Nightwish's Tuomas Holopainen spills beans on 'grandeur' tenth album

Nightwish's Tuomas Holopainen recently opened up about the grandeur of the Finnish group's tenth album Yesterwynde.

Speaking to Metal Hammer's Dave Everley in Hammer's latest issue, symphonic metal megastar Nightwish's alum said: "It’s probably the biggest album we’ve done. It complements the lyrics and the stories we want to tell."

"In the song An Ocean Of Strange Islands, there are more than 600 tracks. That’s a lot. It was hell for the mixing engineer."

Opening up about the same song, that is set to mark the band’s first album since their surprise announcement, Tuomas said: "The major theme of the album is time - going back in time, recognising your own mortality. It’s about history, being human, but it’s optimistic. Despite all the bad stuff, we have the chance as a species to get together and survive. That’s the core message and essence of the album."

In the announcement, that was completely uncalled for, the band explained that they were eyeing retirement from touring for the time being.

The statement read: "The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the well-being and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects."

For the unversed, Nightwish’s tracklist consists of about 12 songs, including Sway, The Weave, Lanternlight, and Spider Silk. The album is set to release on September 20.