NIGHTWISH: Moscow Show Cancelled

NIGHTWISH's previously announced one-off show with Swedish metallers PAIN at the Palace Of Sport in Luzhniki, Moscow, Russia on October 11, 2008 has been cancelled. According to a posting on the NIGHTWISH web site, "The local promoter was unable to fulfill every detail in our mutual agreement for the show. We can just hope that they will refund all the money for the people who had already bought the tickets for the show."

Robert Williams of Metal-Rules.com conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala on September 20, 2008 during the Finnish/Swedish symphonic metal band's recent North American tour. Watch the 10-minute chat below.

NIGHTWISH cancelled the last four shows of its North American tour — September 23 in Knoxville, Tennessee; September 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina; September 26 in Baltimore, Maryland; and September 27 in New York City — due to singer Anette Olzon's "sudden severe illness," according to a posting on the band's web site. "This was one of the best tour legs we have ever done, and it's a pity it has to end this way, but there's no competing with the forces of nature," the group said. "There is nothing anybody can do about these things. We want to thank all the fans for all the sympathy, you guys have been so understanding, it's heartwarming. Thank you! We will do our best to make up for the cancelled shows sometime in the future."

NIGHTWISH released a digital-only collection of demos and B-sides titled "The Sound of Nightwish Reborn", on September 2. This release, which clocks in at nearly 70 minutes of music, retains "must-have" status for all NIGHTWISH diehards, since it includes a bevy of exclusive material, such as demo versions of songs from the "Dark Passion Play" sessions that were recorded prior to singer Anette Olzon joining the band and that feature Marco Tapani Hietala handling the vocals, as well as B-sides.