One problem with bands leaving five-year gaps between albums is that if one comes out that you’re not so keen on, you end up waiting a decade for new material you can get behind. Every Nightwish release presents an array of delights, but 2020’s Human. :II: Nature. double album rather overbalanced the band’s delicate fulcrum away from grand operatic metal towards a diverse hotchpotch of folk, pop, musical theatre, alt rock, world music, orchestral bells and whistles, maudlin sentimentality and ponderous pomposity.
These were always factors in the Nightwish deal, but kept in check during the Tarja era, when clarion choruses and diamond hooks had priority. The 79-minute Endless Forms Most Beautiful from 2015 was similarly uneven and overstretched, meaning that after two albums and nearly 10 years, the full scope of Floor Jansen’s vocal talents haven’t been showcased on a wholly satisfying Nightwish album. Until now.
