Human. :: Nature.

by Nightwish

Overview

After 2015's Endless Forms Most Beautiful, Finland's Nightwish toured the globe to sold out houses, then went on hiatus. Vocalist Floor Jansen had her first child in 2017, while Tuomas Holopainen formed the folk-influenced trio Auri with singer, violinist (and wife) Johanna Kurkela, and Nightwish multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley. In 2019, drummer Jukka Nevalainen stepped away to handle the band's business side; he was replaced by Kai Hahto. Human. :II: Nature. is a double length. The first disc features nine new songs offering some of the band's best tracks in years. The second is an eight-part orchestral conceptual suite titled, "All the Works of Nature which Adorn the World" (divided by individual subtitles) performed with the London Session Orchestra. Seven-minute opener "Music," is a comfortable intro for ardent fans; its first half consists of an instrumental buildup consisting of tribal chants, and epic choirs. Through the bridge it flirts with crossover classical and cinema music with lovely lyric hooks, synth strings and piano. It explodes with chugging, crunchy guitars and drums with Jansen framed by choral singers and a stinging six-string solo from guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. The single "Noise" is killer though it is a bit of an outlier: Jansen, possessed of one of the largest ranges in rock, channels the band's original vocalist Tarja Turunen here ecstatically. She is accompanied by a rubbery bassline, forceful piano crescendoes, blastbeat tom toms, and bass voiced chorale. "How's The Heart" commences with thundering guitars, symphonic drums and full-bodied synths before ushering in one of Holopainen's more graceful melodies. Jansen caresses the lyric accompanied by swirling keyboards, pipes, and furious downstroke guitar and bassline until the world breaks open before her. In the chorus, emotion claims the fore in her powerful voice. There are two tracks that feature male lead vocals. "Harvest" with its growling synth and primal tom toms and kick drum give way to a slight, mildly Celtic melody that just doesn't work due to Donockley's thin, reedy, vocal performance. Closer "Endlessness,"however, is one of the set's strongest cuts with bassist Marko Hietala offering commanding clean lead vocals. Nightwish back him with sweeping guitars, waves of cascading synths, buoyant strings, and flailing drums. There is an urgent sense of revelation in his singing, especially when Jansen enters the bridge to duet. The second disc is here composer Holopainen's "love letter to planet earth." It's a paean to the natural world with scarcely any singing -- only a wordless female chorale utilized with Jansen. The work is lovely with lush strings, brooding horns, harp, ominous and commanding percussion textural dynamics, and blissful ambience. It's romantic, poetic, and cinematic. Though the work seems part and parcel of the Nightwish aesthetic, on its own it may not appeal to all fans. That said, it does add depth and dimension to Human. :II: Nature. which is, with one exception, a consistently and deeply satisfying outing that was worth waiting for. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	07/21/2023
Label:	Nuclear Blast
UPC:	4065629677626
Rank:	48791

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nightwish   Primary Artist
Robin Bailey   Choir/Chorus
Dai Emanuel   Violin
Jacqueline Barron   Choir/Chorus
Stacey Watton   Double Bass
John Anderson   Oboe,Cor Anglais
Andrew Playfoot   Choir/Chorus
Daniel Bhattacharya   Violin
Steve Morris   Violin
Kate Bishop   Choir/Chorus
Sebastian Charlesworth   Choir/Chorus
Andy Wood   Trombone (Bass)
Anna Noakts   Flute,Piccolo
Caroline Fitzgerald   Choir/Chorus
Davina Moon   Choir/Chorus
Heather Cairncross   Choir/Chorus
Andrew Parker   Viola
Owen Slade   Tuba,Cimbasso
Frank Schaefer   Cello
Lawrence Wallington   Choir/Chorus
Chris Worsey   Cello
Joanna Forbes   Choir/Chorus
Ann de Renais   Choir/Chorus
Chris Laurence   Double Bass
Kate Musker   Viola
Gary Kettel   Orchestral Percussion
Andy Findon   Flute,Flute (Alto)
Emil Chakalov   Violin
Peter Snipp   Choir/Chorus
Gerard O'Beirne   Choir/Chorus
Christopher Tombling   Violin
Eleanor Meynell   Choir/Chorus
Stephen Mair   Double Bass
Ed Tarrant   Trombone (Bass)
Helen Brooks   Choir/Chorus
John Mills   Violin
Soophia Foroughi   Choir/Chorus
Helen Parker   Choir/Chorus
Peter Lale   Viola
Mike Lovatt   Trumpet
Martin Loveday   Cello
Rita Manning   Violin
Skaila Kanga   Harp
Helen Kamminga   Viola
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Paul Clarvis   Ethnic Percussion
Caroline Dale   Cello
Michael Dore   Choir/Chorus
Martin Owen   French Horn
Dirk Campbell   Duduk,Woodwind
Nigel Black   French Horn
Mary Carewe   Choir/Chorus
Andrew Busher   Choir/Chorus
John Bradbury   Violin
Claire Henry   Choir/Chorus
Warren Zielinski   Violin
Mark Berrow   Violin
Frank Ricotti   Orchestral Percussion
Pip Williams   Director
Tom Pearce   Choir/Chorus
Alice Fearn   Choir/Chorus
Sarah Ryan   Choir/Chorus
Anne Marie Cullum   Choir/Chorus
James Shearman   Orchestra,Choir Conductor
Lawrence White   Choir/Chorus
Tim Gill   Cello
David Porter Thomas   Choir/Chorus
Andrew Crowley   Trumpet
Clio Gould   Violin
David Stewart   Trombone (Bass)
Rosemary Forbes-Butler   Choir/Chorus
Kate Moore   Trumpet
Ian McLarnon   Choir/Chorus
Peter Hanson   Violin
Nicholas Bucknall   Clarinet
Phillip Eastop   French Horn
Julia Knight   Viola
Jenny O'Grady   Choir/Chorus
Jonathan Williams   Cello
Alexandra Gibson   Choir/Chorus
Rachel Weston   Choir/Chorus
Stephen Henderson   Timpani,Ethnic Percussion
Gavin McNaughton   Bassoon,Contrabassoon
David Fuest   Clarinet,Clarinet (Bass)

Technical Credits

Perry Montague-Mason   Leader
Martin Higgins   Assistant
Janne "Toxicangel" Pitkaenen   Artwork
Jenny Nendick   Orchestra Contractor
Laura Beck   Assistant Engineer
Burt Farner   Photography
Jani Havunen   Photography
Kari Pennanen   Photography
Mikko Nevalainen   Photography
Mikko Tirkkonen   Photography
Ravnheart   Artwork
Steve Macintyre   Photography
Ilona Opulska   Assistant
Tina Korhonen   Photography
Tim Tronckoe   Photography
Mat Bartram   Engineer
Pip Williams   Orchestration,Choir Arrangement,Orchestral Arrangements
Emlyn Singleton   Leader
James Shearman   Arranger,Orchestration
Richard Ihnatowicz   Music Preparation
Andrea Beckers   Photography
Tim Martindale   Photography