Nightwish & Anette Olzon splitting up

[Dagger Dias]

Not sure how many other Nightwish fans we have on this forum, but they are my favorite band and I thought I'd share some sad news I read this morning:

Another chapter of the Nightwish story has ended today. Nightwish and Anette Olzon have decided to part company, in mutual understanding, for the good of all parties involved.

In recent times it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover.

Nightwish has no intention of cancelling any upcoming shows, and as a result we have decided to bring in a substitute vocalist starting in Seattle 1.10.2012. Her name is Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-After Forever, ReVamp), and she has graciously stepped in to help us complete the Imaginaerum world tour.

We are all strongly committed to this journey, this vehicle of spirit, and we are sure that this will lead to a brighter future for everyone.

We forever remain excited about the adventures to come, and we are extremely proud of the two beautiful albums and the wonderful shows we shared together.

- NIGHTWISH & Anette Olzon

I can see how this announcement might receive mixed reactions from fans, especially the fans of the older material of the band. Anette suffered constant criticism from the fans who preferred Tarja. I liked Tarja better myself, but I enjoyed the two albums they released with Anette. I in particular LOVED Imaginaerum. She was better than people give her credit for and it saddens me that this amazing band will now have to find a lead singer for the third time. One can only hope that this gives Tarja a chance to return, but I doubt that will ever happen. If it is for the best interests of both Anette and the band as well, then I support this decision. I wish them all the best of success in their respective futures. I'm often skeptical of how a new singer will be when announcements like these are made, but I will remain optimistic and keep my fingers crossed that things will work out. I won't give up on them, so I hope their other fans will not either.

Any thoughts on this situation and on Nightwish in general? (Just remember not to spam, please. This is a non-spam section.)

Discuss!

 

[Diet Soda]

How did I not notice this thread before? I know we chatted about Nightwish in PMs a bit ago.

Anyway, having been to see Nightwish perform with Floor Jansen last month, I can say with conviction that I'm not missing Anette. Floor has buckets of charisma and a commanding stage presence. After all, a 6 foot tall woman windmilling in leather pants is going to catch your eye.

Anette, while coming along in leaps in and bounds between Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum, never really impressed me with her live performances, especially so when the setlist allowed her to take a break for a few songs and go backstage whilst Marco took over on vocals.

So it was interesting to see how Floor tackled both music from Tarja's and Anette's back catalogue, since both ladies have contrasting vocal styles. Essentially, Floor is a middle ground between Tarja and Anette, though she has a much deeper voice than Anette, so songs like 'Storytime' sounded a bit off. But on the other hand she absolutely nailed 'Ever Dream' and 'Ghost Love Score'.

Nightwish have announced that Floor's membership in the band is only temporary, and they will start looking for a permanent replacement in 2014. Until then, I would love them to release a live album from this tour, so those who were unfortunate enough to miss out on seeing Nightwish play with Floor will get to hear what she brings to the band.

Of course, the lack of a permanent singer opens the door for Tarja to return to Nightwish. If Bret Hart can forgive Shawn Michaels...

 

[Snitsky4GM]

I was never that big of a fan of Nightwish, I much rather preferred Kamelot to them, but never the less this is definitely a bummer to hear. I gained a better appreciation for Nightwish after they had switched their vocalists. I am not saying that Tarja didn't have talent, but the problem I found with her was that she dictate very well.

I believe this is relevant to my problems with Tarja:
[YOUTUBE]gg5_mlQOsUQ[/YOUTUBE]

Anette was most certainly a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed her articulation. Understanding what she sang was also a plus too.