Nightwish are a symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland, formed in 1996 by songwriter/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and vocalist Tarja Turunen. The group currently consists of Holopainen and Vuorinen, alongside multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (official since 2013, touring from 2007), lead vocalist Floor Jansen (since 2012), drummer Kai Hahto (official since 2019, touring from 2014) and bassist Jukka Koskinen (since 2021).
Although Nightwish has been prominent in their home country since the release of their first single, "The Carpenter" (1997) and debut album Angels Fall First , they did not achieve worldwide fame until the release of the albums Oceanborn , Wishmaster and Century Child , which were released in 1998, 2000 and 2002 respectively. Their 2004 album, Once , which has sold more than 1.2 million copies, [1] led to Nightwish video clips being shown on MTV in the United States and inclusion of their music in US movie soundtracks. Their biggest US hit single, "Wish I Had an Angel" (2004), made it onto three US film soundtracks as a means to promote their North American tour. [2] The band produced three more singles and two music videos for the album, as well as "Sleeping Sun", from the 2005 "best of" compilation album, Highest Hopes , prior to vocalist Tarja Turunen’s dismissal.
In May 2007, former Alyson Avenue frontwoman, Anette Olzon, was revealed as Turunen’s replacement, [3] and in the autumn, the band released a new album – Dark Passion Play , which has sold more than 1.5 million copies. [4] The supporting tour started on 6 October 2007 and ended on 19 September 2009. [5] [6] A new E.P./live album, Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places) , was released in March 2009 as a MCD/DVD.
Nightwish has received eleven awards from both the Emma-gaala Awards, from thirteen nominations, [7] [8] [9] and one Echo Awards from two nominations. Nightwish has also received 2 nominations from the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards, but has not received an award; Nightwish already won awards from MTV Europe Music Awards [10] and from World Music Awards. [7]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tuomas Holopainen | 1996–present |
| all releases | |
Emppu Vuorinen |
| |||
Troy Donockley [lower-alpha 1] | 2013–present (touring & session member 2007–2013) |
| all releases since Dark Passion Play (2007) | |
Floor Jansen [lower-alpha 2] | 2013–present (touring member 2012–2013) | lead vocals | all releases since Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015) | |
Kai Hahto [lower-alpha 3] | 2019–present (touring & session member 2014–2019) |
| ||
Jukka Koskinen [lower-alpha 4] | 2022–present (touring member 2021–2022) | bass | Yesterwynde (2024) |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tarja Turunen [lower-alpha 5] | 1996–2005 | lead vocals | all releases until Once (2004) | |
Jukka Nevalainen [lower-alpha 6] | 1997–2019 (on hiatus August 2014 – July 2019) | drums | all releases from Angels Fall First (1997) until Imaginaerum (2011) | |
Sami Vänskä [lower-alpha 7] | 1998–2001 | bass | all releases from Oceanborn (1998) until Over the Hills and Far Away (2001) | |
Anette Olzon [lower-alpha 8] | 2007–2012 | lead vocals | all releases from Dark Passion Play (2007) until Imaginaerum (2011) | |
Marko Hietala [lower-alpha 9] | 2002–2021 |
| all releases from Century Child (2002) up to Human. :II: Nature (2020) |
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Samppa Hirvonen | 1997–1998 | bass | During the debut tour. | |
Marianna Pellinen |
| During the debut tour, as well as certain promotions and performances for Oceanborn . | ||
Tapio Wilska |
| male vocals |
| |
Pekka Kuusisto |
| violin | Pekka joined Nightwish for the final concert of Dark Passion Play tour at Hartwall Areena and later played violin solos for the album Imaginaerum. Pekka later joined Nightwish for the Imaginaerum Movie Premiere at Hartwall Areena and played violin/pipe battle with Troy Donockley. | |
Alissa White-Gluz | 2012 | vocals | Alissa and Ryd filled in for Anette while she was in hospital during the Denver show in 2012. [16] | |
Elize Ryd | ||||
Netta Skog | 2018 | accordion | Netta joined Nightwish for the Mukkula, Gatorade Center and Hartwall Arena shows on the Decades: World Tour in 2018. | |
Henk Poort | 2022 | vocals | Joined Nightwish for The Phantom of the Opera performance at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. Performance released as a live single. | |
Yannis Papadopoulos | Joined Nightwish for Sahara performance at the O2 arena in Prague. |
Years | Artist | Albums / songs | Instrument | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000–2002 | Sam Hardwick |
| Backing vocals | Live in Playback |
2000 | Ike Vil |
| Male vocals | Live in Playback |
2001 | Tony Kakko |
| Featured in the 2001 DVD, From Wishes to Eternity (in song Beauty and the Beast) | |
2004 | John Two-Hawks |
| Male vocals, Native American flute | Featured in 2006 DVD, End of an Era |
2004–2007 | The London Session Orchestra |
| All the chorus effects and orchestral sounds | Live in Playback |
2007 | Johanna Salomaa |
| Female vocals | Indica frontwoman |
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and then bassist Sami Vänskä after the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997). In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers. Although Nightwish have been prominent in their home country since Angels Fall First, they did not achieve wider success until the release of the albums Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000) and Century Child (2002).
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen is a Finnish musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the primary songwriter, keyboardist, and founding member of symphonic metal band Nightwish. He has stated that his songwriting is influenced by harmonic film music.
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist, bassist and songwriter. Internationally, he is best known as the former bassist, male vocalist and secondary composer to Tuomas Holopainen, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer and lyricist for the heavy metal band Tarot.
"Sleeping Sun" is a power ballad and the fourth single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released as a maxi single with three other songs on 2 August 1999 to coincide with the total solar eclipse that would occur on 11 August.
"Wish I Had An Angel" is the ninth single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, the second from their fifth album Once. The song features vocals by then-vocalist Tarja Turunen and bassist Marko Hietala. The song was still performed live after Turunen's departure with Anette Olzon, before her departure, and current vocalist Floor Jansen afterwards. Featured on the soundtrack of the film Alone in the Dark, it became the group's most popular single in Europe and in the United States, next to "Nemo". It made it onto two U.S. film soundtracks. It reached #60 in the UK Singles Chart, the highest of any of the band's singles in the UK.
"Sacrament of Wilderness" is the second single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released as the first single from their album Oceanborn, and a split-single with Eternal Tears of Sorrow and Darkwoods My Betrothed.
"Ever Dream" is the sixth single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Released as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Century Child, it was the group's first single release in two years, following "Deep Silent Complete" in 2000.
"Eva" is the fourth promotional single by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Lifted from their sixth studio album Dark Passion Play, this was the first release to feature Anette Olzon, following Tarja Turunen's departure in 2005.
Dark Passion Play is the sixth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on 26 September 2007 by Spinefarm Records in Finland, 28 September by Nuclear Blast in Europe and 2 October 2007 by Roadrunner Records in the US. It is the first album without original vocalist Tarja Turunen, who was dismissed in 2005, as well as the first album involving future member Troy Donockley on uilleann pipes and tin whistle. It is the first of only two albums with vocalist Anette Olzon, who was eventually dismissed in 2012 after the release of the band's subsequent album, Imaginaerum. Tuomas Holopainen has referred to this album as the "album that saved his life".
This is the discography of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, which consists of ten studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, four compilations, eighteen music videos and twenty singles.
Anette Ingegerd Olsson, known by the stage name Anette Olzon, is a Swedish singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish from 2007 to 2012. She is also the vocalist of Swedish classic rock band Alyson Avenue, and of the Finnish heavy metal band The Dark Element.
"While Your Lips Are Still Red" is a 2007 song written by Tuomas Holopainen and Marko Hietala of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was performed by Holopainen, Hietala, and Jukka Nevalainen for the Finnish film The Matriarch, which was written and directed by renowned Finnish director Markku Pölönen; the film premiered in Finland in September 2007. The song is included on Nightwish's "Amaranth" single, which was released on 22 August 2007 as the second single of their sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play. It was also released on their live / compilation EP Made in Hong Kong in 2009.
"Bye Bye Beautiful" is the second track on Nightwish's Dark Passion Play album. The song was confirmed to be the second single from Dark Passion Play by Tuomas Holopainen in an interview, but it was changed to the third single after the announcement of "Erämaan viimeinen"'s release as the second.
"The Islander" is the tenth track on symphonic metal band Nightwish’s Dark Passion Play album. It was confirmed to be the album's fourth single on the website Nightwish-World on 23 February 2008, only a week after the third single, "Bye Bye Beautiful", was released. It was released on 21 May 2008, a month after the video which premiered on 14 April.
Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places) is the title of a live / compilation CD/DVD by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, released on 11 March 2009.
Once Upon a Tour was a concert tour by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in 2004 and 2005, to promote the release of their fifth album, Once, released June 7, 2004. A new greatest hits compilation, Highest Hopes, was also released to tie in with the tour. The albums combined with the band's most expansive merchandise campaign by Nuclear Blast Records meant this tour was heralded as the band's most important in many years. Many of the band's songs had not been played in a long time.
The Dark Passion Play World Tour was a concert tour by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, taking place from 2007 to 2009 in support of their sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play, released by Nuclear Blast on September 26, 2007; it was the first tour with former frontwoman Anette Olzon, who joined the band in 2006, after Tarja Turunen's dismissal on October 21, 2005. During this tour, the band played for the first time in Israel, China, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Serbia and Croatia.
Imaginaerum is the seventh studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on 30 November 2011 by Scene Nation Oy and Sony Music in Finland, then on 2 December in Nuclear Blast in the rest of Europe and Roadrunner Records worldwide. According to Nightwish songwriter Tuomas Holopainen, the album is a concept album that tells the story of an old composer who is reminiscing of his youth on his deathbed. The album was produced alongside the movie of the same name, directed by Stobe Harju, who previously directed Nightwish's "The Islander" music video, and the album and the film share the same themes and general story. It is their second and last album with vocalist Anette Olzon, as well as the last with drummer Jukka Nevalainen.
Imaginaerum is a 2012 fantasy film co-written and directed by Stobe Harju. It was developed with and features music from Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album of the same name; Nightwish's keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen co-wrote the film. Imaginaerum, which is produced by Markus Selin from Solar Films Inc. along with Nightwish, is the feature film debut of director Stobe Harju.
Decades is the seventh compilation album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, and contains remastered versions of the original material. It was released on March 9, 2018, which is the same day that they began touring for the Decades: World Tour. The track listing is presented in reverse chronological order.