Fugazi

Congrats, I guess you will find out eventually how well it ages! I take it that you have tried at least a bottle already? Welcome to the forums, by the way! 😁

I know this album is only planned for a 2024 release, but there are actually signs of things moving forward. 🤩 Producer Tero "TeeCee" Kinnunen has posted a picture of Tuomas recording demo tracks. These demo recordings will eventually be sent to the rest of the band for them to get a feel of the new songs before they actually get together and start rehearsing and record the final tracks. teeceermb 2 March 2022 Demo session for NW 10th has begun! 🤘🏻#nightwish #demosession #10th https://www.instagram.com/p/Cami_wDAFGn/

Meanwhile...

Indeed, it's not looking good at the moment. 🤔

Changing singers is almost always traumatic, because it's the image and the primary instrument of the band you're changing. I'm a big fan of Charlotte, and while I do look forward to new Delain material, and I'm very curious about the new singer, I don't necessarily look forward to this singer performing the old songs live. To me they're still Charlotte's songs. Assuming that Delain will continue touring of course, as it was one of the sticking points between Martijn and the band. By the way, I wouldn't mind Marko guest singing on the new album, he's part of the Delain family too!

Rob van der Loo, former bassist, has also returned as a guest/session bass player. Basically this is the Delain line-up of 2007-2009 ("April Rain") minus Charlotte Wessels. https://www.facebook.com/delainmusic/videos/1172469780179343 On the topic of singers, Martijn Westerholt has mentioned that "we will have a main singer, but also other singers". https://www.facebook.com/delainmusic/posts/483258963171703

1 March 2022 https://www.facebook.com/troydonockleyofficial/posts/494170482111219 Troy and Floor's acoustic version of "Nemo" has hit a million views! Here's a little bit of background to the legendary recording - "As part of our 'Human :II: Nature' promotional tour of Europe, myself and my little sister Floor were asked to perform an acoustic set for the UK radio show 'Planet Rock'. I arranged two songs at very short notice - The old NW corker 'Nemo' and the new NW corker 'How's the Heart'. Surprisingly, it was something of a triumph; especially considering its background. It started well with me falling down a staircase in the hotel an hour before the shoot. Yes, I launched myself after breakfast and as I approached the solid marble floor from a height I remember thinking "this could be really bad..." however, in midair I called on my stuntman training (I was the stunt coordinator on the Indiana Jones movies) and, flailing beautifully, landed with a loud splat, like a big stupid flailing thing. The hotel staff were very impressed as I limped off heroically laughing. Then, after crawling through London in a taxi, we were told that we only had time for one run-through of the songs (!) and Floor hadn't a clue what I was going to be up to with my traumatised guitar. So off we went, into the valley we rode, knowing there was time for only one take. And that was it, for all the world to see. The photo attached is proof of how terrified and miserable we both were..." The recording took place in February 2020... 27 February 2020 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2999244373461479&id=255691701150107 Myself and Floor are in London recording a live acoustic session for ‘Planet Rock’. Look how miserable we are!

Did any of you manage to taste this branded wine? Not many bands can boast having both wine and beer to their name, but this side-project didn't last very long unfortunately. Nightwish Imaginaerum http://web.archive.org/web/20130503023953/http://www.wineandroll.co.uk/nightwish_imaginaerum.html Imaginaerum originates from Ribera del Duero which is one of the top wine regions of Spain. Ribera del Duero is home to some of the most reputable Spanish wines that are considered among the world’s finest and sought after by wine lovers all around the globe. The tinto fino grapes (also known as tempranillo) used in making of Imaginaerum wine are sourced from very old vines that are up to 100 years old and are growing at high altitudes in stony gravel soils of Ribera del Duero. Old vines, almost no water and poor soils have resulted in a ridiculously low yields but grapes with super intensive aromas. Before bottling, the wine has spent 14 months in small barrels made of French oak. The label of the bottle is based on the song “The Crow, The Owl And The Dove” from the Imaginaerum album. The mystery of the bird emblem will be revealed to anyone listening to the song with thought and a glass of Imaginaerum… Details Grape variety: Tempranillo - Ribera del Duero ABV: 14% Bottle size: 750 ml The real tasting notes - Nightwish Imaginaerum Posted By: Wine&Roll - The Wines of Rock! http://web.archive.org/web/20130605185303/http://www.wineandroll.co.uk/tastingnotes_nightwish.html Nightwish Imaginaerium, Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo 2010 The Imaginaerum-project by Nightwish with the album, the movie and of course the wine creates a whole concept pampering all of the senses. It opens a door to a paralel universe... Every wine has an occupation. This one is a Hunter. Now let the Hunt begin...it won't be an easy catch. It's a bit harsh after opening, so don't start to drink immediately, leave it to breath for a while. You have to wait like a Hunter is waiting for his Victim. Wait calmly, show some respect, it's worth it... It has a beautiful ruby red colour, like freshly drawn blood. Swirl it around your glass and have a sniff. You'll find wood from the oak-barrel where the wine spent months for ageing, sweet cherry and plum, spices of the magical world and something else, something extraordinary. This wine has a story. Use Your Imagination! Imagine you are running in the woods, chasing an animal in the moonlight and finally you catch it. The warm blood reflects on the blade of your knife. The trees are rustling as the wind blows. The smell of the blood gets into your nose. Tear a piece of meat from the body and roast it on the fire. Medium-rare, please... Now have a sip of the Imaginaerium. You deserve it...Time stops for a moment, there is pure love, joy and eternity. It's so fantastic how it tingles your taste buds. You can feel the wine as it spreads all over your veins? It's the majestic unite of nature. Life is a deadly game of sacrifices. You can be the Prey or you can be the Hunter. Just think of the grapes which have been sacrificed to create such an amazing wine for you. Celebrate a big feast with this wine which gives you a special treat that you will never forget. „Imaginarium, a dream emporium! Caress the tales And they will dream you real”

The war also has an impact on Russian bands... For instance: Imperial Age https://www.facebook.com/imperialageofficial Since the government of Russia is waging a full-scale war against Ukraine - something that we along with most of the civilized world are shocked by, find totally unacceptable, unjustifiable and altogether impossible to comprehend - we are having issues with travelling to the UK (along with many other problems - but we wont mention those since its nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters in Ukraine are going through). However, we were not born yesterday, we are well adapted to living in an environment where nothing works, and we know what to do. We also have great support from our fans. The question is not IF the shows will happen, but WHEN. THE SITUATION Visas We applied for visas on 26th Jan 2022. The standard waiting time is 15 working days. All visa decisions have been made on Monday, 21 February of which we have a letter from UKVI. At the same time the waiting time has been increased to 6 weeks. However, so far only Paul has received his passport back (on Wednesday 23 Feb). The visa was succesfully issued - from 26 Feb to 26 March 2022. This means that Anna, Max and Belf do not have passports, while Aor and Jane have passports but do not have UK visas in them yet (they opted for the “Keep your passport” option when applying in order to be able to travel while the UK visas are being considered). So when the passports come back, we need an additional day for the visa to be glued into Aor and Jane’s passports - after which we can fly. Flights We bought KLM Moscow - Amsterdam - London tickets on 10 Feb 2022. The departure date was today. However, on 26 Feb KLM cancelled our tickets. We applied for a refund. The only possible direct flight destinations out of Russia at the moment are: Armenia, Turkey, Dubai, Egypt and Serbia. And then from those locations we can fly on anywhere. The only problem is that ticket prices have shot through the roof and the price of flying the band via eg Dubai to London is ridiculously high and increases by the day. We simply do not have this cash (the crowdfunding money has already been spent on the album and videos which are in the pipeline). However, our UK promoter has said that he is determined to make this happen and is ready to lend us the additional money. THE SOLUTIONS So, what options do we have? There are at least 4 possibilities, depending on when we get our passports back: a) If we get them tomorrow - The tour goes ahead as planned. b) If we get them on Wednesday or Thursday - We play what shows we have left, and play the others next week. (for eg this week we play only Birmingham and Glasgow, and then play London and Manchester next week whenever there is a possible date at any possible venue). c) If we don’t get them this week - The tour gets postponed by 1-2 weeks depending on the venues availability. (Our visas are valid until 26th March.) d) If something else happens and it gets totally fucked - The tour gets postponed to September (and merged with our EU tour). Over these surreal 5 days of horror we have been pondering on whether it is morally correct for us to play these shows at this time. However this tour has been planned since 2019, we have obligations to our fans who have been holding onto their tickets for 2.5 years… and last but not least - we really want to come. In dark times people need light, in negative times - positivity. In times of separation - unity. Thats how we are trying to make the world a better place. Lets hope this madness ends soon. -Aor, Jane P.S. At the moment we are implementing emergency measures to ensure that we are not cut-off from our fans worldwide and that we retain the ability to tour anywhere. We will keep you updated.

I read someone comparing the Outlanders project songs to a previous collaboration with Mike Oldfield of "Tubular Bells" fame. Oldfield, a famous new age-electronic-ambient musician and songwriter, revisited his famous "Tubular Bells" album many times over the years, including this 2013 remix project including a new song featuring Tarja - "Never Too Far". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRwXG7PrEgQ “Tubular Beats” Mike Oldfield 11 Jan 2013 http://tarjaturunen.com/tubular-beats-mike-oldfield/ Mike Oldfield release new studio album “Tubular Beats”, reworked and remixed together with Torsten “York” Stenzel, on February 1st, 2013 via earMUSIC. Album includes brand new song “Never Too Far”, featuring Tarja Turunen earMUSIC is proud to announce the release of “Tubular Beats” the brand new remix album by Mike Oldfield. The album will be released on February 1st, 2013 and will include the most popular songs by Oldfield who has worked on new arrangements and new sounds for his compositions. All tracks have been reworked from the original multi-track recordings and remixed together by Mike Oldfield and multi-platinum awarded German producer Torsten “York” Stenzel. Newly recorded guitar parts by Mike Oldfield have been added to the mix, making Tubular Beats a new album by all means. A brand new song featuring Tarja Turunen closes the album on a high note. “Never Too Far” is a brand new song featuring singer Tarja Turunen who not surprisingly is offering one of her most emotional performances ever, being Oldfield one of the singer’s heroes. Tarja explains: “It was such a pleasure to work with Mike Oldfield. The song turned out to be even better than I could have ever expected. Mike has a vast career and experience in pop, instrumental and electronic music. I love his music and his personal guitar sound. My work in this song was inspired by Mike’s ‘Islands’ featuring another of my youth idol: Bonnie Tyler. A way to thank them for the nice melodies I grew up with was to add a line from their hit. And I believe Mike liked the idea too. That’s how ‘Never Too Far’ was born. Hope that you enjoy the song as much as I do.”

I know it's still a long time away, but I wonder if the band will release a statement about their November 2022 shows in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. If all sport federations have reacted to the Ukrainian war by cancelling or moving their 2022 events in protest, I don't see artists acting as if nothing is happening. It's not an easy call, because you're punishing the fans for atrocities they're not directly responsible for, and after all bands are still touring China while human rights violations are ongoing... It also depends on whether the violence ends quickly and how the events unfold in the coming weeks and months. Epica has Russian dates in June, Within Temptation plays Kiev in July...

On her last album, In The Raw (2019), Tarja sings with one of my other favourite singers, Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, this song called "Goodbye Stranger". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iWtarRIZ6A It's nice to hear them sing together, Cristina has a truly distinctive voice.

"Strong" is the next AFAS video released on Floor's YouTube. A very emotional performance of this song from After Forever's 2014 album Remagine. I should probably open a separate thread for After Forever, there would be plenty of material to discuss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT8J3bDtN4U

I thought I could add this to the discussion. 😉

"This concert will be filmed in his entirety for an exclusive DVD"... We know of "Ever Dream" and "Weak Fantasy", I wish more would be released in time! 🤤

Emppu acts like a clown both on stage and backstage, but from the band biography one can gather that he's doing his own thing, recording his tracks from home whenever possible, visiting cities on his own when on tour, and avoiding interviews more often than not. Glenn Hughes may be known for stints with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, but he will be remembered for lending his voice to this 90s hit: The KLF - America: What Time Is Love? 😜

Thank you! Not as easy as it appeared, but great fun! 🤘 I also had a little quiz coming, but it's not quite ready yet. Maybe next week!

Rumours have it that Floor is off to South Africa to film that German "Sing Meinen Song" show. I think this will be streamed around April-May.

You had your chance, now it's my turn! 😁 Phew, that was a marathon of a quiz! 😅 Thanks for the challenge!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaXssymtj19/ jinjer_official Dear all, as we write this text, for the moment, each member of JINJER and our families are safe and unhurt. We truly appreciate all our fans around the globe for caring, getting in touch and for all the sympathy and support for our band and more importantly our country. As you all know, early this morning on February 24th, Putin started the war against the sovereign and independent #ukraine ! Please know that in this time we really depend on you, our fans in every country- to support Ukraine and peace in our country however you can- especially our fans in Russia, you and your opinion matter the most at this time. NOTHING can justify the violence and death of innocents, and this is exactly what's happening in our country right now. Stop the war in Ukraine now!

"Ready for another heavenly single? We've got one coming your way very soon! This song will whisk you away to celestial realms where the moon reigns over the night. "Doorway of Night" will be released on ✨March 4th✨. This song is a bit special because it contains some pretty strong allusions to some of our favorite fantasy literature. 🤓 Keep an ear open when you listen to it and let us know if you recognize the references! If not, no worries. 😊 We think you'll still relish being swept away into the resplendent beauty and grandeur of the night. May the moon leave you a touch of magic in its wake, ~Eye of Melian"

From Tero Kinnunen's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaW-7YPgaPp/

An curious anniversary show for Epica in 2022: This is rather weird, in a "Nevski & The Prospects" kind of way, because Sahara Dust is actually Epica, or the group that became Epica. This will be an interesting show! From Wiki:

Sami sounds unfazed by this experience, pretty much how he acted on stage while he was in the band. I guess he was the introvert type, though according to the band biography he was known to party hard too. Now is Marko ever going to do a guest appearance, dressed in a Wintersun shirt? 😬