#11. Nightwish - Harvest
First of all, I have to say, I love me some Scandanavian symphonic metal. Thank goodness that Europe is still making music like this. Finnish veterans Nightwish are quite unique in the fact that they incorporate traditional instruments such as the Uillean pipes, bouzouki, tin whistle and bodhran. Matched with their keyboards, it creatres a unique, ethereal sound that does not compromise on the rocking side either. After a 5 year hiatus (due to singer Floor Jansen's pregnancy), they released their epic, 17 track Human. :II: Nature. this spring. The album is split into two parts - the human side (disc 1) and "All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World" (disc 2). "Music", "Tribal" and "Pan" are solid rockers from the first half, while the second half is all instrumental soundscapes. Both seem to pair well together, and the group is led by Jansen's soprano range as well as their carefully crafted blend of guitars and other instruments. The album reached #1 in Finland and Switzerland, and #5 on the Billboard Top Album Sales list. All told, it made it into the top 5 on countdowns in over a dozen different countries, showing Nightwish's worldwide popularity has not dwindled despite their hiatus.
"Harvest" itself is a curiosity among the Nightwish catalogue, as Jansen does not sing lead on the song. Rather, it is multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, with Jansen providing backing vocals on the chorus. It is definitely the most surprising song for me to make the Countdown. I remember first hearing it on Spotify's Release Radar and almost skipping over it due to the slow building percussion and piano that opened the song. I was also slightly confused by the lack of female vocals, as that is what the group is easily best known for. However, about two and a half minutes in, the guitars drop and the song kicks to another level, giving yet another reason to love it. The instrumental solo part lasts over a minute and definitely gets your legs tapping. As for a video, the band chose a lyrical interpretation, which has gained over 2m views to go with the 4m+ that the song has on Spotify.
Favorite Line: "Water the field, surrender to the earth"
Title: Harvest
Artist: Nightwish
Album: Human. :II: Nature.
Previous #11s
2019: Demon Hunter - The Negative
2018: Power Quest - No More Heroes
2017: Haim - Want You Back
2016: Circle of Dust - Contagion
2015: Catfish and the Bottlemen: Cocoon
2014: Meg Myers - Desire
2013: Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
2012: Swimming With Dolphins - Sleep To Dream
2011: Power Quest - Glorious
2010: Taio Cruz - Dynamite
2009: Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
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