Symphonic Metal: Nightwish

I first got into the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga when I was in the 6th grade, courtesy of a church friend. The art was beautiful to look at and the characters were fascinating. Broken, might be another term I would use, each somehow slighted in their own personal histories that made them imperfect. Each seemed to undergo some psychological reckoning and the most wonderful thing about the series was--some of the characters failed that test. And while I still feel the series stumbled at its finish, it still holds a place in my heart as a well told story.

All right, so what does NGE have to do with Nightwish?

I grew up chiefly on classical music. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Vivaldi, Verdi, etc. These masters were my KISS. My mentors on the piano. My family went for a lot of road trips and I used to stare out the window, listen to an entire CD and imagine an overarching story played out while the scenery rushed past. I love overworlds, huge casts of characters, multiple languages and music served as a may pole for the multitudes to circle and weave. Music formed that spine, set the tone and away I went on those adventures with music as the guiding force.

Forming these worlds took a lot of mental gymnastics. Classical music, with its four or five simultaneous strains running up and down stanzas, offered depth and variability. Something I could not extend to the pop and rock music of the time.

Somewhere in my awkward teenage years and struggle to understand the general inequality associated with my religion, I made the violent swing to black/death metal. Cradle of Filth. Amon Amarth. Therion. (Note the origin of these bands are European.) Their lyrics were rich. Many songs told a story. Melodies were varied, tempos would change--it was the dark side of classical music.

With the advent of the Internet and being rudely opposed to radio and most of the "music" America produces these days, with its unimaginative riffs, forgettable melodies and nonsensical lyrics, I turned to YouTube for my music. Specifically niche markets featuring animes, such as Evangelion, with clips cut to music. Those delightful AMVs.

I stumbled across this one:


It was metal. It was classical. Orchestral and choral elements mingled beautifully with guitar riffs and metal drum lines. I listened in awe as I watched familiar images of Evangelion flash by. I was floored by it. It was as if classical and metal music had some sultry, secretive affair behind my back and produced a love child...in Nightwish.

Nightwish, my first exposure to symphonic metal, set the standard. I found Within Temptation, Epica, Xandria, Woodkid, Sabaton through similar means. Delain was shared with me through a roommate. But Nightwish was first to touch my ears and so they hold that cherished wreath above that pedestal.

Again. These metal bands are not American. I was prepared to never hear them play live on American soil, until tonight.

I bought my ticket in February for this April 21 show and I'm pleased I did because they sold out. And who fronted Nightwish but Delain and Sabaton.

Delain, a Dutch band, I've been listening to a solid six years. One of those years I wouldn't listen to anything else but the April Rain album on the drive to work. Delain performed first, all songs I did not know, but have since purchased. Wherein I will probably revert back to just listening to Delain on my way to work. They were wonderful. Charlotte has a pristine voice underscored by the choral accompaniment. Unfortunately, I can't hit her vocal range--too high for me.

Sabaton, a Swedish band, is relatively new in my arsenal of metal music. They cropped up in one of my YouTube video recommendation feeds and the first song of theirs I enjoyed was Primo Victoria, a powerful ballad of the storming of Normandy in WWII. Sabaton did oblige. They also played Carolus Rex, which happens to be my favorite among their repertoire. I filmed it.

They also performed a song in Swedish which I couldn't hear so well because the mixing favored the guitars over the vocals. Joakim sits at a much more gravelly pitch, which I suppose suits their war theme. He had fun bouncing around the stage, gesturing to the beats, getting the audience involved. He had a sense of humor--and a soft side. He commented about a young girl watching from the balcony, asked if it was her first metal concert and then he tossed her his glasses. The crowd went wild and I thought it was sweet. Symphonic metalheads are a polite bunch, if we're all secretly insane.

Then we stood around a solid 45 minutes waiting for Nightwish to appear. The second they were on stage, I forgot my aching feet and powerful thirst and got swept up in the music that had asked for my hand to the dance floor all those years ago.

Nightwish performs Yours is an Empty Hope at the Ogden Theater in Denver, April 21.

They played a smattering of their sprawling body of work, from the new to the old and back again. I enjoyed the ones I was not yet familiar with and I sang along to the pieces I did know.

Set List:

1. Shudder Before The Beautiful
2. Yours Is an Empty Hope
3. Nemo
4. She Is My Sin
5. Endless Forms Most Beautiful
6. My Walden
7. The Islander
8. Élan
9. Weak Fantasy
10. Storytime
11. Dark Chest of Wonders
12. I Want My Tears Back
13. Stargazers
14. Sleeping Sun
15. The Greatest Show on Earth
16. Ghost Love Score (Encore)
17. Last Ride Of The Day (Encore)

I yanked this set list from Tumblr, but it does seem to follow what Nightwish played--although for the life of me I don't recall Dark Chest of Wonders. I swear they skipped right to I Want My Tears Back. Marco even teased us at the end saying they would skip the whole audience-demanding-an-encore and just go straight to it. Which they did. Ghost Love Score is 10 minutes long. I give them props for playing that particular piece as an encore--though they did disappear briefly for the instrumental toward the last third, haha, I don't fault them for it.

Nightwish guitarist Marco serenades us with The Islander during their performance at the Ogden Theater. I apologize for the blur--headbanging too hard.

I think my only complaint (and it can't be helped) would be the absence of Tarja. Tarja has a vocal range to die for and what I loved most about her was she sang in my register. So in those rare moments I could snatch time alone, I would belt out to Dead Gardens, Romanticide, and yes, Ghost Love Score. Tarja gave Nightwish this epic, gothic feel with her full, sonorous voice. She was sorely missed. 

Floor, the group's third front singer, did a wonderful job. No, she isn't Tarja, but I think the Endless Forms Most Beautiful suits her. I have no squabble with Floor and I applaud her work here tonight. Tuomas, Marco, all of them. There's a reason Nightwish is one of the best damn metal bands out there.

I feel remarkably lucky and humble to be given the chance to hear Nightwish perform live. It was a hell of an experience that I would not trade for anything.

Thank you for coming to Denver, Nightwish. YOU ROCK! \m/   \m/

Happy weekend.