Human. :II: Nature is Nightwish’s most recent album, and their first double album. This was the last album to feature Marko Hietala, who left in January 2021. It also marked the official debut of Kai Hahto as the band’s drummer, although he had appeared as a guest star on the previous album.
Members:
Floor Jansen: vocals
Empuu Vuorinen: guitars
Marko Hietala: bass, male vocals
Tuomas Holopainen: keyboards
Kai Hahto: drums, percussion
Troy Donockley: Uillean pipes, low whistle, bouzouki, bodhran, digital aerophone, guitar, backing vocals
The Tracks:
- “Music”: This opens the album with a melodic intro.
- “Noise”: This is one of my favorite songs. It’s a commentary on addiction to technology.
- ” Shoemaker “: This song was inspired by geologist Eugene Shoemaker, who discovered a comet. Tuomas’s wife has a spoken part in the song.
- “Harvest” : This features Donockley on lead vocals, and is his most prominent role on the album. The song has rich instrumentation.
- “Pan”: Tuomas describes this song as an ode to imagination. I like its lyrics about writing and creation.
- “How’s the Heart?” : Floor is beautiful on this song about altruism.
- “Procession”: This has a great rhythm and keyboards.
- ” Tribal”: I think this is Hahto’s best performance.
- “Endlessness”: The first disc ends with a slow, almost quiet piece.
- “All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World”: The second disc consists of one song divided into 8 parts, which the album treats as one song (although streaming versions present it as separate parts). This has sparse vocals, and relies mostly on an orchestral sound. Floor is only heard on the first and final parts. It’s a beautiful suite.
Final Verdict: While I like the beauty of the album, the second disc feels stronger than the first.
Grade: C+
Aspie Catholic 