Nightwish Biography

Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Finland. It was formed in 1996 by Tuomas (keyboard), Emppu (guitar) and Tarja (lead singer). Marco (bassist and male vocalist) joined them in 2002. After their international breakthrough with Oceanborn (1998), the band’s success only expanded. Nightwish is considered the most successful Finnish band of all times.

Tarja

In 1996, Tuomas Holopainen came with the idea of an experimental acoustic band. He already had songs, which he had wrote in the army, thus all he needed was a guitarist and a classic opera singer. He recruited Emppu and Tarja, and the three released their first demo. With a polished and original sound, the band released their first album, in 1997, Angels Fall First. It was a major success in Finland but did not make an international impact.

The metal band’s global debut was one year later, due to the release of Oceanborn. The album spawned the number one hit Sacrament of Wilderness. Furthermore, the 1999 single, Sleeping Sun, received immense praise in Europe. Consequently, the band’s next album, Wishmaster topped the Finnish charts, and also charted in France and Germany. In 2001, Nightwish released an Over the Hills and Far Away, a fan favourite.

In 2002, Marco Hietala joined as the new bassist. The group released the album Century Child, which used an orchestra on several tracks. Additionally, it generated the iconic single Ever Dream. During that period, they also performed their epic cover of The Phantom of the Opera, never sung again after Tarja’s departure. In 2004, the symphonic metal group released their most successful album to date, Once. Not only did it received 3x platinum, it also contained the international hit, Nemo. Moreover, the album featured several other popular songs, such as Dark Chef of Wonders, I Wish I Had an Angel and Planet Hell.

Anette & Floor

In 2005, Tarja left the band and was replaced with Anette Olzon. With her as the vocalist, Nightwish released Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum. Despite the hatred towards the new singer, both albums sold very well and reached international charts, including the US Billboard. Actually, Amaranth is one of the band’s most well-known singles. Marco became more implicated as a talented singer, providing vocals for many songs, such as Bye Bye Beautiful and The Islander. Regarding Imaginaerum, it received an art movie based on the stories depicted by the tracks. The movie features a comatose old man, who gets stuck, due to dementia, into his childhood’s sinister fantasy world.  In 2013 the group welcomed a new lead, Floor Jensen. She provided the main vocals for the acclaimed Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015). Nightwish is currently on a break and will continue their activity in 2018.

Photo source: Discogs