Henkäys ikuisuudesta

When Tarja Turunen was publicly sacked from Nightwish on the band’s website a couple of years ago it brought to an end a partnership that produced some of the best, most stimulating and enjoyable power metal ever. Now Nightwish have a new singer and after first listenings to the new album I have to say I’m not impressed.

The public sacker, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, is reportedly a total Disney fan. Listening to the old Nightwish I always felt that the band managed to keep a fine balance between the pompous excesses of most male-driven power metal and full-blown Disney kitsch and I suspect that it was Tarja who maintained the equilibrium. Now she’s gone, it seems Nightwish have tipped sideways into the land of Goofy.

Nonetheless, if fans were hoping for the thunderous opera of “Once” or “Over the Hills and Far Away” on this, Tarja’s debut solo album and a Christmas special, they’ll have been very disappointed. I found my copy of the disc second-hand, no doubt originally purchased and then sold on by some disgruntled metal fan. There’s not a metal moment on this disc but it’s a beauty nonetheless.

The opener sets the agenda. “Kuin Henkäys Ikuisuutta” is a stately ballad with a drums / guitar / keys arrangement. You get the feeling this could be a Nightwish power ballad. As it is, it sounds more like Abba, but Tarja’s distinctive voice and the inventive harmonies keep the song firmly on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Bothnia.

The next two tracks take the album deep into Christmas territory. The single, “You Would Have Loved This” is very pretty, a strong composition and, like the rest of the album, avoids mawkishness in favour of simple beauty. Abba finally rears its head with Tarja’s rendition of “Happy New Year”. Simpler in arrangement and less strident than the original it really impresses, especially sung in Finnish.

If metal fans might have been persuaded to hang on they’ll have been seen off by track #7, a less than stellar performance of “Ave Maria”. It’s pleasant enough but pales compared with the hundreds of performances of this classic already in existence recorded by many of the greatest singers in the world. Tarja keeps it simple and respectful without (thankfully) coloratura flourishes but I have to admit I hit the track advance button when I get to it.

The two tracks that make this disc easily worth the money come much later. “Marian Poika” is “O Little Town of Bethlehem” sung in Finnish. It’s a cracker and I’m just a sucker for it. The lazy four-four drums, the chippy guitar backing, the children’s chorus and sublime harmonies – sorry, but I just love it to bits. I might be struck off Metal Archives for this admission but I don’t care. I’m listening to it right now and singing along in very bad Finnish. In a few seconds I’ll flip to the album’s closer, “Jouluyö, Juhlayö”, a spine-tingling treatment of the greatest Christmas song, “Silent Night”. Just achingly beautiful, the voices carry it to the heavens above the simple arrangement.

The long-gone Nightwish fans should have hung in for the second last track, a version of “Walking in the Air”, a better performance all around than the original with a fuller and more inventive arrangement.

I loathe Christmas albums generally. They’re unctuous, sugary confections designed for those who listen to music once a year. “Henkäys Ikuisuudesta” is a very different proposition altogether, listenable and enjoyable throughout. There’s bound to be more disgruntled Nightwish fans out there so keep your eyes peeled for it second-hand.