Fugazi

A new Nightwish interview-photo repository is being built at the Nightwish Media Archive! It's awesome news! Check our forums for details.

Thanks mabla! 👍 I'm trying to make this place a combination of chat room and information repository, where fans of all eras can find something they will enjoy. There's plenty of work still to be done! Especially seeing the fleeting nature of Internet, where most of the very active NW forums and web resources of the past are dead now, and the current ones (FB, Discord, Reddit, YouTube) are designed for spontaneous chat and rections but not so much for long term recording of important moments. I still can't get over the fact that years of efforts were lost with the shutdown of the official forums, but some of that can still be found in the cached archives. Anyway, here's hoping that NW live long and there are many more shows to be enjoyed and tales to be told! 😀 Oh and yes, I also need to work on promoting the forums, it's nice to have company in here! 😆

Check out the Human :||:Nature Tour discussion thread for the latest updates!

Copies are on their way, it's just a matter of days before we can listen to the whole album! Discuss here.

Endlessness (Human. :||: Nature. 2020) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLFI7Cs7qmk Lyrics: I am the one you call The Thief Universe, blank verse, crowded hearse I am a haven by an unseen stream I'll sing the dawn in with you Now that you have a voice Earthbride amongst the carrion kind Walk with me to your sea Someone in the tomorrow Is waiting for me Someone to share the Thief with Dust with a meaning Precious and rare I am the grass, the maggots and the dust I am the several endings The pain of the slow evil of an unsung life Decades, make them matter Myriad tales shall befall on you Before the evenballad of our stay Walk with me to your sea An unscarred land Unsung yarn Unborn child Await my touch, the luck of the draw Enter now Come Here is life Endlessness Soon, beyond the fields you've come to know You will join the silent flow Follow me, I am the spark At the end of everything Tip the Reaper to ensure The blade is sharp As soon we'll go Follow me into the dark To the birth of everything From the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfc9wbqyDZ4 According to Marko, this song is about a multi-versal force that permeates all of our lives. 🤨 😆

Tribal (Human. :||: Nature. 2020) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0bG2ce5blo Lyrics: Ten thousand tales for the curious kind Bazaar of heavens for a hive mind Abraham cut into three Man found gods and began to preach Suffering loves faythe loves suffering Smile to elders like a good doll Repent, accept, separate yourself Suck the aureate tongue Sing the praise of your creation Bride-prices, thought crimes, blind minds The Word hides vivid monsters To bed the tribal itch From the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcviGHdHHRY Kai explains how he had to change his drum setup for the new album and in particular for heavy percussive songs like Tribal. He is also happy with the wide variety of styles on Human Nature.

A little update on Anette's musical career, via her FB page: Also wanted to update in here for those who doesn’t follow me in my Instagram that I am working hard on my second solo album. This album will be very different from Shine both in terms of the music style but also in my lyrics. This album will me harder and faster 😉👌 It won’t be as in Shine mostly lyrics about my life and my feelings- this time I write lyrics about other things. I have a co-producer who helps me with the music and songwriting. Since we have done quite some songs already I’m entering the studio to do vocals for the first ones next weekend. I still have some months to finalize the whole album but since I also work full time as a nurse I want to be far ahead to avoid stressing the process👌🤟 https://www.facebook.com/anetteolzonofficial/

I'm allowing myself to copy this interview as it may be on the verge of extinction. The Ever Dream (German) Fanclub doesn't seem to be active these days and their archives (Nightwish Bibliotheca) are in a state of disrepair. Ever Dream Fanclub: Interview with Tuomas & Jukka (2006-04-24) https://web.archive.org/web/20200609172422/http://www.en.nightwish-bibliotheca.com/article.php?id=92 Bramblerose: Does the cover have a symbolic meaning for you? Why is the hear split by a lightning. Is there more behind this? Did Markus Mayer create it again and if not, who did it? Tuomas: It was a different artist this time - a finnish guy called Toxic Angel and I think the symbolism is pretty obvious on the cover. Bramblerose: Do you think the “End of an Era” DVD is more professional than for example “From Wishes to Eternity”? What do you think about the DVD’s quality in general. Jukka: At least I hope so it’s more professionally. We just saw it a few weeks ago for the first time and it’s looking real good. And the quality of filming and the quality of sound is way better than on “From Wishes to Eternity”. Tuomas: Are you coming to the cinema tonight? Us: Yes. Tuomas: Then you see it there for the first time… Bramblerose: How was it to be on stage with Mr. John Two Hawkes and did the performances meet your expectations? Tuomas: Oh absolutely it was. I mean in a way it is the highlight of the concert part of the DVD because it is something so unique, it was the first time and very probably the last time that we ever performed this song live. And it was really worth all the trouble and he did an exceptional job and it was a highlight for him as well. I heard him telling me that it was like the best experience in his life when it comes to music, playing in front of 11000 people and all that, so. And I also think that he got the best applauds of all they were clapping their hands together throughout the whole song and everything, so it was really nice that the Finnish people appreciated him that way. Bramblerose: According to a newspaper article the name „End of an Era“ has already been chosen a while before the last concert took place. Why did you choose the title that early? Tuomas: Again in very obvious reasons and Marco actually was the one who came up with the idea for the name because we were thinking about the name for the DVD, I couldn’t make up anything and then just Marco called me one day and “What about ‘End of an Era’?” And it’s perfect. Bramblerose: Will the book be published or are there still some problems to solve? When will it be published? Jukka: It will be coming out in Finnish in 11th of May and actually it is not our release, we were just being interviewed for the book and it’s made by the writer Mape Ollila and it’s published by publishers and we don’t actually have pretty much nothing to do with the release itself. Tuomas: Yeah this is something I really wanna emphasize that this book is written by a separate author, so we are just like one interviewed guys among the others and you know financially we don’t get anything from the book. It’s just like… Jukka: … just a story written by … Tuomas: … by an author Jukka: a person outside the band about the band’s career so far. Bramblerose: Many fans wondered why you didn’t part from Tarja in quiet, so they want to know why you published that letter instead of just writing that Tarja is not in the band anymore because of difficulties within the band? Tuomas: Can you imagine how many times we would have needed to explain “Why?” after that so the whole idea behind doing it the way we did it was that it was clear once and for all why this whole thing happened so if it was only that “OK, she separated from the band, that’s it” you know you can just imagine all the rumours, all the speculations, questions we would still be doing dozens of interviews every week answering why why why. Jukka: And also one thing is that all four of us wanted to be there when it’s given to Tarja and you know after that particular show in Hartwell Arena there wouldn’t have been any moment that all the five us would have been at the same place at the same time so we needed to do it that way. Bramblerose: Did you expect that such a huge split would go through the community? Tuomas: What do you mean? Lonnie: That there is a Tarja area and a guys area… Jukka: We thought already that there is a separation between the fans, some fans go on the Tarja side, some go on our side. You know it’s normal. That’s the way it goes. And I guess a lot of people started to understand both views for the separation. Tuomas: Yeah and there’s a whole a bunch of people who are taking this very healthy approach towards the whole thing which is that it is not of my business, I don’t know the details so I don’t comment and that’s the way it should be also. Bramblerose: Is there already a candidate you like to have as the new singer? Tuomas: Yeah about 450 of them. That is the amount of demos that we have gotten so far and there are still like 10-20 coming each day, so still checking, absolutely nothing has been decided. Bramblerose: So is it really difficult for you? Tuomas: Not difficult, actually it’s been a lot of fun… Jukka: There has been a few ones already but we don’t want to do any final decision until the end of summer or in fall because we are not in a hurry at all. Tuomas: And it seems like all the people around us, around the band are in much more pressure than the band itself about the whole letter. It’s been really clear from the start that things are gonna go OK and we’re gonna find her in no hurry, not time but everybody around us is “who is she, who is she, is it going to continue, what’s happening, what’s happening.” It’s OK. Bramblerose: On your website we could read that the new singer must „look good“. Within the community this has been criticized a lot. Why did you put this as a criterium. Jukka: We knew it would come. Tuomas: Yeah that’s one of the funniest topics I’ve ever read in the forum: “I never could have believed that the guys are so superficial as to have any emphasize on the looks of the singer.” Come on, it’s all about like the visual side of this world, it’s really important. Jukka: She don’t need to be like a model or anything just a bit personal looking woman who is sure about herself. Tuomas: Charisma is the most important thing. We are not looking for a model or a playboy girl or anything like that. Bramblerose: So you also read in the forum? Tuomas: Yeah I read it every now and then. I didn’t read for like 5 months after the thing, I just didn’t wanna go there. During the last month or so I have been going there. Bramblerose: When will you definitely start to work on the new album and when will it be published? Jukka: We start to rehearse and arrange the songs in the beginning of June and actually I just got a week ago the demotape from the new songs from Tuomas. Now listening to it and then go rehearsing on the beginning of June and on the beginning of September we will start to record the drums. Tuomas: So basically all the songs are done they just need to be rehearsed and arranged. All the studios are booked and everything is going according to the schedule. Bramblerose: Will there be a long World Tour again as you did for “Once”? Will the USA see more of Nightwish now? Jukka: At least this is our plan. Tuomas: Definitely. There is a lot of like missed opportunities in that continent but still hold our minds so maybe we’ll remedy that after the next album. That’s really the plan. Bramblerose: Jukka, You've said you're a vegetarian. How do you get such an amazing body and not eat meat? Do you work out in a gym? Are you even a vegan? Jukka: Actually I work out because I have an office in my home and I bought just weights. It’s a nice break from writing computer and sending out invoices, go to the gym and doing some workout. Maybe it comes from the drumming you know playing one and a half hours every day is quite a hard job. It definitely need to show – I hope. Bramblerose: In what way do you think fatherhood has changed you the most? Jukka: That’s a good question. Has it? (to Tuomas) Maybe you see it better, seeing everything beside me. I don’t know I think it hasn’t changed me that much. I am quite stupid crazy. Tuomas: I don’t think so either. Bramblerose: So do you spend a lot of time with your child. Jukka: Yeah now that I am home all the time. And that is the best part of this break being together with the family. Tuomas: Doing a job like this is I imagine, I wouldn’t know but it’s really really hard for persons with a family but what I have seen of course it’s sometimes hard sometimes more easy but he has a very I’d like to think understanding family also, so. Jukka: Yeah. I have to give credit for my wife. She has taken it very very well. You just need to cope with it being away from home for one month and then being back home you just need to take everything out of the time that you can be at home. Bramblerose: Why are you now called Julius on the band's website? Jukka: I actually read that topic on the forum. It’s amazing that such a big thing came out of it. That is the nickname Ewo gave me on the Once tour – in first it was Julius Montecarlo. There is no story behind it. He just started to call me that name. When we were playing in Los Angeles and I definitely fell in love with Venice Beach, it was changed into Julius Venice Beach and at some point it was shorten just to Julius and that’s the way half the people are calling me nowadays and half the people still call me Jukka. My real name is still Jukka. I don’t know, it’s just a nickname among the others and in this moment it’s called Julius. Tuomas: It’s amazing how people are taking everything so serious. Jukka: Small little things like nicknames. Bramblerose: Tuomas, have you kept in touch with your host family in the States? Did you enjoy your stay in the States back then or was America, in and of itself, more of a disappointment for you (compared to what you thought/heard it would be like)? Tuomas: Definitely not a disappointment . No matter what the world thinks about America at the moment. I still really love the country , I love the people there . The rotten part of that continent is totally somewhere else than among the ordinary people. I love that country very much and I keep in touch with the host family maybe once a month, once every two months we send emails and stuff like that. Bramblerose: Do you have any new plans to participate with For My Pain or any other side projects in the near future? Tuomas: We were supposed to go to the studio with For my Pain actually this spring, right now but because the other guys were busy for example with the new Eternal Tears of Sorrow album; we had to postpone it until the end of this year so I guess something like 10 songs have already been made but I don’t know for sure. If everything goes as planned we should go to the studio at the end of the year. Bramblerose: Thanks a lot and do you have any last words for your fans? Tuomas: Just… there is always… I am quoting Timo Rautiainen at the moment: there is always so many things in the world that you need to take really really seriously so everything that is going on and what you see just take it easy and enjoy your life. And that is what we are doing too. Bramblerose: Thank You! Tuomas & Jukka: Thanks.

Procession (Human. :||: Nature. 2020) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZBpu67tbS0 Lyrics: A cradle Earth, horizons unseen New world in thirst, for the arcane We are, singers of the gone We remember, as along came life A cradle Earth, horizons unseen Birth of one, and a zillion sideshows We are, we were, and will not be We remember, as along came acorn Another birth, another moss green New world in thirst, for the unseen An empty zoo, a starlight vigil Will have a visit, as along came heartbeat Another birth, another monster Endless forms, towards the stronger Menagerie, of a new world order We held our breath, as along came suffering We remember, father Pikaia Gave the way, as along came Sapien The cradle Earth, welcoming its newborn Aeons since that very first acorn Together now, in this timeless parade The living lie, dead afraid Then they saw the moon, and found caring We remember, as along came writing Such worlds were there, zoos dead again After all, we should've never appeared Spaceship Earth, through the fields of time They understood, as along came wisdom We have been here a while At the end of Pi, as along came harvest We will remember all the suffering We wrote this in a tongue you will understand Words and melodies with a touch of coloring We were there and will remember mankind Our kin Aeons ago From the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIoQ-bP6xYs Tuomas reveals that Procession was the first song to achieve its final form in the Human Nature songwriting process. It was heavily inspired by the soundscape and the arpeggios of the soundtrack to the first season of TV series Stranger Things. He also feels that this is the most touching performance he ever heard from Floor. (And notice Shoemaker's intro playing behind Tuomas in the teaser, at a slower pace!)

Nightwish’s Floor Jansen: “After 20 years of metal, I would like to do something else” (Metal Hammer Jul 14, 2020) https://www.loudersound.com/features/nightwishs-floor-jansen-after-20-years-of-metal-i-would-like-to-do-something-else A few notable quotes: "We couldn’t even rehearse for the tour,” says Floor. “We were supposed to, but it was just before the flying ban came in. Some of us are in different countries, so we couldn't even meet to rehearse." "I was properly challenged – there are some difficult melodies in Music and Shoemaker. Some verses are extremely tricky to sing." "[...] After 20 years of rock and metal, I think I would like to do something else. I don't mean stop with Nightwish, but something alongside it. I was recently involved in a TV show in my home country in the Netherlands [reality series Beste Zangers, aka ‘Best Singers”]. That really inspired me to start writing, and the stuff that has come out is very calm. I would love to make an album where less actually is more. Something different – not because I’m bored, but because if you are already in one of the biggest bands in your own genre, and you have someone like Tuomas Holopainen as a songwriter, I don’t really see that I’d be adding anything by making another metal album myself."

Here's where I will be posting the latest interviews with the band or individual members.

How's The Heart (Human. :||: Nature. 2020) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8vuyd9M2LU (official lyric video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYtkPpFYzOo (live acoustic Planet Rock 2020) Lyrics: We see a mother with no child We meet a stranger poor, exiled How's the heart while it still beats? Asks a no-one Another John Doe Sorrow hides well in your shell A fellow man with hurt to spare Dear one Here I am to share the fear An act of kindness Without an amen How's the heart Underneath the silence? How's the one Drowning in the mire? Let us sound a human paean Come in, the fire's warm Burn the rope and dance some more We met where the cliff greets the sea Shared a story, took the leap Rose up rooted, hid a note You know where You've been there Now there's one who came from me A child of light, another tale Dear one Night will come but not to stay Why? The answer's in the Fair winds my love Fly towards the calm Fly utterly lost Towards a beating heart How is that heart Underneath the silence? How is the one Drowning in the mire? Let us sound a human paean Come on in, the fire's warm Dull the blade and dance some more From the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmkrnzFVT3c Wise words from Tuomas: "Human empathy, altruism, unconditional love, They truly are the better angels of our nature, the nature of the human kind. We have the potential to be such a great species, and in many ways we already are. It's really important to remember to ask every now and then your family, your friends, a stranger, and yourself, The question: How's the heart?"

Latest news regarding the European shows, from the official FB: We are still in talks with the promoters of the Oslo show to find a suiting date! The venue is a sports center, so it is tricky. Tickets remain valid! The Cardiff show has been cancelled and tickets will be refunded asap.

Dark Passion Play (2007) Track list (with relevant threads when available) The Poet And The Pendulum (lyrics) Bye Bye Beautiful (lyrics) 🎞️ (official video) Amaranth (lyrics) 🎞️ (official video) Cadence Of Her Last Breath (lyrics) Master Passion Greed (lyrics) Eva (lyrics) Sahara (lyrics) Whoever Brings The Night (lyrics) For The Heart I Once Had (lyrics) The Islander (lyrics) 🎞️ (official video) Last Of The Wilds (instrumental) 7 Days To The Wolves (lyrics) Meadows Of Heaven (lyrics) Related tracks (released as single B-sides and various other formats including the digital-only collection The Sound of Nightwish Reborn) Escapist (lyrics) While Your Lips Are Still Red (lyrics) 🎞️ (official video) Erämaan Viimeinen (lyrics) ("Last Of The Wilds" alternate version with added Finnish lyrics sung by Joensu from Indica) Reach (demo version of 'Amaranth', sung by Marko Hietala) Eva (demo version, sung by Marko Hietala) The Poet And The Pendulum (demo version, sung by Marko Hietala) Amaranth (orchestral version) Eva (orchestral version) Bye Bye Beautiful (DJ Orkidea remix) Meadows Of Heaven (orchestral version) Cadence Of Her Last Breath (demo version, sung by Marko Hietala) (released exclusively on live album Made In Hong Kong) From the band: Tuomas about the tracks: (from https://web.archive.org/web/20110724114248/http://tuomasholopainen.net/darkpassionplay.html) The Poet And The Pendulum The year 2005 was like hell and all the bad feelings are expressed in this song. The essence of this song is included in the speech that begins with the words: "Today in the year of Our Lord 2005, Tuomas was called from the cares of the world." Mentioning my own name may sound a bit vain but it had to be done like this. The part when Marco shouts out has very dark lyrics: there's something about spitting on a grave, masturbating onto it and so on. I had a strong need to express all my experiences and feelings as honestly as possible. When I first sent the lyrics for the boy soprano to the choir leader, the response was immediate: we're not making "The Exorcist II", he said. The lyrics were too rough... At first the whole album was supposed to be called "The Poet And The Pendulum" but in the end I changed my mind - using one of the songs' name as the album's name didn't seem to work. And "Dark Passion Play" has a nice double meaning. Bye Bye Beautiful Whatever an artist does, it always reflects his real life. This album contains three tracks about this subject. "The Poet And The Pendulum", this one and "Master Passion Greed". "Bye Bye Beautiful" is in a way a sister song to "Wish I Had An Angel". I don't really want to say anything more than this about this track. Usually I don't talk much about my lyrics and I want to keep it this way. Especially with this song. Amaranth The thing that I hate most in the music business is choosing songs for the singles. Well maybe not the most... But it's like a red rag to a bull to me. It's just not fair to pick one track from over an hour of music. It's no fair towards the album, the track itself and the fans. There's this anecdote about "Amaranth" - it was actually going to be expelled from the final version of the album. It stayed but I still think it's not one of the best ones. Quite a Cinderella-story: from almost being dropped out to becoming the first single. Cadence Of Her Last Breath A very personal song although others don't seem to understand what it is about. There's running away in this track. Then having a crush, falling in love and then running away again. It was the first song from the album that I finished. I'm a bit afraid if the music here doesn't sound a bit too much like American metal. You in Sävi [sic] while listening to the demo that it will become our first single. And of course it was nominated to be one. Other band members like "Cadence Of Her Last Breath" more, personally I think it's ok but not one of my favourites. Master Passion Greed Musically it's the heaviest song we've ever done. And the album's fourth bandsong. You guessed correctly the lyrics' subject and that I composed this track with a guitar not the keyboards. At first, the singing was to be divided evenly between Marco and Anette. But when Marco saw the lyrics he said that he didn't want to sound vain but it might be better if he sang this song almost entirely on his own. And he was right. It would've been unfair to make the new singer sing this text. Eva When you realize that this song is about a girl who is bullied at school, "Eva" becomes an honest ballad. The end of her story is left open on purpose. The song for the first single should be the one that describes the upcoming album best. But a 14-minute track is not good to do that job. Hopefully people understand that we had to pick one song. "Eva" is the album's simplest and easiest track. Sahara What could be more of a cliché than a heavy band singing about Egypt's history! One of my favourite tracks. And Marco's also. The track's text is a pure flow of mind's images that have no base in reality. An escapist's fantasy dream of Egypt five thousand years ago. We put in the lyrics some parts that we call "slave chants" - the man choir is singing along with the kettledrum 'Shah!' and 'Agadaga!' It brings pretty historical feel to the song - pulling blocks of stones, the sand rustling under your feet and burning sun. Whoever Brings The Night In a way the album's dimmest song. Tim Burton's climates alike. Emppu brought a demo to be, I picked his riffs and put them into a new order. The original singing melody was much more complicated so I straightened it a bit. Not because Anette couldn't sing it squiggled [sic]. I like this song so much. The lyrics have a really erotic tone and we had a lot of fun while making it. For The Heart I Once Had I have to admit that the melody of this track has something similar with the one of "Nemo". It may divide people's opinions the most. "For The Heart I Once Had" was almost left out but in the end we kept it. At some point it seemed that we were doing either very heavy or very soft songs for this album. Without this track, even though it's not the best one, there wouldn't be anything in between. I can't be blamed for similar tempos - every composer has their manners. To my mind, I avoided the worst clichés and tried uncommonly different things. The Islander I would have picked this one for the single, if we hadn't just changed our vocalist as Marco sings most of this track. It's a celtic song that he played a few years ago on the backstage saying it didn't really fit Tarot's style. It flashed through my mind that this song tells a story of a lighthouse keeper. Marco finished the music and I wrote the lyrics. It's a small elegy, a poem song about a lonely lighthouse keeper. No symbolism in this one, just a simply put story. This track could be played acoustically during the gigs. Something new for a change: few guys playing together on bar chairs. Last Of The Wilds This song makes me go back in time for about a thousand years to a tavern where people are jumping, dancing on the tables and singing to melodies played on some old instruments. A partying contest between Finland and Ireland. Or a bar fight. Emppu vs. violin vs. Uileann pipes. Then Finland raises her head in the c-part with Kantele in her hand. Teasing a bit but in the end everyone is friends. It's definitely the album's most positive track. We happened to have one positive day during the making of the album. This track was really nice to make. And we're going to play it live. 7 Days To The Wolves I'd say this song has the best chorus in the album. And you can really feel Walt Whitman in the lyrics. "Leave the city of fools" or "The road less travelled by". I found about Peter Weirin [sic] from the movie "Dead Poets' Society". Later on Whitman became one of my favourite poets next to Edgar Allan Poe. I read "Leaves Of Grass" quite a few times. The lyrics have a clear message: we only have one life so we have to make the most of it. Carpe diem! The wolves are breathing behind you all the time. Meadows Of Heaven Seven-and-a-half minute ballad which has a gospel choir, a gospel solo and pipes. I knew from the beginning that it was going to be the album's last track. Seventy four minutes have passed by and just when you think you've heard everything you're surprised by a gospel choir. The warm spirit of the choir during the recording in Abbey Road has given this track a lot of strength. Even Jukka, who isn't the world's most ardent believer, almost got religious while listening to that. Those people really beamed with kindness. I have always wanted to write a song about my childhood but I haven't been able to do it. This subject has scared but also haunted me for a long time. Marko about some tracks: (from https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-10-best-nightwish-songs-marco-hietala-once-dark-passion-play-imaginaerum-endless-forms-most-beautiful) THE POET AND THE PENDULUM (Dark Passion Play, 2007) “Here’s another long song! I love this one for all the same reasons that I said about Ghost Love Score; I like playing interesting songs with a variety of atmospheres.” CADENCE OF HER LAST BREATH (Dark Passion Play, 2007) “It’s hard trying to choose another song from this album because there’s a lot of good stuff on it, but I have a soft spot for Cadence of Her Last Breath. In some ways, we didn’t get as far with it as we wanted to when we recorded the song in the studio – we wanted it to be a little bit more impressive. I think it’s got a lot of potential, especially when we play it live, and it’s different to a lot of other Nightwish songs; the rhythmic structure and how the melodies go over it is unique.”

Send me your favourite NW-related links, I'm making a list of useful/interesting Web resources. Here are a few to start off: Official Band links: https://nightwish.com/: official website https://www.facebook.com/nightwish/: official FB page https://www.backstagerockshop.com/collections/nightwish?ls=en: official NW store https://web.archive.org/web/20191024092954/http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/: Nightwish Online official forum (-2019) Band members links: https://www.floorjansen.com/: official Floor Jansen site Setlists: https://www.setlist.fm/search?query=nightwish: complete setlists for pretty much every NW show since 1997 Archives: https://www.waldenofourown.com/nightwishmediaarchive: a rich library of articles, videos, photos from every era! http://nightwishtaikatalvi.epizy.com/home.html: a great source of information (photos, articles, bootlegs...) all presented in a nostalgic 90's web page style! http://www.tarja-arkisto.sosugary.org/: more Tarja photos than you ever dreamed of (honestly), mostly during her time in Nightwish. Collectibles: https://daviesden6.wixsite.com/nightwish-collection: an amazing reference for NW album collectors Fan groups: https://www.waldenofourown.com/: A Walden Of Our Own, a major fan community thriving on Discord. https://nightwish.fr/: Nightwish France http://www.nightwish-osa.moonfruit.com: Oceansouls Of America Various: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/year?artist=nightwish: Nightwish albums in the Dynamic Range Database

Pan (Human. :||: Nature. 2020) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv5CAFlrNWE Lyrics: Once there was a silent canvas Sleeping stories unimagined Birth of what if's, hope and wonder Winds will be named, words will shelter Then, something wicked their way came Showed a way to the Great Escape Evoke the worlds, sparked the brain An ape in awe before a door To labyrinth To Keystone Earth To fallen stars To there and back We're the writers Of another way to be We're the writers Of whatever we cry home A moment alone With unbeknown Reset the world Imagine home A primal need To touch the stars Only way there To enter Imagine music, dance, illusion Tales of Dust, of man in the moon The Sea Lady, Snow, Glass, Apples It is stories that built cathedrals To lose yourself To find who you are Follow your tale, remember your name Enter the woods Tir na Nog And bring back the Good A pale blue theatre stage A feast of beautiful tragedy, wonderful fantasy The play is yours to write Yours to live Ready the night by a playwright From the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSr5SRhtsQ Empuu reveals how Pan is very hard to play for "old men" and that the live version should be called "Pan-cake"... 🤪 (and notice Pan playing in the background, although at a slower pace...)

I pretty much feel like you do. The question stems from me having watched/attended? such a virtual show yesterday, and it was a mixed experience. The band was Lacuna Coil, and they had already started touring, but they didn't make it to North America before the pandemic shutdown. So they set up a stage and tech team in Milano I believe and did the whole of their latest album live. So technically it was pretty amazing, nice camera work and great sound, and the band was great. But it certainly wasn't immersive like a real live show can be, regardless of the size of the TV set or the home equipment. It did feel at times like watching a live DVD, and the fact that it was streamed live didn't register too much with me -- except that there was no crowd cheering between the songs, and that was a bit jarring. So I loved being able to hear the new songs live for the very first time, and I would pay the (reasonable) ticket price again without a second thought. But a live show experience it was not, and the crowd energy was sorely lacking. That said, I wouldn't mind if NW tried something different, like a show they wouldn't normally do but could try as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I mean they aren't above experimentation, I'm looking at the Imaginaerum movie for instance. That's why I suggested an acoustic gig, it's not something they would do as a full-on tour, but maybe could work as a virtual show. Or... that mythical show with a full orchestra? They couldn't bring an orchestra on tour, but could it work as a live stream + DVD ? Just daydreaming here... 😁 Actually I could add that option to the poll, didn't think of it before.

Given that the world tour keeps being postponed, would you like NW to attempt a virtual (streaming) live show? Would that be a good way to tide us over, or would it only spoil the pleasure of hearing the new songs live for the very first time?

ANETTE OLZON Sweden Rock Magazine Text Janne Mattsson, Photo Patric Ullaeus/Revolver One day she was in the middle of a successful USA tour. The next, Anette Olzon was sitting in a plane going home to Sweden, thrown out and replaced by another singer. One and a half years after the break with Nightwish, it's time for a solo career. "It was important to have is i magen. At the same time, I was afraid people would forget about me." You have stayed out of the spotlight since you and Nightwish went separate ways in the autumn of 2012. Why? "I needed a timeout" says Anette Olzon. Mine and Nightwish's divorce was pretty hard, something that I was very sad about. I also had a child during that same time, so it wasn't really that strange that I took a little paus." It isn't so that Nightwish in any way have prevented you from speaking to the press by for example a contract? "No, absolutely not. I wouldn't sign such a contract. They probably would have wanted me to, but I didn't. But I didn't want to do a bunch of interviews with me just telling about how hard it has been. In an early stage, I felt that it is better to wait with meeting the press until I had finished the album. In that way I can now talk about both parts, both the good and the bad." What was it that happened with the latest Nightwish DVD "Showtime, Storytime" (2013)? Why did you forbid them from including you in it? "I didn't think there was any reason for them to have me in it, when they had anyway replaced me with another singer. It just felt pretty silly actually. Also during last year I have gotten so damn much crap from some fans of the band, that I am so much worse than Tarja (Turunen). The same fans have had this "Anette vs Tarja" thing during all these years. Then it would just be an even bigger thing with this DVD: "Here's Anette and now there's Floor Jansen instead". I know that Floor is very loved by the metal fans and I am not stupid. The way we parted ways was also a reason I wasn't so very positive towards the guys in the band. Sure, the said I would get to watch the documentary before, and approve the whole thing, but I didn't really trust them. I was thinking of how they got rid of Tarja. In retrospect it resulted in the pretty ugly documentary "A day before tomorrow" (2006). I did not want that to happen to me. I understand that fans who appreciate my time in the band maybe are disappointed, but on youtube there are many good videos from my time in the band." When I interviewed keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen in SRM issue 10/2013 he said something different, that you are not enemies and still on good terms. "Yeah, of course you could say that, and surely it sounds much better than to say that maybe you have behaved a bit badly towards a band member. But that's not true, that is just something that he has made up. The truth is none other than that I was replaced before I had even had time to leave the tour and I haven't spoken to any of them since the day I flew home from USA (Anette's last gig with Nightwish was in Salt Lake City 29th of September 2012). We haven't even made a proper end or said goodbye to each other. All contact has been between our lawyers. I understand why he says that. I had probably done the same in his position, because it doesn't look good when you can't keep your female singers. During my years in the band I did my best to try to get them to communicate and solve conflicts. But their solution is to remove the problems instead of trying to solve them. In the end it was four against one. I wish we could sit down and make an end, sort out what happened and ask forgiveness from each other. I have probably things to ask forgiveness for as well. That it turned out like this... We were after all really good friends once." What may the problems have been caused by? "Partly I think it's because we are from two different countries. The cultural differences and language barriers are greater than you could think, which makes the whole thing very difficult. They know very much Swedish, but they absolutely don't want to speak Swedish which means that it's mainly English that's the language. Irony is one thing that can easily be misinterpretated in English, which can mean that things don't flow as easy as they should. Also I think they were a bit traumatized by the thing with Tarja. They were probably a bit insecure of what I would be like and if I would become like Tarja. I on the other hand was very insecure of if I also would get fired. That I was afraid of during all the years. Then when I got my own manager I guess they probably absolutely thought it would be the same thing like with Tarja - which it didn't. But a lot has absolutely been about the communication. Swedish as I am at first I tried to have meetings with them every week but I was the only one talking. With time, it also became clear that I was a little bit older and had children to think about. Some shows I think we shouldn't have done, when we lost instead of earned money from them. Such a big band shouldn't have to lose money. But they thought those gigs could be fun to do, in that they already had really much money in a buffer since before that they could live from. Something I didn't have, I, who basically am just a common worker while Nightwish is a big company. So sure, we had many discussions about money also. If I had entered their company in Finland, maybe it would have been different, but I didn't. Musically however, we didn't have any problems. There the cooperation worked incredibly well." What will you take with you from the time in Nightwish? "I got myself very much scene routine by doing such big shows. We did after all play in front of both 60 000 and 70 000 people. Such things undoubtedly give you stage routine. Then, of course also how the music business looks like today - both the positive and the negative. It has made me both tougher and given me more skinn på näsan [resilience]." Your debut album "Shine" is neither melodic AOR like Alyson Avenue, which you left 2007, nor bombastic metal like Nightwish, but a lot more muted and cozy. Is this more you? "I actually think so. I tried to sit down and write speedy songs for "Shine" but I couldn't do it. How I tried, I didn't get it right. Now during the summer I tried to make more metal-ish songs together with Martijn Spierenburg (keyboard, Within Temptation) and Fredrik Berg (keyboard, Bloodbound, Street Talk). I hummed some melodies into Garageband which I then sent to Fredrik, who worked further with them. I also asked them to send ideas to me, so we were passing ideas between each other over the internet. But in the end that material didn't feel as right as the material I already had. Therefore I kept the songs that Stefan, Johan and I wrote already in 2009. But the song "One Million Faces" actually turned out so great that it is on the album anyway." Who are Stefan and Johan? "In 2009 I and my manager contacted Anders Bagge. I thought he seemed like a symphatic person, and I have heard he wrote a lot of good music. Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner are in his songwriter team. It turned out that we three played and wrote the songs together during a couple of intense weeks. Together we ended up with this softer side that I show on this album. We found a comfortable range that sounded very good and decided to stay there. In Nightwish Tuomas wanted all the time for me to sing in a very high vocal range. In the studio that was never a problem, but live it was incredibly demanding. To sing for 90 minutes was as demanding as a class of physical training. If I was even just a little bit sick, it affected the vocals immediately. That's not how I want it on my album. These songs I'll do justice and perform without problem, even if I have a bit of a cold." "When I started to plan for a solo album in 2009 it was also very sensitive from the label and the band's point of view whether it would sound too much like Nightwish. The risk existed then that the album would in any way compete witv Nightwish. It could absolutely not be that way. Therefore the music early on took this direction. The idea was that I shoukd be able to sit and sing these songs for example underneath a crystal chandelier in a lounge, more simple and intimate so to say. But now that I'm no longer part of the band, and on my own, it doesn't matter if I compete with them. Therefore there are a little bit more guitars on the album than was intended at first." During your break, you must have been approached with many offers from other bands and projects? "Yes, actually I have, and I am very proud. But because I have been in the middle of making a record deal, something that took its time, I couldn't just say yes to anything. It can have been for example requests from competing record companies. There was one thing that I really wanted to do, but when the request came, it wasn't possible. But I hope it will happen in the future. Then there have been a lot of suggestions for things I absolutely didn't want to do. Because I have all the time known that "Shine" would be released, it was important to have is i magen [keep a cool head]. At the same time I was afraid people would maybe forget me. But judging by the positive reactions to the song "Falling" that the record company early on released on iTunes, things seem to be going well." If Brother Firetribe were to contact you and ask you to do guest vocals again, how would you react? Considering the guitar player of Nightwish is also in that band. "I can say like this, even if there were four against one maybe that doesn't have to mean that all four thought the same thing. But sometimes it can be so that you have to look out for yourself and your own being and surviving in the band. Emppu was my very best friend in the band and I have all the time said that I want to talk about things, not pretend like it's raining. I don't hold grudges, everyone should know that. I have moved on and if they contact me, we'll see what happens." From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&page=7>

Monday, February 24, 2014 An interview and review from Fireworks=) Here you go and BIG thanks to Carl Buxton for this wonderful review;=) From <http://anetteolzon2.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-interview-and-review-from-fireworks.html>

Anette Olzon interview – February 2014 Ant May February 20, 2014 Anette Olzon is due to release her debut solo album, Shine next month. Ahead of the release I spoke to her to talk about the album, whether or not she has any touring plans, and of course I asked her some questions relating to her time with Nightwish. Read on to see what she had to say. [...] How difficult was it trying to balance touring with Nightwish with raising your son? When I joined Nightwish I had one child and he was 5 at that time, so it was hard to leave him but at the same time he was not like a little orphan. It was hard in many ways, but it got harder since I had my second child, Nemo, then you have a baby and it is much harder even if I brought him along. Now I have three kids so it gets harder and harder. Of course it depends on the kind of help you get from people around you and your family. I have a very good network, I have a mum who helps me. I think the hardest thing for me is missing my children when I’m away, but that’s something you have to deal with in this business. With three kids, being on tour must be like having a rest for you. Yes exactly, and that was the thing when I had my second child with me on tour, even if his daddy was there it felt like I couldn’t get any relaxation because I was on stage or I did an interview, and normally you can go and sleep in the bus and get a bit of a rest, but if you have your child with you then you have to be the mum so it was quite demanding for me on the European tour. I didn’t feel I could relax like in a normal job where you can relax a bit in the day from the family, so it was nice to have the family there but also hard. I think that’s why many musicians go on tour, because some of the guys in Nightwish go on tour to get away from the family, I know. I didn’t do that but I know some of them did because they felt it was like a holiday. In a way it can be that. On the “Showtime Storytime” Nightwish DVD, you don’t appear in the documentary about the Imaginaerum tour. Why did you request that you not be seen or heard in it? I said I didn’t want to be in that, it was my decision. There were many reasons. First of all we had only talked about the documentary in a loose way before the tour started, that maybe we would do a documentary, and then when everything ended and they kind of fired me in a very bad way, I was quite angry and sad about the situation. Then a few months later they asked my manager if I wanted to pay for this documentary and be in it, and my reaction was Why? There’s a new singer and they’d done this in a bad way so I didn’t want to participate. In many ways it was not only because I was angry but also because I didn’t understand why, and also because I didn’t want to have half of the documentary about me and then half about the new singer – there would be comparisons, and I didn’t know how they would showcase me, would they show me in a bad way or a good way. So the decision has many different layers, but I felt I didn’t want to be part of it, I wanted to leave that part of my life behind me at that point. One thing I find depressing is how many people seem obsessed with championing their favourite singer as the “best” a band has had and criticising the other singers. Rather than simply admitting that each singer is different and has their own strengths and weaknesses they constantly compare and criticise. When I joined Nightwish I had very big shoes to fill and they didn’t make it easy for me, the fans. It was a hard job for me to take because the fans didn’t approve of me. We sold more albums than Nightwish ever had in the past, so in that way I succeeded, but they made me feel very insecure and that I had to work so hard to be liked because of those comparisons with Tarja which I find quite amusing because we are so different. I think music is something where you can’t compete, I don’t think you can say who is best because we are all different and what you like may be something I don’t like and I think we should stop comparing. They are quite fanatical some of these fans, and I don’t know why Nightwish have this type of fan because I don’t think all bands have them, but there’s something about Nightwish that made these people quite fanatical. There is also the fact that different voices work well on different things. I’m not sure how well Tarja’s beautiful soprano voice would work on some of the songs from Imaginarum for instance whereas your voice worked for them. Yes and my voice wouldn’t suit those first songs from “Angels fall first”, and I had some difficulty singing those songs. I think what the boys did when they changed Tarja for a new singer, they wanted something new, a new sound, but at the same time maybe if they had chosen someone similar maybe it would have been easier for everyone in a way, but since the guys wanted a new style, that was the choice and the fans should maybe tried to have accept it a bit more, and many of them did of course, but it was hard for us all in many ways. With any band breakup there are bad memories but also hopefully good ones too. What is one of your best memories from your time with Nightwish? I think it was when we won a big award in Germany called the Echo award which is like a Grammy. The evening was just fantastic, I was there on the same stage with celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Foo Fighters, and we actually won the prize over Within Temptation and Foo Fighters which was just amazing, I couldn’t believe it, so that was a really nice evening, just to be a part of that big occasion, and Germany’s such a huge country you know so it was just wonderful, so I think that is one of the best memories I have. Do you have any plans to join another band? Not at the moment no. I don’t say I will never be in a band again. My old band that I was in before Nightwish, Alyson Avenue, we will probably do a reunion at some point because we have such a good friendship still and we share a studio where I do music with my own keyboard player, but at the moment I’m trying to focus on my solo stuff to get it started. Of course if there were to be a nice band where I feel that my heart is in the music and where I can do songs, be a songwriter then maybe, but I don’t think I’d be just a singer in a band again and not songwriting because now I feel that I like this songwriting thing. Maybe I will start my own band at some point, who knows. First though as you say there’s the solo album to concentrate on. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you so much. From <https://planetmosh.com/anette-olzon-interview-february-2014/>

ANETTE OLZON - A Light In The Dark April 5, 2014, 5 years ago By Carl Begai Swedish vocalist ANETTE OLZON is no stranger to controversy. Since her highly publicized and decidedly ugly firing from NIGHTWISH in 2012 - the reasons for which still remain murky - she's been the target of keyboard warrior badmouthing, having exchanged the Anette vs Tarja slugfest (her daily reality from the moment she joined the band) for an Olzon vs Nightwish cage match. At the same time, she's moved on supported by heaps of praise for those that fell in love with her chapters of Nightwish history. A work in progress since 2009, Olzon has finally released her first official solo album entitled Shine. She's fully aware some Nightwish fans and the existing haters are going to crucify her new musical direction, but she's determined not to let them bring her down. Olzon considers Shine a huge victory that has taken her well beyond her beginnings with ALYSON AVENUE and roads travelled with Nightwish. "The whole production for Shine was great because the guys really know what they're doing," Olzon says of the team she wrote the album with. "They're very talented and they've done songs for artists like Celine Dion. Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner wrote the songs with me, and they've done so many things. Stefan has his own band, and he also writes songs for major artists here in Sweden. He's also worked abroad, and was responsible for the winning song at Eurovision a few years ago (from Azerbaijan). And Johan is a studio musician and plays everything from jazz to blues to rock, so he's more from the contemporary blues style rather than rock n' roll. They thought this was a lot of fun, but when I came to them as the metal singer in Nightwish they thought we were going to do a metal album and got really excited. Then I told them it wasn't going to be a metal album and I think they were a bit disappointed at first (laughs)." Shine is reminiscent of ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN's (ex-THE GATHERING) recent works Drive and Everything Changes, walking both sides of a pop rock line rather than trying to cash in on her Nightwish symphonic metal past. "We will see now how my fans from before will like it. I think the fans that really like me, and not only because of Nightwish, will be open-minded and appreciative of Shine. The metal fans, you never know, but I'm hoping to attract the pop and rock fans as well. It doesn't sound like Nightwish and I've been very clear about that. People have asked me if I'm going to play Nightwish songs live and the answer has always been no. Some people are still hoping for that (laughs). Hopefully people will like this album, and as long as it sells and I get an audience I'll be able to go out play for them, which would be nice." First single 'Lies' is a solid start for Olzon in that it has a little bit of everything to offer; guitars, pop elments, and folk-oriented dynamics. On the other hand, 'Falling' is more of a rock song and really isn't a representation of the whole album. "Nine of the songs were composed in 2009, and I did one song ('One Million Faces') with Fredrik Bergh from BLOODBOUND and Martijn Spierenburg . I haven't written very many songs compared to other artists, but when I write now compared to before I have subjects and concepts. I did a song just a couple of days ago, and it wasn't about Nightwish specifically, but the subject was being in a band and getting a lot of hate from other people." [...] There was also a noticeable development on Olzon's voice between the Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum albums, and although the songs on Shine don't necessarily call for the same set of pipes there's a definite edge to her singing. "I learned to use my voice in different ways. I've always sung with emotion, but before joining Nightwish I was scared of using a softer voice because I was always using a powerful voice instead. It's easier for me to sing at the top of my voice, so I was afraid when I had to use my softer voice in Nightwish. In the studio I could do the ending part of 'The Poet And The Pendulum' (from Dark Passion Play), and I tried to do it live several times. There was something lacking in my self-confidence, so physically I could do it but mentally I couldn't. Tuomas (Holopainen) insisted that I could but I was always say 'No, I can't.' Now I can do it." Recalling one of Olzon's finest moment in Imaginaerum; the song 'Scaretale', particularly the over-the-top theatre-worthy delivery of the line "Burning farms and squealing pigs." "I remember Tuomas' face when we recorded that," Olzon laughs. "He didn't know what I was going to do, and the whole Imaginaerum thing was a lot of fun because it was like a musical. When it comes to theatrical stuff, I love it, and my big dream is to be a singer in a musical. Imaginaerum was great for that because I could act; I could be a jazz singer, I could be doing nasty things... I was playing a role. The 'squealing pigs' was a perfect moment for that." For the record, Olzon is dead serious about not performing Nightwish songs live in the future. Ever. "No, I will never do any Nightwish songs live. You can be sure of that. I was asked to do a tour this past Christmas where I would have been singing some Nightwish songs and I refused. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, Tuomas is quite disturbed that Tarja is singing some of his songs, so out of respect I'm not going to do that. They're his songs and Floor is singing them now. I also don't be a Nightwish singer for the rest of my life because they have a new one. It would be different if I had written those songs because I would own them and have every right to perform them." How about the possibility of a tour with Tarja? It's an idea that's no doubt floating around in many a concert promoter's head. "I don't think so, no. Not because I don't like her, but because our music is so different from each other I think it would be ridiculous to pair us together for a tour. She's doing metal and I'm not. I can't see it happening, but you never know. I think I'd do much better going out with someone more like me." From <http://bravewords.com/news/anette-olzon-a-light-in-the-dark>

ANETTE OLZON – Careful What You ‘Wish For By Carl Begai 2014.02.02 http://carlbegai.com/2014/02/02/anette-olzon-careful-what-you-wish-for/ There’s no doubt that the controversial firing of former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon in October 2012 made her out to be the bad guy, turning any press she does for her forthcoming solo album into a potential exercise in character assassination. It doesn’t help her situation in that the Nightwish camp has been quick to refute many of her recent accusations of backstabbing and mismanagement that have appeared online. Quite frankly, I was prepared to be stonewalled when asking questions about Nightwish due to the fact Olzon came across as a self-centered diva when she slammed the band for playing to a Denver, CO audience in 2012 with stand-in vocalists Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) and Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist) after she fell ill. Turns out I was way off the mark and had to give Olzon the benefit of the doubt. Thus, in the interest of giving her solo album Shine a fair shake we’re getting the Nightwish debacle out of the way first, to be followed soon by a full story on the new record. Rather than dig for the scurvy details and assorted dirt kicked up before and after her firing, the focus is on Olzon getting booted in the middle of the North American tour for Imaginaerum. It’s not a move most bands can afford to make in today’s music industry economy, sure as hell not without a back-up plan. And yet, 48 hours after Olzon was cut loose former After Forever vocalist Floor Jansen had taken over her post on stage, becoming the band’s permanent singer less than a year later. “It’s hard for me to say why the firing happened when it did because I don’t really know what happened behind my back,” says Olzon. “I think there were some thing happening that I didn’t know about. It has become clearer to me now that they had some sort of a plan when I told them I was pregnant. I actually think they had some suspicions I was pregnant during the summer festivals, so I think they may have had a back-up plan.” Olzon pegs the band’s reaction to her pregnancy as the primary reason for the falling out. She also claims Jansen wasn’t as much of a last minute consideration for the Nightwish line-up as people think, albeit in a temporary capacity. “We had some discussions during the tour in America about how to cover the remaining gigs for the tours that were coming up, and we did have something of an argument before that. I didn’t want to have a substitute singer in the band, I wanted to do the South American shows. I would have been too pregnant to go to Australia so I wanted to push the dates back, but Tuomas (Holopainen / keyboards, founder) didn’t want that. Discussions about a substitute came up and at first I was like ‘Yeah, well…. okay…’ but when they mentioned Floor it was an automatic ‘No’ from me. I didn’t think it was a good idea because I knew what would happen; I knew the fans would love Floor because she’s a metal singer and I’m a pop singer, and I wanted to keep my job. Because I couldn’t do the Australian tour, I think that’s when they started thinking about a new singer. We had a bit of an argument, then I got ill, and after that…. I don’t know if they planned this.” “They say it wasn’t like that – that the pregnancy wasn’t an issue – but if I wasn’t pregnant I don’t think this situation would have happened. Of course we had some problems before with different opinions about how touring should be, how many gigs in a row, the places where we played. We didn’t fight because of that, though. If I didn’t want to go somewhere and they did, we went because the majority decided. I had my 3-year-old son with me, so we did try to solve the touring problem. I can’t say it was definitely like that because they say it isn’t, but for me that was the problem.” “If I would have been (former vocalist) Tarja, I wouldn’t have been nervous about having Floor step in as a substitute because I know the fans would wait for me. They would have been saying ‘We want Tarja back.’ But, I’m Anette and I’ve received a lot of hatred against my voice and my persona since I joined Nightwish. I remember thinking that if I agreed to Floor coming in to substitute I would end up thinking ‘This whole thing again?’ when I came back. I could see what would happen.” “Of course I knew we had our gigs to do, and I was pregnant so it was my own fault, but it was only one small tour that I wanted to push back. I could have done all the other gigs and I didn’t understand why they needed a substitute singer when I wanted to go. Maybe they felt that they wanted to have another singer. I think that’s what they wanted, but they weren’t quite honest about it. I guess when I said no they got frustrated. Maybe when I got ill they saw a way out. Of course, then I got angry when they did what they did and wrote something in my blog. They got pissed off at me, I was pissed at them, and it led to where we are now, I guess.” During a recent interview with Holopainen (found here), he revealed that in spite of the bad blood between Nightwish and Olzon there was every intention of including her in the band’s new Showtime, Storytime documentary. The production was 80% complete when Nightwish were ultimately forced to take all interview and live footage featuring Olzon off the DVD at the insistence of Olzon and her management. Asked to explain her reasons for the move, it’s the only time during the discussion where Olzon truly sounds bitter. “First of all, I didn’t think they would do the documentary because… what kind of documentary could it be?” she asks. “I could just see they could do something like what they did with Tarja to make it look like I was the evil person, because that’s what they’ve done before. I was really suspicious about the whole thing, and of course I was really angry because they fired me in a really bad way. I wasn’t happy about the situation. I didn’t want to be looked at in a weird way on a DVD, and I didn’t want to be compared with Floor. There were many reasons. I was angry, I didn’t want to have anything to do with them, and I didn’t want those comparisons again.” Regardless of the bad taste left in her mouth, Olzon admits the Nightwish experience was a valuable one with long-reaching positive effects on her approach to music and life in general. “I’ve changed since I joined the band. My mother says I’m quite a different person. When I joined Nightwish I was still that young girl with a dream of becoming a professional singer, where everything would be just fun and glory. My mom is a singer, she’s been in the business, and she knows that’s not how it is when you’re in a band. So, at the time she was like ‘Okay…’ (laughs). She says that I got a lot from the Nightwish experience because I’m wiser and experienced, and I won’t take bullshit anymore. She can see that I have tougher skin now.”

Angels Fall First Metal Hammer UK, Feb 2014 From <http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&page=2>

Nightwish Fired Me, Anette Olzon Admits Martin Kielty at 11:51am December 20 2013 Former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon has admitted to Prog that she was fired from the band in 2012. It’s the first time she’s spoken about the form of her departure from the Finnish band – and she thinks it happened because she’d become pregnant with her third child. The sudden split followed the dismissal of previous frontwoman Tarja Turunen in 2006, and came midway through a US tour. An official announcement stated the move had been made “in mutual understanding”. But Olzon insists that’s not the case. She tells Prog: “I have been getting frustrated with people saying I left the band – because I didn’t. I was fired exactly as Tarja was fired, but maybe in a more quiet way.” She points to her pregnancy as the reason behind her dismissal. “That’s how I see it,” she says. “Why [else] should they kick me out when they got to know I was pregnant? “We, of course, had some problems in 2009, but we had a good tour and there was nothing else coming until then.” She was replaced at short notice by Floor Jansen, who was recently confirmed as Nightwish’s full-time vocalist. The band recently released live album Showtime, Storytime with Jansen fronting the band. Olzon adds: “The reason I didn’t say this a year ago is because I didn’t want to state something so negative. I felt really bad about the situation – it was quite a big divorce.” Prog‘s full interview with the singer will appear in the February edition of the magazine. Her solo album Shine is set for release on February 28. She’s just released the first lyric video – view Falling below. From <https://web.archive.org/web/20131223095553/http://www.progrockmag.com/news/nightwish-fired-me-anette-olzon-admits/> http://www.nightwishonline.com/index.php?/forums/topic/3362-nightwish-anette-media/&do=findComment&comment=211056