_Swanheart_, спасибо большое за перевод. ))

Castigo писал(а):

Ты зайди в любое сообщество малолеток, да почитай, что они там пишут

Точно. О вымышленном интервью Туомаса написали в Контакте. Не понимаю, какой смысл придумывать ложные факты, если о концертах группы с Анетт пишут в каждой второй статье и в ответ можно привести десятки цитат.

Отсканированная Afrodite статья из Suosikki.





Некоторые переведённые факты из интервью (Dandelion c официального форума):

First the interview goes back to the autumn of 2006.
Tarot had a gig in Tampere and the Nightwish manager Ewo was there with "his Swedish cousin" Anette Olzon. Anette admires that Marco is really a fantastic vocalist.

- I sent my Ever Dream demo to Tuomas already at the end 2005, so I had to live in suspense for over a year. At some point I was already losing my hope since I thought they had picked someone else.
But Anette did not give up all hope, instead she decided to send the band more proofs about her skills.
- I had a feeling that we were meant to be together. At the same time I was afraid of going back to square one. I had been singing since little and I felt I was ready for bigger boots.

- When I was about 16 I joined a cover band and began to tour in Sweden and Denmark. In those small corner bars you really learnes to fight in order to be heard. Sometimes the feedback was really ugly "Don´t play this kind of crap" etc."

The second part of the interview is made on their way to Turku Ruisrock.

Anette says she´s really grateful they didn´t took too many gigs for the summer.
- Luckily I´ve been able to enjoy the summer with my son and my friends.

Then they talk about the Rock am Ring festival gig with its technical problems.
- Of course the situation was extremely unpleasant, but the irony of the whole situation almost made me laugh - it was my way to deal with the incredible misfortune. It was one of our most important gigs and - naturally - I had fallen ill just the day before. Then the doctor gave me an injection in my bottom and gave me some pain killers.
The guys in the band are world class musicians, but I do have some small advantages compared to them. As I said before, as a singer of a cover band performing in pubs you get to hear all kind of stuff. " You suck, you´re such a bad singer" and such beautiful things. After gigs like that you are more ready to receive s**t in in your back so I wasn´t confused in Rock am Ring either. Marco started to tell the audience some story and I wanted to sing Amaranth in a capella. We finally came through the situation reasonably well, but Jukka and Marco were both in a very bad mood afterwards. The chairs backstage received some violent treatment. I was sitting outside waiting for the Finnish blood to cool off..

- Soon after I joined the band our manager said I was being too good. Meaning I said too much "yes, yes". But naturally I wanted show the band I was worth their trust. During the last months I have understood anyhow, that I cannot go on saying "yes" all the time. It´s simply too much. I´m an ambitous singer and I want our gigs to be diamond. That´s whymy schedule has been lightened up lately. I must concentrate on my principal task.

Anette says her Leave me alone - tattoo has been a topic in different forums.
- Leave me alone is a very strong statement and people can naturally wonder why I took it in the first place. Well, I did want to tattoo a strong statement and taking it felt good. And it still does. Through images I can express things I wouldn´t necessarily say out loud.

Suosikki 8/2008
Статья полностью, перевод Afrodite.

Worth the trust

Anette Olzon has been looking at the world through Nightwish-colored classes for over a year now. The time has been educational, hard, rewarding and even lonely. In this interview she tells to us also about a football star, clothes and tattooes. But let's first go to Tampere.

Tampere, Pakkahuone concert hall, autumn 2006. A heavy rock band Tarot has climbed on stage. Marco Hietala is a member of the band but he's more known for being Nightwish's singing basist. Also Nightwish's manager is there with his "Swedish cousin" Anette Olzon. The cover story of a cousin is of course completely untrue since the Swedish singer is actually a strong candidate to be Nightwish's new front woman.
- Marco is an amazing singer, Anette admires when the car heads to Helsinki.
A few months later Nightwish's massive album Dark Passion Play is in the can. Anette's identity is supposed to remain a secret for many weeks but the singer still does some interviews in the studio.
- Admittedly an amazing feeling. Dark Passion Play is now done and I'm an official member of the band, the singer smiles.
- I sent my Ever Dream demo to Tuomas already at the end 2005, so I had to live in suspense for over a year. At some point I was already losing my hope since I thought they had picked someone else.
Try to imagine the agonizing situation: you're close of becoming a member in a world class band and the suddenly the dream is taken away. Anette however never gave up hope but decided to send Nightwish more proof of her skills.
- I had a feeling that we were meant to be together. At the same time I was afraid of going back to square one. I had been singing since little and I felt I was ready for bigger shoes.
As the interview continues many other matters are revealed. The most important being Olzon's musical family background and her versatile past as a singing performer: cover-bands, rock-operas and music studies.
- I took part in many singing competitions as a child. When I was about 16 I joined a cover band and began to tour in Sweden and Denmark. In those small corner bars you really learn to fight in order to be heard. Sometimes the feedback was really ugly "Don´t play this kind of crap" and so on, the singer tells.
Imagine another situation; you're joining a famous band whose former singer was fired with a huge sensation. So more attention from the media is coming. How can you prepare for that? You can't really.
- We shall indeed see how I'll manage the challanges of fame. Luckily I'm an experienced performer. If I was a beginner in every aspect.. This wouldn't work, Olzon shakes her head.
- I'm mostly conserned for my voice. A long world tour is a huge stress and you can't do shows with half output. Luckily I can take care of myself and I don't like to party all night long. I'm also excited that Tuomas has always emphazised the importance of authenticity. He has said that don't start to change yourself, stay as who you are.

"I respect Zlatan Ibrahimovic"

We continue to Turku. Now it's the current summer and the Friday of Ruisrock. It's the early afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. Nightwish's tour bus has driven in front of a hotel in Turku but Anette has arrived in the accommodation place earlier, straight from Turku airport.
- I was in the same plane with our German drum tech Ulsch. We were both so tired that we were basicly leaning to eachother while snoozing. Well, next there will be pictures in the magazines presenting Anette's new boyfriend, the singer smiles.
Despite the exhaustion the Swedish singer is her usual laughing and cheerful self. Even being sick hasn't gotten Anette bad-tempered.
- Nightwish's spring tour was an extremely hard ordeal. We played a lot of concerts both in Europe and in North America and that means a lot of travelling. In the beginnig of this summer I was really exhausted and I got fever several times. I had to take at least three prescriptions for penicillium within a few weeks.
Anette is really thankful of Nightwish's not too tightly booked summer calender.
- Luckily I´ve been able to enjoy the summer with my son and my friends. It's so important to take small brakes from touring when a do it months at a time as a job. It would actually be nice to have more time off. Like three months to begin with, the singer laughs.
Did you manage to follow the UEFA European Football Championships?
- A little! I played football myself when I was younger but I wan't a great talent. My son is now really excited about football, Anette tells and takes a small brake.
- Have I told how much I respect Swedish national team's player Zlatan Ibrahimovic? In my current state I can relate to him in a way. Zlatan was so innocent and naïve when he came to the cruel world of celebrity and he's gotten many quite hard hits from the Swedish media. And why? Because he has a strong self-confidence and he's dared to day he's good. Swedes don't praise themselves. Not even when they should like in Zlatan's case. He's a great player.
Finns praise themselves even less!
- That's weird. And I don't mean annoying bragging or extreme boasting. But why do you have to minimize yourself? And why are people so awful to eachother? Ecpesially young girls have terrible mouths. They can be really mean to eachother. Why won't we support and praise eachother?

"The backstage chairs received a violent treatment"

Nightwish's touring schedule got more human after the Rock Im Park and Rock Am Ring festival gigs. The latter being the band's biggest gig in it's ten year long history since around 60 000 people had arrived. The concert could have gone better however since the band had technical problems and the performance even was cut off a few times. Finally part of the audience got fed up with the gig and begun to shout for the next performer, The Offspring, to come on stage.
- Of course the situation was extremely unpleasant, but the irony of the whole situation almost made me laugh - it was my way to deal with the incredible misfortune. It was one of our most important gigs and - naturally - I had fallen ill just the day before. Then the doctor gave me an injection in my bottom and gave me some pain killers.
The guys in the band are world class musicians, but I do have some small advantages compared to them. As I said before, as a singer of a cover band performing in pubs you get to hear all kind of stuff " You suck, you´re such a bad singer" and such beautiful things. After gigs like that you are more ready to receive s**t in in your back so I wasn´t confused in Rock am Ring either. Marco started to tell the audience some story and I wanted to sing Amaranth a cappella. We finally came through the situation reasonably well, but Jukka and Marco were both in a very bad mood afterwards. The chairs backstage received a violent treatment. I was sitting outside waiting for the Finnish blood to cool off.
Anette Olzon has now been over a year in the Nightwish tour and media merry-go-round. She has seen more in just this time then most musicians see during their whole careers. As the interview goes on it's easy to notice how glad and itmpressed Anette is about everything she has experienced. Eventhough the discussion topic is unpleasent Anette speaks smiling and looking for the good sides.
- Soon after I joined the band our manager said I was being too nice. Meaning I said too much "yes, yes". But naturally I wanted to show the band I was worth their trust. During the last months I have understood, anyhow, that I cannot go on saying "yes" all the time. It´s simply too much. I´m an ambitous singer and I want our gigs to be diamond. That´s why my schedule has been lightened up lately. I must concentrate on my principal task.
That's completely understandable!
- Some people say you've got it easy. You get paid for touring the world. That's how it is too but no outsider can imagine half of the whole truth. Touring is really hard work and the pressure is constantly tough. For example getting in the middle of screaming fans is a really confusing experience, Anette thinks and stops talking for a while.
- I came to Nightwish from a completely different life. I've sung my whole life but done the 'proper' paying job in an office for example. Places like that have strick routines and everyone knows their daily program almost to the minute. Being in a band is totally different. It's not uncommon that I'm told about photosessions or interviews only a few moments before they'll begin. Occasionally it has gone over the top and I have suffered from panic attacks. Now I know what I can handle and the situation is much better. Luckily I can handle my stress through sleeping. It must be a singer thing since Mariah Carey often sleeps for fifteen hours. So I don´t go to a bar or anything like that - no, I think, now to bed and tomorrow is a brand new day.
Every community sometimes comes across trouble. Nightwish with Tarja Turunen had it's own problems with known consequences. Now the band is able to deal with hard stuff however.
- I've talked to every band member. Alone, face to face I mean. We do have and need to have fights but differences have to be solved. The guys have taken my situation well and seem to understand that this rush still demands some getting to used to from me. I've openly told to my band members everything that's bothering my mind. For example that I sometimes feel lonely on tour since I'm the only girl. Or that I don't want to do interviews in this situation when certain reporters would only ask about the divorce and a new relationship. Yes, well, I do have a new boyfriend and he is Swedish. So there´s no need for anyone to insinuate it´s one of the band guys.

"I can say I'm addicted to shopping"

In suprisingly many articles realeased in the past few months have been about the clothes of the Nightwish musicians. Anette has gotten both praise and blame but Tuomas has gotten his part too.
- I heard some paper wrote that Tuomas looked like a cruise host in his new jacket. I found that to be quite an intresting view. Articles here also loaned the gig review from Aftonbladet which was quite positive all in all. Still the Finnish papers made it look the complete opposite. The Swedish didn't comment on Tuomas' jacket by the way, Anette laughs.
- I think Nightwish is a band who has to try new things and create trends. I do things on stage that no other heavy bands' vocalists will do. Some people find it hard to accept. To remind you, I do still love black clothes, but mind you, it's summer after all!
Olzon has indeed asnwered with her actions that she doesn't care about critics. She sings the old Nightwish songs boldly with her own way and dresses according to her feeling each day.
- I'm very intrested in fashion and all kinds of clothes. I can also say that I'm addicted to shopping. I get new clothes almost daily and like mixing different styles. I also have the habbit of getting tired of things quickly so my stage outfits change constantly. Like my hair color. I'd be bored to veath if I had to wear the same clothes from night after night. The guys can pull of like ten shows in a row in the same jeans and t-shirt without a problem. Except for the small and stains, Anette grins.
- Almost all my clothes are from the Scandinavia. We've toured a lot in North-America for example and it's always nice to show of Northern desing there. Like the Swedish Odd Molly does amazing clothes. This way I want show I'm from Sweden and this band comes from the North.
Also Anette's tattooes have increased during Nightwish's world tour. The singer says that especially the 'Leave me Alone' text on her arm caused disscussion on internet forums.
- Leave me alone is a very strong statement and people can naturally wonder why I took it in the first place. Well, I did want to tattoo a strong statement and taking it felt good. And it still does. Through images I can express things I wouldn´t necessarily say out loud. Someone actually askes if I had taken a tattoo as a tribute to Hanna Pakarinen. Not quite, Olzon laughs again.
- Iv'e always liked tattooes and piercings but I couldn't take them is places that showed because of the athmosphere in my old jobs. The situation has changed after that! My mum doesn't like my tattooes at all but it's my body.
How much have you planned to tattoo yourself? Have you thought to fill a full arm?
- Who knows? At least on the next American tour I might take more pictures. And if I have the time to go on holiday in Thailand more tattooes will surely appear to my skin. Fans will have something to wonder in the future as well, Anette sneers.
We live exciting times. We'll see what you look like after the tour in the autumn of 2009.
- Yeah, indeed! There's time to take many nice pictures!

Nia писал(а):

статья из Suosikki

http://www.liveinternet.ru/community/nightwish_fans/post82077629/ - перевод, если опять же, кому-то интересно))

А по-моему вопросы забавные...
Особенно про Дисней-ленд, я чуть не упала со стула! Ну и всякое такое милое про "что ты делаешь когда никто не видит", "чем тебе нравится Индика" и тп. Вообще читать интервьюхи с Туомасом это просто заряд позитива! А последний вопрос - тоже к месту, очередную малолетку выставили в нелучшем свете.

Radio Rock, DJ-guest of the day Marco Hietala

Part 1
Marco:Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
Radio DJ: -86? do I remember it right?
Marco: Yes.
RadioDJ: Let's ask first how that period looks after so many years?
Marco: It feels quite... innocent. I mean, I was a grown-up guy but the behinds of my ears were still wet and all possible knowledge in my head was still very greenish.
RadioDJ: How much money Tarot loaned when you hit the road for the first tour?
Marco: Didn't we take a 100K or 120K loan? But that was in marks. ( ~ 17K - 20K euros)
RadioDJ: How badly you were in shit with it later?
Marco: Yes, later we suffered, that's true (laughs) but now that's been settled, thank god.
RadioDJ: Right, hence we can discuss about it...
Marco: The price of the drum kit took quite a huge lump of the loaned money, I think it was around 50K (8.5K euros) of the whole sum we spent on the drum kit alone. For example we paid for 4 bass drums alltogether because in our drumkit we had two bass drums made with two normal bassdrum barrels joined together with an extra frame and sealed with silicon filling.
RadioDJ: The guys from Savo wanted to show off... right?
Marco: Yeah, we did... it sounds quite unbelievable now, we had no limits... what was it moving in our heads back then?
------------------------
Marco: Should we play some Nazareth - Beggar's Day. Now it just happens to be one of my childhood flames, I remember the song Beggar's Day and the nice cover of the album with a monster on it because I associate it with my pre-teen years, around 10-11, when I was reading this Vampirella comic magazine at home and this song went on when I was just at the last story about a guy who turned into a demon in the nights and slaughtered a whole village worth of people before a girl burned it and this song was playing... that's a good logig to remember it... (laughs)


Part 2
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
RadioDJ: What was your first thought when yuo were asked about possible joining in Nightwish? Did you instantly feel like going for it?
Marco: No, it was like I had to take moment and think about it, if this is the music I want to do, because by that time what I had heard of them it was based on this basic German kind of melo-, hero- heavy rock with the exception that the sound of their vocalist was from another world. I wasn't at all sure if it'd be my thing because I am more into old school rock, of course a friend of heavy style but to me it's always been important to have a certain groove in it, have it rather based on the attitude and the beat, the whole thing.
But when we talked in the first night, the night Ewo called me and asked me to come to have a talk, we then discussed it and Tuomas told about the songs - it was Century Child back then we were about to start making - it was going to be made on lower tuned and slower, heavier guitars and stuff which all sounded to me the kind of thing I could work with. He also told me that there were quite a lot of vocal parts coming in the songs for me which was something to instantly wake up my interest in it because in the Sinergy lineup I had only sung a couple of backing vocals and Tarot didn't do gigs at that phase. So, it began to sound quite interesting but we agreed that I'll take a couple of weeks to think about it even though I decided in the same night that I will at least give it a try and go through the practice sessions and find out what kind of results will turn up from it. And then, when I went to the session we fetched bags full of beer from the nearest gas station and started playing and soon I was stuck with the band.
RadioDJ: And the beer hasn't run out ever since?
Marco: (laughs) Yeah, that's true.
---------------------------
Marco: We talked about the old school, and how awesome it was, now we could play a song by Megadeth from the year... 1990, right, because back then they released "Rust In Peace" which I consder - that's in my personal opinion - one of the best played metal CDs in the world especially on technical view. Everything on it have been played exellently, the drums, bass, guitars and so on. Then again, the guys also had the touch to get the songs rock according to the book already by the time.
Like I said already, this is probably the best played metal CD in the world. Let's pick "Hangar 18", it's an awesome song.


Part 3
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
Marco: First when a song comes in, I listen to how the band play and when the vocalist enters I listen to wether s/he fits in or not, is s/he maybe just like a stand-in - but most time I listen to whole complex parts.
Sure if the vocalist is an example of the genre, I naturally pay more attention to him/her. I thnk that my attitude towards the job is that the parts must support the whole.
RadioDJ: Marco Hietala, who is the best metal vocalist in the world?
Marco: Graaaahhh! The question is impossible, there isn't a self explanatory answer to it because there are so many effing good vocalsit in so many different bands. Someone could say about Thin Lizzy thet Phil Lynott wasn't too special as a singer but then again his timing and the way he pulled through even the simpliest of songs was something that even many technically more skiled vocalists can't achieve.
RadioDJ: Are there certain vocalist that consider examples for yourself.
Marco: Must be along the lines Dio-Gillan-Halford whom I did listen to most in the phase of developing my own skills to become a metal singer. Those must be the three I've most listened to and from whom I've taken influence from. Like from Halford the awesomely cool spitting way he brings up lyrics and from dio the way how such a small man can produce such a massive sound. With Gillan I dig his dry British sense of humor and his way to pull things through.
------------------------
Marco: Extremely great band, Ireland's first pride to the world before U2 - Thin Lizzy! I've got here their live album "Live and Dangerous" which is insanely great. I could pick any song from it, those are all so awesome and the band plays so well and tight on them, they were at their best an example, the way they run it all ecen though there has been a lot talking how this Lizzy have been patched in studio but the fact according my understanding is that most live records during that era were patched, like some backgrund vocals were added. What counts is that nothing essential have been retouched, anything which could break the feeling havent been done. It can be heard when whole songs are re-worked in studio.
We could play "Jailbreak", it brings som self ironic memories to me: We made a refreshing trip with workmates and four of us ended in jail in Pärnu [Estonia]. After we got out, the next week we jammed at a party and decided to play and dedicate this song to the police departmet of Pärnu city.

Part 4
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
Marco: I might have some flashes from age 6 or 7 when dad played The Beatles's "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" and other songs. I liked them back then. The Finnish legendary Hurriganes did it quite good for me too. "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Grazy Days" among others but when they moved to "Bourbon Street"-era I didn't dig them any more. But I did dig their early rock-phase like hell. And... Status Quo; "On The Level" it made an impact. Actually I moved at quite early age to the heavier stuff. I was about eigth when we visited my dad's friend and he put earphones on me and told: hey Marco have a listen to this! Then he launched Deep Purple's "Fireball" and it blew my head off. It was the heaviest stuff I had ever heard until the very day. The rest of the album I didn't quite qet back then but the title song was hard stuff for me.
RadioDJ: Which bands - were they particularly Deep Purple and Black Sabbath - were the hardest when the first steps with Tarot were taken in the mid 80's?
Marco: Yeah, right. Those were clearly there as roots and idols but in addition we had alredy in the early 80's bands like Rainbow, especially the Dio-era version, Judas Priest and Nazareth also. And at that time I started listening to Iron Maiden for my pleasure. Number Of The Beast is still helluva hard, maybe their best album.
------------------------
Marco: Let's pick Jethro Tull. Now we'll go on to the little lighter department. Here we got the "Broadsword And The Beast" -album which is funny remastered product of the CD-era. The guys have taken from the album recording sessions a bonustrac which of course didn't have space on the vinyl LP back then. so lets take number 11, a track that wasn't a track on the original LP; "Jack Frost And the Hooded Crow". It has a funny sounding pace and some high level British singing harmonies.


Part 5
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
RadioDJ: If I don't totally remember wrong, you had things running big with Tarot after the CD release in 1986, I mean, your ballet was spinning a quite huge arsenal back then already?
Marco: Yeah, back then we were still a band with two guitars and our gear consisted of four cabinets per individual so it made a dozen with my four bass cabinets added. We could build a nice wall of them on stage, but at least here in Finland there were quite a number of venues where we had to shrink it because of lack of space.
RadioDJ: Right, those gear couldn't fit in every venue for sure.
Marco: Yeah, but we felt that we'd start with an attitude; we weren't going to look humble a bit. But right when we come to the 90's the whole stage culture of rock bands in Finland was withering, moving to smaller and even smaller in clubs where the full arsenal wasn't necessary any more.
------------------------
Marco: Right, Judas Priest from year 1980, the album "British Steel" with the cover which digussed my pals while it looks like: "Shit, the blade is sinking in those fingers" - just like it actually is doing. On this CD we could play "Rapid Fire", just for fun because there you can see how nicely the guys did it all back then, a few years before the Germans found out about the double-bass and almost ruined it all. I think they have a clear touch in this, even though theu were tagged as "leather-heavy" band and later we learned about Halford's sexual preferences, but in this band we can hear once again how the guys have paid attention to the certain good thing: the groove of a rock band. It is there, really clear, these guys know how to kick the thing moving.

Part 6
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
RadioDJ: In your opinion, what do you see you have given to Nightwish, you must have brought something with you in the band.
Marco: Yeah, right... A band is always the sum of it's elements, I mean all the people with their own playing style, own touch and own sound put together the band. I've got one fifth in there with my bass sound - and vocal sound whenever it is presented - but then again, it is also possible to direct the sound image of the band and how it'll turn out to the way I want with my own input. I have tried to make the bass ground, put in my personal whirl and groove as much as possible, to bring in the heavyness and the drive at the same time.
------------------------
Marco: Let's take my favorite vocalists: Here are Soundgarden with Chris Cornell on top, the guy has done a number of solos after that and been in Audioslave and so on. This Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger" is in my opinion the album where the guy is on the top of his task as a singer. On this CD we could play any track but let's take number one "Rusty Cage", it's a nice little rock song: I consider this CD first class though I like the next also and the first CD of Audioslave, but following releases did leave me with litte less to gain. But the first, in there I think are a few hell of a good songs. In his solo material, part of it I like, part of it I don't like. In some songs it goes too much into "who cares" -pop. What he has made with bands, the material has been more unite and more harder, of which I have liked more.


Part 7
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
Marco: So, here we have "Master Of Puppets" which was my first real touch to the band. This is from 1986, back then we had our first Tarot single out, we happened to own a pile of Marhalls and we were hired to take the pile to Saapasjalka Rock. We hauled the pile there and it was to make the backline for Metallica. The American tehcnicians were wondering why all of them were real cabinets, because at home they always got empty fake boxes to make the wall with only one or two real cabinets among them. Well those all were real ...maybe we could have made it cheaper if we had bought fake boxes.
Anyway, at that time I had heard "Ride The Lightning" and a couple of songs from "Kill'em all" but those didn't do much to me, even I liekd "To Whom The Bells Toll". Then I went to see the band, they had the Marshall piles there and played, but their sound technician wasn't in too good shape, the sound was all a mess. But the crowd went totally nuts and I still kept wondering what was it all about. Next weel I went to a record shop in Kuopio and listened through "Puppets", went to bank and took out my last 50 marks - it was marks back then - bought the album, went home and made a pot of tea, The I listened to the album through seven times in a row - and realized it was helluva good!
------------------------
Marco: Now we could play a rather long one "Things That Should Not Be" because I can find certain familiarities: I have read my Lovecraft, too.
RadioDJ: Tell us still, when you saw At Saapasjalka Rock sometime back in the 80's metallica live, you watched them quite near. How did their show look to you, what kind of memories it created?
Marco: The problem was that their sound was such a mess that I couldn't get a clue. Of course I saw that the guys were on it with a grin on their faces. playing with great touch and high drive but while I hadn't listened to their albums well so I couldn't recognize through the messy sound which song was on or waht was happening. A few times at a more silent spot like "Sanitarium" I could tell the guitars were cool, but most of the gig went by mostly because the sound technician was completely screwing it up.
RadioDJ: Since then you have seen Metallica a few times though?
Marco: Yes, I've seen them a couple of times since then allrigt!

Part 8
Marco: Moi! This is Marco Hietala, I'm the DJ-guest at Rock Afternoon today.
------------------------
RadioDJ: Were you involved in choosing the new vocalist Anette Olzon or was it Tuomas alone?
Marco: Yes, I was. It was all very democratic process.
RadioDJ: Obviously there were many kinds of applicants, at least there wasn't an acute lack of them.
Marco: No, there wasn't lack of them, actually we could have made with little less. It took many nights listening [to demos], part of which were good and some were so funny that they had to be replayed even several times.
But in the end we were in unison with the decicion. We had our camp divided for a short time when we had reduced possibilities down into two applicants. Then we took a thorough research on the aspects which we all as a band would appreciate the most and as the result ended up with her.
RadioDJ: Can you tell us what made the scales tip to Anette Olzon's side?
Marco: I think it was particularly what we heard; that she had both tecnical maturity and personality, the tight sound when she sings high and loud, we liked it and also the softer side, basically everything possible in her. When we auctioned a few applicants at practicing- and studio sessions we found out that with her it was quite easy to go to studio and bring up a brand new song, show her the melody and she'd start singing it like that. Her understanding and ability to take over a new song was of top class.
RadioDJ: Some have criticized that she hasn't got any heavy metal background and she's too much an "ABBA"-singer.
Marco: It may be... Okay com'on, what is a heavy metal background? When someone has performed with rock bands playing basically American rock with distorted guitars and songs in the same western notation scales. Now she'd move into this material where the trust in the basic recipe with verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern isn't so immense. I can't believe that it made too big a change for her.
------------------------
Marco: Shall we take AC/DC? Here we have a live release which make a specimen of a perfect album and to go for it we'll put on a track straight from the beginnign: "Riff Raff". If I called the Megadeth CD the best played metal album in the world this band may well be the hardest rock band in the world, at least they have been some day but nowdays it may have changed because the guys have made with somewhat easier touch quite a lot of stuff but when you play this, you can hear that back then they were insanely tight.

Журнал BRAVO, 2004 год



Не знаю, в какой теме лучше выложить. Перепечатанная статья. В нашей версии наверняка многое выдумали. Текст не совпадает с оригинальным (кажется, на форуме Тарьи выкладывали англоязычную статью) и сам по себе язык очень странный, но предостережение автора попало в точку. Совпадение. %

Будущее туманно: Nightwish

Спокойствие и только спокойствие! Никаких сушёных лягушек, никакого эликсира из зубов таракана и ушей гремучей змеи.! Предсказательница Шоана – ведьма цивилизованная. Сердце готической красавицы Тарьи Турунен из Nightwish бьётся не быстрее, чем на приёме у стоматолога. Сейчас она узнает своё будущее. Вот на столе появляется волшебный хрустальный шар. Включаем запись…

Шоана (солидным басом): Спокойно, Тарья! Шар показывает, что ты уравновешенный, но весьма чувствительный человек Ты стоишь на кануне великих совершений!
Тарья (в сторону диктофона): Это уж точно – весной мы с группой попрёмся в тур по Европе и Южной Америке. Если я не кончусь там от усталости, попробую по возвращению заняться оперным пением… Там случайно, об этом ничего нет?
Шоана: Да – вижу, вижу! Погоди… дай-ка мне ещё свою руку. О, это ясно как божий день! Скоро тебе придется расстаться со своей группой! У вас ведь уже были разногласия, не так ли? Учти, тучи сгущаются. Через два года может разразиться настоящий гром!
Тарья: Так, приехали. Вот тебе и «путь великих совершений»! А что на семейном фронте?
Шоана: Сейчас… Как зовут твоего мужа?
Тарья: Марчелло Кабули.
Шоана: Будь внимательнее к нему. Хотя ваша любовь и сильна, постоянные переезды её не укрепляют. Вы должны почаще наслаждаться совместно проведанным временем!
Тарья: Угу, почаще! Я вечно в разъездах. Марчелло тоже постоянно мотается в свой Буэнос-Айрес…
Шоана: Он бизнесмен?
Тарья: Вроде того. Шеф лейбла NEMS. Но мы с ним прекрасно понимаем друг друга!
Шоана: Это хорошо, но я предвижу любовную тоску… Вытяни три карты из моей колоды. Тогда мы узнаем больше!
Тарья: Так, сейчас. Какой рукой?.. Раз, два, три.
Шоана (торжествующе): Первая карта – «деньги»!
Тарья (разочарованно): Ну, деньги для меня мало значат.
Шоана: Вторая карта – «вор». Кое-кто точит на тебя зуб! А вот третья карта – «женщина, глядящая в море». Что я говорила! Ты ведь скучаешь по своему мужу, не правда ли?
Тарья (тихо): Да, от этого очень больно. Иначе бы я не пела…
Шоана: У вас бывают размолвки?
Тарья: Марчелло хочет детей, а я пока не готова…
Шоана: Сейчас проверим. Вот магический маятник, он предсказывает материнство. Подожди-ка… совсем не двигается!
Тарья: Эй-эй-эй! Это что значит – я никогда не стану матерью?
Шоана: Нет, видишь маятник начал раскачиваться! Это значит… это значит, что около тридцати лет ты родишь девочку!
Тарья: А, ну ладно. Слушай, а это не поздновато? Я не буду слишком стар для этого?
Шоана: Дай-ка мне ещё раз твою руку. Нет, нормально. Хотя когда-нибудь ты состаришься… будешь жить в своей родной Финляндии в уютном маленьком домике… И помогать обездоленным.
Тарья: Понятно. Буду мыть полы в благотворительной столовой для бедных. По крайней мере, не умру с голода.

Сандра Весл.

Кажется, раньше этот скан был только в плохом качестве.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee298/Cynwise/Nightwish2001.jpg

Интервью с Марко и Туомасом в марте этого года перед шоу в Амстердаме. Упоминается Россия в разговоре об отличительных чертах разных стран. У Марко явно наша страна ассоциируется с чем-то тоталитарным.

The Finnish band Nightwish already exists for about twelve years and has had “only” two band member changes in this whole period: in 2001 bassist Sami Vänskä was replaced by Marco Hietala and in 2005 their popular front woman Tarja Turunen had to leave. The Swede Anette Olzon was chosen to be the new face of Nightwish. The golden and platinum records did not decrease, on the contrary. The band has shows all over the world and has a guaranteed flock of fans behind them. Since “Dark Passion Play” was released the first Dutch show with all the new band members is an excellent opportunity to talk with the brain behind Nightwish, Tuomas Holopainen and singer/bass player Marco Hietala, joined by members of the Dutch fan club Stargazers.



You were in Amsterdam for a signing session. Did you have time to see the city as well?

M: We have been to Amsterdam before. This time I just stayed in my hotel room and drank a lot of water, read and slept. Touring can be very tiresome and always after the show we are straight en route again.

T: The atmosphere in the group is very important, it has so much improved now. We are now one team again.

M: Indeed, if we have differences in opinions, we always talk about straight away and get it over with, much more openness.



Did you change some of the arrangements because of the different voice of Anette?

T: Strangely enough we nearly changed nothing. It is the same sort of tone and the same instruments. The only difference is that old numbers are now much more fun to play. They have a different “vibe” due to the different interpretation.

M: They sound so much fresher now. As a singer I had to get used to the different partner of course, also because of the timing. I adjusted some of the background vocals, but it only got easier all way long.



Did you have a special source of inspiration for the music on Dark Passion Play?

T: It is not a dramatic album. Of course we have used some of the things that happened in 2005 for the music and several lyrics have directly or indirectly to do with it.



How does Anette deal with the fact that she is the only woman in the group and can she handle the tough program of touring?

M: It surely is not easy to be the only woman amongst all the guys but she handles this remarkably well. Regarding touring, she still makes progress and something like this has to be done slowly, one step at a time. She can use every day as a learning moment.

T: Look, we have been doing this sort of work already for ten years and she has had to adjust to the pace, the impact of a much larger audience, the interviews and coming face to face with fans. Just like having to deal with the stress and pressure that a life like this puts on you. It will take her a year to make this life her own. She had a hard time in the beginning and also had to battle a flu …



APPLICANTS



To find a good successor for Tarja Turunen, you launched a wide campagne through the Internet. How many reactions did you receive?

T: About 2000. (interviewer is totally gobsmacked)

M: It sounds a lot but sometimes you just have to listen to the first few notes in order to know whether this voice will work or not.

T: During a period of 14 months we have listened to about 650 vocalists and we had lots of laughs. Sometime just reading the accompanying letter is enough: “Dear Nightwish, I am 13 years old, but nearly 14…” (both laugh)



How did you end up with Anette and did the ability to handle show elements matter at all for this decision?

T: After the first selection we had around 50 canditates remaining. We sent them an instrumental version of Once and asked them to sing a few songs for us. From that we selected 10 canditates, from which Anette was one.

M: We wanted to meet all 10 of them personally and tried some stuff in the studio. Sometimes old songs, sometimes something newer and after those sessions we have unanomously elected Anette. We did not consider show elements at all. If a candidate appeared very shy it also told us a lot about future stage performances. You can judge people pretty good on how they will perform. With Anette is was a perfect choice because this missy has a lot of energy, sometimes a little too much (laughs)!



PlAYING IN THE BACKGROUND



Are there any plans at this moment to go back to the studio?

T: Good Lord, we just came out of it! We do have one new song in the meantime, though.

M: Maybe in the future we will go back to the studio but right now definitely not. This tour is very long, also because we play on different continents. We are now already booked until Oktober 2008, also for some gings in the spring of 2009 and not to forget the summer festivals.

T: I do not expect us to go back to studio before 2010.



Is it true that you will never play Stargazers and Phantom of the Opera live because they were tailored to fit Tarja?

T: This is not correct when it comes to Stargazers, it is only a rumour. A song as Phantom and some others we might leave for what they are, but I think that just about the whole back ground catalogue of our songs can be performed by Anette without a problem.



Tuomas, some time ago you said that you would like to have more balance in the male and female vocals: it appears to me that Marco made another important step for that role on Dark Passion Play. Is the current balance something that you had in mind?

T: I think so, because it worked out really well and came to exist in a very natural way. With time Marco got a more important role but we did not do this consciously. Yes, I am very satisfied with it.

M: Even though I do not have to be the center of attention and like playing the bass in the background is fine, I have my own baggage as an advantage. But I cannot deny that it gives you a certain amount of satisfaction.



ST. MARTIN



On the last two albums the orchestra and the choir have got an important role: did you ask for DPD members of the famous Academy of St.Martin in the Fields?

T: Yes that is correct, although we do not hae permission to use that famous name, but most of the musicians do play in that orchestra.



Do you still have a show, and possibly even a DVD, with a classical orchestra on your wish list? Is this something that has now come within reach?

T: I actually see this happening, but the band will have to play in cmplete balance with the orchestra and the choir. And not only Nightwish songs, played in a classical way.

M: To prepare something like that is very precious but also time consuming. Not so much the arrangements but mainly the correct way of leading the orchestra. Especially the moments that the band and the audience interact will be of particuliar importance.



Pip Williams is once again responsible for the orchestra on DPP. Why and what influence do you have on the end result?

T: The cooperation on Once was great, that is why we knew we would work again with him. The six months before all arrangements were taken care of and all pieces had been played and prepared, Pip and I called each other at least twice a day to discuss the progress and new ideas. Everyone of Pip’s suggestions has been run by me, but there are a lot of pieces on the album that he came up with, that we could have never thought of by ourselves. We owe him a lot!



Some fans complain about the amount of different variations that come with one single, being brought out for sale by the record company…

M: I used to collect myself everything a band would bring out, but I did not expect any of that. It surely must have an added value and that is nice for the collectors. From the point of view of the record company I can imagine why they are doing it: they want to make as much profit from it as possible, of course!

EVEN MORE BOMBASTIC



The last show in the Netherlands was gigantic, with fireworks, rain and dress changes of the front woman. Who thinks of those show elements and what more possibilities are there?

T: It is a cooperation between the band, the crew and the technicians. We do not do the rain anymore (there is enough outside, he grins) because it took too much cleaning up work to d afterwards.

M: We would like to have the mega-screens but for that we will have to get bigger as a band first. They are really very expensive, also if you take the programming into account.



You play and sing with the help backing vocals en orchestras which you digitally remaster. Don’t you miss that you cannot improvise?

M: This fact brings a tight structure with it. On the other hand we have every night a difference audience, an adjusted light show and we play little parts a little different. A song like Last of the Wild has never been played the same, as a matter of fact.



What has been for your own development the most important happening? Was that the switch to Marco or the departure of Tarja or something else?

T: Marco’s arrival was without a doubt a more significant change for the band than the switching of front woman and I am not talking about the depression period we had to go through.



DISNEY



When I let 10 years of Nightwish pass by I cannot help but notice that music is getting rougher and even more bombastic, for instance with the help of the choir and the orchestra. The singing on the other hand seems to get a more poppier character. Is there even another step upwards that you can take and what did you learn?

T: I think we can easily take another step upwards, I already have some ideas in mind. What is much more important is that we all stand behind what we are doing and that we have fun doing it. During a tour, no matter how stressful it is, the show is the highlight of the day. Usually the things that surround the show are not so much fun and can ruin your day sometimes, like being lonely, the travelling, the hotels and having to wait around. The biggest lesson I have learned in the last years is to become happy. My life has the perfect balance now.



Tuomas, how come your keyboard is tilted in such a weird angle, does this play comfortable at all?

T: If you stand your wrists will be in a very unnatural angle, which I do not find comfortable and to sit down when you play keyboard in a metal band is just “not done”, so to tilt the keyboard is the only logical choice. And on top if it all, it even looks “funky”.



What is for you the most important thing outside of Nightwish and what is the most important lesson that you have learned from your career.

T: (takes a long time thinking about it) My disney collection, I collect all the books.

M: There is one thing that fills me with even more pride than Nightwish and these are my sons. They are 6 years old now and will be going to school next year. That will be scary!



THIN LIZZY



Are there any artists or bands that you adore? What kind of music are you listening to?

M: There are so many names, but mostly songs itself instead of whole albums. At the moment I am going through a nostalgic period and listen a lot to Thin Lizzy.

T: One of my latest CDs is the Leonard Cohen compilation album.



What are the plans for the new album? Will Tuomas again write all compositions or will there be more influence from all the band members?

T: (sighs) Actually I would be so happy if the others would deliver more. My dream is to make an album as a group, but I guess that will remain a dream. What I am aiming for however is a tighter cooperation. Regarding the lyrics, I am and will remain a tyran: I have to have the last say.



How is the communication with Anette going until now?

T: No problem at all. We mainly speak English with each other, although Anette picks up Finnish very quickly, mainly the dirty words (smiles). Finnish is grammer wise a very difficult language and to be honest that is the reason why I prefer to write my songs in English. If I try to write them in Finnish, I always end up having dirty lyrics, I just don’t get it (hearty laugh).

M: You can really tell that she learns every day some more and most of all understands what is being said.

KITCHEN TABLE



In the booklet of the last album is a man lying on a kitchen table next to “The Poet and the Pendulum”. Tuomas, is that you?

T: Yes that is me. I came up with the idea myself and of course it was one of my deepest wishes to be lying on a kitchen table getting photographed (Marco bursts out in laughing). At least this dream came true.



What has been the highlight for you until now, nevermind in what respect?

T: (thinks deeply) I think this album and the way how the band has been able to be reborn and rise from the ashes. For me personally this means resurrection and I think I have become much stronger because of it.

M: I think I totally agree. The fact that this album hit the charts like a comet in so many countries and that so many shows were booked (and sometimes sold out as quick as lightening) gave us a lot of energy and self esteem.



Do you know what caused all the positive reactions to Dark Passion Play?

T: It just is a very honest album. I think that a lot of people expected that we would helplessly fail and that the album was therfore kind of a surprise.



IN AMSTERDAM YOU CAN JUST WALK AROUND, WHILST IN CHINA YOU WILL BE STARED AT AND PHOTOGRAPHED ALL THE TIME.



Do you notice any difference in how people deal with you in all the different continents?

T: There are huge differences, for instance between the Netherlands and China. Everyone here speaks English and you can easily make yourself understood.

M: In Amsterdam you can just walk around, whilst in China you will be stared at and photographed all the time, as if you are some sort of freak. In Russia people are not used to being free, you are a part of the machinery, whilst in the US people are very pleasant and open. You will only have to watch what you eat there because before you know it, you will be fat.


What does the phenomenom “fan club” mean for you?

M: It is a huge responsibility if you play in a band that touches so many people and can motivate them to influence their lives in a positive way

T: It is a great honour and also a compliment if people are supporting you in such a way, just like here in the Netherlands Stargazers. We experience working with fan clubs as very positively and in no way it feels like a burden.

Сканы:
http://s521.photobucket.com/albums/w334/stargazeress/Nightwish/?action=view&current=IOpageone.jpg
http://s521.photobucket.com/albums/w334/stargazeress/Nightwish/?action=view&current=IOpagetwo.jpg
http://s521.photobucket.com/albums/w334/stargazeress/Nightwish/?action=view&current=IOpagethree.jpg
http://s521.photobucket.com/albums/w334/stargazeress/Nightwish/?action=view&current=IOpagefour.jpg

А это ревью концертов NW на Lowlands разных лет (2003, 2005, 2008).

NIGHTWISH BRINGS PERFECT SHOW

OLD FASHIONED METAL WITH A GOTHIC TINT

The Finns bring little news, but don’t leave anything up to coincidence and give the present metalheads what they paid for.

CONCERT: Nightwish, Alpha, Friday 29 August 2003
MUSIC: Nightwish is often pushed into the corner of gothic metal, but this is not the entirely right place for them. The Finns actually make decent, nearly old-fashioned power metal, that gets most of its gothic tint because of Tarja Turunen’s opera-voice.
PLUS: The perfect metal-show Nightwish shows. Everything’s right: a full and big noise, a decent light-show, attention for the clothes of the band (the musicians mainly in black and singer Tarja fully in white) and moves of the musicians on stage. Tarja moves her hair lusty up and down and guitarist and bassist are constantly moving and take traditional metal-poses (next to each other, leg spread, and move in the rhythm of the music back and forth) several times, till the hearable pleasure of the audience. The crowd is also stimulated by Tarja to work out too and the hands with the infamous devil-sign raise often enthustiacally. It seems for a moment that the band stops playing ten minutes earlier than the schedule says, but the audience takes care of the quintet’s return for an encore, while clapping and stamping.
MINUS: The mix of decent, but pretty old-fashioned power metal of the group and the opera-voice of Tarja still doesn’t come out live as it should, neither on album. That’s why the Finnish band is not really gothic metal, because in that case the music and the voice should work better together. For the rest, Nightwish makes a mistake every now and then, and the show brings for people who have seen them before little news.
CONCLUSION:[/b] The concert of Nightwish brings little news, but is really decent and makes the heart of every metal-fan beat harder undoubtedly.
MARK: 7.5



http://3voor12.vpro.nl/3voor12/festivals/n...p;news=23806374 (internet source)
NIGHTWISH DISAPPOINTS

FINNISH METAL-BAND DROPS TOO MANY POINTS

The Finns fulfill their musical duty, but it’s by far not good enough to give them good marks.

CONCERT: Nightwish, Alpha-tent, Saturday 19 August, Lowlands 2005
MUSIC: Gothic metal
PLUS: The Finns do their duty and deliver a pretty concert – including a huge box of light – which makes the fans in the front-row happy.
MINUS: Who looks a bit further than the average fan, frowns his eyebrows regularly though. First of all it’s a bit complicated with the songs that tend to be power metal and the high soprano voice of singer Tarja Turunen. In many gothic metal bands these elements of the arrangements are tuned better to each other. Now there are more tracks on the new album sung by bassist Marco Hietala and Tarja also tried to use her voice differently, but live the above mentioned problem keeps troubling. Moreover, the performance of some songs – among them the not so long ago released single Nemo – sucks pretty much. And the show didn’t change much compared to earlier gigs.
CONCLUSION: Nightwish fulfills their duty for the fans decently, but doesn’t play well enough to make it a perfect and memorable concert.
MARK: 5


Nightwish: the Bon Jovi of symphonic metal

TWO FINGERS UP AND SCREAM ALONG

The Nightwish-family has a new member. The pyrotechnician has a baby. Yay! The real fans of the Finnish band - and that's quite many - will probably accept the new offspring with love. To have a party to his new gain, the pyrotechnician may click the buttons of the pyro-pots few times more often than usual. That goes perfectly into the rhythm, the man knows his job very well. But what do you think: if you're as long on top as Nightwish, you must be in flames always.

CONCERT
Nightwish, Lowlands Alpha, Saturday 16 August 2008

MUSIC
By the end of 2005 Nightwish-face Tarja Turunen was kicked out of the band. She was replaced by Anette Olzon. That's not just a nose-job, that's a complete facelift. But as if nothing has happened, Nightwish stays on top of the symphonic metal.

PLUS
Anette looks like a very normal girl. Exactly like those girls in the front-row, who are sometimes on the camera and know all the lyrics by heart. Fortunetaly she doesn't wear such an overdone soup-dress, even if a more extreme outfit hadn't been scandalous. Though she's not a brilliant singer, her arrival has given the band fresh energy. You never have the impression to watch an over-routined machine. Guitarist Erno Vuorinen and bassist Marco Hietala (with a beard of a Scandinavian magician) make a lot of eye-contact with the fans in the front-row. Nightwish knows what it's all about: the fans. With all those years of experience, the show stands as a solid wall. Playing good they can, those Finns.

MINUS
Nightwish is the Bon Jovi of the symphonic power metal. The band is big in oppotunistic sing-along songs. Wish! Master! Where our own Within Temptation still tries to to create a dark and mysterious atmoshpere, Nightwish doesn't do more than a thin coat. Would the Nightwish-hits be available in the Finnish karaoke-bars?

CONCLUSION
If you do want to watch a symphonic power metal band, you better do it right. That means: with everything included. Fireworks, a big stage, big gestures and an epic shown megalomania. And now from the bottom of your toes! Wish I Had An Aaaaaangel!

MARK
6.5

ха, явно приревновали успех Найтов и постарались еще и Визинам рекламу сделать

Ой, как смачно и совершенно справедливо приложили концерт в 2005... Он был отрватительным, но чтобы понять, что действительно происходит в группе, это надо было увидеть. Помню, смотрела его и думала - ну ребята, пора вам на заслуженный покой. Либо... либо-)

Интервью из нового Kerrang! от Faith_ c оф. форума, чтобы всё было понятно - с комментариями Faith_.

NW have a quick mention on the Contents page – for page 16, which has the Wacken review, there's a photo of Anette and the caption ”60,000 hairy German men and one lovely lady...”

The Wacken review is just one big one for every band, so Nightwish's bit is just one sentence, but it is a damn good sentence, so that (sort of) makes up for the shortness
”Nightwish (KKKKK) seem confidently at ease as headliners, Anette Olzon flirtatiously rejuvenating the old classics and providing a presence as dazzling as the inevitably spectacular pyrotechnics.”

How Was It For You? – Tuomas Holopainen
”It's really great to play here because it's huge, and all metal. I missed Carcass, which is a shame as they were a really important band to me growing up. I could hear them though.”

(KKKKK is the highest rating btw, for anyone not familiar with Kerrang, and it doesn't happen overly often, so I was very pleased And Carcass got KKKKK as well, so Tuomas obviously missed a good show )


Treasure Chest – Tuomas Holopainen
An Intimate Portrait Of A Life In Rock

The Subject...
”It's a brave band who fire their singer at the height of success, but while Tarja Turunen may have been the voice and face of Nightwish, it's Tuomas Holopainen's musical brain that turned Nightwish from an acoustic campfire sing-song into one of the biggest bands in Europe.
From an early age, Holopainen learned piano, but had no interest in metal until his school foreign exchange partner took him to see Metallica in America, and he became hooked. Forming Nightwish with friends from school, their original acoustic plan quickly gave way to a fusion of heavy metal power and the extravagant, epic imaginative scope of opera.
Roping in the London Session Orchestra to further Nightwish's classical bent for 2004's huge-selling Once, Holoapinen's vision took Nightwish to Europe's big league, before shocking fans by sacking Turunen after the final date of their world tour in October 2005. But those who worried about the end of Nightwish should have had more faith, because as 2007's Dark Passion Play – their first record with new singer Anette Olzon – proved, as long as Holopainen is tickling the ivories, Nightwish will continue.”

The First Steps - Angels Fall First
” It came about in August 1996, around a campfire. We were at my summer cabin, a bunch of friends camping out, barbarcuing, singing songs, and then it just hit me that I wanted to start a band with that kind of mood. But we were far too ambitious at that time for it to remain simply acoustic, and making music with only acoustic guitar, keyboards and a female voice was just a bit boring, and we naturally started heading in a heavier direction.
The funny thing about Angels Fall First is that it was only supposed to be a demo to send out to record labels. But then Spinefarm heard it and though it was perfect, so they put it out as it was with no remixing or anything. I used to be a bit embarrassed but now I can feel proud and nostalgic about those songs.”
Did You Know: the original pressing featured Holopainen's home contact address, an accident from reprinting the demo sleeve for the album.

The Breakthrough - Oceanborn
”We got really ambitious after Angels Fall First, because that was never really meant to be released as a proper record, it happened almost by accident, so we decided to put everything into making Oceanborn great.
We were all such amateurs when it came to recording. We didn;t really know what we were doing, so we were just experimenting with a lot of different things, we even brought in this string trio who were complete shit, then another violin, then another violin on top. So we ended up with Moondance having 20 tracks of violin, just because we hadn't done this before and didn't know what we were doing! It's a pretty stuffed album, but I also thing it's one of our best because you can hear the excitement of trying all these new things.
It seems strange that this became a breakthrough album, because back at that time the music was so funny. It was really operatic, and what you look at the pictures, they're pretty horrific.”
Did You Know: for all its Royal Albert Hall grandiosity, Oceanborn was actually recorded in a Finnish school.

Edit: last bit

The Big Idea – Once
”Doing this kind of really orchestral, symphonic stuff for four albums, you have to be prepared to take the next step and go 10 step beyond, and that's how we ended up with the [London Session] Orchestra. At that time we also had the financial resources to do it. This was like our second breakthrough in a way; Oceanborn broke us, but Once took us to the big league.
Musically, it was pretty laid back from our side because everyone involved in the orchestra really knew their stuff, so we basically spent two days lying on the couch hearing all these people playing our songs, enjoying every moment. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The first song they started to play was Ghost Love Score, we had no idea what to expect and I just thought, “this can't be happening!”
Did You Know: the orchestra on Once also performed the soundtrack for the Lord Of The Rings films.

The Rebirth – Dark Passion Play
”After we split with Tarja, we started writing without a singer and it was quite a liberating feeling. We knew the right girl was out their somewhere, so we could just concentrate on the music. It took 10 months in the studio to make, but the atmosphere was so good and liberating there was a lot of bittersweet relief in the air. I was an extremely inspirational time. It was really exciting.
When I think back to it, it was such a crucial point for so many people, we didn't even realise back then but it showed us what we would be doing for the next year of our lives. We were never nervous about Anette, or the album being good, but we just couldn't tell how people would take it. Would they like Anette? Would they like the music? That was in the back of our minds the whole time. And there was such a huge amount of money involved, over 800,000 euros [about £630,000], that we needed to sell at least a few albums to keep going!”
Did You Know: pre-orders for Dark Passion Play had it certified gold in Finland before it had even been released.

Essential Nightwish Tracks!
Elvenpath – Sacrament Of Wilderness – She Is My Sin – Wishmaster – Bless The Child – Dark Chest Of Wonders – Nemo – Bye Bye Beautiful - Amaranth

Bravo (Словения) о NW на фестивале EXIT (Nessa Elensar).

After Exit

Four days passed in a second and again it begins- a new countdown, which will last a little longer. That means we still have time to bring up some memories. So…

Nightwish

We expected: A team of experienced virtuosos as befits to gothic metal. A teen-public.
We got: A new singer with hypnotic voice, hypnotic melodies with quality musical accompaniment – unforgettable for all Nightwish fans. The stage performance was exceptional and gothic because of the flaming torches. And, as we expected, the main stage was filled with young euphoric fans.
Highlight: The whole concert was a highlight, regarding to the youth of the fans and enthusiasm of the public.
Deservedly: An A plus!

caption: New singer Anette in grandma’s knitted dress.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22117408@N06/2780943614/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22117408@N06/2780087135/

Недавнее видео-интервью Туомаса
http://www.bluewin.ch/de/index.php/753,38008/?asset_id=5992

http://www2.kerrang.com/2008/08/postcards_from_wacken_2008.html
интервью с Туомасом и другими участниками Wacken Open Air 2008