerum, which claims to be a very cinematic album and an emotional roller coaster-ride, doesn't even come close to that level of inspiration. DPP was a very personal album for Tuomas, but unlike Imaginaerum it was not self-indulgent. It was Hans Zimmer metal or Danny Elfman metal, where as Imaginaerum is Disney Metal. That's my two cents.

Written by [user id=105293] on 08.12.2011 at 18:20

Written by Jair Crawford on 08.12.2011 at 18:04

How would you compare it with Dark Passion Play? I'm just curious as to your opinion. I personally prefer it over DPP, but not everyone does.

Imaginaerum leaves me completely unimpressed overall, I only really like the awfully titled "Turn Loose The Mermaids", but everything else is boring. There are virtually no original riffs on this album, the melodies are equally uninspired.

And still you rate it as good.

I was just thinking the same thing, Marcel. 7 is a "good" score.

Written by [user id=105293] on 08.12.2011 at 18:20

Written by Jair Crawford on 08.12.2011 at 18:04

How would you compare it with Dark Passion Play? I'm just curious as to your opinion. I personally prefer it over DPP, but not everyone does.

Imaginaerum leaves me completely unimpressed overall, I only really like the awfully titled "Turn Loose The Mermaids", but everything else is boring. There are virtually no original riffs on this album, the melodies are equally uninspired. The whole album almost sounds like another band with loads of money trying to do Nightwish, but not pulling it off in any area besides the production, which is amazing obviously. Dark Passion Play had weak moments too, but the good moments made up for it IMO. DPP was a completely logical follow-up to Once and Century Child, but in my opinion it was a slight improvement. The Poet And The Pendulum was the most cinematic and emotional song they'd ever done and it was an authentic emotional catharsis, it wasn't pretentious and uninspired like Song Of Myself. There were many other excellent songs on DPP, many of which are among my favorite Nightwish songs. I especially love Master Passion Greed (the best angry song they've ever done) and The Islander, which is my favorite song to play on an acoustic guitar around a campfire (though I suck at playing even such simple songs ). DPP had it's share of commercial and somewhat boring songs too, but the album overall worked very well for me, not 10/10 well, but 8/10 well. It started very well, almost dropped the ball a few times, but always picked it up again with some truly great and catchy melodies and riffs. Even the lyrics on DPP were great and very cinematic ("The horizon is swarming with death" freakin awesome!). The irony is that Imaginaerum, which claims to be a very cinematic album and an emotional roller coaster-ride, doesn't even come close to that level of inspiration. DPP was a very personal album for Tuomas, but unlike Imaginaerum it was not self-indulgent. It was Hans Zimmer metal or Danny Elfman metal, where as Imaginaerum is Disney Metal. That's my two cents.

Understandable. For me, I dunno, I feel like DPP had more filler songs than Imaginaerum does. True, Imaginaerum doesn't have a moment quite as epic as TPATP, but, DPP really needed TPATP to save it, imo. Where as Imaginaerum can stand on its own without a song like that to rescue it. But that's just my opinion.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 08.12.2011 at 18:24

Written by [user id=105293] on 08.12.2011 at 18:20

Imaginaerum leaves me completely unimpressed overall, I only really like the awfully titled "Turn Loose The Mermaids", but everything else is boring. There are virtually no original riffs on this album, the melodies are equally uninspired.

And still you rate it is good?

A justified question. To explain, this is probably the lowest 7 I have ever given, if it wasn't for "Turn Loose The Mermaids", it would be a 6. Have you ever heard an album where you cannot help, but admire the production value and the effort that every musician put into it even though the music isn't impressive? That's how it is with this album. Even when I listen to the endless spoken nonsense at the end of "Song Of Myself", I can hear the orchestra playing very well written (from a technical point of view) melodies. I would feel dirty ignoring all of the effort by voting this as average, because other than the songwriting (which is most important to me), it is not average. If I were to review this, the ratings would be the following:

Performance - 9/10
Songwriting - 4/10
Originality - 5-6/10
Production - 10/10

So overall, I am forced to conclude that this is a good album, but as a fan of their earlier work I can add that it is in the lowest possible end of good.

EDIT: Hopefully that explains my vote.

It definitely isn't Tuomas's best songwriting, I agree there. I don't think it's his worst either. His worst songwriting, imo, goes to songs like "Bye Bye Beautiful", "Cadence Of Her Last Breath", and "For The Heart I Once Had". It'll be difficult for him to beat the songwriting he did on Wishmaster, Once, and Century Child, imo. Those 3 albums have some of the most brilliant melodies I've ever heard in my life.

Concerning songwriting - Moondance is my favorite NW song - which settles the good or bad lyrics argument for me (and also the Tarja vs Anette one)

Album's lovely and catchy, although the "bla blah old man kisses a manikin" part is boring and unnecessary. I also wouldn't mind a heavier song or two.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I was expecting Once's over the top production-yet-bland songwriting with Anette but things turned out rather well. Well yes it has even more over the top production with Anette but it sounds like they found out how to utilize her. I almost feel like Tarja wouldn't even be as effective in this, as Anette shows us that her voice actually has a wider range stylistically than Tarja. The orchestra work I think is a huge leap from what we usually experience from Nightwish. It just feels so much more organic as if it is used to create the magical world of Tuamas rather than accentuate the more conventional melodies of the core band. Above all else the variety present is top notch expanding into different genres and stepping away from being a primarily metal act (as I think is a good thing for Nightwish).

I love this album for its semi-firm, rich texture and the intense flavors at the beginning. That smokey note in "Slow, Love, Slow" is just gorgeous! But I would've preferred a tangier finish to be honest. In its best moments ("Ghost River", "Scaretale") it compares to a well-aged Pecorino, in its weaker moments (tracks 8-10) to a decent yet unspectacular Provolone. And of course "Slow, Love, Slow" as acoustic analogue of a Scamorza Affumicato, low-key, but with a distinct taste. Anyway, if you like cheese you should be able to enjoy this.

This album really is something special. It has everything I expected it to have - beautiful orchestral parts, a talented singer and a huge amount of imagination. Atmosphere twists with each song, gets more and more intense and makes you listen and get absorbed by the "Imaginaerum". Everything is as it should be.

The problem is that in a short time it starts to bore you...

I really can't think of Tarja again and stuff .. that is so 2007 ... anyways absolutely fantastic album, much better than expected. Love the folk elements about it. Very catchy, the kind of melodies that stick to your head.

Written by Promonex on 10.12.2011 at 05:20

I love this album for its semi-firm, rich texture and the intense flavors at the beginning. That smokey note in "Slow, Love, Slow" is just gorgeous! But I would've preferred a tangier finish to be honest. In its best moments ("Ghost River", "Scaretale") it compares to a well-aged Pecorino, in its weaker moments (tracks 8-10) to a decent yet unspectacular Provolone. And of course "Slow, Love, Slow" as acoustic analogue of a Scamorza Affumicato, low-key, but with a distinct taste. Anyway, if you like cheese you should be able to enjoy this.

Best review of this album I've seen yet. ;3

Imaginaerum for sure has one or two songs that should not be there..Arabesque and Imaginaerum are two examples..But it also has great songs like Scaretale which are like no other song from their previous albums..Ghost River Rest Calm and Last Ride of The Day are classic nightwish songs with very good choirs..I Want My Tears Back and Storytime are songs for the wide audience.Turn Loose The Mermaids and The Crow, The Owl And The Dove are quiet but very good songs..Even with Slow Love Slow they made a very good job..On the overall I think that it's a great album with some mistakes not too important.It's certainly better than Dark Passion Play but not better from Once...

Written by billygreek on 25.12.2011 at 23:25

Imaginaerum for sure has one or two songs that should not be there..Arabesque and Imaginaerum are two examples..But it also has great songs like Scaretale which are like no other song from their previous albums..Ghost River Rest Calm and Last Ride of The Day are classic nightwish songs with very good choirs..I Want My Tears Back and Storytime are songs for the wide audience.Turn Loose The Mermaids and The Crow, The Owl And The Dove are quiet but very good songs..Even with Slow Love Slow they made a very good job..On the overall I think that it's a great album with some mistakes not too important.It's certainly better than Dark Passion Play but not better from Once...

Song Of Myself is very good and symphonic song but they should not include the last part..

Written by billygreek on 25.12.2011 at 23:30

Written by billygreek on 25.12.2011 at 23:25

Imaginaerum for sure has one or two songs that should not be there..Arabesque and Imaginaerum are two examples..But it also has great songs like Scaretale which are like no other song from their previous albums..Ghost River Rest Calm and Last Ride of The Day are classic nightwish songs with very good choirs..I Want My Tears Back and Storytime are songs for the wide audience.Turn Loose The Mermaids and The Crow, The Owl And The Dove are quiet but very good songs..Even with Slow Love Slow they made a very good job..On the overall I think that it's a great album with some mistakes not too important.It's certainly better than Dark Passion Play but not better from Once...

Song Of Myself is very good and symphonic song but they should not include the last part..

Rating 9

Written by renai on 03.12.2011 at 11:01

Very much like this album. Annette's vocal , when she goes wild, remind me of Bellatrix LeStrange.....

LOL This is both apt and amusing!
In sum, Imaginaerum is a quite good pop metal album.

Written by Fat & Sassy! on 25.12.2011 at 05:32

Written by Promonex on 10.12.2011 at 05:20

I love this album for its semi-firm, rich texture and the intense flavors at the beginning. That smokey note in "Slow, Love, Slow" is just gorgeous! But I would've preferred a tangier finish to be honest. In its best moments ("Ghost River", "Scaretale") it compares to a well-aged Pecorino, in its weaker moments (tracks 8-10) to a decent yet unspectacular Provolone. And of course "Slow, Love, Slow" as acoustic analogue of a Scamorza Affumicato, low-key, but with a distinct taste. Anyway, if you like cheese you should be able to enjoy this.

Best review of this album I've seen yet. ;3

Why, thank you! It was too short to be accepted as an official review here and cheesecommunity.com refused to recognize Imaginaerum as a genuine cheese, so I'm happy I managed to reach at least one person with my review :]

Very bad
worse than dark passion play
anette vocal is really annoying

Written by Jair Crawford on 08.12.2011 at 07:02

For those of you who found the album disappointing, I strongly encourage you to listen to the album again, at least two more times. I was slightly disappointed on my first listen, unsure on my second listen, and on the third listen, I began to enjoy it more. And on each listen after that I enjoyed it more and more. This album has a lot of repetition in the riffs and the like, it's true. But you need to really 'feel' the music with this album, not think about the technicalities. They kept the riffs simple and focused more on the atmosphere with this one. This album is one that grows on you on each listen. The surprises can't all be uncovered in one listening. This is not Nightwish's height of technical virtuosity, yet, that isn't what this album is about. This album is about creating an atmosphere. Engage yourself in that atmosphere when you listen. Let the music take you on a journey, instead of straining/yearning for technical virtuosity. Only then will you be able to truly experience the Imaginaerum.

After many listens, I'd rate this album a 9/10. Better than Dark Passion Play for sure. I would say Dark Passion Play's most epic moment (The Poet And The Pendulum) is more epic than the most epic moments of Imaginaerum. HOWEVER, I would also say that the weakest moments of Dark Passion Play are much weaker than the weakest moments of Imaginaerum. Imaginaerum is a much more balanced album, with less filler material than Dark Passion Play, imo. Also, I feel like this album has more throwbacks to the older style of Nightwish than Dark Passion Play did. In fact I would go so far as to say that Imaginaerum as a whole sounds more like Nightwish than Dark Passion Play.

This is truly a great Nightwish album. Not the best Nightwish album though. That goes to Wishmaster, imo.

OMG it could have been me who had written this comment! Exactly what I've been thinking about Imaginaerum (and DPP) since 4th or 5th listen. Only thing I would like to add: the great variety of styles, from fantasy/Disney epicness to folk to Tim Burton-inspired creepiness to oriental to jazz... Never had Nightwish experimented that much within a single album, and that boosts the originality score.

I like it from the 1st listen. In fact im listening for 2nd time right now, maybe i will change my rating later, i had listen some good folk metal in this. =D

There is something with this album, it sounds better with every listen. At first i didn't like it much, after a few times i find it very enjoyable. You just have to dive into it and like it or not.
Way better than Dark Passion.

I was somehow expecting more from NW since it took them 4 years to make a new album. I think Tuomas is one of the best composers on the metal scene, i know it's hard to write for the whole orchestra and make it sound perfect, but altogether it just doesn't sound good to me.
Everything sounds more like a movie score than a song one would listen to without watching a movie. And Anette's childish voice doesn't fit in the songs, but i'm used to this
I'm planning to buy the instrumental version and we'll see then, maybe it will be better (like DPP was), by now my rating is 6.

Edit: I give a 10 to the instrumental version, it's fantastic as usual overall this brings my rating for this CD pack to 8.

If Tarja's fans complained after the release of "Dark Passion Play" for it being so different from the past ones, now they can complain even more because now Nightwish goes even further.

Personally, I enjoyed this album. "Storytime", "I Want My Tears Back", "Scaretale", "Turn Loose The Mermaids" and "The Crow, The Owl And The Dove" are all great songs in my opinion.

I have to admit that at some point I wondered if one could call this "power (metal)", I think it has less and less "power" but the "symphonic" aspect is still there (a lot).

I could give a "9" rate to this one but still with so many great songs, I feel the album is missing something. I just don't feel the songs have a continuation, they seam to be all very isolated from each other but it might just be me.

Overall I still loved it.

Nightwish assault my ears every time i listen to "Imaginaerum", in a good way of course. What keeps this album from being a masterpiece is the last half were everything turns a bit "slow" and filled with ballads and mid tempo. By the time i got to "Last Ride of The Day" i was irremediably turned off. Anyway, this attempt scratched perfection!

This could be good. Ultra gay, but good.

Written by Unhealer on 25.04.2012 at 04:15



This could be good. Ultra gay, but good.

I think it couldn't. Budget is only 3,7 million.

About Imaginaerum - One of the best Nightwish's albums!