In May 2007, Nightwish announced Anette Olzon as Turunen's replacement. That September, the band released their sixth album, Dark Passion Play, which has sold almost 2 million copies. The album's lead single, "Amaranth", became one of Nightwish's most successful in Europe. The supporting tour, one of the band's largest, started on October 6, 2007, and ended on September 19, 2009. The band released an EP/live album, Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places), in March 2009 as a CD/DVD, and their seventh studio album, Imaginaerum, was released globally on various days in late 2011/early 2012.
On October 1, 2012, Nightwish announced that they had parted ways with Olzon and would be finishing the tour with at that time ReVamp vocalist (ex-After Forever) Floor Jansen. In October 2013, Nightwish made Jansen and longtime session uilleann pipes player Troy Donockley permanent members of the band, and they were featured in the acclaimed album Endless Forms Most Beautiful, released on March 27, 2015. From 2014 to 2019, Nevalainen, while still a member of the band, was inactive due to severe insomnia issues; in July 2019, he announced that he would not be returning to the band, with Kai Hahto, who had acted as his replacement since 2014 (including by performing all drums on Endless Forms Most Beautiful), being promoted as the official drummer, and is featured as such at the ninth album, Human. :II: Nature., which was released internationally on April 10, 2020. After twenty years of performing with the band, it was announced that bassist Marko Hietala had parted ways with the band in January 2021. Jukka Koskinen was announced as Hietala's replacement to play bass during the tour. In August 2022, he was announced as a permanent member of the band.
Nightwish is the third-best-selling band and musical entity in Finland with certified sales of nearly 900,000 certified copies. The group is also the most successful Finnish band worldwide, selling more than 10 million records and receiving more than 60 gold and platinum awards, having released six Number 1 albums and thirteen Number 1 singles. On October 26, 2018, Nightwish was inducted into the Finnish Music Hall of Fame, becoming the honorary gallery's 11th member.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightwish
Studio albums
Angels Fall First (1997)
Oceanborn (1998)
Wishmaster (2000)
Century Child (2002)
Once (2004)
Dark Passion Play (2007)
Imaginaerum (2011)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)
Human. :II: Nature. (2020)
Sacrament Of Wilderness
Nightwish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lies an angel in the snow
The frozen figure crossed by tracks of wolves
An encounter symbolic yet truthful
With a hungry choir of wolves
An agreement immemorial to be born
Dulcet elvenharps from a dryad forest
Of a sacrament by a campfire
A promise between the tameless
And the one with a tool
Tonight the journey from a cave begins
I want to hunt with the tameless heart
I want to learn the wisdom of mountains afar
We will honor the angel in the snow
We will make the streams for our children flow
Wrapped in furs beneath the northern lights
From my cave I watch the land untamed
And wonder if some becoming season
Will make the angel melt in shame
I want to hunt with the tameless heart
I want to learn the wisdom of mountains afar
We will honor the angel in the snow
We will make the streams for our children flow
The lyrics of Nightwish's "Sacrament of Wilderness" describe a desire for a primitive and wild way of life, in tune with nature and the wisdom of the mountains. The song begins with a description of an angel lying naked in the snow, surrounded by tracks of wolves. This meeting symbolizes the agreement between the untamed forces of nature and humanity, embodied in the desire to "hunt with the tameless heart" and learn from the wisdom of the mountains.
The second verse adds a musical element to the description, as the "dulcet elvenharps" of a forest accompany the sacrament by a campfire, further emphasizing the connection to nature. The final verse describes the singer watching the untamed land beneath the northern lights, wondering if the angel in the snow will melt in shame with the changing seasons. The desire to honor the angel and make the streams flow for future generations shows a recognition of the responsibility to care for and appreciate the natural world.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sacrament of Wilderness" express a longing for a connection to nature and a desire for a more primitive and respectful way of life that considers the balance and interconnectedness of all things.
Line by Line Meaning
Naked in midwinter magic
In the midst of winter's enchantment, there is a figure exposed and vulnerable.
Lies an angel in the snow
An ethereal being rests amidst the frozen landscape.
The frozen figure crossed by tracks of wolves
The angel's stillness has been disrupted by the prints of prowling predators.
An encounter symbolic yet truthful
The meeting between predator and prey is not only symbolic but also real.
With a hungry choir of wolves
A pack of ravenous wolves surrounds the figure.
An agreement immemorial to be born
An unspoken agreement is made between the natural order and the celestial world.
Dulcet elvenharps from a dryad forest
Sweet and melodious music emanates from a forest inhabited by tree spirits.
Accompany all charming tunes
The rest of the enchanted world joins in harmony.
Of a sacrament by a campfire
A ritual takes place around a fire.
A promise between the tameless
A vow between fearless souls is made.
And the one with a tool
And the one who possesses the means to shape his environment.
Tonight the journey from a cave begins
The adventurers embark on their quest from the safety of their shelter.
I want to hunt with the tameless heart
I desire to live and survive like the wild creatures of the earth.
I want to learn the wisdom of mountains afar
I yearn for the knowledge that can only be gained from experiencing nature's grandeur.
We will honor the angel in the snow
We shall pay homage to the spirit we encountered in the wild.
We will make the streams for our children flow
We will ensure that the beauty of nature is preserved for future generations.
Wrapped in furs beneath the northern lights
Protected from the bitter cold by animal hides, the adventurers witness the cosmic phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis.
From my cave I watch the land untamed
Peering out from the safety of my sanctuary, I observe the wild and untamed world outside.
And wonder if some becoming season
Contemplating if in a future time.
Will make the angel melt in shame
The heavenly figure will disappear from its current form, defeated by the harsh reality of existence.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERNO MATTI JUHANI VUORINEN, JUKKA ANTERO NEVALAINEN, SAMI TUURE PETTERI VAENSKAE, TARJA SOILE SUSANNA TURUNEN, TUOMAS LAURI JOHANNES HOLOPAINEN
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