Review: NIGHTWISH “Imaginaerum” (2011)

NIGHTWISH “Imaginaerum” (2011)
Labels: Nuclear Blast / Roadrunner Records

Tracklist :
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. Ghost River
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
13. Imaginaerum

The Phantom Of The Opera’s Death or another End of a (Little)Era

Rise & Fall, the son will be unreliable…
Dark Passion Play was such a phoenix majestic (yes, i believed in that !), a new heaven towards more pop consonances, with the arrival of Anette Olzon, both scorned, leaving loved Diva, on the lower side, ejected from the train in motion as an ancient amorphous.

The wait for this new opus was huge, probably abusive. I don’t mean the insolent talent of Mr Holopainen, it becomes a master of the genre with its “wagnerienne” orchestrations (Tony Kakko he in hisembedded way) but it is clear that this concept album “Imaginearum” is too often indigestible, and that the recipe now known, is used to disgust with its much too bland intro and the first hit single is bombastic to announce dinner, therefore there will no doubt this album will be proved with “Ghost River”.

More anecdotal B.O. (EPICA tried it also), this is a real new work in the career of NIGHTWISH, this demonstration is close to the runway. Too many affectations on the part of Anette (maybe Tuomas should just try Anna Netrebko’s or Tatiana Monogarova’s inspirations…) & irritants duets with too voluble Marco, the field with an additional key claim and egotism, even if with enjoyable jazzy attempts (“Love Slow Love”) fail here too. Mayonnaise does not good, ever.

The movie (directed by Stobe Harju and Markus Selin productor) will be probably more decisive and enthusiastic, but the disappointment is huge when you are expecting the miracle. Probably the only happiness that this album has, would be listening to it as an instrumental cd, which clears the gimmick acids and would remain so a very beautiful piece of satisfaction (only if you used all your Harry Potter soundtracks…)

No time to loose. I will not come back with flowers.
I prefer a dinner with Tarja-

5/10

Reviewed by MEL DELACROIX