Nightwish

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen came up with the project in 1996 at a campfire. He was thinking of acoustic atmospheric music with guitar, flutes, strings, piano and above all a female singer. Together with guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and singer Tarja Turunen, the foundation was laid. Later drummer Jukka Nevalainen and bassist Sami Vänskä joined, and in 2001 Marko Hietala took over the bass and part of the vocals. The debut album Angels Fall First was released in 1997. Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000), Century Child (2002) and Once (2004) followed, which made the band known outside Finland as well.

Music and breakthrough

Nightwish's sound sets the heavy guitars and drums of metal beside Turunen's classically trained voice and the orchestra. On Century Child a real Finnish orchestra played along for the first time. The band's own version of The Phantom of the Opera became a fan favourite. Nemo, chosen as an example in School of Rock, comes from Once, released in 2004.

Influence

In 2005 Turunen left. Anette Olzon took her place and sang on Dark Passion Play (2007) and Imaginaerum (2011). Floor Jansen has been the singer since 2013, and Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015), Human. :II: Nature. (2020) and Yesterwynde (2024) followed later. Nightwish is one of Finland's best-selling acts and was inducted into the Finnish Music Hall of Fame in 2018. For the history of pop, the band shows how metal and classical music can also find a large audience together.

Listening

• 
  Nemo · Nightwish, 2004
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1997Angels Fall First
• 1998Oceanborn
• 2000Wishmaster
• 2002Century Child
• 2004Once
• 2007Dark Passion Play
• 2011Imaginaerum
• 2011Imaginaerum (soundtrack)
• 2013Imaginaerum (soundtrack)
• 2015Endless Forms Most Beautiful
• 2020Human. :||: Nature.
• 2024Yesterwynde