NIGHTWISH Singer Checks In From European Tour

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH kicked off the current leg of their European tour on April 10 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In a new posting on her official blog, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon writes, "So, time to write some words about how the tour is going after these first shows.

"Well, it has been so great seeing so big audiences everywhere and even if every crowd is different, you all have made us so happy and energized, which is needed when you do so many gigs and travel so much.

"For me, the tour has started good but I got the finger injury and also have had a bad flu that Tuomas [Holopainen, keyboards] had and I got it quite fast after starting this leg. I feel better now, so that's good.

"Being on tour always makes you tired and ill here and there, and for me, as the singer, I of course feel a bit more stressed when I get a bug or get really tired and exhausted. Being on stage for 1 hour 45 minutes singing almost every night is a hard job and if you then have a bad throat or something that affects the voice, it makes it an ever harder job. But when you go out on stage and are feeling ill, just hearing you in the audience scream and sing along makes it much easier so just so you know — keep on screaming and sing — we love it!!

"Tonight it's Frankfurt and not the biggest crowd, like tomorrow in Zurich, but sometimes the smaller crowds actually are louder than the bigger crowds so we'll see tonight.

"Now I'll rest and eat, I always meditate before a show to relax my mind and fill my energy levels. Then I put on my outfit, start doing make-up and 45 minutes before the show I start to warm up the voice. I sing all day to keep it open but the real warm-up happens 45 minutes before. We play at 8:45 p.m. most nights but some nights it's 9 or 9:15 and I like the earlier nights more, 'cause that makes me get more sleep before we need to travel to next place. Tomorrow it's about 5.5-6 hours of drive so a bit early wake-up for me. I am that kinda person that needs at least 8 hours of sleep to sing well and not be all cranky.

"And this week we have our off-day in Milan and that's the off day I've longed for 'cause I'll do some shopping there. Fashion mecca."

NIGHTWISH will embark on a North American headlining tour in September with support from KAMELOT.

For more information, visit EnterTheVault.com.

NIGHTWISH released a limited-edition "Trials Of Imaginaerum" 10-inch picture disc for Record Store Day (April 21). The effort includes four previously unreleased demo recordings with Marco Hietala on lead vocals. It also comes with a download of the previously unreleased track "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", a cover with lyrics from the movie "The Piano".

"Trials Of Imaginaerum" features a picture of "The Crew, The Owl And The Dove" on one side, and the "Imaginaerum" grounds on the other side.

"The Crow, The Owl And The Dove", the second single from NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Imaginaerum", entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 1. The single features the title cut in three versions — radio edit, album version and instrumental — and the previously unreleased song "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" (theme from the movie "The Piano") in two different versions.

NIGHTWISH released a special "tour edition" of "Imaginaerum", on April 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. It is a 2CD+DVD digibook in slipcase.

"Imaginaerum" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2007's "Dark Passion Play", opened with 11,000 units to land at No. 84.

"Imaginaerum" was released in North America on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.