Yesterwynde is the 10th studio album from Finnish symphonic metal legends Nightwish, and comes four years after their previous release Human. :II: Nature.. The line-up of Nightwish here in 2024 consists of:
Tuomas Holopainen - keyboards
Emppu Vuorinen - guitars
Floor Jansen - lead vocals
Troy Donockley- Uilleann pipes, low whistles, guitars, bouzouki, bodhrán, aerophone, male vocals
Kai Hahto - drums, percussion
Jukka Koskinen - bass
While their last album was perhaps 'hit or miss' to some fans, seeing as Holopainen seems to be driving the band further and further into cinematic, film-score-styled territory, Yesterwynde uses many of those same elements while still retaining some of the 'metal' that brought the band to the dance in the first place. "An Ocean of Strange Islands" is pretty wonderful, Jansen's exquisite vocals soaring over symphonic keyboard swells and driving riffs, making for one of Nightwish's most enjoyable tracks in quite some time. "The Antikythera Mechanism" is also fun, orchestral & bombastic, with another gem of a vocal from Floor, while "The Day of..." attempts some of the playful pop of the Olzon era of the band. By the time you reach things like "Perfume of the Timeless" and "Sway", the album appears to be losing some steam, but thankfully there's a bit of thump in "The Children of 'Ata, confirming what we all expect from Nightwish, and that's the hope that Holopainen doesn't forget that this is supposed to be a 'metal' band after all. His love for orchestral and film score music is crystal clear, and those elements, of course, are well done here, but I'm left wishing there were more heavier tracks on Yesterwynde. Also, let's bring out the elephant in the room, and that's the missing Marko Hietala, who left the band a few years ago, but the hole where he used to be is quite apparent. Marko's thick bass grumblings and gruff lead and backing vocals were a key element of Nightwish's sound for many years, and I can't help but think that his complementary vocals alongside Floor's already great contributions here would elevate this album even further. That being said, "Spider Silk" , "The Weave" and closing "Lanternlight" do have their moments, but overall, this album, which pushes 71-minutes, probably could have used a little trimming for a more concise listen. While Yesterwynde won't rival some of Nightwish's best releases, it's a solid, if slightly flawed album that will no doubt please longstanding supporters of the band.
Track Listing
1.Yesterwynde
2. An Ocean of Strange Islands
3. The Antikythera Mechanism
4. The Day of...
5. Perfume of the Timeless
6. Sway
7. The Children of 'Ata
8. Something Whispered Follow Me
9. Spider Silk
10. Hiraeth
11. The Weave
12. Lanternlight
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
