NIGHTWISH Singer On Upcoming Album: 'I Think It's A Great And Varied CD'

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH entered the studio late last month to begin recording the follow-up to 2007's "Dark Passion Play". Regarding the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon writes on her official blog, "I think it's a great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. 'Dark Passion Play' is a great album and this one, too, so I don't know yet which one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style."

NIGHTWISH guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, who just started laying down his tracks on the band's new CD, writes on the band's official web site, "Last time [when we recorded 'Dark Passion Play'] it was more like working nine to five, busting my ass in the studio, but this time I took the recording equipment home and will try to maintain that laid-back, jamming feeling I had during the whole summer, when we were rehearsing and demoing the [new] songs with the guys. In a way, I guess I have succeeded — I have now been laying down rhythm tracks for a week . . . and I've now completed about half of the rhythm tracks. It's hard to say whether my job is 30% or 5% done, because if old signs hold true, the guitar parts just keep on increasing. Meaning that just when you're about to pop open that bottle of champagne, you realize that, damn, this and that part still need something. In other words, having learnt something from previous sessions, I'll keep the champagne on ice at least for another six months."

The pre-production sessions for the new NIGHTWISH CD took place in "the deepest countryside of Finland," where most of the band spent several weeks finalizing the song arrangements and recording their instrumental parts.

On July 30, Olzon gave birth to her second child (and first with her current boyfriend, bassist Johan Husgafvel of the Swedish metal band PAIN). He was 52 centimeters tall and he weighed in at 3930 grams. Olzon, 39, also has a nine-year-old son, Seth, with her now-ex-husband.

NIGHTWISH played a special homecoming show in September 2009 at the sold-out, 11,000-capacity Hartwall Arena in Helsinki to mark the end of the band's colossal "Dark Passion Play" two-year world tour.

NIGHTWISH is not expected to play any more concerts until the release of the band's next studio album.