Will Nightwish ever find a vocalist?

I’ve been a fan of Symphonic Metal band Nightwish fan for a very long time now. I’ve been with them from the beginning, 1997. The band was absolutely stunning. With Tarja as lead vocalist, the band had something special and unique. As strange as it sounded back then; they had something few or no other bands had… A Metal band with an Opera twist; it was brilliant!

After about 8 years of success and kick ass songs, Tarja was asked to leave the band, apparently it was a bit of a surprise for Tarja, in an open letter to Tarja the band wrote that her husband Marcelo Cabuli and commercial interests had changed her attitude towards the band. Have a look at the song Nemo with Tarja:



In May 2007 the band appointed Annete Olzon as lead vocals. It took me quite a while to get used to Anette. But eventually even the hardcore fans opened up to her. The band would never be the same again, but they still had that something special. The next two albums were different, but it was still Nightwish. Here’s the song Amarath with Anette:



Tragedy struck again on 1 October 2012 when the band announced that Anette would be leaving the band. In a statement the band said that “it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover”. On January 11th, 2013, Anette announced on her official blog that she was pregnant with her third child, due in spring of 2013. Many speculate that this was a contributing factor in her decision to leave Nightwish. Floor Jansen (ex-After Forever, ReVamp) will sing for the remainder of their Imaginaerum World Tour.

Anette released some solo material in the meantime, this is a raw recording:



Floor Jansen:

So the question is whether or not Floor will be appointed permanent singer, or if the band will once again look for a new vocalist remains. Will Nightwish ever find a vocalist? It is sad that such an awesome band has to go through this for the third time. I’m holding thumbs that Nightwish can release another kick ass record!