Nightwish

End Of An Era NUCLEAR BLAST

An historic performance from the Finns.

When you watch this magical show from October 21, 2005, it’s hard to believe that a day later the band fired vocalist Tarja Turunen. Because what Nightwish have here is peerless. Whatever they’ve subsequently achieved, which has been considerable, watching the band here on stage in Helsinki reminds you that there was something untouchable about them with their original vocalist.

The performance offers stunning symphonic rock, and a reminder of the way in which the musicianship is intricately interwoven with the vocals – Tarja sweeping majestically through the mix.

Available in various formats, there’s also a bonus documentary called A Day Before Tomorrow on DVD and Blu-ray versions, guiding us through the fifteen days leading up to this concert. You can tell relations between band and singer are strained, even if most of the dialogue is in Finnish.

An apt reminder of past glories.