Time flies.







It is hard to believe that Finland’s Nightwish is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.







After 20 years, eight albums and major changes with lead vocalists, Nightwish seems a sturdier, hardier band.







We recently talked with Marco Hietala (bass/vocals/songwriter) about the bands second leg of their North American Tour, “Endless Forms Most Beautiful” and the integrity of the music.







The Swerve Magazine: So, how has the tour been going so far?









Marco Hietala: So far, we’ve been having a really good time. Sold out shows immediately.





SM: That has to be nice. There seems to be a hunger for good hard rock/metal music today.



“Endless Forms Most Beautiful” lyrically is a different album than the band’s last. And really every Nightwish album varies in its subjects which bring a lot of variety into the mix. Is that a goal with each album to make it distinct from the last?







MH: I think it is more of a question of how we approach the writing and arranging. We do things in which we try to please ourselves most. If you do that, then you hear new influences. You incorporate new stuff. So every time you do an album, it is more a sign of the times.







(For “Endless Forms Most Beautiful, we had) a month and a half of rehearsing, going over the lyrics, and arranging, then another month and a half of recording time.







In that month and half of rehearsal, we were playing them at least two times a day. We had this place rented out, like a summer camp site. Everybody was living there at the time. So, we took this one big house where we put the rehearsal space downstairs and the studio upstairs. We did the whole thing there in three months.







SM: I can see where that would center the project. This album deals more with life, humanity and our shared existence of this world. Where did that come from and how was it decided for this album?







MH: This is more for Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards/songwriter), but I do know about the process. He was reading stuff from Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins and getting into that vibe. He wanted to do an album about that. He asked us if we had any objections to it and nobody had any.







I have had more of a scientific approach to the universe and everything already. When I was a kid I was big on astronomy. For me this approach was, like, if you are going to write interesting lyrics about it, then go ahead. And as a matter of fact, he did.







SM: Musically, the album seems at times a bit heavier than previous releases.







MH: It has got a pretty good punch in a few places. I, also, think you hear the fact that we were rehearsing and recording it all in the same place. We managed to capture the band live pretty well too, so that might bring a little bit of the heaviness to the forefront as well.







SM: The album, also, features “The Greatest Show on Earth,” which is the longest Nightwish song to date (clocking in at just under 25 minutes).







MH: Four billion years of earth’s history is something that we couldn’t shorten (laughs).







SM: That is such a perfect answer, I forgot where I was going with that question. Oh, the complexity. It is such a complex work, was it always one song or was it a couple of songs that merged into one?







MH: Its structure is complex in a way. You have parts that come in and they stop, but it has a story to tell and that is the way to do it. Each part of the song is like chapters and you put the music around there. If you took it apart you could make four songs out of it, at least.







SM: And you did get four billion years of history into 25 minutes.







MH: It is almost like a new thing to do a big concept on an album. Other bands have used to do it a hell of a lot. We have the freedom and, again, we come to the integrity of the music and the band. I think we have a chance to get one song like that on the album that is a massive epic. If you don’t like it, you have ten other songs to listen to if you are into smaller portions (laughs).







SM: Metal fans are, or it seems, more loyal to bands than any other genre, does that allow the band to do more things like “The Greatest Show on Earth?”







MH: I think that metal fans are pretty loyal. We have a real loyal group that is supporting the band which is great. We take pride in what we do. There is a lot of ambition, energy, and emotions behind everything that we do. We, also, try to give back as good of product as we can.



It is, also, the integrity of the music. We do not cater to recipes.







SM: 20 years in now, you’ve been seen a pretty topsy-turvy music industry.







MH: There are trends and fads that happen, but breaking the 20-year mark, you have built up that base of people who are into what you do. If you keep on doing it well, they will keep on listening to what you do. It is a system that I recommend.







SM: Have you ever had that doubt creep in that something you may do may alienate this loyal fanbase?







MH: I didn’t really think about it until we had the vocalist change the first time. When we were forced to split with Tarja (Turunen, the band’s original lead vocalist), it was something that we felt like we were going to be tested. It is, of my opinion, that the band’s secret weapon is the music and the worlds that we build with it. Luckily we were proven right.







SM: Floor (Jansen, current lead vocal) came in during the midst of the 2013 tour to replace Anette Olzon. Having Floor with the band on tour before recording “Endless Forms Most Beautiful,’ did it help with the recording of the album as she seems like a perfect fit for the band?







MH: Recording vocals was easy and great. We were concentrating on one song at a time. Floor was doing lead while I was thinking about some harmonies. I would, then, go in and see what worked. We finished songs with both her and me in the studio. It was easy and relaxed. It was very fruitful, the ideas that came up. We did some long hours, but it was done with a good energy.







SM: You can’t ask for more than that.

