Nightwish

In 1996 a bunch of like-minded friends from Kitee, a small town in the Karelia region of Eastern Finland, decided to form a band. Their idea was to play an acoustic Boy Scout style of music you used to hear around campfires. Fifteen years later, that band is an international success and Finland's most successful band with more than 7 million records sold worldwide, having collected over 60 gold and platinum awards.

Their music has been described as “bombastic heavy, symphonic and cinematic, with keyboards and strings creating a gothic atmosphere.” Nightwish’s approach to music has always been epic, very melodic with memorable choruses and a lot of hooks.

The band’s founder and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen must be a direct heir of ancient Finnish storytellers, so extraordinary are his visions. Just have a look at Kalevala, the 19th century work of epic poetry, which consists of Karelian oral folklore and mythology and you’ll see the connection.

We had a chance to visit Nightwish during a recording session. See what Tuomas and bandmate Marco Hietala had to say about music, upcoming album and slash film Imaginarium.

Check out more about the band at www.nightwish.com