Nighwish

Nightwish was formed in Finland in 1996. Initially, the group consisted of the vocalist Tarja Turunen (left the band in 2005), keyboardist and piano player Tuomas Holopainen and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. Today, besides Tuomas and Emppu, the lineup includes Floor Jansen, Marco Hietala, and Troy Donockley. The founder of the group is Tuomas Holopainen. He started writing lyrics for rock ballads back in high school. In the 1990’s he worked as a keyboardist in several heavy-metal bands. Tuomas always had an idea to form a band, which could play experimental acoustic music. He invited his friend and classmate Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen to play the guitar and found Tarja Turunen to be the vocalist. The trio called itself Nightwish and, in 1996, recorded three singles “Nightwish”, "The Forever Moments", and "Etiäinen".

Less than a year after the formation, the group released its debut LP, Angels Fall First. The album was impressively successful. It reached the 31st spot of Finnish Albums Chart. The band quickly became popular among rock music fans in Finland. The songs "Elvenpath", "The Carpenter", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Astral Romance" featured in the album became hits. At that time, many fans tried to book Nightwish for their private events. A year later, the artists released another studio album, Oceanborn. Singles "Sacrament of Wilderness", "Passion and the Opera", and "Walking in the Air” became impressively popular. All of them reached top-3 on the Finnish charts. The album itself climbed to the 5th spot of the Finnish Albums Chart and came in 74th on German Albums Chart. It earned two platinum certifications in Finland.

Nightwish’s third LP, Wishmaster, came out in 2000. It topped Finish Albums Chart and appeared on German and French charts. The single “Deep Silent Complete” became a local hit.

In 2001, the group recorded a live album, which they called From Wishes to Eternity. It reached the 7th spot of the national chart. The same year, Nightwish released an EP, Over the Hills and Far Away. It topped the Finnish Albums Chart. It appeared that each album the group released had impressive success. In 2002, the group presented a new LP, Century Child. It featured such hits as "The Phantom of the Opera", "Beauty of the Beast", "Ever Dream", and "Bless the Child". The album topped Finish Albums Chart. It also appeared on the charts in Germany, Sweden, France, Austria, and many other countries.

In 2004, Nightwish came up with Once, which turned out to be just as popular as its predecessor. It sold 2.3 million copies and topped numerous European charts. The album brought the band immense international popularity and a collection of gold statuses from many countries. In 2007, the artists recorded Dark Passion Play, which topped the national chart. For the first time in the group’s history, it managed to conquer the US audience. The album reached the 7th spot of Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and came in 84th on Billboard 200. The single “Amaranth” became a hit.

In 2010, the band started working on the new album, Imaginaerum, which was officially released in 2011. Again, the album was very successful, reaching high spots on many European charts. In 2015, the musicians presented Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Singles “Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Élan", and "Shudder Before the Beautiful" became hits. The album topped Finnish, Greek, and British charts. It reached the 34th position on Billboard 200. In December 2016, the group released its next live album Vehicle of Spirit and went on a world tour. In July 2018, the musicians announced a new LP, which is expected to be released in 2019. The name of the album is unknown. However, the artists revealed that it would contain 10 or 11 songs.