Summer Camp 2010 Diary 4

Another week passed by, another week of rehearsing, song-shaping, sweating, boating and fishing. The happiest event naturally was Anette having a baby and feeling fantastic with the newborn! Our congrats and blessings for the whole family!

Songs # 9 & #10 took shape last weekend. The #9 - one explores Zimmer-territories shamelessly with the chorus taking us back to our roots. Emppu`s favorite part of the whole album, I reckon. I`ve always had problems with short, simple - structured songs but this sounds very promising even to my cynical ears and heart.

Last song put together will be the last one on the album, an insanely ambitious piece. I assume it will be close to 20 minutes long. Uncle Walt`s spirit is already haunting in every note of this song. Still needs some arranging, though.

We have only one song left to practice after the monster song, an acoustic piece in the vein of "The Islander". Ennio Morricone meets Christy Moore. Emppu and me need loads of Guinness, some fine single malt and a windy day to bring this one alive. And Troy`s pipes & bodhran, of course.

Marco also sang demo vocals for almost all the songs so they start making more sense and so that Anette would be able to hear the vocal melodies and the pacing of the lyrics. I deeply enjoy this process of building the songs slowly together, weaving stories out of thin air, and it`s almost always the vocals that finally wake the songs up.

Yesterday I drove to Lappeenranta to play keys to Kotiteollisuus` new demo. Great stuff coming up from that front, too!

It`s about 3 weeks before we start recording the demo so now we have time to put final touches into the songs and perfect them the best we can. It`s fantastic not to be in any hurry for a change!
Which reminds me, time to go catch that trout.

Take good care everyone!


Tuomas


TOP 5 / Week 4


1. NW demo w / Marco`s guide vocals
2. Esko Valtaoja
3. Kitee - Sotkamo 2-0 / playoffs starting soon
4. Edward Scissorhands - the movie
5. Alfred J. Kwak

Written by Tuomas Holopainen on August 8, 2010

Summer Camp 2010 Diary 3

Good day everyone!

It`s 9 am. and I`m sipping my morning coffee while reading the latest NHL news and writing this down. When did I turn into a blog-writing computer-geek?
It`s been very hot, we`ve been struck by a never-seen-before heat wave for the past few weeks and I can`t recall when was the last time I wore socks or slept under sheets. No complaints, though, water sports and boating never felt so glorious as during the past days.
We got something done in the arranging - the - new - songs - front, too, even though the 35 C - rehearsal room isn`t the most alluring place just now.

The "Nukkumatti" song, as we call it, is among my top favorites of the new stuff, a pounding, twisted and chorusless ghost train ride is sure to bring a smile to your face. At least it has done so to everyone who has heard it. Danny Elfman goes humppa.

Then we took over a song which was more or less tailor-made for Troy. Loads of pipes to battle / to jam with Emppu and a raving c-part which was born after 10 pints of ale and loads of Old Toby. One of the cheerier tunes of the album, and a nice little cloudbuster.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos!

Song #8 takes us to whole new territories. Something completely different from anything we`ve ever done. All of us need to find new ways to play our instruments and use vocals for that piece. A terrificly challenging and mind-expanding song. I can`t wait to hear Anette and Marco sing that one.

On Sunday night the fellas from Northern Kings took over the campsite. We had agreed they can come and share our rehearsal facilities since they have a couple of shows coming up. Tony (Kakko) and Kai (Hahto) greeted me with 2 bottles of Yellow Tail which we enjoyed by a still lake at dusk. Finnish hippie-geezer-national-scenery - romanticism at its best!
Thanks guys for visiting, we`ll meet soon again.

Time to dive into Marco`s vocals today. And maybe for song #9. And that 5kg trout that`s been avoiding us for the past week.

Will write more soon (or somebody will), all best!

Tuomas


TOP 5 / Week 3


1. The weather
2. Longhaired hippies naked in the nearby forest
3. Solving the mystery of where the hell all the fishes are
4. Epcot`s Illuminations - soundtrack
5. Zombieland - the movie

Written by Tuomas Holopainen on July 30, 2010

http://www.nightwish.com/en/band/reports?c=17

Summer Camp 2010 Diary 2

The 1st week is almost through and we`re off to a fantastic start. Jukka, Emppu and me have 5 songs rehearsed so far, Marco joined the camp last night after a couple of festival shows he did with Tarot. We`ll start putting the low ends into those songs later today and maybe try out tune #6.

The first song put together ended up having one of the best choruses we`ve ever had and a classic Nightwishy c-part of heavy guitars, a massive string riff and everything louder than anything and everybody playing with full force at the same time.
Trademark stuff.

Song # 2 is a twisted marriage of Van Halen, Pantera and madhouse vocals. And Quentin Tarantino - guitars in the bridge. We weren`t overly bananas over this one after the demo I made alone, but now it`s finally coming alive.

In between the distorted racket we sat down with Emppu to complete one acoustic piece. A nice journey back to the roots! Sounds like a Moomin Valley - Christmas carol.

Then another song back to the roots. Everyone`s surprise favorite at the moment. I dug up my inner Paradise Lost / My Dying Bride fanboy and this funeral march is the result.

Music for the last song rehearsed so far is written by Marco. A wonderfully catchy track with the chorus repeated 5 times.(!!) Must be some sort of a record for us. Nice acoustic themes and a d-part which doesn`t quite still fit in.
We`ll enter The Haunted Mansion tomorrow.

Will write more soon, all the best to everyone meanwhile!

Good times, Tuomas

TOP 5 / Week 2
1. New songs, old gang
2. Fishing
3. Prestige - The movie
4. Hidden Rock, Quilmes & Cap`n Morgan
5. Winning all-in with 7-2


Written by Tuomas on July 21, 2010

http://www.nightwish.com/en/band/reports?c=17

Summer Camp 2010 Diary: Noticias sobre el nuevo disco!

Almost exactly 4 years ago we gathered into an idyllic place in the small village of Sävi to rehearse and arrange what would later be called "Dark Passion Play". It was such glorious and inspiring times that we decided to do something similar with the upcoming Nightwish album called ...........

So again we are here in the deepest countryside of Finland beginning to create a follower for DPP. It`s just us guys for now, Anette will join the camp a bit later. We arrived yesterday and the reunion was celebrated with some water-skiing, bbq and Quilmes. I foresee the same trinity taking place more or less on a daily basis.

We just got the equipment and PA set up with the help of our legendary engineer / co-producer TeeCee Kinnunen and probably will start working with the songs in a couple of days. This campsite is so amazing we`ll let that sauna of a rehearsal room wait in silence for a while, and just concentrate on chilling out and catching up. And raising the official NW camp - flag high into the pole.


I have 12 songs completed now, but am still working with some lyrics. It`s been an immensely fruitful songwriting process, as well as very consuming and ponderous. But I feel more satisfied with the stuff than ever before. Don`t know if it`s a good sign or bad.
To me the album sounds like a rollercoaster ride in a theme park designed by Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton and Salvador Dali. That`s the best way I can put it at this point.

Like before, we will record a demo once the songs are arranged, to listen to and to perfect the material, and to give to Mr. Pip Williams so he can start with the orchestration process. The actual enter-the-studio-date is set for October 15th.
Again, the London orchestra and choir will be there, as well as Mr. Troy Donockley playing a slightly bigger part this time. And loads of new elements `n twists we haven`t tried before!


So things are finally rolling. We`ll keep you posted in written, as well as in visual form. Stay tuned for updates.
And thanks for sharing the journey once again!

You can find pictures from our summer-camp gallery -page!

Yours, Tuomas


TOP 5 / Week 28

1. Water sports
2. Dimebag Darrell biography
3. Alice In Wonderland dvd
4. Ihmebantu dvd
5. Amorphis: Tales From The Thousand Lakes

Written by Tuomas on July 17, 2010

Demo Terminado

Tuomas Holopainen, tecladista y líder de Nightwish, anunció que ya terminó de componer el demo de lo que será el próximo disco de la banda.

Para grabar el sucesor de Dark Passion Play, la banda se juntará en Finlandia a ensayar los temas del demo entre julio y septiembre de este año y se estima que el nuevo disco de Nightwish esté listo para septiembre del 2011.

Dark Passion Play, el último álbum de estudio de la banda finlandesa y el primero con la cantante Anette Olzon, salió a la venta en el 2007 y obtuvo cuatro discos de platino.

Fuente: melian-webzine.com.ar

Tuomas compone para Johanna Kurkela

Tuomas compuso un tema en suomi para la cantante Johanna Kurkela.

Se los dejo para que lo escuchen... A mí me encantó! ^^

Satojen Merien Näkijä

Kruunutar vastasyntynyt
haavelaivalla tuonen laineilla
Mikä on tää hiljaisuus
sineen katoava
Rauha kodittoman
tähdenlennon ajan vain
kaunis, tyyni

Valitsen yhden meren ja oudon veneen,
joka soutais mut pois
Saari odottaa elämän leskeään,
satojen merien näkijää

Meren velho, juomasta juovun ja saan
olla lapsi sen, ihmeitä vaan
yksinoloa, kasvoja uskovia
Alku-uniin teemapuistoja,
kuusenkylkiä, taikatalvia
Kauniin laulun ajan
tuska hukkuu

Valitsen yhden...

Kauneuden maljaan kahleeton pakahtuu
jäätyneeseen maailmaan, rakkaudettomuuteen
Kävelin aaltojen alle ja sain
ainiaaksi sinne hukuttaa
lauluni muiden laulaa vain

Valitsin yhden meren ja oudon veneen,
joka souti mut pois
Saari rakastaa elämän leskeään,
satojen merien näkijää

-------------------------------

The Seer of Hundreds of Seas

A newborn princess sails on a fantasy ship
in the waves of the underworld
What is this silence which vanishes to the blue?
It’s a peace of the homeless
It lasts only for the time of a falling star
Beautiful, calm

I’ll choose one sea and a strange boat,
which will row me away
The island is waiting for the widow of life,
the seer of hundreds of seas

I get drunk from the drink of the wizard of sea
I become its child
There are only miracles, loneliness and believing faces
My dreams start with theme parks,
sides of spruces and magic winters
Pain drowns for the time of a beautiful song

I’ll choose one...

The bondless chokes to the bowl of beauty,
to the frozen world and to the absence of love
I walked under waves
I drowned my songs
and let others sing them

I chose one sea and a strange boat,
which rowed me away
The island loves the widow of life,
the seer of hundreds of seas