Band:	Nightwish
Album:	Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Style:	Symphonic power metal, Symphonic metal
Release date:	March 2015

01. Shudder Before The Beautiful
02. Weak Fantasy
03. Èlan
04. Yours Is An Empty Hope
05. Our Decades In The Sun
06. My Walden
07. Endless Forms Most Beautiful
08. Edema Ruh
09. Alpenglow
10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula
11. The Greatest Show On Earth
12. Sagan [bonus]

Short answer: Yeah, it's really great.

Long answer: The music is sumptuous and lovely, larger than life, and whisking us away on journey after journey. It's a sweet album of awesome songs, and doesn't try to be some over the top attempt at grandly announcing a new era for the band. It's simply a great album. And that was a smart move.

With still more stories to tell, Tuomas and Company introduce two new members and a host of new sounds at their disposal. Songs flow into each other deliciously, and this record could easily be introducing old fans to new favorite songs.

But who cares, right? Get to the vocals.

Greetings fans of ReVamp, After Forever, Star One, etc., Leave your expectations at the door. Better yet, destroy them entirely. Welcome to the cosmic and fantastic world of Nightwish and get ready to love a new side of the goddess Floor Jansen.

She's not balls-out 100% of the time like we're used to hearing. Something new is in the forefront: storytelling. Let yourself go along with her to the edges of the earth and beyond to new fantastic landscapes. Listen as she savors words, deliciously delivers poetic phrases, and uses her vast vocal tools to take you with her for every note.

And it's not all just pretty singing about pretty places. The dark "Weak Fantasy" has become one of my favorite tracks and can I just say, Floor sounds fierce on this chorus. It juxtaposes two sides of her voice nicely and allows her to really lean into a more versatile delivery. And this song is just the first example.

Some (most everyone) will accuse Tuomas of not utilizing this absolute gift of her powerful voice, and I admit I began with that same frustrated and confused mindset. Then I remembered how, several years ago, Floor discussed her excitement to explore new vocal styles on the first ReVamp album, as well as expressing in other subsequent interviews this same joy of exploring different and softer sides of her voice. You gotta remember: Floor's default setting is Balls To The Wall. It's goddamn 11 when she opens her mouth. Most singers work for years to achieve 40% of what she does so naturally. Maybe she craves the challenge of pulling back, finding the soft and sweet side, the lows, the hushed serenade, as well as an even harsher side.

Don't worry too much: she still lets loose from time to time. But I've come to greatly enjoy many of her beautiful experiments here, even if it's not the powerful beast with whom we've danced before.

The ever-so-slightly less famous other new member, Troy Donockley, really shines on folk-oriented "My Walden," which opens with his vocals before featuring his pipes in splendid fashion. This song showcases the same sweeping orchestrations as many other tracks, and is thus fitting in context, yet the diversion down such a solidly folk music path is a welcome exploration.

It's worth noting that all three vocalists fit impeccably together. It's rare to find such voices that blend so well while still maintaining their individual strengths.

There are a few distinctly "Dead Gardens" chugging riffs and it's nice to hear them, I must admit. With all the beauty and the sweeping orchestrations that are packed into this record, the heaviness and slight crunch keep it grounded.

It's not all roses, however. Let's discuss the downsides.

You all know how much I loathe spoke word and unfortunately we're not only greeted with an opening narrator but also graced with a HUGE monologue in the 25:00 closer. I hate spoken word on metal albums, you know I do. But what do I hate more? Oh, yes, there is one thing. So, there I was rocking out to this awesome record and then

it

happened.

Children's chorus. No.... I just can't.

Please never put a children's chorus on any albums that aren't being sold exclusively to their PTA.

There's also a few times when Tuomas mails it in, composition-wise. Like that painfully awkward key change around 4:00 of "Alpenglow" that sounds like your record needle suddenly jumped and skipped half the song, and the just terrible text setting in the beginning of the title track. No, you don't emphasize the word "THE" by itself. Twice. Seriously, dude. That's like vocal arranging 101. Schubert is rolling over in his grave.

Pretty moderate complaints amidst so much to love. In the end, everyone will come up with their own flaws; it's the cost of success. With more fans come more critics. However, as a devoted Floor fan who initially didn't love this album but was very, very quickly won over, I'm confident this kick-ass record can earn your love on its own. The inherent catchiness in much of this album wormed its way into my heart. Enjoy letting it into yours.