Endless Forms Most Beautiful (2015)
The very first album from Nightwish from new vocalist Floor Jansen, who you probably know or should know from Ayreon and Star One. Anyway, Endless Forms Most Beautiful is a concept album based on the evolutionary theories, science and reason all based around Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins.
Most people don't like concept albums, especially in symphonic metal, but honestly, this album is fantastic. Is it the best album they've ever put out? Not even close. The production quality is god awful. For example, take one of their earlier albums, then listen to this. Not only is the volume decreased by a ton, but the overall impact of the album is sub par. While that remains to be, everything else is fantastic. Floor Jansen while she doesn't show everything she's got, holds her own with the rest of the group. You can feel the chemistry through the music and the live performances for the songs.
Possibly the best track Nightwish has ever made, The Greatest Show On Earth, showcases everything Nightwish is known for and throws it all in for a beautiful 24 minute proggy filled hard hitting symphonic track with some dialogue thrown in here and there. Throughout all their albums, this track is both the most memorable and most creative, and that's saying a lot.
As an album however, I doesn't rank too highly for me in terms of overall Nightwish albums. I'd put it further down the list more for the production quality. They could have done a lot more with this and made it pack a punch, but unfortunately you're left trying to find a happy medium for volume, and still wanting more.
This album gets a solid 6/10.