https://www.kerrang.com/nightwish-have- ... esterwynde



The album is described as, "Yesterwynde is a fantastical voyage through time, memory, and the better angels of human nature. Three years in the making, we’re thrilled beyond words to share our tenth album with the world on September 20th!"

The first single, "Perfume of the Timeless" is coming May 21st.

The fulltrack list:

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


In prior interviews, the album has been said to feature a return of the full Orchestra and a heavier sound than Human: Nature

I’m intrigued! The artwork looks nice so that’s already something.

I have found the Floor albums underwhelming so let’s hope this one delivers the goods. Not expecting a great album, but let it be fun.

Strangely enough, the album looks like a proper power-metal cover. And a tasteful one at that.

Not that I have any hopes for this album. And Tuomas remarking that a journalist told him he thought the album was really mellow REALLY doesn't help.

I think the clock theme is fitting, cos its really only a matter of time until the Tarja/Marco reunion.

Cautiously optimistic about this one. "Human Nature" was kind of boring. I don't need the album to be heavy (though members of the band said this one's heavier than HN and I'm obviously 100% fine with that) - I just want it to be good. This is the band that got me into metal - I want to enjoy their work, dammit. Also, I'm glad the cover art looks more like a mid 00s CGI mess than a mid-2020s AI mess, lol.

Interesting that they've apparently chosen a long song as the first single (according to the interview at least). Also, I do find some of these song titles intriguing... a few of them remind me of Epica.


Tarja came close to being a guest on the last tour, but couldn't do it due to a scheduling issue. I suppose the... uh, slightly dramatic events of 2005 are water under the bridge at this point.

I love Nightwish, they're the band that got me into metal and I'm very much looking forward to this. Human Nature was by far the weakest and most disappointing album they've put out, so I'm (tentatively) hoping Yesterwynde is a return to form. That said, I read an interview with Tuomas not so long back where he listed Human Nature as his favourite Nightwish record, so who knows. Just don't give Troy any lead vocal parts, please.



After almost 19 years and a successful solo career in her own right, I'd say so. If a reunion did occur though, I'd prefer if they just played their Tarja-era material, as that's what the vast majority of fans will want to hear. Nightwish's current style has moved on too far from the Tarja years to record a new album with her, so just take us back to those halcyon days of yesteryear when Nightwish were at their best.

I kinda admire that Tuomas just does what he wants, to be honest. A second disc of instrumental music. A 8 minute long single. Attempting to make a movie for an album. Doesn't always work, but I give him credit for trying it.

I will say the title, songs, and cover art surprised me a bit. It definitely feels more Power Metal than the previous two albums. Not that I'm expecting it to sound like Oceanborn, but the band seem to be in a transitional period, I feel like.

As for "heavy/mellow" I guess it depends what people mean. If 'metal' to those particular journalists is heavy chugs and an angrier tone, and the mood is more bright and the guitar melodic, maybe that's what they meant by 'mellow'.

That's my birthday! O:

Please be good, please be good, please be good...

Nightwish has been gradually losing me with each album since they booted Tarja, and while the album art definitely looks better than anything they've featured since Century Child, I'll remain cautiously skeptical until the music drops. I've always seen a lot of potential in Floor Jansen's involvement and am hoping for something great to come of it, but it all rides on whether or not Tuomas wants to write a coherent album or stick to writing drawn out film scores without the film that only occasional feature a metallic element.

I have basically zero faith in Nightwish to produce anything worthwhile these days, but I am always willing to be proven wrong.

That was 4 albums and 20 years ago! How low could your give-a-shit-o-meter be now? 1%?

Last album was one of their weakest but still had a couple solid tracks. Nothing quite at the level of Imaginaerum since, but hoping this will be good. They put on a great show when I saw them on the Decades tour.

No way, that's crazy!

*looks at their discography*

Damn, the last Tarja album was literally 20 years ago, and in the meantime, there have been only four (soon to be 5) albums!

Which would be fine, but like many here, I feel like the band is on a rollecoaster since Tarja's departure, so the span between albums does seem to translate to better (IMO) music.

I’ve been pretty okay with post-Tarja Nightwish but I can’t say I expect much at this point. Don’t think I’ve listened to Human Nature once since it released and Marco gone makes me fear for even less energy. But like others, I’m willing to be proven wrong and hope they’ll properly utilize Floor at some point.

Nothing they did since Tarja left has grabbed me, though the Floor albums at least didn't have annoying vocals. Most of what they've done just sounds restrained... interesting ideas but too stiff and cold. This one at least has an interesting cover and titles, so we'll see...

Well, I have openly confessed to having been a shameless Nightwish fan boy from 2000 until 2005, I had all of their first 4 albums in regular rotation during that time period and Once got pretty heavy play as well though I did see it as a step down. It was a fairly gradual decline, largely because of how infrequent their output became and the fact that there were other bands like Xandria and Amberian Dawn to get my female-fronted power metal fix from.

Those bands have some good stuff, but nothing will ever, ever come close to matching the Oceanborn -> Once run.

Or Within Temptation's one-two punch of Mother Earth and Silent Force, but I don't think anyone's ready for that conversation.

Yep, 100% agreed, I think the closest that any band ever came to rivaling that era of Nightwish was, ironically enough, my first exposure to Floor Jansen's vocals via After Forever's first two albums. Oceanborn is still one of those albums that I can throw in at any time, regardless of my mood, and I have to listen to it all the way through on general principle.

It's actually been a while since I listened to The Silent Force, I was head over heels in love with it back when it first dropped, and I got massively stoked when hearing a couple songs off it on Within Temptation's tour opening for Iron Maiden a couple years back, but I'm just so overloaded with stuff to do for my part-time journalist gig with Sonic Perspectives that a lot of my old favorites have been on the backburner lately.

Amberian Dawn are really goddamn underrated.
I really liked "Neverworld's End" by Xandria too... sounds like a long lost Tarja-era Nightwish album and it's really good at being that, lol. I thought "Sacrificium" and "Theater of Dimensions" were great too... as well as the more gothy stuff they did with Lisa before any of those. Not too hot on the new one though.

Anyway - I will fully admit I give the Anette-fronted albums more leeway than a lot of other people here do. I actually really love the vast majority of "Imaginaerum"... unless we're talking about that godawful spoken word part of "Song of Myself" that lasts for like 6 minutes, fuck that. EFMB was fine but I was disappointed in it when it came out - I think I was expecting the type of vocal acrobatics Floor did in After Forever and Revamp and... well, that didn't happen. I also felt that a couple songs on there just didn't quite gel together well... and "The Greatest Show on Earth" is needlessly bloated. "Human Nature" was even more lowkey musically-speaking, though I suppose I should commend them for trying a different approach with it (I just don't think it worked a lot of the time... though I think "Shoemaker" and "Endlessness" are pretty great).

All that being said, yeah, my favorite thing they've done is "Oceanborn" and "Century Child" is an incredibly close second.

Anyway, yeah, as I said... hoping this new one's good.

Much as I think the Oceanborn > Once run represented Nightwish at their best, I'm also in the crowd that has very much remained a fan since. I'd even go so far as to tentatively rank Imaginaerum just ahead of Wishmaster (keeping in mind how different the two are), though it has to lose a couple of points because of that hideous spoken word section in 'Song of Myself'. Bloating has just been a notable issue on the post-Tarja albums and the likes of Dark Passion Play and Endless Forms Most Beautiful really would have benefited from a bit of trimming the fat, though Nightwish are hardly the only long-running band to fall into this trap. The watered-down guitars and reduced Marco role (before it was reduced further to 'no Marco') on the two Floor albums hasn't helped their recent output, either.

I've got my fingers crossed Human Nature was just a dip in form, but was clear Tuomas' main focus on that one was the orchestral second disc, and it doesn't look like he's planning something similar this time around.

With you on these takes, buddy. Imaginaerum is a pretty solid record and the one post-Tarja record that gets some rotation here. It has got a bit of everything and makes the best use of Troy's contribution (I Want My Tears Back). Dark Passion Play has got its moments too.

Oceanborn is definitely the strongest thing they've ever done, but I may be biased as it was my first Nightwish record. I do rate Once a bit higher than Century Child, but only by a little.

As far as I'm concerned, the 4 albums of Lovebites and Frozen Crown have taken everything "female fronted power/symphonic metal" and put it out to pasture. Yes that includes Oceanborn (though I do still like it).

Love both bands, though I think for you the appeal may be that both of those bands don't really fall into the symphonic camp. lol

I have to get back into Frozen Crown's catalog, I really loved their first two albums but it's been a while since I've given their stuff a spin.

I just can't get into Frozen Crown. Something about their sound keeps repelling me, and I don't think their melodies are all that memorable.

Yeah they have to be one of the most completely middle of the road bands ever. Just not really much that stands out at all.

Well, the cover art looks really cool. I liked Human Nature quite a bit, although I don't really listen to it regularly anymore. I like it when artists are given complete freedom, even if the result it excessive and slightly self-serving.

I wonder if the description of "better angels of human nature" is a reference to the famous Steven Pinker book. Richard Dawkins was featured in previous works, so it doesn't surprise me if Tuomas consumes content from that crowd.