Fugazi

On his Facebook, Kai explains the postponing of the streaming shows: It would seem like they consider the live stream sort of a warm-up gig like the Oulu show was supposed to be. Meaning that if the summer festival shows are postponed, chances are the streaming shows will move too?

Since there's not much new on the NW side of things, here's a short clip of Kai recording drums for DMB. https://www.facebook.com/kai.hahto.96/videos/10221710991236662 Lots of screaming going on. 😄

Here's the video for the recently released Therion song Marko is singing on, "Tuonela". I believe the other singer is Lori Lewis, but I may be mistaken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFC62uL9R1I Comment from MetalSucks: Therion just released their 17th studio album, Leviathan, on Friday, January 22, and with it comes a new music video for the song “Tuonela.” Former Nightwish singer and bassist Marko Hietala lends his voice as a guest singer to the song — he announced his departure from the band earlier this month — with Therion mastermind Christofer Johnsson commenting on that collaboration: “Like everyone else, I’m very sad and was also surprised to read that Marko is leaving Nightwish. But I understand his reasons and the frustrations that many people share about the same issues. But Marko has been active as a professional recording artist with various quality bands since the mid-80s, so I am absolutely sure in time we will see his return to the scene. He is simply too good to not be involved with music. But right now I hope he will take a good amount of time to just find himself and get the full energy and inspiration back on track.”

New upload on the official NW channel: "A classic never uploaded on our official channel. In honour of @Marko Hietala's time with us. We wish him nothing but the best in his health and struggles. This is The Islander taken from the Tampere show of "Vehicle Of Spirit"." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciLVx51IZjM I'm not used to the song starting cold without the banter with the crowd! 🙂

More details about the upcoming album, from Finnish media: https://www.inferno.fi/uutiset/darkwoods-my-betrothedin-paluu-etenee-yhtye-julkaisi-tilannepaivityksen-studiosta-ja-paljasti-tulevan-levyn-nimen/ Darkwoods My Betrothed's return is progressing – the band released a status update from the studio and revealed the title of the upcoming album News Vesa Siltanen 5.2.2021 The drums of eight songs are now in the jar. Darkwoods My Betrothed, a black metal veteran who has been lying dormant for a long time, began to show signs of life in the camp at the end of last year when bassist Teemu "Hexenmeister" Kautonen revealed to Inferno during an interview with Welkins Boreal that the band was working on a new album with Nightwish skipper Tuomas Holopainen, who was installed as a permanent member. A little later, guitarist Jouni "Hallgrim" Mikkonen confirmed the information to Sound, open up the background to the surprising comeback a little more closely. "Last summer we had the annual 'Kitte Boys' Weekend' and Tuomas and I started talking about the return of the DMB once again. At that time, it was tentatively revealed that Tuomas would have until early 2021 on behalf of Nightwish's activities. After all, it occurred to me quite quickly that now or never... Towards the end of the summer, I updated my instrument equipment a little and started asking the other gentlemen if it was finally 'time'. One of them said that it was, by the way," Mikkonen told Sound. Comeback has now reached the point where Kai Hahto, who has been hired as a drummer for the album, has completed his own work. The band posted a photo on their Instagram page showing Hahto and other DMB men posing in front of a drum kiosk in the Petrax studio. The accompanying text of the image also revealed the name of the upcoming long-play: Angel of Carnage Unleashed. The band also released a video clip that makes you feel a little angry about the music the band is working on. "Wednesday night started and now the drums of eight songs are in the jar. Thank you to the boys for this opportunity. The new album is very brutal!" Hahto commented on the photo he shared on his own social media channels. The band's previous long-play witch-hunts was released in 1998, so we have been waiting 23 years for a new album. Angel of Carnage Unleashed is scheduled to be released this year. And here's the Instagram picture: https://www.instagram.com/p/CK6NTjjJWC2/

So in the build-up to the release of the new Darkwoods My Betrothed album, the two original albums are available again in vinyl and CD formats at https://www.backstagerockshop.com/collections/darkwoods-my-betrothed

Details here.

Well this isn't unexpected... virtual shows postponed. May 28-29 are the new dates. Bass player (for the tour?) will only be revealed on May 28 during a VIP session that can be attended for a fee. This can be bought as an add-on for those who already own show tickets. There's a limited number of VIP tickets though. Also, ticket prices will increase after February 14. And 1-day tickets will also be made available soon. Here's the whole press release.

I like this guy, he sounds... authentic? Bd0MZ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZcwfby-7gg And by now GLS should be the metal song with the most reactions on YouTube?

Every time this happens, I'm afraid they would cancel dates like they did in Toronto (and Oslo?). But they have been adding venues too. I'm not very confident about being able to see them in the US in October, at the rate things are going.

New update from the band, the European tour has been postponed to November 2021. Next shows coming up now are the summer fests. I will update the main list shortly with the new dates.

NW jigsaws are now available from Backstage Rock Shop, three album covers for now: CC, Once and HN. I'm not sure HN will be much fun, will all those dark areas! https://www.backstagerockshop.com/pages/search-results-page?q=nightwish+jigsaw

The China tour has now been postponed to January 2022. I'm not very hopeful for the big festivals this summer either. No news of the virtual shows and whether those are postponed or not, depending on the band managing to rehearse with the (yet unannounced) new bassist.

Recording on the new album of back-from-the-dead band has started. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKbR3nyAwBE/

I will have to keep a tab on this guy. William Hostutler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GOzqR7Nv4Y

Why is it that when these reputable reactors get to TPATP they end up analyzing the lyrics instead of focusing on what they're expert at, the music -- or the singing? I can interpret the lyrics myself and in the end no one else was in Tuomas' shoes when he wrote this song. I mean, Big Brain Singer and Chase Carneson are great reactors and I love their work, but in my opinion they both missed the boat when reacting to this particular song. There was probably much more in terms of artistic choices and technical stuff to talk about that they missed because of this focus on explaining the lyrics or the background of the song (things that most fans are very educated about already). Was it fan pressure to "prepare" to the song and "read up" on the background? Sorry for the rant! 😋 I still love you two fine reactors!

Rockfest Tampere has been added to the 2021 tour schedule in June, but at this point it's pretty much a coin toss as to whether it will happen or not.

Not a song I was familiar with, but Floor delivered with emotion and power... beautiful. cover of Adagio by Lara Fabian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZRHLLM6AU4 Is Floor preparing us for a ballad/love song solo album? 😉

The documentary has been removed from YT recently, so the next best thing available now is this reaction video to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZeyzkLryaU

Yeah, it's quite sad to watch this stuff again and thinking that Marko is going into self-imposed isolation for the next year or so... He just has to come back, I mean he can't end such a long and acclaimed metal career with a Backstreet Boys cover... 🤪 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk8vzRgSyy8

I guess this is very timely, even though it probably wasn't planned that way. Floor discusses mental health with Tom Englund from Silent Skies and Evergrey. We know that Floor herself has had struggles before, so it's an interesting discussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRlHz42atiY

I'm very sorry for Marko that he was feeling so bad that he had to leave the band to find inner peace. I do hope that this will help him find answers and come back to music in a better state of mind. And I hope he finds all the help he needs to overcome his struggles. And I very much hope that he will come back to music eventually, it would be such a huge loss otherwise. I find it hard to swallow personnaly, as a selfish fan. Marko was such a huge part of Nightwish's uniqueness, charisma and character. I will miss the powerful voice, the banter and the quirky humour. In my mind he was a leader in the band during the difficult years when Anette was having a hard time keeping up. I definitely need to read his biography now and find out more about him. It doesn't seem like the band saw this coming, I mean if they have to postpone the streaming show announced only weeks ago it definitely wasn't something they were planning for. And I don't think that Marko is ever coming back to Nightwish, he didn't leave that door open. I mean, he could have decided to take a break for a year and consider his options but no, he resigned instead. Not to blame him, he had to do what he thought best for his mental health and moral compass. The tone of his letter is not what I expected though. No good words for the band he had been a part of for 20 years, I feel only disappointment and bitterness. It sounds like there may have been some bad blood brewing between him and the band (members? management?) Perhaps we'll know more a few years down the road, when things settle down. Part 2 of the the Nighwish biography is overdue...

Here's a Finnish news article about Marko's resignation, translated by Google. Nothing new though, except for manager Ewo Pohjola basically saying that "the show must go on". Apparently in an early version of the article there was a mention that the virtual shows were postponed until May in order to rehearse with a new bassist, but that was removed. https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000007733995.html Marko Hietala leaves Nightwish and leaves the public eye, expresses his disappointment with the music industry: "We are a banana state in the music industry" Nightwish bassist and singer Marko Hietala says on Facebook that he is leaving the band. (Jan 12, 2021) Bassist and singer Marko Hietala announces on nightwish's official Facebook page that he is leaving the band and leaving the public eye. "Dear people. I leave Nightwish and my public life," Hietala begins his writing. Hietala has been the longest-serving member of Nightwish since the remaining founding members, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. He has been playing in the band since 2002. Hietala used the first name Marco in public for years, but in recent years he has been Marko again. In his outspoken writing, Hietala expresses his disappointment with the current music industry. That's the reason for his decision to leave playing Nightwish. In his text, he talks about how he has experienced a lack of recognition while working in the industry in recent years. "The big bosses of streaming companies demand that artists with their inspiration work from nine to five while sharing the revenue unfairly. Even among artists. We are a banana country in the music industry. The biggest tour promoters squeeze percentages even out of our own fan products while paying dividends to the Middle East. Apparently, some theocracies can take money from music that would because of or imprisoned without seeming hypocritistic. Here are just a couple of examples," Hietala writes. In his text, Hietala says that he was forced home last year and thought about things. He found himself disappointed in many things in the music industry and realized that he needed recognition for his work. "To write, sing and play, I need new reasons and sources of inspiration." Hietala writes that he is chronically depressed and states that it would be dangerous for her and her loved ones if she continued to work now. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I have two sons, a wife, the rest of the family, friends, a dog and a lot of love." In his text, Hietala writes that he is unlikely to leave the music permanently. He says there are "a couple of things" he has promised to deal with during 2021, but otherwise he hopes no one in the media or music industry – with the exception of Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi – will contact him this year. "I have to reinvent things now. I hope to be able to report them in 2022. But this is not a promise." At the end of his text, Hietala also refers to "conspiracy theories" that a surprising exit from the band might cause. "I'm 55 years old on the 14th. The rapporteur was Mr S. I've unquestionably played my part. For example, blaming Thomas [Holopainen] is an insult to both me and my free thinking. This is a sad thing for all of us." Hietala is one of the most famous names in Finnish metal music, starting his career already in the early 1980s, when he and his brother Zachary Hietala formed the band Tarot. Before Nightwish, he also played in the band Sinergy, which he left after moving to Nightwish to replace Sami Vänskä. Nightwish is a historical band in Finland in terms of international success. Founded more than 20 years ago, the band's albums have sold around 10 million copies internationally. For years, the band has been doing major world tours, performing in arenas of 10,000 to 20,000 people. The band's history also includes previously surprising changes of members. The most famous, of course, is the turnaround seen in October 2005, when the band's other members separated the then soloist Tarja Turunen from the band with an open letter after the end of the world tour. Turunen was replaced by Anette Olzon from Sweden, but was reported to have left the band in 2012. Since then, the band's soloist has been Floor Jansen from the Netherlands. In addition to Nightwish, Hietala has, among other things, sung in the Northern Kings band and been involved in the Heavy Christmas project for a long time. In spring 2019, Hietala released his first solo album, The Black Heart Pyre. In 2020, Hietala participated in the Masked Singer Finland show and won the competition with a character called The Doctor. Nightwish says on its Facebook page that Hietala's departure from the band has forced the band to make difficult decisions. The announcement states that after careful consideration, the band members have agreed to implement the Human Nature World tour planned for this year with a replacement bassist. The bass player's name will be announced later. The tour is scheduled to begin in the spring with two virtual concerts. Two festival gigs have currently been announced in Finland. Nightwish's manager Ewo Pohjola tells HS that she does not want to comment on Hietala's decision to leave the band any more than stated in the official announcement. "Life goes on," Pohjola says. According to Pohjola, the name of the replacement bassist will be announced "during the spring". Overall, the implementation of the great world tour will depend on the development of the situation with regard to the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months. "All gigs will happen in due time," Pohjola says. Tony Kakko, lead singer and songwriter of Sonata Arctica, commented to HS that he sympathizes with Hietala's decision. Both musicians have long been involved in the popular Heavy Christmas tours and share a vocal group, the Northern Kings. "Marko is a long-time musician and has seen the industry from many angles. Sympathies are very much in favour of the man's decision and at the same time I feel sorry for Nightwish. We all have only one life and you have to try to make it your own good," Kakko says by text message. According to Kakko, things have worked "well" with partners at Sonata Arctica. "But we have also seen and experienced changes in the industry. There are also bad experiences in history," Kakko writes. Like Hietala, Kakko has faced the downsides of the music industry and outright misery. "The conditions for making a living in this area, like entrepreneurs in other sectors, have deteriorated as a result of cultural changes. Mainly in allowing a generation to grow up that thinks music should be free. I hope this is a passing phase."

WTF... This has become "Something unforeseen to darken up the dark times..." I can see the documentary on the next DVD: "Please learn the basslines in 60 days." Sorry, can't help it. 😐