Tuomas i Anette w Madrycie, Rafa Basa, 10/07/2007 CAŁOŚĆ! :)

MacFly

It is evident that NIGHTWISH, has turned into one of the most important bands of the current importance, tastes and opinions of each one apart. After the expulsion of Tally, all the polemic, problems, conjectures, rumors ... in September the new album will be edited, " Dark passion play ", the first one with the new vocalist of the group. To speak about all that there were in Madrid the teclista, principal composer and leader of the band, Tuomas Holopainen, and the new singer, Anette Olson. During 40 minutes we were speaking with both and clarifying many doubts on the most immediate past and especially present and future of the Finnish band. Tuomas, more moderate and terse, though it(he) seemed to me to be sincere enough, and a very nice Anette, answered without hair in the language to all our questions:

- Let's begin with what supposes Anette Olson's entry in the group... It is clear that you wanted a vocalist neither with operatic tone, nor a voice híper powerful, and especially that you did not want to continue exactly with the same vocal line marked by Tally till now. You have bet for a very nice, beautiful, angelic, soft, very melodic voice. It is something that clearly is listened and estimates in this album …

Tuomas. - Well, when we begin to look for the only thing that we had clear is that we did not want a new singer with the same classic training of the previous one, though really we did not have a predetermined idea of how she had to be the new vocalist. Simply we begin to listen to the demos that we had, to singers try... When Anette came, we liked very much her natural way of singing, everything worked very easily from the beginning, and she is that there is a lot of heat in her voice and I am charmed with it. In my opinion, ishe is so powerful as A Tarja but in a completely different way... The voice of Tarja in NIGHTWISH was dramatic, precious, cold, was making you dream and that of Anette is hotter, more human and real nearer to the histories of the disc, for saying it somehow, and for this me it is the difference.

Do you want to add something to this that Tuomas, Anette has said?

Anette. - I Believe that it has defined it very well, with nice words, jaja. I believe that if you have to replace a great singer since it is A Tarja, you need to make something totally different, because to replace it ado is impossible. I am very different from Tally, vocalmente speaking, if you want to call it this way I am a "more "melodic" singer as you were saying, but NIGHTWISH is a very melodic band with what I believe that my voice and the music of the group suppose a good combination.

Anette, the question is obvious, and the whole world will have done it to you and will do it to you. How is one going to connect your soft and " not operatic " voice to the topics sung by Tarja, where there was standing out his(her,your) voice of soprano and her more powerful point? ... specially speaking of directly, clearly.

Anette. - Basically I am going to try that the topics are nice for me, that they sound the possible better thing but with my voice, because already I say to you that it would be absurd to try to imitate the tone of Tarja. She there have a classic voice of opera and I not, as she was saying to you, but in the songs, the arrangements and the melodies are not of opera so I can do it with my voice.

Tuomas. - Yes, because we do not want to forget the previous songs with Anette's entry. Till now only we had made some songs of "Eleven" united during the process of hearing, as "Nemo" or " The siren ", or some another topic like " Ever dream " and her voice was sounding really well in these songs. From this point I believe that only it has to think that we are charmed with her voice in these topics and not to try to compare with that of Tarja or to imitate her because we have not looked for it ever

The impression gives me that you loved one more singer in wave BLACKMORE'S's Candice Night NIGHT or Maggie Reilly, who sang Mike Oldfield's "Moonlight Shadow" .... why?... Evidently Anette possesses a very personal voice, already, jumps at sight, but the comparisons are inevitable …

Tuomas. - Not exactly. I wanted a singer with a versatile voice, it was the most important thing for me, which could sing perfectly with a really soft voice but that if she needed to use the force also was coming without problems, because there are many ancient songs that need a vocal really powerful tone, because always it has been one of the " brands(marks) of the house " NIGHTWISH's, as "Wishmaster" or " The kinslayer "High, powerful songs and that give directly in the head. I assure you that she was candidatas really fantastic but what she made to us decide on Anette and not for other one to be that it was the one that was transmitting more power, which was more convincing so much at the moment of "caressing" like to transmit power.

I imagine that from the beginning, the comparisons with Tarja have been inevitable. How have you faced this?, how have you taken vocal your comparisons with those of Tarja?

Anette. - Especially I have tried not to think too much about it and not to get obsessed with how they will be the things as soon as we are of tour. What she makes me feel surer is that already we have tested enough and I sit down in a really united band, where I have been accepted very well and this has made me feel very well and removed many pressure. Now I have to do the better thing that could though for me already it is important that nobody in the band has asked me to compete with what has done Tarja or something like that and allow me to be I itself to all the levels.

I suppose that in the tests and in the multiple demos who sent you there would be tens and tens of "clowns" of Tally and the majority of the aspirantes would be sopranoes or mezzo sopranoes … I imagine that it was difficult to listen to all the demos, the process of selection, to decide if you wanted a different voice or not ... how it was all that and especially to be praised by a type of so different voice?

Tuomas. - Well, the topic was not that from the beginning we were searching something totally different from Tarja because we receive a heap of material of people who was singing since her was doing it and there were really impressive voices. Of all forms, yes it is true that we reject directly all that they were looking like to us clowns of Tarja because she already it had done so well that we did not want the same thing. It was entertained, despite everything, to listen to all the demos because we feel somehow like in a " NIGHTWISH idols " And it had, for example, demos of 13-year-old girls that somehow it was like his(her,your) dream of being famous or something like that, and well, often it was taking burden from us and the oir was even relaxing certain demos.

And you Anette, you tried in some moment to send material trying to sing as Tarja, it you passed for the head, or from the first moment you tried to be you itself?

Anette. - not!... How Tuomas has said, Tally has an extraordinary talent, is a really excellent singer and for it she me did not have felt to try to convert my voice to a classic tone. I can use a small classic touch but I believe that my way of singing is different... Simply I tried to sing with my voice and they liked it him but I never tried to imitate to Tarja

Certainly, there was some masculine interesting candidate and with serious possibilities? I say it with all my respects towards Marco

Tuomas. - Not, not, spent to me neither for the head nor a sóla time. It is that already we have a masculine singer, the really good one, but from the beginning of the band, NIGHTWISH has been characterized by a feminine voice and by no means we are going to leave this because then it would not be NIGHTWISH. Of all forms, between more of 2.000 demos that we receive, only there were 3 of masculine singers and we reject them directly because it was not for what we were looking

Let's speak already about the disc. Sincerely, it is an excellent album. It follows an evolutionary perfect style in comparison with "Eleven"; it is not a too sudden jump in comparison with him(it), but yes there are details and topics that clarify that this one is a new stage, independently of Anette's entry, which influences, but it is not quite … how is it for you, Tuomas, this " Dark Passion Play "?

Tuomas. - Yes, seems to me to be interesting on what you comment because already I have heard enough commentaries on which this disc is completely different from "Eleven" but I do not consider it to be like that by no means. For me it is a completely natural sequel of what was the previous disc, part of the same steps though it is clear that also it has many new elements because we have never done an equal, or enclosed disc a song two times. I think that always it is necessary to continue exploring new territories but departing from a base. Already the vocal change is the sufficiently big thing in order that the music does not change too directly... Just now I am really satisfied and thrilled with every second of the new disc, cannot say another thing. Probably yes you ask me inside a couple of years I him extract failures or give you a different opinion but, a today, it looks like to me a really good disc.
-Anette, I don't know if you were a fan of the band before, but I'm interested in your opinion as a "fan", as a mere listener, about the new record... [Spanish folks, is that right? I can't be sure if this is the question of if they are NOT interested in her opinion as a fan. Even though the "sí" makes me think I got it right.]

Anette: Well, I hadn't listened to NW a lot before but I have listened to the records a lot now. To me, the most important thing is the band mantains that special punto (point? "thing"?) and that aura that involves you completely, just as the first record in 97, but in every new record they've included something new. For instance, in DPP there's the celtic and ethnic touches, as well as an acoustic song like "The Islander"... The record is very eclectic, I think that's its main characteristic, the variety of music and feelings that it contains... there's joy, sadness, annoyance... a bit of everything.

-The fans of the band are expectantes (can't think of a proper translation, sorry. It means they're waiting anxiously. Maybe that could be the word - anxious. tongue2.gif], hoping this will be the best album of the band. To many, the easy and obvious (? "directo") thing to do would be to include "heir-songs" of "Wishmaster", "The Kinslayer", "Bless The Child", "The Beauty And The Beast"... but all of a sudden, they found a single that is almost a lullaby (? "nana") and then a record as varied as DPP?... What have the initial reactions and opinions been, both from the fans and from the papers who have been able to listen to the record?

Tuomas: To most it's been a positive shock. I'm sure the first time they hear it they're like "What's going on here? It's too much to process! It's 75min of information, a lot of material and a lot of songs and there are things going on all the time, a multitude of details, it makes you get up like 100 times, sit down another hundred... It's a big package of songs and I think that maybe the first time it may scare a little and you leave it, but soon te pica el gusanillo [I think I get the meaning. Translating it is another matter. tongue2.gif ], you go back to the record and the magic begins... But we'll see, most reactions have been really positive.

I agree with what you say because to me this is one of the best albums of the band, but you don't fall in love with at the first listen. Anyway, they say that all the good books and movies are the ones that pull you in little by little. Listen by listen , but not at first, this record turns out superb, but it's not an easy record.

Tuomas: Yeah, yeah, I completely agree, it's not a record of one listen only I have a saying regarding that and it's that if I get hooked on a record when I first listen to it , it's a really boring record to me, at least at a composer level, so each NW record is my always my little challnge... It's just that to me, these days the world is full of shit, and on a musical level more than ever. It seems now that it's okay for one song or melody to get you hoked, and it's not like that to me, the same has to happen with every song. I tell you it's a challenge but it's something I'm very proud of when it comes to the albums of the band.

Anette: I totally agree with Tuomas. If a record is too easy or catchy (? "pegadizo") from the first minute, something is missing. For instance, "Once" freaked me out; it has that accessible thing at first but then you listen again and there's more and more each time. It happened before "Once", too, but especially since that moment NW music has grown to incredible heights and, each time you listen to the records, it's impossible to feel the same as the first time you heard them, because you keep discoverng something new.

Tuomas, I congratulate you on the excellent orchestrations (very difficult to take to a live show), especially in TPATP. In what way does content or sound define an essential characteristic of the album?

Tuomas: The first thing I have to say is that I think the orchestra is a part of the band, part of the songs themselves. It's not like with Metallica, for example, who had songs and then added some orchestra bits to adorn the original base. No, in NW the orchestration is part of the song itself from the beginning. It's been that way ever since we started, although we never thought we could take those to a live situation of that I could play everything on my keyboard, because I'd need 100 keyboards and 100 interpreters and that's impossible.

Speaking of TPATP, good Lord! (? "enhorabuena") It's one of the best songs in NW history. It's impressive! Tell me about the musical concept. How was it composed and how did you get the inspiration to create this "mini masterpiece".

Tuomas: The song was composed at a time when my mental state was a little different than now, with a lot of hate, when ther was nothing but fights and so it's a sad story in a way. The most important thing was to be sure that a 14min song wouldn't turn out boring, and also to make it very real, interesting to the ears, that could almost live, and that was a challenge and I think it's the best song we've ever made, in my opinion. I can't tell you much more because I think the best thing to do in order to understand it is to read the lyrics. With this song especially, I'd like people to listen to it while reading the lyrics, because that way they'll be able to understand the point in the effects, orchestration, emotions, theatrical parts and everything else a lot better.

What about you, Anette?... I imagine it must've been impressive to you, being introduced to a song of this magnitude. Did it scare you at all?

Anette: Uff, you better believe it! Ahah! It's like several songs inside the same song, and there are a lot of different feelings and emotions expressed in those 14mins, and at the same time [or maybe "sometimes", can't be sure] it's very serious. It's a really beautiful piece of music, and I especially like the last part that is a pasada (ja też nie wiem co to znaczy; pasado to przeszły, ubiegły...)

Tuomas: The end of a 14min song has to be grandiloquent and exciting. Eve though it’s the first track, to me it’s the high point of the whole album.

How did you tell the orchestra what you wanted from each musician and howthey should understand the concept of a song?

Tuomas: Yeah, it was hard but it was mostly a very intense collaboration with the guy that did all the orchestra bits, Mr. Pip Williams, who also wrote the orchestra parts for all the previous NW records.

We made a very professional demo with all the songs and the orchestra parts recorded on keyboards. Then Pete and I listened to it at my place and said “I want this here” or “I want this there”. [MISSING SENTENCE. CURRENTLY TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT] We talked and talked, thought and thought. He also came up with a lot of ideas in addition to the ones I had initially and the ones that came about during the process... It’s obvious to me he’s the right man to this this kind of thing with NW, and someone who understands exactly what I want and what I’m trying to explain.

Besides the wonderful TPATP, there are three other songs that make this one of the best NW albums. In my oppinion, they are BBB, similar to WIHAA, “Amaranth”, with a certain “The Corrs” touch during the chorus, and “Cadence of Her Last Breath”, another melodic, greatly “built” big song, where you can see NW’s commercial evolution in the good sense of the word. Please, tell me about them.

Tuomas: Ok. BBB is obviously dedicated to Tarja.The only thing I regret about this song is I’ve always said I wouldn’t make the same album twice, or record similar songs, and this one really reminds me of WIHAA.

“Amaranth” is going to be the first single, in adittion to “Eva”, but the single is “Amaranth” [I think he means that, even though “Eva” was released first, “Amaranth” is the first “official” single. But we already knew that tongue2.gif ]. Anway, it’s not one fof my favorites on the album and initially it was supposed to be a bonus track but, after hearing the song with Anette’s vocals on it, we totally changed our minds.We changed the vocal line and chorus a bit and got a good, catchy track, that doesn’t sound too commerial, and I think that it is a really good song for a single.

“Cadence Of Her Last Breath” is the song I like least on the album; in fact, to me it’s the worst song on DPP. I don’t know why exactly, but it doesn’t feel [? “llega”] the same as the other songs. It seems closer to the american gothi metal scene and I don’t think it’s as worthy of being on the album as the other songs.

Anette: About BBB,... I don’t really care too much about what it’s about, and I prefer to interpret it my way. Also, the most aggressive part of the chorus is sung by Marco, so to me it’s another good song on the album and nothing more. I don’t see it as a second WIHAA, but I completely understand that other people compare them. Anyway, I think it has a very special hook [literal translation. The word is “gancho”] and it’s very direct.

“Amaranth” is... I don’t know, catchy “como el pegamento” [like the... hook/chorus? I don’t know  ], and it makes me happy when I listen to it and I love that, with my voice, it ended up being an important song off the album.

“Cadence Of Her Last Breath” is one of my favorites so I have a different oppinion about it than Tuomas... and I think that’s fine because if no one in the band liked it, it wouldn’t be here. Besides, it was one of the first I sang on my first demo with the guys, so it’s a special song to me. Almost one year after I sang it for the first time! (laughs a lot when saying this, maybe because of the time reference, with all the rumours of the last months and the singer having been selected for a year...), I still think it has beautiful lyrics and it still has that “hook” I saw in the beginning.

“Master Passion Greed”, with thrash metal parts, is closer to Tarot’s repertoire than NW’s... What’s the “story” of the song and its inclusion on the album? I imagine Marco is mostly to blame for that...

Tuomas: Yeah, I must’ve been a little crazy when I wrote that song, ahah. I guess in a way I had to expel all those negative feelings I had inside, like stop throwing salt into the wound, as simple as that. The original idea was to also include softer vocals, but Marco asked me to sing it this way because it was better and he was definitly right.

Why the folk, celtic style in songs like “The Islander” and “Last Of The Wilds”, which are more like Blackmore’s Night or Jethro Tull than NW (I’m referring mainly to “The Islander”)?

Tuomas: Yeah, you’re right, mainly about Jethro Tull. We wanted to have these celtic influences on the album and use certain celtic instruments as well, because it’s something we hadn’t done before. Anyway, it was almost by accident that the four songs that have those elements ended up last on the album, but I like it because it gives the album an almost dramatic, more colorful ending that I love.

“The Islander” is a song made by Marco and it’s definitely one of my personal favorites. It’s something I don’t think we’ve done since the first record, such an acoustic song... and “Last Of The Wilds” is like a natural continuation, and it’s definitely the happiest song on the album. There’s sort of a mix between Ireland and Finland because there’s Emppu’s guitar, together with the pipes and flutes, plus the solos with Finnish instruments.

The softness and delicate touch of “Meadows Of Heaven” (fantastic song) or “Eva”, and other very soft and melodic fragments, together with Anette’s voice, very soft, sweet and melodic, make this NW record somewhat resemble the early The Corrs, mixed with what Mike Olfield did during his most commercial and melodic era. What do you think about it?

Tuomas: Well, I guess, but our music has always had a soft and melodic touch. I find it very difficult to do an interesting ballad and I think we failed with the CC ballads, for example, which in my oppinion were very poor. In “Once” there were a pair of good ballads but I think we got it 100% right with “Meadows Of Heaven”. I think this is the best ballad we’ve made in our career, besides being the perfect finale, after twelve songs about hate, melancholy, sadness... and I think a song like “Meadows Of Heaven” gives you that bit of hope and happiness to finish off..

Anette: Both ballads seem great to me. It’s always difficult to do ballads and I’ve experienced the same with my other bands, trying to make the ballads sound good, transmit things an strength, without making them too soft [cheesy?]... “Meadows Of Heaven” is just celestial and it’s the song that touched me the most, and I totally agree with Tuomas that it gives the end of DPP hope.

“Eva” is beautiful, briliant, n trozo de corazón [a heart break? Literally, a “pieceof heart”. No clue...]... I read comments of people who say it’s not a very good song and it’s something I don’t understand because I think it’s wonderful.

What’s the best thing about the guitars on this album, what do you think about the guitar sound on the album?... On one hand it’s very powerful, but on the other there are softer, more melodic parts that I think are a very interesting counterpoint...

Tuomas: The first thing to say is that the mix you hear in the promo copies is not the final mix, as we mixed he whole record again, so there are a few things that’ll be different. The most important thing to me is that the whole package is perfect, though that’s not my job but Mikko Karmila’s, who did it in the Finnvox Studios. The thing is, I don’t know exactly what Mikko did with the guitar sound. I’ll be able to tell you in a few days when I get the final version.

Anette: I think there was a very good balance. In my oppinion, regarding the last mix I heard, the guitars are more powerful and clear than in the beginning. I think Emppu’s guitar work in this case has been superb.

To finish off, I have some shorter questions... The first one... What do you have to say about your keyboards?

Tuomas: It’s funny because for a moment you can think “where are the keyboards?”, because the orchestra is “in the front” [know what I mean? I can’t think of a proper translation]. I mean, apart from the piano, sometimes it’s difficult to hear the keys in DPP, but anything, however small, played by the orchestra, is based on the keyboard and even “covered” [? “dibujada”] by the keyboard. Anyway, the keyboard is always there, adding force and shadows to the orchestra, but sometimes you can’t hear it at first.

How would you define Marco’s work in this album?

Tuomas: Better than ever. In every sense, as a singer and as a bass player, he has totally outdone himself.

By the way, Anette, how is it for you to share the vocal part with someone as distinguished as Marco?

Anette: I was little and Marco was already touring and singing heavy metal with Tarot... Even then I liked the few bands that had multiple vocals or two singers and each song was different depending on who sang, like Kiss, for instance. I’m anxious to share the stage with Marco... in fact, the first song we rehearsed togethe was WIHAA and it worked really well... Plus, it’ll be great because I’ll be able to rest sometimes, ahah. It’s great sharing songs with Marco.

And what do you think of your work on the album?

Anette: I really like it and I’m very critical about my work, I’m very demanding. There’s nothing I’m not satisfied with. I’m really happy because I was able to work with such professional guys, who helped me so much I can only be satisfied and thankful.

What about you, Tuomas, what do you have to say about Anette’s work?

Tuomas: It’s perfect and I’m completely satisfied with everything she’s done, I wouldn’t change a single note. Besides, it’s very interesting to know what we can do in the future, because now I have a “master track” (? “pista maestra”. Does he mean the album?) with the possibilities of her voice and what she can do. In the future, her oppinion and voice will be much more important when it’s time to compose the material; obviously, this time it wasn’t like that in the beginning because the material was almost finished before she came to the studio. I have a feeling there’s a lot of NW to explore and to do on he next records with Anette.

What will the two first tracks of the live shows be?

Tuomas: We haven’t decided yet, because we haven’t rehearsed for the tour, but I can assure you they’ll be two songs off the new record.

And will you be able to start off with TPATP?

Tuomas: No, that’d be too much for the beginning. I think the first song has to be a little “kick in the face”... We plan to play TPATP in most concerts but not at the beginning...

Anette: I think it’ll be fine halfway through, ahah.

Tuomas: The thing is, we have a sound engineer with us on tour so there’s no problem, but think of a festival where there’s no chance for sound check and there’s no sound technician of our own and we have to start with a song as complexe as TPATP... uff, I can’t picture it, ahah, it’d be too much of a responsability.

Anette, what song that Tarja sang do you find more difficult to sing?[/b]

Anette: Hmm, I don’t know... I haven’t rehearsed all the songs with the band. I don’t know, I guess the ones I have to sing at the end of the concert, ahah. I can’t pick one because the ones we’ve rehearsed so far have worked out fine and I’ve felt really comfortable with most and with my voice in good shape, so there should be no problems with any song.

You’ve been in bands for may years but to the general public you’re completely new. Tell us how you are onstage; how do you act live?

Anette: Well, it depends on the song we’re playing. I’ve always used a lot of mimic, but it also depends on the type of music, although I’ve always liked that way of expressing the songs with your body and movement alongside the voice. Anyway, I can go completely crazy onstage or I can be really calm, depending on what I’m singing, as I’ve said. I just don’t like to do something rehearsed, we’ll see in the rehearsals what happens and how I express those songs... I also have to see how I connect with the guys, how they feel... I don’t know, it’ll be spontaneous and natural, you can be sure of that, so I can’t say anything for sure because we haven’t rehearsed what will be the complete set.

Tuomas: You just can’t overthink it; to me, one of the most ridiculous things you can do live is to plan what you do in terms of movement and such. In the 80’s poses and matching movements with the guitars were a big thing... but please, this is 2007 and not 1982. From my point of view, never again.

So you’re not rehearsing movements or poses or some sort of choreogaphy for the live shows?.. I ask because many parts of the record are very theatrical and maybe some elements like dancers or something could be interesting in the new concerts.

Tuomas: No, no choreographies. Regarding that, what we have are lights, projections, pyro... That’s what we’ve planned but no choreography by the band or other people onstage.

- Wielkie dzięki, że poświęciliście chwilkę i udzieliliscie wywiadu dla naszej strony. Jasne, że bedziecie koncertować w Hiszpanii , ale kiedy to będzie?

Tuomas.- Planujemy 40 europejskich koncertów, które zaczną się w lutym, w Hiszpanii powinniśmy być ok. marca 2008. W chwili obecnej możemy powiedzieć, że będzie ok 3 koncertów w waszym kraju ale co będzie jutro nie wiemy. Jest jeszcze rok czasu do tego.

Anette: I hope they’re big places... but I’ll go wherever the guys take me, ahah.

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Ixion

uwielbiam translatory.... Smile

MacFly

Nareszcie mamy całość tego wywiadu Very Happy

Jednak nie ręczę, za poprawność tego angielskiego.
Jako, że sama robię straszne błędy, trudno mi wyłapać także czyjeś Wink

(ostatnie pytanie tłumaczył z hiszpańskiego Polak, dlatego jest po polsku Wink

)