Finland-based symphonic metal masters NIGHTWISH just released their second single, for the title-track “Endless Forms Most Beautiful.”
The four track single is available as a limited edition MCD and 10“ Vinyl which can be ordered here: http://smarturl.it/NIGHTWISH-Endless
Today NIGHTWISH reveal the 18th episode from the album-making-of-series, talking about the North American and Canadian shows during the first part of their “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” world tour.
Watch the 18th episode here: https://goo.gl/1rM8a8
Watch the videos for “Endless Forms Most Beautiful,” “Élan,” and “Shudder Before The Beautiful,” on the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel: https://goo.gl/dBuaX2
ABOUT NIGHTWISH
Hugely influential, unique, and categorically unrivaled in the heavy metal pantheon, Finland-based symphonic master storytellers NIGHTWISH continue to expand the breadth and scope of their artistic vision with each successive release. Having received over sixty Gold and Platinum awards and selling more than seven million albums worldwide, theirs is an esteemed place among Finland’s most successfully exported rock bands.
An avid reader whose childhood aspiration was to become a biologist, NIGHTWISH band leader, song composer, founding member, and keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen cites the works of American humanist, poet, and essayist Walt Whitman, English author & journalist Christopher Hitchens, and English evolutionary biologist & writer, Professor Richard Dawkins as inspirations to the themes explored in the new material that became the band’s forthcoming epic 78-minute album for 2015, Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
The goals for this collection of songs were threefold: 1) To reflect the bliss of existence and its temporary character; 2) To capture the poetic nature of science; and 3) To musically illustrate the capacity of science to be profoundly spiritual. To that end, NIGHTWISH befittingly took up residence in the wilderness of Hattula, Finland with producer Tero “TeeCee” Kinnunen to record their eighth studio release. The album title itself is an excerpt from the writings of English naturalist Charles Darwin, best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory via his 1859 book On the Origin of Species.
A milestone in their 20-year career, Endless Forms Most Beautiful is resplendent in a sophisticated beauty and proudly features the participation of London’s The Metro Voices choir group, London’s Young Musicians Children‘s Choir, and the Orchestre De Grandeur led by the esteemed orchestral arranger Pip Williams, who teaches Music and Music Technology at the London College of Music.
In the album’s opening track, “Shudder Before The Beautiful,” we hear the regal voice of narrator Richard Dawkins, who also recites the Charles Darwin passage that gave the album its name in the album’s grandiose 24-minute closing track, “The Greatest Show On Earth.” An endeavor demanding that attention be paid to the rich detail in its spoken words, lyrics, and background noises, Endless Forms Most Beautiful includes the sounds of animal life on Earth as did the Voyager Golden Records the two space probes launched into interstellar space in 1977. The digital single for “Elán” appropriately includes a bonus track entitled “Sagan,” a musical tribute to American cosmologist, astronomer, and astrophysicist Carl Sagan who hosted the award-winning television series Cosmos back in the 1980s. This program - whose impact continues to radiate around the world - was re-launched in 2014 with new host American cosmologist and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
The compositions on Endless Forms Most Beautiful are on-par with an emotionally engaging film score and brilliantly showcase the talented voice of NIGHTWISH’s electrifying Dutch frontwoman Floor Jansen, who was announced as an official member of the band – along with British multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley – in October of 2014.
The soaring melodies, momentous choruse
