Fugazi

I don't know if you have seen this, but Delain have enjoyed a writing session for the next album (already) in of all places the Finnish wilderness -- and it would seem to be at Tuomas island hideout in/near Kitee, if I'm not mistaken! https://www.facebook.com/martijn.westerholt/posts/pfbid0PrNfqrhH4jNboZ7zLtgR1AqJedavhgnCDfAbqSsk4W43VM7mCACziwTdCU644wkEl

I wonder if the demos include any guiding vocals... Marko used to sing on the demos at one point, for EFMB there was no need for that as Floor was present for the rehearsals, not sure about Human Nature and now Marko is gone.

A few days left before the Delain show! I will be seeing them in Montreal this Friday, in small venue compared to what they're used to in Europe. Looking forward to this, the energy of the band seems pretty good these days! What can I tell about Dark Waters? Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was that this album is so similar to previous Delain albums. You would think that changing the whole band and singer would bring a different end result, but honestly this in my opinion is as pure-wool Delain as any other Delain album. And it's not a bad thing, I think avoiding huge fan trauma was part of the bigger plan. Of course the recipe was calculated to please: recruiting as many former band-members as possible, choosing a female lead that could aptly channel Charlotte's voice and range, throw in a Marko collab... I can't say there's anything on the album that hasn't been heard before with Delain, but it's also a smooth transition to this new line-up. If there's one thing I'm still on the fence about, it's the lyrics. Are the lyrics written by Robin La Joy (Martijn's wife and also Eye Of Melian writer) as evocative as Charlotte's texts? And what about Diana... she's the improbable miracle Delain needed to pull off this rebirth. She had little stage or recording experience beside session vocalist for trance music as far as I can tell, yet she adapted to her new role like she had been fronting a metal band all her life. And while most fans were disappointed with Charlotte leaving the band (and I was indeed) I think that most also consider Diana a worthy successor. She has great stage presence, sings effortlessly and can do justice the old songs. She even wrote some lyrics on Dark Waters. What more can we ask for? 😀

Hello SamuelR, welcome to the forums! What part of Sweden are you hailing from? There are actually a few Swedish members here, though none have been very active. Check out for yourself by clicking on your country flag! 😀

So how's the album going? There have been a few updates on social media, mostly from Kai's Facebook and a few from Jukka's Facebook. July 1: On my way to Kitee to rehearse with my fellow travellers for the next 3 weeks. Nightwish album nr 10 under development. exciting times! July 8: We have gone through 6 songs in 5 days. 4 more to go. Nightwish album nr 10 getting together nicely. Some tricky stuff to play i have to say. July 21: It has been quite intensive 3 week rehearsal period with the boys. Tomorrow we record the demo for Floor Jansen to listen to and Sunday we go home for 2 weeks. Drum recordings start august 5th. Nightwish album nr 10 start to take its shape finally. -- and in answer to a question: "yes. There will be documentary made. " July 23: We are done. Demo recorded and now some time off before the recordings start after next week on august 5th. Cheers from us all. July 29: Demos for album no. 10 are now complete! Amazing songs wrapped up! Recordings begin next week! #bestofbunch #nightwish #10thalbum #musicandnatureresort #bestmedicine A few photos on Kai's page as well, no sigh on Floor during these rehearsals. August 4: Going to the studio to record Nightwish album nr. 10. Cheers! August 6: Here we go. Now it starts. [refering to drum recordings] August 7: 8 songs done… August 8: All the drums and percussion are now done for the Nightwish album nr 10. Thank you Tuomas, Tero, Mikko, Jarkko Piipari and Rappulat! now onwards with the guitar recordings. Katja Hahto -- also: "12 songs on the new album. A little bit over 70 minutes of music." [which is in the same ballpark as DPP-Imaginaerum-EFMB but quite a bit more that the 50 minutes of Disc 1 of Human Nature] August 30: Emppu has finished all guitar recordings to the upcoming album. Bass with Jukkis starts today. September 2: The thunder aka Jukka Koskinen has finished the bass for the upcoming Nightwish album. Well done Jukkis! September 3: Greets from the @nightwish band camp! Bass done for album number 10. Wonderful to witness the magic everyone is contributing to the breathtaking new songs. Keyboards next! #nightwish #10thalbum #soittotuoli#kakkosnelonen #takapuolikesti So there we are. If my math is correct, it took 3 days to record Kai, 4 days for Jukka, and 22 days to record Emppu! 👀 (edit: and presumably Troy's guitar parts?)

Oh, this is a surprising last-minute announcement: "I can't believe this is happening! I will support Metallica on their M72 World Tour show on April 29th in Amsterdam. What a huge honor! To perform in front of over 50,000 fans in my home country is something I can't quite fathom. Let's rock the Johan Cruijff ArenA! See you this Saturday" I wonder what kind of songs Floor will choose to sing to a Metallica crowd?

I can get wanting to focus on family and stuff, even other projects... but this is coming on the heels of a 3-year break when they had plenty of time for that, when they kept complaining that they couldn't tour (well... maybe just Floor?) and their touring schedule wasn't particularly heavy compared to some past tours. There were months-long breaks between tour legs. I don't want to sound alarmist, but it sounds like they (the band) are fed up of touring, either because it's getting too expensive, or because it's not fun anymore.

Yeah, I don't like the sound of 'Plan B became Plan A'... It sounds like there's no plan or timeline for a live return, just wait and see how things go. On the up side, maybe we'll have Marko, Tarja and Floor performing more NW songs in their solo shows? 🤔

Probably the only official source for the modern Phantom, as no live DVDs seem to be in the works for this tour. I still miss Marko, but there probably never will be a Floor-Marko duet with the full band so this is the next best thing. 👍 It's an improvement on the Beste Zangers or solo versions IMO, this song requires flames and mean guitarz. 😁

It would appear that the setlist has been shortened after Paradiso, by removing two Nightwish songs -- Slow Love Slow and How's The Heart. 👀

Floor has posted some live performances from a radio session (Radio Veronica): My Paragon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YevVBuu7hrg Hope - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMWyM_KS1c Daydream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBugZRMyD3M Me Without You - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j69qcK-MlG0 Are these guys the same musicians touring with her? Serge Bredewold - Bass Ivo Maarhuis - Drums Vincent van Vliet - Guitars Gregor Hamilton - Piano

A reddit translation of a Dutch article... I don't know how faithful the translation is, but Floor had a few choice words for NW management. 👀 https://www.ad.nl/show/floor-jansen-kreeg-kanker-maar-raakte-ook-zwanger-snap-dat-dat-onverwacht-is~abcc0237 ''Floor Jansen got cancer, but also got pregnant: ''I understand it's unexpected'''' She had "no time for cancer," but she got it anyway. At the end of last year, singer Floor Jansen (42) alternated tours with Nightwish with hospital visits. She recovered, got pregnant unexpectedly quickly and is releasing Paragon, her first solo album, on Friday. "I didn't think my body would work so quickly again." This Thursday, a day before the release of her album debut as a solo singer, Floor Jansen will board a plane to Japan. A trip that she is very disappointed/annoyed with. ,,With Nightwish we had to postpone concerts in Asia, I said: I can only do it after the 24th, because then my album will be released. Now we're performing on the 25th. Yes, it is after the 24th, but in fucking Japan. The management of the band could have thought of that honestly, I find this unforgivably stupid and a show of little respect towards me.” So, at least she's got that off her chest. Floor Jansen tells her story on Tuesday, two days before her departure, in a Hilversum office. The festivities have been brought forward. “This afternoon we have a party with everyone who was involved with Paragon and with the people who are close to me, such as my parents and my sister with her kids.” Breast cancer The reason that the shows in Asia originally planned for January had to be rescheduled was the illness of Jansen, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. Fortunately, a less aggressive form, which was easily treatable with surgery and a series of preventive radiation treatments. The latter was the only reason that Jansen did not go to Asia with the Finnish band in January. The operation was 'just' scheduled between two weeks of touring in South America and two weeks on the road in Europe. It characterizes Jansen, the eternal optimist who does not easily shy away from anything. It is an attitude to life in which she sometimes ''meets herself'' (idiom meaning ''being confronted with your own limits'', such as on Friday 7 October, when she 'just' had to drive from her home deep in the Swedish forests to the hospital because something was not quite right with the mammogram she had earlier. “I thought it was a defect in the device, or maybe they made a mistake themselves. I felt so good/healthy, I didn't think I could be sick. No, not even then. Crazy, huh?" Sabaton Her husband, the Swedish drummer Hannes Van Dahl, was on tour with his metal band Sabaton and was staying in the United States. When his wife got the bad news, he was still asleep. “I didn't want to wake him up, I called my sister first and then my parents. I stood in the parking lot for a few hours before I could think again. I hadn't brought anyone at all with me to that conversation, I hadn't even thought about that. I would just go to the hospital 'quickly' and would do some shopping on the way back, because I had to cook for my daughter Freja and myself. I think I did indeed go by the supermarket on my way back.” Once home, the singer, who was born in Goirle, immediately took care of her then 5-year-old daughter. “I didn't say anything to her then. Only later did we tell her that Mum was ill, but would get better.” Already about three days after the conversation in the hospital, Jansen had to go to South America with Nightwish for concerts. She did not see her husband again until she boarded the plane. She had to process the news, do her best during the concerts and upon returning, almost immediately the surgery awaited. “I had no time for cancer at all, I had to take care of it in between things. Fortunately, the band members looked after me extra carefully. Two weeks later I landed from South America, the day before surgery - and, the same day, my husband came back from North America. We hadn't even seen each other before and the next day he had to take me to the hospital right away. I was completely exhausted, massively jet lagged. As a result, I could not come out of the anaesthesia properly, I just kept not waking up.” It sounds like madness. Someone with a 'normal' job calls in sick. ,,And three weeks after the operation I already had my first European show with Nightwish. I asked the doctor if that was responsible, the answer was that the mental aftermath of the operation would be more intense than the physical one.” Did you feel free to say: I'm not going on tour? “Yes, but we had already postponed these shows several times because of corona. It would have been a financial nightmare if we hadn't done them again. I did say to the band: playing two hours, as usual, I'm not going to be able to do that yet. We shortened the shows a bit, it was super tough, but I did it. And then I still had to work towards radiation treatments, which were finally scheduled in January. So for that we did have to end up moving concerts.” And now it's March and you're announcing that you're expecting your second child. “Yes, I understand that that is unexpected. It actually was unexpected for me too, because 60 percent of women over 40 fail to conceive within a year. With us it's immediately ''a hit''. The transition from cancer patient to pregnant woman has given me a huge boost. The confirmation that my body is healthy, apparently it collects itself/deals with a problem and it goes right back on. Mentally it (the pregnancy) does a lot for me, the thought of a child gives so much positive energy.” Do you feel you have enough time to process everything? There will also be solo shows from April. ,,My illness is of course a traumatic experience and I have thought in recent months that I would irrevocably get another blow. But the pregnancy has provided a positive twist, gives me strength. It is also no coincidence that this is happening now, although of course it came sooner than I expected. But it was precisely because of that illness that my husband and I started to think about this. Life suddenly feels very short and you want to make more than just records. At the end of your life you may think about your own mortality, but not while you are in the midst of it. That suddenly changed for me.” From mortality the focus went to new life. Literally, in her stomach, and figuratively, with her first album as a solo singer, which she made with the help of producers/composers Gordon Groothedde and Wouter Hardy, among others. “I am incredibly proud of that. The album turned out to be what I had hoped it would be on all fronts. Gordon produced and monitored the main line, Wouter co-wrote and added the atmosphere, the bombast and the drama that I was looking for.” When she listens to the record herself, it seems as if some songs were written with foreknowledge. “ Hope and Invincible are songs that people think I wrote during or after my illness, but it was before. Forced into recovery, a choice no longer yours, that's exactly what happened to me. In hindsight it is precisely right.” Floor Jansen has been touring solo since April, performing in Afas Live and open-air theater Caprera, among others.

So here's what the new setlist looks like: (*new stuff) Fire* Storm In A Glass (Northward) Invincible* Euphoria (cover, YouTube/Beste Zangers) Armoured Wings* Slow, Love, Slow (Nightwish) Bridle Passion (Northward) While Love Died (Northward)* Energize Me (After Forever) Paragon (Northward)* Storm* Hope* Our Decades In The Sun (Nightwish) Strong (After Forever) How's The Heart (Nightwish)* Me Without You* The Calm* Face Your Demons (After Forever) Let It Go (cover, YouTube) Come Full Circle* My Paragon* Daydream* So Floor does sing the whole solo album, all 10 songs. Most of the Beste Zangers stuff has been dropped, and many Nightwish songs as well, plus all the ReVamp songs. 'Let It Go' is unfortunately still in the setlist. 😝 Two Northward songs have been added to the set, so that makes 4 Northward songs, 3 After Forever songs, and 3 Nightwish songs. What was removed from past shows: Ever Dream (Nightwish) Nemo (Nightwish) Mama (cover, Beste Zangers) Sweet Curse (ReVamp) *with Henk Poort Dangerous Game (cover, YouTube) *with Henk Poort Winner (cover, Beste Zangers) Shallow (cover, Beste Zangers) Élan (Nightwish) Qué Se Siente (cover, Beste Zangers) Wolf And Dog (ReVamp) The Phantom Of The Opera (cover, Beste Zangers) *with Henk Poort

I need to listen to the album a few more times now that it's been released in full, but for now here are a few random reviews from the web: Louder https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/floor-jansen-switches-symphonic-metal-for-pop-melodies-and-epic-balladry-on-solo-debut-paragon "No doubt, this will be a tough sell for the Nightwish fans who prefer the histrionic, more-is-more approach of symphonic metal. Instead, this is an album for those who find themselves spellbound by Floor’s truly fantastic voice and who can appreciate this as a showcase for her undisputed talent." Rockposer https://rockposer.com/2023/03/01/review-floor-jansen-paragon/ "You have to approach this album with an open mind. If you do, you will surely appreciate the album for what it is, a well-constructed pop-infused masterwork. This album has a way of reaching mainstream audiences than her previous works and it’s a shame to think this will be dismissed by many based solely on Floor’s history with metal. Don’t make that mistake. These are classy tracks that deserve to be heard." Sputnik Musik https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/86630/Floor-Jansen-Paragon/ "Moreover, there is undoubtedly an audience for Paragon, especially with individuals who found the Nightwish brand of symphonic power metal a little too full-on. Regardless, the album feels very contained and safe, and the more rousing and expressive moments here are stifled by this confinement; the sound accompanies Floor's vocals admirably, but is unable to truly hold them aloft." The Harvard Crimson https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/4/11/paragon-floor-jansen-sets-alight-the-dark-album-review/ "Full of empowering, therapeutic songs that showcase her vocal versatility and unique sound, “Paragon” is an exciting debut that leaves fans with much to anticipate for her future releases." Tuonela Magazine https://tuonelamagazine.com/review-floor-jansen-paragon/ "All things considered, “Paragon” is an intimate and beautiful affair that oozes emotion and sensibility. From an artistic perspective, this album is an important landmark in Jansen’s career, solidifying her status as a versatile performer and complete artist." The Moshville Times https://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/album-review/2023/03/album-review-floor-jansen-paragon/ "Paragon is an album that is delicious on first listen, but one that draws you in for repeated listens. A tranquil and joyous celebration of life, it’s an album that will surprise, and may disappoint a few."

A new tour begins tomorrow/tonight! I'm looking forward to seeing how much of the new material is included in the refreshed setlist, and whether it's the YouTube/TV stuff or the former group material that gets axed. Also, will it still be the same band playing with Floor?

Interesting stuff indeed. There are a few items that deserve spotlighting. Nightwish's Floor Jansen: "Life is short. Time is not endless" By Polly Glass ( Metal Hammer ) March 10, 2023 About Nightwish: It’s all so far removed from lingering notions of Nightwish as some sort of dictatorship or soap opera, with singers driven away by its founder’s maniacal demands. They seem like friends – as in, actual friends. “It’s absolute genuine fun,” she nods. “We’ve always had that. And there are always ups and downs; it’s like a big marriage. But we’ve been longing for this tour a lot. Especially after the pandemic, we don’t take it for granted at all.” [...] “I would say [the upcoming NW album is] a pretty heavy album,” she muses, “but once again, it’s the multicolour diversity that is Nightwish. It’s all there. It’s going to once again take you by the hand through beautiful stories – whether they are stories from this Earth or stories about this Earth. They’re beautiful.” About Paragon: “I have a really hard time with love songs,” she says. “I know the majority of pop music is about love songs, and that’s also why I find it boring to listen to. So I wanted to create something that still has a message.” Accordingly, her solo album, Paragon, shuns frothy clichés in favour of meatier subjects. Fire is about returning to life after lockdown. One song, Invincible, was written for the injured war veterans at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games – originally planned to take place in 2020 in the Hague until the pandemic got in the way. “It’s inspired by the idea of being physically or mentally wounded, after you’ve just given everything you have,” she explains, “and something that’s left of you has to pick up life, and recover from something that you never really wanted to recover from. I want to raise awareness of the fact that this happens so incredibly often, but also to empower them. Like, ‘You already went through Hell, now you’re on your way back, you are invincible.’” About cancer: It’s hard to hear this story now without thinking of Floor’s recent health issues. Diagnosed in October 2022 at a routine mammogram screening, her breast cancer came as a total shock – two weeks before Nightwish were due to fly to South America. “They [the doctors] said, ‘We want you to come back.’ And the thing I thought, in my naïve brain, was, ‘Oh, they fucked up something with the pictures.’ Never, ‘Oh, they found something.’” She shakes her head. “Not a single moment. Until I was there.” Surgery was planned for the day after they came home. Until then, she says, the intense business of touring Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico proved a good distraction. The pace of it all was brutal but helpful, and reading similar stories from her fans made her feel less alone – “But at the same time, it’s an overwhelming awareness of how many people actually got this fucking disease." “I put my emotions into the music,” she reasons, “and also had really wonderful conversations within the band, crew, management, everyone has really been there for me. It’s very tough to do it all that fast, but at the same time it helped because I didn’t have to walk around with thoughts of it too long. Because as soon as you know you have a tumour in your body, the only thing you can think of is ‘get it out’. The whole mental aspect of a cancer diagnosis is shit.” Back at home, she had three weeks after her operation before heading out in Europe and the UK. Scarred, bruised and exhausted, she was grateful for the support of her family. “Jesus, how I underestimated it,” she half-laughs, of the recovery process. “I was jet-lagged, I barely slept for nights after the surgery because my system was completely upside-down, you get morphine… So everyone’s been really having my back in this.” Just a couple of days before the Wembley gig, she learned that the operation was successful. It was both a relief and a wake-up call. In Sweden, mammogram screenings start for women at the age of 40. In the Netherlands, her birthplace –and in the UK – it’s 50. Now looked up to by many, as a public figure as well as a musician, she’s determined to persuade more women to go for their scans. “On a purely personal level it’s a bit weird, because I’m just me,” she says, of her role-model status. “But from this position, I have the power to make a difference every now and then. I wanted to make sure it has this function by saying, ‘Go and get your mammogram done.’ If I had stayed in the Netherlands, this entire thing would have gone undetected. It was so small when they took it out, but it was growing, you know? I’m very lucky.” Cancer casts a pervasive shadow, even when it’s caught quickly. For Floor, who (when we speak to her) still has three weeks of radiation therapy to complete, it’s realigned her priorities. “It’s not like I think ‘I’m gonna die’ all the time,” she explains, “but I realise how life is short. Time is not endless. We have it now.”

This is new to me as well! It would be around the time of the recording of the last After Forever album, I believe. Maybe one thing led to another, and this is how she was recruited for the Final Fantasy recordings.

Well, if they're not touring as such they might be more amenable to do one-off special shows? But that does require getting together and rehearsing and recalling the tech crew...

It sounds about right... Besides, by October Floor will probably be due? She will need to return to Sweden unless she plans to give birth in the Finnish wilderness! 😁

Might as well post the positive news from the band's latest statement here... NIGHTWISH NEW ALBUM COMING OUT 2024 [...] an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure. Stay tuned for updates from our legendary Nightwish band camp & studio this summer! -Tuomas, Floor, Emppu, Troy, Kai & Jukkis Last time they released 3 proper videos from the same album was "Dark Passion Play" in 2007, with Amaranth, Bye Bye Beautiful and The Islander, so does this mean they believe they have lots of 'single' material? https://www.nightwish.online/music/

It's tempting to over-analyze the short statement -- as we always do! 😁 -- but there's something in the way it's worded... "The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band." This doesn't sound so much about money after all, rather about not coping well with touring anymore? Family concerns? Health concerns? Not getting along so well on tour anymore? There will be lots of speculation and I do expect Tuomas to be asked about it in every interview until the release of the new album so he'd better be prepared! 😁 Regardless of their professional freedom, for a band acclaimed for their live act it's disappointing to hear they won't be touring for an indefinite period. They're not getting any younger, and it's hard keeping a connection with the fans only with YouTube updates. And given that they don't even plan to release a proper live DVD of the current tour, why do I have a feeling that they're preparing to move on to other projects? It's also sad for the road crew, they're probably on their own after June 2023. Expect another Crewish release sooner than later! 👀 Perhaps Tuomas knows there's another album hot on the heels of the 2024 release, and that they will tour both in a couple of years? Just trying to keep my hopes up here! 😋

MARKO HIETALA AND THE UPCOMING “SPRINGTIME OF THE BLACK HEART” TOUR Hi everyone! Me & and a few talented friends of mine have a bunch of shows coming up in April. Marko Hietala’s “Springtime of the Black Heart” tour is happening in Finland from April 15th to April 30th. More of that by the end, but here’s a little recap. Last summer I returned to the life I’ve known and started doing shows again. It was a tremendous relief and a pleasure to climb on stage and connect once more with both the music and the people, the band and the crowd. The shows of my own and the shows I did with Northern Kings were all the confirmation I had needed. 2022 turned out to be a great year in terms of self search, discovery and recovery. I am way better now. Still looney and hopefully even more “out there”, of course: it’s just more capable me at the pilot’s seat. I’m sorry I didn’t write anything after the Christmas shows with “Raskasta Joulua”, but I was already feeling physically low and I got sick with covid returning home. Then the holidays were on already. Year changed. Life happened. I can honestly assure you that I had an absolutely great time doing those shows too. The same thing again. When the music and the people connect. Thanks to the audiences and Captain Erkka and everyone in that huge happy crowd project! Be seeing you at the end of this year too. On to our main subject. April 2023 we will return to do the ”Springtime of the Black Heart” tour in Finland with Marko Hietala solo group. We’ll be performing our load of goodies to prog, rock & metal lovers in quite a few places: Apr 15, 2023 – Hyvinkää Hall, Hyvinkää (FIN) Apr 16, 2023 – Cultural Centre Virta, Imatra (FIN) Apr 18, 2023 – Tampere Hall (Small auditorium), Tampere (FIN) Apr 19, 2023 – Suisto, Hämeenlinna (FIN) Apr 21, 2023 – Mikaeli, Mikkeli (FIN) Apr 22, 2023 – The Circus, Kuopio (FIN) Apr 23, 2023 – Madetoja Hall, Oulu (FIN) Apr 26, 2023 – Monikkosali, Klaukkala (FIN) Apr 27, 2023 – Sello Hall, Espoo (FIN) Apr 28, 2023 – Carelia Hall, Joensuu (FIN) Apr 29, 2023 – Tuiskula, Nivala (FIN) Apr 30, 2023 – Korundi, Rovaniemi (FIN) Marko Hietala – vocals & bass Tuomas Wäinölä – guitars & background vocals Vili Ollila – keyboards Anssi Nykänen – drums & percussion The tickets to all the shows can be found here: https://linktr.ee/markohietala See you out there! Marko. https://www.facebook.com/markohietalaofficial/posts/pfbid02gk7qGXWL1jp3FybMmco3qqSSri8cGMRSa6b47utAb4zYToijj5HtCq9CC5kxKAKFl

I missed a few things, but this is pretty big. 👀 SYMPHONIC METAL DREAMS 8.07 - Z7 Summer Nights Open Air Tickets: https://www.z-7.ch/event.php?eventid=2048 Finland's most popular soprano voice, Tarja Turunen, comes to Pratteln to headline a first class Z7 Summer Night. Joining the symphonic metal queen, freshly returned to Europe from her "Living The Dream" US tour, is her former Nightwish colleague Marko Hietala and a very special guest to be announced soon. The opener Illumishade completes the fantastic line-up. The open-air event on July 8th guarantees a dreamy night for die-hard symphonic rockers and friends of versatile metal sounds. --- Want to take any guesses about that special guest? And whether any Nightwish songs will be played?

Wow... first reaction, I don't have a good feeling about this. ☹️ It may be about the rising cost of touring that makes it not worth the hassle anymore... But this pushes the eventual next tour to what... 2029 at this rate? If there is another. Good news about the album, but still feeling pretty disappointed today.

NIGHTWISH NEW ALBUM COMING OUT 2024 As the ‘Human :ll: Nature - World Tour’ is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey. After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be “hanging up our spurs” for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won’t be touring the next album. The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor`s pregnancy or our other individual projects. However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure. Stay tuned for updates from our legendary Nightwish band camp & studio this summer! -Tuomas, Floor, Emppu, Troy, Kai & Jukkis