Nightwish announces HUMAN. :II: NATURE - New album releases on 10th April 2020

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

FULL ALBUM OFFICIAL PLAYLIST:

SINGLES:

From the official site:

"When Finnish sextet Nightwish announce a new studio album people tend to take notice. They know that something special is brewing. Band leader Tuomas Holopainen once said that whenever he creates a new record he has the intention of capturing something rare and unique, a monument and a true album experience. In 2020 he's certain to achieve his objective once again. Nightwish have completed the recordings for their 9th studio album and are proud to announce the title, artwork and tracklisting.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. will be released on 10th April 2020. The long-awaited record, following 2015's critically-acclaimed "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", will be a double album containing 9 tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.The tracklisting will read as follows:

Disc 1:

Music
Noise
Shoemaker
Harvest
Pan
How's The Heart?
Procession
Tribal
Endlessness

Disc 2:

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Vista
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Blue
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Green
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Moors
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Aurorae
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Quiet As The Snow
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Anthropocene (incl. "Hurrian Hymn To Nikkal")
All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Ad Astra

The album pre-order will start on February 7th.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. was recorded from August to October 2019 at Röskö campsite, Petrax Studios and Troykington castle, as well as Finnvox Studios, by Tero Kinnunen, Mikko Karmila and Troy Donockley. The mixing was done by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox, with Tuomas Holopainen and Tero Kinnunen. Mastering was done by Mika Jussila at Finnvox."

ADDITIONAL INFO AND SONG TRIVIA:

The band has been teasing the theme of the album in several tour posters featuring the Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform.
The theme of the album seemingly continues the trend set by their latest album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful, a semi-concept album inspired by science, evolution and the works Charles Darwin. As the last song, it also featured a 24-minute epic The Greatest Show On Earth, inspired by the book of the same name by Richard Dawkins. The last part of the song ended at the age of homo sapiens.
According to yet unproven rumors, the entirety of the Disc 2 is instrumental. (NOW CONFIRMED)
"Anthropocene" features the Hurrian Hymn, widely regarded as the oldest piece of recorded music in history.
"All The Works of Nature Which Adorn the World" is named after a quote in The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Shoemaker is named after the geologist Eugene Shoemaker

EDIT: Added music video to OP
EDIT2: Added Harvest to OP
EDIT3: Added full album playlist to the OT

Uncle Sensei · Jan 16, 2020

It's about fucking time

Deleted member 6056 · Jan 16, 2020

Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

Pandora012 · Jan 16, 2020

shaowebb said:
Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

Nah, Tarja is still out. But Floor does a great job, like her best out of the previous ones...well besides Tarja. But that's more because I liked her type of singing.

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

shaowebb said:
Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

Not happening. And there is no need when you have Floor Jansen.

Horo · Jan 16, 2020

So more environmental metall? This band has come a long way from the one that made songs about serial killers and PTSD driven Suicidal soldiers.

Laevateinn · Jan 16, 2020

shaowebb said:
Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

I'm lucky enough to have seen Nightwish perform with all three singers and Floor is the best performer by far. Tarja has a unique voice but she just seemed like she didn't care and that performing in a 800-person venue was below her.

Baccus · Jan 16, 2020

Wait.. It's two discs and one disc is one single song

The madlads...

So ready for social aware Nightwish. Can't wait.

Horo · Jan 16, 2020

shaowebb said:
Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

Tarja is not coming back to the band as long as Tuomas is in charge of it, he even wrote a song that's basicly just a giant middle finger to her and her antics.

Granted, if Anete is to be believed he does kinda run the band like a tyrant so i'm actually surprised Floor has lasted as long as she has.

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

Baccus said:
Wait.. It's two discs and one disc is one single song

Yep. They seem to wish to top themselves in song length nearly every album (even though Song of Myself doesn't really count).

This really is the only logical step up after a 24-minute song. :D

Baccus · Jan 16, 2020

Horo said:
Tarja is not coming back to the band as long as Tuomas is in charge of it, he even wrote a song that's basicly just a giant middle finger to her and her antics.

Granted, if Anete is to be believed he does kinda run the band like a tyrant so i'm actually surprised Floor has lasted as long as she has.

Nightwish is more than his band. It's his diary. He Is Nightwish. So yes, he's a "tyrant" in the way he Know exactly how he wants Nightwish to sound and feel. Floor has lasted this long because she knows and respects that, and she has dozens of other creative avenues of her own. Anette and Tarja both thought they were entitled to run the show.

Vincent Alexander · Jan 16, 2020

shaowebb said:
Did they ever get the original singer back? They just weren't the same without her.

They have a history of being pretty shitty to the previous singers, so I doubt it.

Wyman Manderly · Jan 16, 2020

Crazy, was just listening to a bunch of songs on Spotify yesterday after a long layoff. I'll give this a listen when it's out.

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

I missed the Da Vinci reference on Disc 2:

OF THE 10 ATTRIBUTES OF THE EYE, ALL CONCERNED IN PAINTING.

Painting is concerned with all the 10 attributes of sight; which are:--Darkness, Light, Solidity and Colour, Form and Position, Distance and Propinquity, Motion and Rest. This little work of mine will be a tissue [of the studies] of these attributes, reminding the painter of the rules and methods by which he should use his art to imitate all the works of Nature which adorn the world.

Edit: More song info and trivia added in OP.

Lukar · Jan 16, 2020

Fuck yessss. Their last two albums have been absolute fire, can't wait.

Sanox · Jan 16, 2020

Fingers crossed Floor really gets to shine on this one

mhayes86 · Jan 16, 2020

It's about time! I really liked their last album with Floor Jansen. After firing Tarja and their albums with Anette, I didn't think I'd listen to them again. Floor pulled me back in.

Laevateinn · Jan 16, 2020

Listen to After Forever if you haven't. They're good too.

TheLastCandle · Jan 16, 2020

I enjoy Nightwish, and they have some good recent songs here and there, but this looks like another jump towards Tuomas smelling his own farts.

The title track off of the last album was way too god damned long. I don't know if I can handle an entire disc of that.

This is the same guy that wrote Stargazers and Crownless. Just give me some hooks and catchy melodies you Jack Sparrow looking fuck.

demon326 · Jan 16, 2020

mhayes86 said:
It's about time! I really liked their last album with Floor Jansen. After firing Tarja and their albums with Anette, I didn't think I'd listen to them again. Floor pulled me back in.

I was lucky to see them with tarja, six months later and the open letter had happend... Anette was good on disc, but live was another thing.

Floor jansen is just awesome and down to earth. Oh, and she has a killer voice!

Laevateinn said:
Listen to After Forever if you haven't. They're good too.

They did not dare to ask floor the first time, because they did not want to breakup after forever^^

Laevateinn · Jan 16, 2020

demon326 said:
I was lucky to see them with tarja, six months later and the open letter had happend... Anette was good on disc, but live was another thing.

Floor jansen is just awesome and down to earth. Oh, and she has a killer voice!

They did not dare to ask floor the first time, because they did not want to breakup after forever^^

Yeah, Floor was my second choice when they booted Tarja (after Vibeke Stene). I was pretty ecstatic when they announced her as the new singer years later. I got her to sign my copy of Prison of Desire and she seemed pretty shocked that anyone owned a copy :)

Terranigma · Jan 16, 2020

Horo said:
Tarja is not coming back to the band as long as Tuomas is in charge of it, he even wrote a song that's basicly just a giant middle finger to her and her antics.

Granted, if Anete is to be believed he does kinda run the band like a tyrant so i'm actually surprised Floor has lasted as long as she has.

More likely is that he doesn't run his band like a tyrant whatsoever, and it is just one salty ex singer making stuff up.

OhSatan · Jan 16, 2020

Wow this board siding with Tuomas, what a surprise.

mhayes86 · Jan 16, 2020

demon326 said:
I was lucky to see them with tarja, six months later and the open letter had happend... Anette was good on disc, but live was another thing.

I almost saw them with Tarja when Nightwish and Sonata Arctica were touring NA back in 2004 or 2005, but the closest show was about 2 hours away. I just started driving and didn't feel comfortable driving that far yet. Funny enough, most shows that I wanted to go to ended up being at that same venue, and I've been there countless times until they closed shop. If they only waited another year. : (

demon326 · Jan 16, 2020

mhayes86 said:
I almost saw them with Tarja when Nightwish and Sonata Arctica were touring NA back in 2004 or 2005, but the closest show was about 2 hours away. I just started driving and didn't feel comfortable driving that far yet. Funny enough, most shows that I wanted to go to ended up being at that same venue, and I've been there countless times until they closed shop. If they only waited another year. : (

I saw them at 1.5KM from my living space at a festival that still exists, but does not book metal anymore. Going to see them again in november and i also bought the decades releases :D

ConVito · Jan 16, 2020

So are they actually gonna go back to using a full orchestra now instead of synthesized like the last album or am I just gonna end up skipping this one?

(Also y'all really romanticize Tarja way too much. She's a good singer but to me, her warbly opera style was never meant for symphonic metal.)

Sabretooth · Jan 16, 2020

Always lovely to see a favourite band come out with a new album.

Is Iron Maiden recording anything?

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

ConVito said:
So are they actually gonna go back to using a full orchestra now instead of synthesized like the last album or am I just gonna end up skipping this one?

What synthesized orchestra? They've had a full orchestra since at least 2004. Even recorded at Abbey Road with the LSO Lord of the Rings lineup at a few instances. Listen to The Greatest Show on Earth linked in the OP and maybe Shudder Before the Beautiful:

GreatFenris · Jan 16, 2020

Oh, Nightwish still a thing huh?
Well I suppose that Magical Knowledge Devil Goat has paid off. Long as it isn't Dragon Force.

Deleted member 2254 · Jan 16, 2020

Their last albums were horrible. Floor is amazing but the songwriting felt like a parody of Nightwish frankly. I have little hope this will be better but for old time's sake and a glimmer of hope I'll probably listen to it again before I cry myself to sleep listening to any album by them up to Once. Dark Passion Play was at least passable songwriting-wise but their current direction is just odd.

MG310 · Jan 16, 2020

Tarja and Marco performed together for Raskasta Joulua in 2017 and that's probably as close as it will ever get to her coming back.

Not that I would ever want her to replace Floor.

Vincent Alexander · Jan 16, 2020

Terranigma said:
More likely is that he doesn't run his band like a tyrant whatsoever, and it is just one salty ex singer making stuff up.

We're up to 2 ex-singers now that have talked shit about him.

MidweekCoyote · Jan 16, 2020

FairyEmpire said:
Their last albums were horrible. Floor is amazing but the songwriting felt like a parody of Nightwish frankly. I have little hope this will be better but for old time's sake and a glimmer of hope I'll probably listen to it again before I cry myself to sleep listening to any album by them up to Once. Dark Passion Play was at least passable songwriting-wise but their current direction is just odd.

I won't admit to being the biggest fan of EFMB, but I would struggle to find anything in DPP aside from Poet and the Pendulum and Meadows of Heaven (maybe Sahara) to be above it. Once, as a whole, being better than Imaginaerum is also a pretty bold claim and one I rarely see these days.

To be honest, a few friends and I heavily revisited the pre-Once albums prior to this last tour and they have (to my regret) NOT held up very well without nostalgia goggles, and I say this as a massive Wishmaster fan in high school. There is charm, even some excellent songs (Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean, Dead Boy's Poem), but remove nostalgia from the equation and it's literally Stratovarius, except opera. Century Child, while a shift, in particular hasn't held up well compared to later albums.

To each their own.

CaviarMeths · Jan 16, 2020

There's something charmingly endearing about how up-his-own-ass Tuomas is and how he very obviously writes these press releases himself.

I'll check it out.

Deleted member 2254 · Jan 16, 2020

MidweekCoyote said:
I won't admit to being the biggest fan of EFMB, but I would struggle to find anything in DPP aside from Poet and the Pendulum and Meadows of Heaven (maybe Sahara) to be above it. Once, as a whole, being better than Imaginaerum is also a pretty bold claim and one I rarely see these days.

To be honest, a few friends and I heavily revisited the pre-Once albums prior to this last tour and they have (to my regret) NOT held up very well without nostalgia goggles, and I say this as a massive Wishmaster fan in high school. There is charm, even some excellent songs (Devil & the Deep Dark Ocean, Dead Boy's Poem), but remove nostalgia from the equation and it's literally Stratovarius, except opera. Century Child, while a shift, in particular hasn't held up well compared to later albums.

To each their own.

Well, I ain't gonna claim all their past stuff are masterpieces either, but there was genuine emotions evoked by some of their past songs. There's a lot of stuff on the first 3 albums that aged questionably, Once is much more radio-friendly but it probably has the most mature soundset overall, featuring many great songs. Dark Passion Play is a bit like Once B-sides with a different vocalist (and the first hints of overdramatic pieces trying to be lengthy epics), one I never liked that much but was worth a spin from time to time. Imaginaerum was just embarassing to listen for me. They threw away their beautiful atmospheres, their emotional songs, preferring to concentrate on overly long pieces that tried to be little opera pieces, throwing in wacky circus style and whatnot. It was such a far cry from Nigthwish at that point (not even talking about the vocals) that they might as well have called it a different band. Then what they've done with Floor is just... weak, to me. It feels like the elements are there but it lacks the punch of past-Nightwish stuff, or even that of the other bands Floor led in the past. Feels like generic pop-rock but with symphonic metal background. Not digging it at all.

Since the last album I moderately enjoyed from them came out over a decade ago, I don't expect much. I wanted to believe the issue was related to Anette, but the songwriting changed dramatically, and I feel the band turned into a pretentious mixture of wannabe Dream Theater but with symphonic stuff. I know a lot of people like that, I know that in fact tons of people prefer that, but their last album was simply... boring. I fail to recall a single melody or passage that satisfied me. To each their own.

Jaime.GGG · Jan 16, 2020

Yes! I'm so exited for this, I love Floor. I hope the first single is more powerful/energetic than Elan.

Luap · Jan 16, 2020

I hope the music is good. Please don't waste the talents of Floor Jansen, she's incredible.

s_mirage · Jan 16, 2020

Cautiously looking forward to this. Although I like Nightwish, they always seem millimetres away from disappearing up their own arses, and the details make me a little nervous.

Sabretooth said:
Is Iron Maiden recording anything?

It was heavily hinted that Maiden were in the studio last year, so hopefully there will be a new album in the near future.

Conkersbadfurday · Jan 16, 2020

I'm so fucking excited for this thing. Endless Forms is a masterpiece. So is Imagenarum. Just flat out amazed at the songwriting of this band.

Lunaray · Jan 16, 2020

It's kind of surreal to see Nightwish get a a thread on Resetera of all places.

They used to be my favorite band, but they lost a lot of what made them unique when they fired Tarja and their music lyrically went to shit after that. I'm cautiously optimistic about this but they need to use Floor better than they did in EFMB. Tuomas should listen to After Forever to see what she can actually do.

Nakenorm · Jan 16, 2020

HYPED

Baccus · Jan 16, 2020

MidweekCoyote said:
To be honest, a few friends and I heavily revisited the pre-Once albums prior to this last tour and they have (to my regret) NOT held up very well without nostalgia goggles

I completely agree. Their songs are really emotional and well written, but sound wise the pre-Once albums have aged badly, and I'd say DPP and Imaginaerum aren't that 2020-proof either.

Their last live release did wonders to modernize some of their older songs though.

I'm not sure I'm into the idea of a sequel of EFMB. I thought this album was going to be more /topical/ but it seems like they're still treating the theme in a historical way. Oh well. Hope there is still commentary.

Sheldon · Jan 17, 2020

I'm fine with Tuomas offloading the self-indulgence onto a seperate disc where I can never listen to it. Great idea. Except the title tracks on the main CD also sound pretentious.

If I didn't love everything about The Greatest Show On Earth, this would make me nervous.

Kernel · Jan 17, 2020

Ghost Love Score is probably still my favorite song but I'm down for new material.

Smash-It Stan · Jan 17, 2020

Haven't listened since Dark Passion Play, I dont recall my opinion on Imaginaerum so Ill say i didnt listen to that. I haven't actually listened any of the symphonic/power metal bands from the mid 2000s for maybe a decade or more, they seem like they all became parodies of themselves.

Deleted member 4413 · Jan 17, 2020

Listened to Nightwish off and on for years but never really got into them, only buying a couple albums. I did NOT care for the turn they took with Anette.

However I love EFMB. I'll listen to Floor all day, so I'm really excited for this.

Terranigma · Jan 18, 2020

https://translate.google.com/transl...fernolle-tulevan-albuminsa-lue-ensitunnelmat/
Interesting...Methinks it's going to be divisive again, espescially to those who want the old sound.

Baccus · Jan 18, 2020

Smash-It Stan said:
I haven't actually listened any of the symphonic/power metal bands from the mid 2000s for maybe a decade or more, they seem like they all became parodies of themselves.

Few have made the jump for sure. Within Temptation is I believe the most better managed through time as it's evolved with the times and still sounds fresh. Épica and the other Nightwish - likes fell into self parody as you noted. Some like Sirenia are unrecognizable.

Nightwish is juuuuuuuust at the verge of becoming a nostalgia act, however Floor made the band exciting again, however they are all truly entering into a more mature Era so this next album is pivotal for them. Everybody was too busy excited about Floor being the voice of Nightwish to judge EFMB by its own merits, and the newest live release was a needed but ultimate nostalgia act.

They gotta come back with a bang for sure. But I won't lie, the whole "one CD length song" is a confidence sign as they come. The madmen (and Lady) may do it. Or die trying.

Baccus · Jan 18, 2020

Terranigma said:
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.inferno.fi/uutiset/nightwish-soitti-infernolle-tulevan-albuminsa-lue-ensitunnelmat/
Interesting...Methinks it's going to be divisive again, espescially to those who want the old sound.

Now, with Human: II: Naturella, Holopainen harnesses all of this into a Nightwish sound that sounds totally and not at all Nightwish, and is shed from there with the most genuine soul and heart blood. Just one listen will ensure that this album will endlessly shed tears all over the world.

Fuck yeah this is a true Nightwish release, brimming hype and hyperbole to the point of devotion.

It's part of the package. Love it.

The first record stripped from orchestras - a completely orchestral second record

Holy fuck. I gasped at this.

Lukar · Jan 18, 2020

Is there any news of a single dropping before the album releases?

Nightwish announces HUMAN. :II: NATURE - New album releases on 10th April 2020

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