Yesterwynde

Once there was a dream.

And once upon a time – many, many moons ago – there was an enchanting summery twilight – a night full of wishes – on the rocky shores of a North Karelian island. There and then, under the luminous sky and by the crackling campfire, the magic was refined: beautiful acoustic melodies and serene chords began to shine with shooting stars.

No difficulty has been able to stop them ever since as they have wandered the path of the elves, gazed at the stars, recited the poems of dead boys, slayed dreamers and wandered the meadows of heaven – just to name a few twists and turns along the fascinating journey.

They were certainly there – and they are still here.

They are the Finnish / Dutch / British troupe NIGHTWISH – one of the most fascinating rock bands of the last decades, whose enigmatic paths have proceeded from acoustic passages to symphonic heavy metal and from catchy folk to progressive majesty. If there is one trait the band has year after year, it might be this: expect something familiar but also expect the unexpected. NIGHTWISH has indeed broken all kinds of boundaries – never deliberately, but perfectly naturally.

Now guess what? NIGHTWISH’s new studio album “Yesterwynde” – the band’s tenth overall – is no exception to the rule. But it is more…

“”Yesterwynde” took more time to make than any previous NIGHTWISH album”, nods keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, who once again envisioned most of the material. “The new album was intensively worked on for 3,5 years. My ambition and piety really skyrocketed, and I just couldn’t let go of the creative process – and didn’t want to. Along the way, “Yesterwynde” became both an exhilarating obsession and a comforting haven for me. All aspects of the making – compositions, lyrics, arrangements, cover art, videos, mixing and so on – were given more attention than ever before.”

The result? There’s a fascinating, but inexplicable feeling that NIGHTWISH has once again been able to find unprecedented nuances, spices and perspectives in their new works – exactly: after a career of nine classic albums. “”Yesterwynde” is an experience that takes time to digest. The gravid ingredients of the songs are easily recognizable, but beneath the surface lies a large number of intriguing details and features”, Holopainen describes.

“It’s interesting – but not surprising – that “Yesterwynde” has attracted quite a variety of opinions. Some have stated that it is the most ‘band’ record to date. For some it appears to be the heaviest and most ominous NIGHTWISH release. It has also been called our most progressive album. And the list goes on.”

And what does Tuomas think of it himself?

“To me, “Yesterwynde” sounds, tastes and feels strongly like the true essence of NIGHTWISH – enriched with new moods and flavors.”

The lyrics of “Yesterwynde” deal with large-sized universal themes: memories, mortality, humanism, time and much more. “The new album is the conclusion of the trilogy – textually it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” and “Human. :II: Nature.””, Holopainen says. “At the same time, “Yesterwynde” is the band’s most lyrically driven album: our music has never been so ‘married’ to the lyrics. So here’s a tip: if something in the composition puzzles you, the words might clear it up.”

“For me, one of the key lines is ‘we are because of a million loves’ – taken from the song “Perfume of the Timeless”. Each of us is part of an unbroken chain that stretches back billions of years. If even one of your ancestors had died too young – mauled by a cave bear, for example – during this incredibly long period of time, you would never have been born. In other words: our existence is such an unfathomable privilege!”

What does the term ‘yesterwynde’ mean?

“It describes a feeling that cannot be found in any human language. That’s why we had to invent a whole new word. The album is supposed to open that feeling to the listener.”

Without taking anything away from the solid delivery of guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, drummer Kai Hahto, bassist Jukka Koskinen and multi-instrumentalist/singer Troy Donockley, it might be worth highlighting one fact: the performance of the eloquent storyteller Floor Jansen is once again unparalleled. It is simply breathtaking how the singer is able to make songs fly with her performance. “Floor’s second child was born just over a month ago, and we hadn’t rehearsed together at all… So it was a little nerve-wracking to go to Floor’s home studio for vocal recordings. Well, what happened? We had booked twelve working days and after six days everything was completed in style. Floor’s preparedness for the sessions was something extreme!”

After the recordings and mixing process, there was one more working phase. Mastering. Could you possibly guess that no shortcuts were taken at this point either?

“The album was mastered seven times until we reached the finish line – one hundred percent satisfied!”, states Tuomas. “When the record was eventually finished, a three-year, extremely inspiring adventure had come to an end. I felt very, very happy.”

NIGHTWISH’s next steps are clear. And they are not the most common ones.

“NIGHTWISH will not go on a world tour this time. This was a decision made for personal reasons. But don’t worry… Our contract with Nuclear Blast Records includes several albums, and there’s plenty of motivation to create new music!”

May the dream continue…