NIGHTWISH Re-Signs With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS

Symphonic metal giants NIGHTWISH, who have worked with Nuclear Blast since the release of their highly lauded 2004 album "Once", have signed a new multi-album deal with the German record label.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen states: "20 years ago our journey together with Nuclear Blast started, and the time has now come to renew our vows. Superbly excited to see what kind of magic we can cook up together this time!"

Nuclear Blast managing director Marcus Hammer states: "It's an honor to renew this partnership to continue writing music history. We're more than proud to carry on the collaboration with this exceptionally gifted group of musicians and their management team. Thanks for your friendship and trust, Floor, Tuomas, Emppu, Troy, Kai and Jukkis. Looking forward to celebrate your upcoming album and everything beyond! Kiitos!"

NIGHTWISH recently completed mixing and mastering its tenth studio album for a tentative late 2024 release.

In January, NIGHTWISH drummer Kai Hahto spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." album in an interview with Laureline Tilkin of Tuonela Magazine. He said: "At least it's not gonna be the same as 'Human. :II: Nature.', so… Probably, let's say that we go back to more heavy, heavier things on the new album, but also there's a lot of, again, new winds to blow, so to speak. So, different new elements. But, of course, it's still NIGHTWISH, but, of course, we brought back the big symphony orchestra again to the new upcoming tenth album. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting. And quite challenging music to play as well."

Asked if he is "in a way happy" that he doesn't have to play the new NIGHTWISH songs live right now, in light of the fact that the band is taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future, Kai said: "No, no, no. Totally opposite. I would love to go and play it live. But hopefully the time will come when we go back, charging the batteries first. Of course, it's nice to be home with the kids and wife and dogs, but still, of course, I've always been a player, so I also like to play for the people. But I believe I'm not gonna be bored. So I have a lot of things in the back of my head. Even NIGHTWISH is now taking a break. So, I'm not gonna be bored."

📢 NEWS 📢

Nightwish renews their partnership with Nuclear Blast

“We made it again!” Nightwish have finished their next studio album

The symphonic metal stars are expected to release a “heavier” 12-song album later this year

(Image credit: Tim Tronckoe)

Nightwish have completely finished making their 10th studio album.

The Finnish symphonic metal band announced that the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s Human :||: Nature has now been fully mixed and mastered with a social media post earlier today (February 29).

They wrote: “Our 10th album is now mixed and mastered.

“Thank you Tero [Kinnunen, sound engineer], Mikko [Karmila, mixing engineer] & Mika [Jussila, mastering engineer] for more than 25 years of shared adventures, music & friendship.

“We made it again!”

Nightwish’s upcoming album is tentatively expected to come out in late 2024, and the band have already revealed that they will not tour to support its release.

In a statement posted in April 2023, Nightwish said: “After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be ‘hanging up our spurs’ for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won’t be touring the next album.”

The reasons for the touring hiatus were described as “personal”, but separate from singer Floor Jansen’s then-pregnancy. The vocalist gave birth to her second child in October 2023.

“Be assured that we still love working together,” the band continued, before promising a 12-song album that would be released in 2024, alongside three music videos.

Speaking to Tuonela magazine last month about what Nightwish’s 10th album will sound like, drummer Kai Hahto said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “It’s not gonna be the same as Human :II: Nature.”

He added: “Probably, let’s say that we go back to more heavy, heavier things on the new album, but also there’s a lot of, again, new winds to blow, so to speak. So, different new elements. But, of course, it’s still Nightwish, but, of course, we brought back the big symphony orchestra again to the new upcoming 10th album. Yeah, it’s gonna be exciting. And quite challenging music to play as well.”

NIGHTWISH's New Album Is Ready To Go

Mixed, mastered, and hopefully out this year!

Nightwish's 10th studio album is mixed, mastered, and ready to go! The band checked in on social media, saying: "Our 10th album is now mixed and mastered. Thank you Tero, Mikko & Mika for more than 25 years of shared adventures, music & friendship. We made it again!"

In an recent interview with Metal Hammer, Nightwish leader Tuomas Holopainen revealed the the follow-up to their 2020's Human. :II: Nature. would be the third installment of a trilogy that started with with their 2015's Endless Forms Most Beautiful album

"I immediately knew after getting Endless Forms Most Beautiful done that, 'Okay, we have to do more songs about this, because there's so much more to explore and tell the world," said Holopainen. "We're not done with this.' And the same thing happened after Human. :II: Nature.; we're still not done. So let's do one more. At least one more. In a way, [the next album] is the third part of a trilogy, which started with Endless Forms… and then Human. :II: Nature. There are some major surprises there again, but it feels like a natural continuation to Human. :II: Nature.'"

According to Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen the new album will crank up the heaviness department. And we even know how many songs are gonna be included, according to a band's statement from when they announced a touring hiatus: "An album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure."

FLOOR IS CANCER FREE!!!!!

Floor reveals that she has breast cancer

A letter to you,

Life comes in waves, with ups and downs.

I have had the joy of riding many highs, and I have shared these with you through social media and the many many shows worldwide throughout the many years of my career.

But now a new wave hit me. Not a good one. I have breast cancer. It was diagnosed a little over 2 weeks ago and I will have surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor. My prognosis is very good!!! It seems to be a non-aggressive cancer, which seems to not have spread. I will keep my breast. And I will be cancer free after this surgery, plus a local radiation treatment that will take place three months after this surgery, hopefully. We will know more after the surgery to see if this positive prognosis stands.

The word cancer is a shocker. All that you found important in life before this diagnosis changes radically within minutes. Now I just want to be healthy again. I want to see my daughter grow into a woman; I want to live! And the scariest part of this diagnosis is that I thought I was healthy! I didn’t feel the cancer, I didn’t know it was there until I, as a 40+ woman, went to a standard mammogram checkup. Something many countries offer, for free even for the lucky ones.

Had I not gone there, the tumor would have gone undetected. In a year from now this could have grown much bigger. The thought of that makes me share this story with you. A mammogram is lifesaving! It’s uncomfortable and you might think that you won’t have something in your breasts anyway but GO! And for the men reading this: remind your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister to go and get checked. Even without the luxury I as a western woman experience with free mammogram checkups: GO! Luckily, there are many organizations that offer information about self-detection if you do not have access or funds for a mammogram.

If I might inspire you to take good care of yourself, then something good will come out of this cancer diagnosis.

If all goes as planned, I will be up and running in time for the European tour with Nightwish, that will start on the 20th of November! And I am optimistic since my prognosis is good! I promise to take good care of myself.

I will be off the grid for a while to focus on myself.

Thank you for reading this letter.

Photo by Florencia Giuliana Fotografía

Nightwish by © Jarkko Piipari (2022)

Ex-Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen to be featured on the same album with mastermind Tuomas Holopainen

At the start of 2020, the entertainment industry was hit hard as news of the COVID-19 virus began to spread around the world and many countries declared a state of emergency. The pandemic had begun.

Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish were due to embark on a new world tour in March, starting in China, with a total of 80 shows this year. Unfortunately, most of those shows are still to be played, although it now looks as if this year will finally see the return of gigs in larger arenas.

The Nightwish crew didn’t stay idle though, as they formed a band called Crewish to cover the band’s songs and released the EP “Unemployed Blacksmiths” on September 19th of 2020.

Now the project is about to continue with the album “Twice”, which will feature, to the surprise of fans, both the band’s keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and former singer Tarja Turunen on the same album. Turunen was fired from the band in 2005.

The members of Crewish have given an interview to Maaseudun Tulevaisuus about the forthcoming album, in which they say that the album will consist of seven new arrangements and the “Unemployed Blacksmiths” EP, which will release two singles during April.

The upcoming “Twice” album will also be interesting for fans of the band as it will be the first album to feature both Tuomas Holopainen and Tarja Turunen on the same record for the first time since 2005. Antti Toiviainen, Nightwish’s guitar technician, says the following about Holopainen and Turunen making it onto the album:

“We decided to take the plunge and ask Tarja Turku, who was fired in 2005, to sing Dark Chest of Wonders, and she happily agreed. Tuomas Holopainen, on the other hand, was so enthusiastic about the arrangement of I Want My Tears Back that he insisted on playing on the song. Of course, we had to agree to this.”

Turunen recorded her vocal part in her current country of residence in Spain and Holopainen in her home town of Kitee. Otherwise, the new album was largely recorded at Ahola’s studio in Kauhava.

Nightwish’s mixer Kimmo Ahola, guitar technician Antti Toiviainen and keyboard technician Tero Kinnunen have been at the heart of the project.

THIS DAY in Nightwish history

#NWflashbackfriday | Nightwish performs ‘Bye Bye Beautiful’ live at Sydney, Australia 2008

THIS DAY in Nightwish history