Yesterwynde is quite literally the aether realm. It’s the album we have been yearning for after Endless Forms Most Beautiful left fans on a cliff-hanger for both sound and experience and Human :||: Nature breached only the surface of discoveries. With the announcement of a concert hiatus and member departure, it is a relief to see Nightwish emerge with their newest creation,Yesterwynde, to calm our quivering hearts.

The title track “Yesterwynde” breathes life anew. It’s the first bare-foot steps into the aether with the mirrors of revelation and reflection spanning before us. Beyond the grey of the fade, secrets whisper and murmurs of forgotten paths emerge from the depths, eager for our exploration. It’s the tempting and alluring sound that reminisces Angels Fall First with its delicate melody and balance of mysticism meets curiosity, one that had me eager to jump in.

“An Ocean of Strange Islands” pays homage to the heavier roots from which Nightwish built their foundations in the Metalverse. It’s maddening from the very beginning, with an enticing melody and high notes that are all so stunning. Floor’s vocals compliment this track’s energy seamlessly, matching every creeping low with a challenge heard and met. The curious instrumental quips touch upon the breakdowns of such past popularity found in “Planet Hell” and other eras. It’s strong and encompassing. A perfect pick-up to carry us onward.

“The Antikythera Mechanism” does not quite match the energy of its predecessor, but it carries its own flame with strength and awe. It rides on the curiosity established in our introduction, bringing moments of heaviness while balancing its graceful plays. It comes off more like a stage production, the musical act, than as a piece of an entire composition, yet its strength keeps it at the front of our minds. The midway drop, with the inner cogs of the mechanism now loudly at work only adds to this theory. That we are merely glimpsing upon the rehearsal of a greater production, curtains shrouding our eyes as we twist and turn, hoping to navigate better sight-lines.

“The Day Of…” has an off start. Floor’s vocals take precedence, with a storybook atmosphere rising up yet it oddly seems incomplete or disconnected. The child choir only adds to this confusion. It’s got a stunning melody but the breaks for the choir and the odd pauses in vocals left me wanting for something I couldn’t quite place my finger on. The choir seems misplaced and off-putting. It feels as if I am being led somewhere but the path that once seemed to be clearing has now become muddied and veiled with fog.

“Perfume of the Timeless” writhes its way in with an ominous drum-beat that turns into haste on rising violins and a sense of panic now scratching at our backs.

It has that touch of “Ghost Love Score” potential fans adore, the wait for the thunder of an army, unmatched, prepared to descend the hillside. That energy cascades at the 2-minute mark with Floor’s mesmerizing vocal prowess breaking the silence, dancing in on eerie quips and unchained brilliance.

“We are their heir, dust on their palm.We are because of a million loves” is only one moment of an epic chorus that commands attention and an audience to greet it.

It’s powerful and gracious. Touched by elegance and Tuomas’ signature passion as the band seems to put forth its all in this epic track. Even the breakdown comes in clutch with head-banging attitude and favoured weight that really rounds this track out as my favourite. It’s cinematic and passionate, a perfect compliment to the Nightwish legacy.

“Sway” rides forth, bringing an essence of tranquility to our hastened hearts. It seems to try and hold true the feel of “The Islander” but to no avail. Vocals don’t quite match up here, much to my own displeasure, as this track holds so much potential in its melodics but falls short on execution. Instrumentally, it’s touching, a track I’m glad to see have its own untouched version as its velvet sound of flutes and primal drums ensnare the senses. It is a track that has potential with Troy’s own vocals really lining up but Floor’s overpowering his and leaving for something that just falls short.

“The Children Of ‘Ata” brings that primal feel back. A touch upon purer sound and reminiscent of Human :||: Nature at the helm of its introduction before falling into some weird blend of techno and metal that left me waiting for an ABBA debut.

The metal breakdown doesn’t fit the way it should in this, truly coming out of nowhere and becoming the Nightwish we commonly know, only to fall back into the weird EDM mixture. It holds so much strength in its Metal parts that really had me hyped for continuation, but it never came through. It’s a track that seems to signal the disconnect from the rest of the album with its experimental merriment and odd shifts. While vocals and instrumentals are flawless, the blended melodies really left me puzzled in the end.

“Something Whispered Follow Me” sounds like a heavy T.Swift track. It’s got the Dungeon-crawler beginning that hinted towards something Diablo-esque, but it fell flat.

It’s a mixed batch track with the lyrics and vocals really not vibing along to the melody at all for me. It’s got a stunning vocal solo, complimented by a tremendous orchestra, but none of it seems to come together as a whole. It feels incomplete and almost maddening as if a contemporary dance of one’s fall into madness had been made into mirrored sound.

“Spider Silk” seems to be holding up in popularity. Slowly it creeps up like a Spider weaving its web, yet I strangely found no love for this gentle pace. It’s got a Western touch, a wild feel that becomes caged and almost tainted by someone’s desire to hold back. Vocals on this track are just not there to put it plainly. It’s as if Floor tried to stretch her skill into something new, like the experimentals of this album, and it broke off partway through. I’m not a fan of the overuse of “spider silk” in the lyrics, its thoughtless and really leaves this track as one I’d be skipping in the future.

“Hiraeth” immediately strode in with Garth Brooks‘ “Thunder Rolls” on my mind before becoming something tender and sacred. It once again picks up guitar strings to stride on that Diablo-esque soundscape as the sense of longing truly settles in. It’s a mysterious track that turns your gaze to the beauty of mountains and trees we often forget.

Floor’s vocals are much more complimentary to Troy’s on this gentle track. Both find a balance to sing of their lust for a forgotten world they remember in vivid colour. The rise into a heavy ballad is stunning, giving me hope for this album once again as it becomes a cinematic wonderscape filled to the brim with Fantasy. It allows you to close your eyes and truly imagine those breath-taking landscapes you dreamed of long ago. It’s complimentary and stunning, a track that truly had me turning it up to the max to really embrace its impact.

“The Weave” held promises of Imaginaerum and dark festival. The eerie melody brings suspicion and unease as it builds, slowly tugging at your anxious heart strings before plummeting into an onslaught of metal fortitude. But the epic that is expected with such a tense atmosphere seems to come in oddly timed waves. It’s heavy then simmering before the gallop of warriors is once again riding to your door. It’s slightly awkward; that constant wait for a finale of cinematic proportions never fully setting ablaze but settling like a forgotten hearth. It lacks that bit of strength that this song builds on. Leaving us wanting, longing for a greatness that’s been snuffed out long before it could linger.

The finale of Yesterwynde comes with “Lanternlight,” a ballad of heartfelt kindness and reflection. It’s a song of a life long-lived and a love felt beyond endless depths.

I wanted, so deeply, to like this track but I couldn’t quite place myself in the missteps. The melody is off, and the poetry sung by Floor just doesn’t align with the ever-shifting wave lengths. There’s a fire, a passion that’s missing from such an emotionally charged ballad that left my heart feeling more sorrow than satisfaction.

Yesterwynde, in all, pays homage to what Human :||: Nature built up, adding nods to past successions in Endless Forms Most Beautiful and even Imaginaerum with circus-like atmosphere and storybook tales. It touches upon the classic feels from Angels Fall First and compliments the imagery that epics like Once‘s “Ghost Love Score” brought to our shores yet, as a whole, it lacks entirely.

There is no bolster of strength or emotion. Tracks that should feel powerful or raw fall short of expectations, with melodies that don’t quite make sense, and vocals that either come on too strong or simmer too lowly to be relished in.

While tracks like “Hiraeth” and “Perfume of the Timeless” stood on eroding shorelines, others like “Spider Silk” had already given in to the sea.

However, despite my criticism, it is an album that should be listened to, in its entirety, so that many like myself who have been with Nightwish through many eras can reflect and appreciate what’s been given to us in the past. There is promise of a bright future in Yesterwynde, you just have to tread treacherous waters to find it.