In a recent interview with Germany’s Rock Antenne, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and primary songwriter Tuomas Holopainen was asked to reveal his favorite rock or metal song.
“‘One’ by METALLICA,” he responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “[It’s] such a brilliant composition and lyric and music video. And that was around the time that I found metal music altogether, so it brings back a lot of memories.
“I went to see METALLICA and GUNS N’ ROSES in Kansas City in September 1992, and ‘One’ was the last song they played before the encores. [It] completely blew my mind,” he explained.
“I don’t think we [NIGHTWISH] would be where we are at the moment without that band [METALLICA]. And about a year ago, we were playing a festival in — I think it was in Belgium. And after the last song, I walked off the stage and there was [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield giving me a pat on the back. And all I could say was like, ‘Holy f**k.’ Never meet your heroes, they say.”
In 2020, Holopainen cited METALLICA‘s self-titled 1991 album as one of the records that changed his life. In an interview with Metal Hammer, he said: “It was the first metal album I bought. I was kind of a late bloomer finding metal. I was 15, living as an exchange student in Kansas for a year. I saw METALLICA and GUNS N’ ROSES there and that was the turning point. I wasn’t keen on going to that show because I had a lot of prejudice towards those bands, but that one night pretty much changed my view on music. I became an instant METALLICA — and metal — fan.”
NIGHTWISH will release their new studio album, Yesterwynde, on September 20, 2024. It marks the band’s tenth studio album, following the release of Human. :II:Nature. from 2020.
Holopainen commented on the new album: “Yesterwynde is a fantastic journey through time, memory and the better angels of human nature. Three years in the making, we are beyond thrilled to soon be sharing our tenth album with the world!”
Working with NUCLEAR BLAST since the release of their highly acclaimed 2004 album Once, NIGHTWISH has achieved international fame and success, selling more than ten million records and receiving more than 60 gold and platinum awards, as well as six No. 1s albums and thirteen No. 1 singles released. In October 2018, NIGHTWISH was inducted into the Tähtikatu – Walk of Fame Finland, becoming the gallery’s eleventh honorary member. The band’s last studio album, Human. :II:Nature., was released in 2020, which capped the band’s discography with another No. 1 success in Finland and Germany, as well as several other impressive chart placements worldwide.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.
