Dark Passion Play

Dark Passion Play is a work on which NIGHTWISH bound the drive of a metal band and the breadth of a full orchestra to a bolder story. The new voice adds intimacy to the songs, sharpening the contrast with the grand arrangement. Made after Tarja Turunen’s departure, welcoming new vocalist Anette Olzon, it is a record. On “The Poet and the Pendulum,” “Amaranth” and “Bye Bye Beautiful,” from long-form drama to immediate hooks, the album brings its extreme range together into a single world. Songs like “Eva,” “Sahara” and “7 Days to the Wolves” breathe the band’s full playing too. Boldly taking in Celtic-music elements, they greatly widened their expressive range. It is a record that carved the turning point of a vocal change on a grand scale.