Terrorizer

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On October 21 2005, NIGHTWISH mastermind TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN may have handed Tarja Turunen an open letter outlining the reasons they could no longer work together, but also handed himself a ultimatum- whether to continue the band that serves as a cathartic vehicle for his own demons. After a tumultuous two years, Holopainen talks dark passions with Dayal Patterson and finally introduces us to new vocalist Sarah Bri... ANETTE OLZON

AN ERA BEGINS
Nightwish are a group that split opinion more than most. It's a cliche of the most weathered kind to label a band a "love it or hate it" affair, but hell, sometimes cliches are true. There's no doubt that many Terrorizer readers will be quick to pour scorn, just as some of you, we know, have passionately supported them since the early days. Whatever your opinion, one thing that may not be obvious- especially given the fact that they shifted more than a million copies of their last album, "Once"- is the sincerity that underlies their endeavours. Despite the commercial viability of their music- and the temptation to cry foul that comes with it- the thing that becomes clear upon meeting the band's brainchild Tuomas Holopainen is that the music of Nightwish comes straight from the heart. The man behind Nightwish is a thoughtful and earnest character whose seriousness is in bold contrast to the generally uplifting nature of the band he heads. But then, it's been a time of turbulence and uncertainty for Nightwish and all those who operate within it. In October 2005, they dismissed their former singer, Tarja Turunen in an unflinching and well publicised open letter that accused her of greed and egotism, a move which many concluded would herald the end of the band. Truth be told, in many people's minds, Tarja was Nightwish, an instantly recognisable face that dominated both merchandise and the music itself. Nontheless, the band wasted no time in searching for a replacement, holding open auditions that saw them flooded with applicants and examples of vocal prowess from 2,000 applicants from over 50 countries. Fifty of these applicants were invited to record over instrumental recordings, and from these, ten were chosen to meet the band. The end result was the announcement of new singer Anette Olzon, an unknown from Sweden who had previously sung in a number of smaller bands, theatre productions and an ABBA cover band. Inevitably, the secrecy maintained throughout the affair fuelled excited speculation in the music press (even prompting Terrorizer's April Fool claiming that English soprano Sarah Brightman had joined the band) but while the story might have been big news in the rock/metal community, it was nothing compared to the furore that occured in the band's homeland where the mystery was headline news.

"In Finland, metal is the national music," smiles Tuomas, "You can't rebel against your father by listening to Mayhem or Children of Bodom, because they're listening to the same stuff. We're national property there, and it became a soap opera, even the prime minister had something to say. First, Liv [Kristine] from Leaves' Eyes was in every single newspaper after we sacked Tarja. Then it was Vibeke Stene of Tristania. Every single female metal singer was considered the definite Nightwish singer at some point, even Amy Lee. Anette's name was mentioned at one point, but luckily no-one picked up on it. Some people even took the Terrorizer thing seriously. I think if it wasn't for the Brightwish part, a lot more people would have believed it!"

QUEST ENDEAVOURS
Though the whole affair had a whiff of marketing about it, the band make clear the prolonged silence was not a publicity stunt, but rather an attempt to finish the album before any announcments were made, a strategy which- thanks to some cunning tactics- worked. Just.

"We made sure we were never seen together," explains Tuomas, "She was always in different hotels, if we flew, we wouldn't sit together, it was a James Bond type situation. In the end it was leaked on the net a week early so we were forced to announce it. I remember waking up that morning and turning on my phone and there were like 20 texts saying "We have to speak to the media now- this whole thing is fucked up!""

"And I panicked," Anette smiles, "Because I didn't want to be on my own while all this was happening, it was not nice at all to be alone in this new situation. I wasn't in Finland at the time, I was in Sweden where I live and the press were at my house interviewing my neighbours."

"Don't take this the wrong way," says Tuomas to Anette, "but I think people were expecting something more shocking. A realy famous celebrity, or someone who would say something really bad about Tarja. A few journalists tried to make an issue out of Anette's son, but they soon ran out of things because she doesn't really have any skeletons in the closet."

"Not yet," she smiles, "The early stories were about me abandoning my son [who, it should be pointed out, is 6 and whose father is present to look after him while Anette is away] but they're waiting and waiting for a scandal and will grab hold of anything. My mom is always like "Think about what you're doing". She's so scared, but I don't want to be scared of people, this shy celebrity who's afraid to go out. I really hope that I can be the same person."

So, what made the band choose Anette? Well, to make an obvious point, the girl can sing. But with two thousand applicants- including a number of undisclosed "household names", it was never down to voice alone.

"There were two things," explains Tuomas, "Personality, which was number one, and the voice, which was number two. We knew there were a lot of good voices out there but that finding the right kind of person would be hard. She needed to have good self esteem, and a good sense of humour, because she was going to go through hell. The age scale was from 12 to 66, and although we listened to every individual sample, I was very sure that I would rather take a 40 year old than someone half that age. The pressure that the new singer has to go through... I don't think a twenty-year-old would handle that. There's a lot of people out there just waiting for us to fail so she needs to be tough and she's good at that."

Though some way off 40, Anette clearly has experience, and the confidence to sing with her own voice, as opposed to merely mimicking Tarja, something instantly obvious to anyone who has heard the new material.

"Since I was young, I have never been trying to copy anyone," she explains. "I'm being really honest, I have been trying to get into the pop business, and they always try and make you into something else, and that's why I've always had difficulties finding a place, cos I'll never change who I am. I am so proud of me and my voice, so I will never change. I don't think I have confidence naturally, it's something you have to work on, but I'm older, and I can't do anything else."

"It's rock 'n roll vs classical, a mountain stream vs. a storyteller," adds Tuomas, "We didn't want another classically trained vocalist. Tarja doing her style in a metal band is absolutely best in the world, there's nobody who can replace her, so we didn't want an imitation, a cheap copy of Tarja. She needed to have a similar power, but her own identity."

THE ULTIMATE CATHARSIS
After showcasing their new talent and teasing fans with two new singles, the band are finally unveiling the long awaited full-length "Dark Passion Play". A tour-de-force that spans no less than 75 minutes. The album is arguably their strongest yet, thanks both to their memorable compositions and the stunning voice of Anette, which may convert those who were put off by the operatic vocals of old. While Tuomas is quick to point out that the album is very much in the same vein as earlier releases, the other most obvious change is the group's move into darker and less flowery waters.

"I think everything is taken to the extreme," agrees Tuomas, "Its heavier and darker and more melancholic, and there's an eerie feeling on the whole album. Actually, I think it's the saddest album we've ever done."

Perhaps inevitably, the events of the recent past have left a mark on both the band and Tuomas himself, providing both direct and indirect inspiration.

"The whole album is about how life sucks, people suck, and I myself suck big time," states Tuomas with disarming honesty, "It's a soundtrack of my life in 2005 and it's pretty heavy stuff for Nightwish lyrically. Whenever you do music or art, it always reflects your mental state at that moment. I wrote all the songs when there was a big hassle in the band and my personal life, so I didn't feel much like doing happy songs."

The shift is evident from the outset thanks to opener "The Poet and the Pendulum", a fourteen minute epic that contains some of the most personal lyrics on the entire album.

"I felt so incredibly pissed off at everything, especially myself, and what I had become, that I needed to get it all out and say it in a very hard way. I just felt like killing myself. Not in real life," he adds, though without total conviction, "but in a song you can do that, and in this song I killed myself and it was great therapy."

While the general air of melancholy on the rest of the album is no doubt affected indirectly by the events of 2005, there are two more songs that cut close to the bone regarding Tarja, the candidly titled "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "Master Passion Greed".

""Bye Bye Beautiful" is made in very good spirit," says Tuomas ernestly. "There's no anger there. In all, I'm not blaming anybody- nobody was innocent in what happened. At the moment it feels a bit odd as the bitter sweetness and hatred is passed away completely, so when I listen to those songs it's like, yes, this is how those songs felt back then, and these songs needed to be done but... I don't feel like that anymore."

Indeed, though Tuomas makes it clear he has no regrets regarding the method of Tarja's departure, "There are many factors that people on the outside are unaware of," he confides, however he exhibits a genuine sense of closure and mellowing that seem at odds with the songs themselves. Though the two parties still have minimal contact, the tangible anger on the songs seems to have subsided completely.

"I hope there can be a reconciliation, I sincerely do. I don't have any bad feeling towards her at all. At the same time I stand behind every syllable on the album. I'm not trying to hurt anybody, I'm really not. I just need to get rid of some stuff that's in my head. I just think, this is the reason I'm a songwriter, so why should I hold back? It's really naked in places, but it kind of brought a perverse satisfaction, to let the whole world know that life sucks."

There's no getting over the extent to which Nightwish appears to act as an outlet and form of therapy for Tuomas.

"This is the only way that keeps me functioning," he admits, "I don't like myself as a human being, I truly don't, but the only thing for me in this whole world is the songs that I've made and the fact that I can say I've made them with a pure heart. That's the only time I feel genuinely proud and happy, when I actually like myself." He pauses, "God is playing a wierd game in my head."

It's no revelation that some of the finest art is created by individuals for whom the act of creation itself has become a major reason for living. The danger of this, of course, is is that such passions can become all-consuming, sapping energy from the other aspects of one's life and overshadowing other important needs. It seems obvious for example, that Tuomas's well-being is now largely dependent on the health of Nightwish...

"It's everything," he answers quietly, before a long pause, "Without this album, I probably would have hanged myself. I mean, I do like to live.... but it wouldn't have been too far." He looks across the table at a rathe shocked looking Anette, "This is deep stuff..."

"I felt like "Oh God!"" she laughs awkwardly.

"Mmm. I'm not exaggerating, though."

When a musician invests so much of themselves into a band, perhaps it's inevitable that occur within the band risk affecting the self esteem of the human behind it.

"Yes, that's true," he considers, "But that also gave me a lot of drive that wasn't there before. I wasn't going to let this whole thing turn me down- I'm not going to change the band's name, I'm going to continue, find a new singer- so it gave me a boost, as well. The main thing for me now is that there is no tension- we are happy from the point we get up. That's been missing for a while. I have my feet on the ground but my head in the stars. I feel really optimistic but it's not like I'm sure of anything anymore," he smiles, "This is the one thing I've learned from this whole experience."

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