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Nightwish - Yesterwynde review



Reviewer:
6.8

189 users:
7.15
Band: Nightwish
Album: Yesterwynde
Style: Symphonic power metal, Symphonic metal
Release date: September 20, 2024
A review by: musclassia


Disc I
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

Disc II [Instrumental Version - Earbook Limited Edition]
01. Yesterwynde [instrumental version]
02. An Ocean Of Strange Islands [instrumental version]
03. The Antikythera Mechanism [instrumental version]
04. The Day Of... [instrumental version]
05. Perfume Of The Timeless [instrumental version]
06. Sway [instrumental version]
07. The Children Of 'Ata [instrumental version]
08. Something Whispered Follow Me [instrumental version]
09. Spider Silk [instrumental version]
10. Hiraeth [instrumental version]
11. The Weave [instrumental version]
12. Lanternlight [instrumental version]

Disc III [Orchestral Version - Earbook Limited Edition]
01. Yesterwynde [orchestral version]
02. An Ocean Of Strange Islands [orchestral version]
03. The Antikythera Mechanism [orchestral version]
04. The Day Of... [orchestral version]
05. Perfume Of The Timeless [orchestral version]
06. Sway [orchestral version]
07. The Children Of 'Ata [orchestral version]
08. Something Whispered Follow Me [orchestral version]
09. Spider Silk [orchestral version]
10. The Weave [orchestral version]
11. Lanternlight [orchestral version]

Me reviewing a Nightwish album worked out really well last time, so let’s get stuck into Yesterwynde.

Even though I knew that Human. :II: Nature. was shaping up to be a divisive album, I was still surprised at the sheer volume and intensity of ‘passionate discourse’ in the aforementioned review’s comments section, not least because I just didn’t think it was an exciting enough album to get worked up over in any direction. That was something I found to be a major disappointment, considering the release was primed to be Nightwish’s breakout effort with superstar new singer Floor Jansen after a solid but relatively safe first outing on Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Human. :II: Nature. also turned out to be long-time bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala’s swansong with the group, so there were suitably lowered expectations this time around for Yesterwynde, expectations that it gets relatively close to meeting, but doesn't threaten to exceed.

Nightwish have had a remarkable propensity for long records ever since Tarja Turunen left the group; Yesterwynde is actually the band’s shortest studio album since Once, but at 71 minutes, it’s still a hefty assembly of songs. Unlike its predecessor, however, this is not a double album, and there’s no massive undertaking of orchestral-only music; Yesterwynde is a fairly classic post-Once release, and one that further cements their complete separation from their power metal past, with no songs that strive beyond a measured mid-tempo pace. Additionally, while it is not as explorative as Human. :II: Nature., there are a couple of new experiments here, albeit with very mixed results.

One such experiment, after the understated, fantastical introductory title track, is the decision to lead with the album’s longest song, the 9-minute “An Ocean Of Strange Islands”. On this front, I would say it’s a successful move, as while the track is not a rival of any of the classic Nightwish epics, it does get the album off to a much stronger start than its predecessor managed. There’s a gravitas to the orchestrations on this song, and the album as a whole, that sets Nightwish apart from many of their competitors, and the grandeur on this track in particular impresses, but it is the quality and excitement of the vocal parts, the riffs and the guitar leads here that was lacking on Human. :II: Nature., and the strength of the song’s evolution across its runtime raises it above the rest of the tracklist of Yesterwynde. Having said that, as great as Floor Jansen’s vocals are here (with some particularly exuberant utterances in the midsection), their relatively low positioning in the mix, which continues across the record as a whole, is a bit puzzling.

Yesterwynde generally manages to sustain the momentum from this song for at least the next couple of tracks. “The Antikythera Mechanism” comes right afterwards, and it stomps along at a relatively sedate pace, but there’s an intensity and bombast to the chorus that nicely contrasts the verses, and the surge in tempo during the instrumental bridge is accompanied by a fairly typical, but still moderately likeable, Nightwish arrangement. “Perfume Of The Timeless” is another long song, and the journey from folksy introduction to a brooding, slithering metallic core is a satisfying one. Still, one can question whether the decision to finish this song, and also “An Ocean Of Strange Islands”, with extended outros that serve as Troy Donockley vehicles (instrumentally on the latter, vocally on the former) is really necessary or beneficial; truth be told, a number of the songs have a habit of running on longer than they really need to.

More questionable, however, is the inclusion of a children’s choir in “The Day Of...”; of all the experiments on the album, this is by far the least successful. The track is not inherently a terrible one, and the climax of the song is one of the rare instances where a final chorus modulation actually makes a positive impact, but the children’s choir is genuinely nails-on-chalkboard, and the fact that it drowns out Jansen during most of the song’s choruses is inexcusable. Other songs that may be divisive for listeners are the two softest efforts, “Sway” and closer “Lanternlight”. “Sway” is an orchestra-accompanied Jansen-Donockley duet, and while I find its midsection to be a bit empty, I don’t mind the Medieval fayre vibe to the vocal harmonies in the first half, and the closing stages are actually quite enchanting. “Lanternlight” is more of a piano ballad, and one that’s slightly impactless.

As for the rest of the album’s second half, after a few listens, I’ve come the point where I find it all fairly pleasant to listen to, and some of the choruses (particularly those in “Spider Silk” and “Something Whispered Follow Me”) are reasonably memorable; in fact, “Something Whispered Follow Me” in general has a satisfying and alluring melodicism to it throughout. Having said that, aside from perhaps that one track, I don’t feel particularly incentivized to revisit any of these songs at the end of an album playthrough. The record has a bit of a similar problem to Dark Tranquillity’s Endtime Signals, in that despite its general pleasantness, the overall emotional response to listening to it is a tad too close to neutral to praise it as much as I might otherwise be inclined to; certainly, when compared to the memorability and replayability of the new album from Nocturna, a band that is clearly heavily influenced by Nightwish, the difference is noticeable.

When reflecting on the band’s latest few albums, I would say that Yesterwynde is clearly superior to Human. :II: Nature.; it’s also arguably more consistent than Imaginaerum, but lacks that record’s peaks. However, for all its competence, it slides a bit too much into ‘background listening’ territory for my liking, and increases my concern that Endless Forms Most Beautiful, an album that should have been a solid foundation for a return to greatness, will ultimately come to be recognized as the peak of this era in the history of Nightwish.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 6
Originality: 7
Production: 8





Written on 24.09.2024 by Hey chief let's talk why not


Comments

Comments: 12   Visited by: 246 users
25.09.2024 - 03:48
Rating: 7
24emd
Theory Snob
I personally didn't take issue with the two longest songs' extended outros, the former instantly gave me flashbacks to the 'love theme' music from Dune 2, despite shortly shifting to minor tonality. I also enjoyed Troy's vocal outro on the other song, I felt it was good contrast. "Perfume" is also a song I kinda hated at first (check my first comment on the album thread) but now like, so I guess the album could be a grower? Agree on pretty much everything else, though I do have a soft spot for chorus modulations.
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"I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense." - Proverbs 30:2
"Music? Well, it's just entertainment, folks!" - Devin Townsend

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25.09.2024 - 08:59
Rating: 7
musclassia
Staff
Written by 24emd on 25.09.2024 at 03:48

I personally didn't take issue with the two longest songs' extended outros, the former instantly gave me flashbacks to the 'love theme' music from Dune 2, despite shortly shifting to minor tonality. I also enjoyed Troy's vocal outro on the other song, I felt it was good contrast. "Perfume" is also a song I kinda hated at first (check my first comment on the album thread) but now like, so I guess the album could be a grower? Agree on pretty much everything else, though I do have a soft spot for chorus modulations.

I think if there was only the outro on the first song, it wouldn't be something I picked up on, as I do like that outro in isolation; I think it's just then having the Perfume Of The Timeless one not long after, and then The Children Of'Ata, and then Spider Silk, that it just gets a bit diluted for me. And a final chorus modulation is admittedly something that I find has become a pretty cheap writing tool that more often than not undercuts the vibe of the song, but there's instances in which it does work for me, and The Day Of... pulls it off pretty well
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25.09.2024 - 10:03
lingus99
Pretty much sums up my thoughts. It isn't bad or offensive in any way, but not blowing anyone away either. I enjoy a good bit of symphonic stuff, but can't get my head around the fascination with child choirs though, ruins any song it darkens the doorstep of.
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25.09.2024 - 13:49
Rating: 7
Vellichor
I am a little surprised at the rating on this one compared to other Symphonic albums I’ve heard recently. Admittedly I haven’t liked this genre in awhile, but I would say this album is way better than what I’ve heard from bands like Within Temptation, Blackbriar, Elvellon, and many of their other contemporaries, even with the bad mixing and at times clumsy songwriting. I think a big part of the problem in the genre is it’s been done to death and there’s not much room to explore in their formula, so nothing ever sounds fresh. But unlike black or death metal which often run into the same problem, this music is supposed to be like an epic journey but instead leaves you yawning through many of the songs because we’ve been hearing the exact same style for 25 years. I think they’ve done a good job within those confines though, I would say this is their best since DPP, and that was the last album I really enjoyed. I probably would’ve skipped this if it wasn’t for how much I love their albums in the 2000s, but on the other hand I think if this album wasn’t Nightwish and was released by some small name band it would get way more praise. I mean, same score as the last WT album? Really?
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25.09.2024 - 14:45
Rating: 7
musclassia
Staff
Written by Vellichor on 25.09.2024 at 13:49

I am a little surprised at the rating on this one compared to other Symphonic albums I’ve heard recently. Admittedly I haven’t liked this genre in awhile, but I would say this album is way better than what I’ve heard from bands like Within Temptation, Blackbriar, Elvellon, and many of their other contemporaries, even with the bad mixing and at times clumsy songwriting. I think a big part of the problem in the genre is it’s been done to death and there’s not much room to explore in their formula, so nothing ever sounds fresh. But unlike black or death metal which often run into the same problem, this music is supposed to be like an epic journey but instead leaves you yawning through many of the songs because we’ve been hearing the exact same style for 25 years. I think they’ve done a good job within those confines though, I would say this is their best since DPP, and that was the last album I really enjoyed. I probably would’ve skipped this if it wasn’t for how much I love their albums in the 2000s, but on the other hand I think if this album wasn’t Nightwish and was released by some small name band it would get way more praise. I mean, same score as the last WT album? Really?

Assuming you're talking about the average rating from users rather than my score (I'm not sure I've listened to a WT album since The Heart Of Everything), I am a bit surprised that the rating for this new album is so close to the one for Human. :||: Nature., but I think there's a bit of a general downward trend of user scores on the site in the past few years that might account for it. I'd certainly consider this superior to what snippets I have heard from WT in recent years, but while last year in particular was short on quality content in fem-fronted symphonic metal (specifying because otherwise the symphonic metal discussion can span to bands like Shadow Of Intent and Aeternam that I think are incontrovertibly strong), there have been albums in recent years that have managed to impress in a way that makes repeat listens enticing, or more enticing than returning to Yesterwynde; I'm thinking of the likes of the Ad Infinitum debut, the first couple of Nocturna albums, Cathubodua's album from this year, and glimpses of Seven Spires.

That all said, it does feel like the genre really had a heyday in the late 90s-early 2000s that it's struggling to replicate more than most genres.
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25.09.2024 - 15:34
Rating: 7
Vellichor
I’m admittedly not the most well-versed in the genre, I was just surprised because I really thought this was closer to what Nightwish fans wanted but I guess I was wrong.

And I did mean the overall rating, typically even bad albums from popular bands get higher ratings.
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25.09.2024 - 15:44
Rating: 7
musclassia
Staff
Written by Vellichor on 25.09.2024 at 15:34

I’m admittedly not the most well-versed in the genre, I was just surprised because I really thought this was closer to what Nightwish fans wanted but I guess I was wrong.

And I did mean the overall rating, typically even bad albums from popular bands get higher ratings.

Stylistically I think the album is fine - it's just that too many of the songs are forgettable/rehashing; I reckon for some fans it's also an issue of quality over style, but then there's also plenty of bands to which that also applies that don't see corresponding drop-offs with scores so idk, maybe it's just people already approaching it with more cynicism than usual because of their recent run of form
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25.09.2024 - 16:06
Rating: 7
IronArkadius666
Great review, I agree with a lot of your sentiments, especially regarding Floor's buried vocals. What an odd production choice, especially when she's really going for it in songs like Something Whispered Follow Me.

That said I was pleasantly surprised by this, my expectations were low after Endless Forms and Human Nature, but there are some genuinely good songs here. Definitely my favourite of the Floor-era albums. Still has some pretty underwhelming tracks, but the good ones are worth coming back to. Antikythera Mechanism has a great chorus and its nice to hear Emppu letting loose in Ocean of Strange Islands. Something Whispered is also pretty solid, I liked the melodic guitar accompanying Floor's vocals in the verses there. The Weave also has some of that bombastic ochestral riffing combo that reminds me of Dark Passion Play (an album I'm actually pretty fond of).

It's funny you mention DT's latest, as I feel like this album is on the same par with that enjoyability-wise for me, yet I'm looking on Yesterwynde more graciously than Endtime Signals because of each band's previous albums. Kinda like one of those optical illusions where two identical colours seem different because of their different surrounding colours.
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25.09.2024 - 16:25
Rating: 7
musclassia
Staff
Written by IronArkadius666 on 25.09.2024 at 16:06

It's funny you mention DT's latest, as I feel like this album is on the same par with that enjoyability-wise for me, yet I'm looking on Yesterwynde more graciously than Endtime Signals because of each band's previous albums. Kinda like one of those optical illusions where two identical colours seem different because of their different surrounding colours.

This is a fair point for sure - I ended up nitpicking myself over the exact score to give this, and ultimately put it just below the new DT cos I felt gun-to-my-head I'd probably just about choose to listen to the latter if asked to do one or the other a month from now, but at the same time I do look at this album comparativly favourably because it does represent a step in the right direction and includes songs worth listening to (looks like our favourites pretty much align based on the songs you namedropped in your comment, so seems like there might be some consensus emerging on what the album's highlights are), while Endtime Signals is a record I feel a bit ho-hum about
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25.09.2024 - 17:29
Rating: 8
Thyroid
I think this is my favourite album from Floor-era. If the mixing was a little better (better instrument separation, vocals slightly better on front) I could give this 9, but now I have to drop one point.

Typical to lots of prog albums, especially old ones, there are no tracks that raise above the others. No fillers either, every song serves a purpose in continuity.

Single releases didn't impress me very much. But the album is fantastic to listen from start to finish, even the singles work somehow better listening in album context.

In a way this release reminds me of cinematic Imagineurum ja Tuomas solo albums, which I think are meant to be listen from start to finish. Imaginaerum is much more playful album though, it has little bit more 'rock n roll' that I'm little bit missing in todays Nightwish music. Yesterwynde could use a spirit-lifting song like Last Ride of the Day.
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25.09.2024 - 18:54
Rating: 7
musclassia
Staff
Written by Thyroid on 25.09.2024 at 17:29

In a way this release reminds me of cinematic Imagineurum ja Tuomas solo albums, which I think are meant to be listen from start to finish. Imaginaerum is much more playful album though, it has little bit more 'rock n roll' that I'm little bit missing in todays Nightwish music. Yesterwynde could use a spirit-lifting song like Last Ride of the Day.

Imaginaerum for me has always been a mixed bag album; the songs that became relative live staples (Storytime, Last Ride Of The Day, I Want My Tears Back), I really like all of them, but the album as a complete package I never ended up gelling with to the same degree (it's been a while since I last listened to it though). I do feel like Yesterwynde generally flows better together as a complete start-to-finish listen, but I tend to agree that having a more vivacious song like Last Ride Of The Day could help the whole package, as the two ballady songs aside, the pace and the sonic palette from track to track throughout is rather similar, and I wonder how much that's influencing me not being excited or clicking with individual songs in the second half in the way that I'd hope to.
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01.10.2024 - 23:31
Rating: 7
BlankFile
More interesting than their previous record, i´ll give them that. It´s a pretty decent effort.

Floor Jansen amazing, as always.
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