With Imaginaerum soundtracking a soon to be released film of the same title, the band are, in terms of musicianship, up there with the very best of them. This latest release sees them flexing their creative muscles moreso than ever before, often lurking straight into unashamedly grandiose and cinematic territory, with a bombast and style akin to movie soundtracks, rather than mainstream rock music.
They, on the whole, do away with straight forward rock songs and tend to focus their vision on pushing the musical envelope and boundaries of what can be achieved. In fact, it is only Storytime and I Want My Tears Back (two massive highlights) that reference the Nightwish of old, yet their sound is very much their own, and they are in a league of one.
Imaginaerum is a challenging and engaging listen, and in places, is flat out bonkers. Some of the songs tend to drift on a little longer than necessary, and at times the tracks lose power for their lack of immediate focus, but in terms of sweeping instrumental soundscapes, and instrumentals, they are total works of art. As such, this album will take a little time to get into, and is certainly not as direct as previous work.
However, perseverance will undoubtedly reap rewards for an epic body of work that is also incredibly inventive. Song of Myself, a four part journey, is curious enough, merging in spoken word atmospherics to swooping musical accompaniment, whereas Scaretale, an equally lengthy and epic tale is a fantastically weird number, merging in razor sharp riffs and even celtic influences. It is a terrific listen, which really captures the listener’s imagination from the outset.
Imaginaerum sees Nightwish throw in everything but the kitchen sink, but for unbridled ambition and vision, this is one hell of a record.
8/10
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