Album Review: Nightwish - 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful'

With predecessor albums topping the charts (admittedly over in Europe, the Australian regard is still pending) and receiving rave reviews, every Nightwish album is always highly anticipated. The Finnish power metallers have undergone significant changes along the way but, irrespective of personnel, their music has never faltered. Now, the band brings us their new and most passionate work to date, ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful.’

Opening track, ‘Shudder Before the Beautiful,’ is indicative of early sentiments. An interesting beginning, which includes some spoken words by Richard Dawkins greet the listener. The high and noted points of the Nightwish sound are well-represented. It's powerful, driving and grand.

In typical and welcome form, the album provides an atmospheric story with a section of lyrics focusing on beautiful places highlighted and equally juxtaposed against such angelic vocals. ‘Weak Fantasy’, a stand out track, takes on some darker themes and a faster pace. The band pulls this off with such force behind the delivery...power metal is nothing if not, well, full of power.

‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful' takes on both sweet, melodic tones with a backing choir to paint a beautiful aural picture, but it also picks up the pace at times with tracks like ‘Yours Is An Empty Hope.’ What it works to show is the collective skill in heavier form.

In very Nightwish style, the record closes on ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, which comes in at just under 25 minutes. It's a marathon, after all. The mysterious and progressive track (broken into five parts) again shows off the band's melodic side before taking on an aggressive tone filled with a variety of influences.

‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’ is raw and passionate, showing off so many different musical talents that Nightwish have acquired. The album pulls together a lot of the different sounds the band has explored throughout their career and presents it in neat, coherent form. Once again, Nightwish do not disappoint.

Shudder Before The Beautiful

Weak Fantasy

Élan

Yours Is An Empty Hope

Our Decades In the Sun

My Walden

Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Edema Ruh

Alpenglow

The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula

The Greatest Show On Earth