Amaranthe are a melodic metal band from Sweden. They have three lead vocalists, Elize Ryd, Jake E. Lundberg, and Henrik Englund Wilhemsso, who sing in different styles. The band's music combines the intensity of power metal with death metal vocals, pop melodies and electronic elements. In today's blog, I'll be picking my top 10 favourite songs.
The band's debut single, this track gave many fans their first taste of Amaranthe's infectious and divisive sound. Complete with a suitably outrageous video from their now-frequent collaborator Patric Ullaeus, Hunger grabbed the attention of the metal world - for better or for worse.
An uplifting song from the band's latest album Massive Addictive, True stands up as one of the band's best slower songs. With a positive message of chasing your dreams and desires, it's a great one to sing along to.
Going back to the earlier days and the self-titled Amaranthe album, this track was one that really stood out to me at the time. It perfectly showcases the 3 different vocal styles used in the band, as well as giving the first taste of the band's sci-fi tinged lyrics.
Another fantastically sci-fi track, this time from The Nexus. Right from the robotic "Initiating Shutdown Sequence" message at the beginning, the song promises to be great. The lyrics are dark and intense, telling the story of someone who is frozen and plugged into machines in order to "put the future on hold".
Invincible is the third single from The Nexus. A brilliantly energetic track, this one is perfect for motivating yourself to do pretty much any task. And if you need a laugh, check out the video in which the band are apparently all aliens with super flying powers (or just try singing the lyrics as "Can't you see who I am - I'm invisible").
This ballad is a little sickly sweet at first - but once the drums kick in it begins to sound a little more like an Amaranthe song. It's an earworm, and a great love song for couples. Taken from the debut album, it showed a different side to the band.
A fighting song, as the video would suggest. With a heavy marching beat and a catchy, radio-friendly chorus, this lead single from Massive Addictive is a real storming number. The dubstep-style breakdown in the middle is great fun, too.
This song basically sounds like someone put dance music and metal in a blender and then poured in a bit too much Abba. And weirdly, it's excellent. It's original, danceable and easily one of the band's most enjoyable tracks.
Another track from The Nexus that uses electronic elements and brilliantly plays with the sci-fi theme. This showcases that Amaranthe can do just as well when they take things a little darker as they do with their upbeat and pop-y music. It's almost a sister track to the one I've picked as my number one...
I think this track is really the best of all of Amaranthe's worlds: it's edgy and futuristic, it's heavy, and it's fun as hell. It's a great song to introduce people to the band and show off everything they can do -whether its the vocals, the music, the lyrics. This incredible song could easily be the soundtrack to a movie about a dystopian digital future. A stunning effort from this unique band.
So now my countdown is done - what are your favourite Amaranthe songs? Let me know in the comments.
I'd also like to take a moment to thank all the readers of this blog. Last month we had record pageviews, and the pageview total crossed 150 thousand. Thank you so much for reading and sharing!
Today's post is a special one: I've picked my top 10 favourite books or book series, and a symphonic metal (or similar genre) song that reminds me of them.
Nation is about Mau, a young boy who lives on an island known as the Nation. During Mau's rite of passage on the nearby Boys' Island, the Nation is struck by a tsunami, leaving him as the only survivor of the devastating event. This one of the saddest and most beautiful books I've ever read (with laughs along the way too of course, because it's Terry Pratchett.) The lyrics of Within Temptation's song Forsaken are greatly relevant, as they too tell of a land destroyed by the sea, and its people forsaken by the gods.
As the sea started rising The land that we'd conquered Just washed away Although we all have tried To turn back the tide It was all in vain
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An enormous and incredibly ambitious book, American Gods is a road trip like no other. Shadow Moon travels across America, meeting all the gods people have brought with them to the country - Egyptian, Viking, Native American, and more. Isis and Osiris certainly seems a fitting song, being equally long and ambitious, and with a cast of characters calling on their respective gods.
There's no way out, slaves for eternity Down in the underworld, the jaws of Orcus I call on Jupiter, ruler of the gods Show us the way from damnation to salvation The fields of Yaaru lie waiting for us all Rejoice! The judges have ruled We have been chosen to enter the great hall Of Isis and Osiris
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In Neverwhere, Richard Mayhew helps a stranger on the streets of London, only to find his own life beginning to disappear. He falls between the cracks and into the strange world beneath the city that only the forgotten people know. As part of the band's "Horror" series, this Swallow the Sun track speaks of a serial killer and includes a reading of the poem London by William Blake - but the title is certainly reminiscent of Neverwhere, which features its own Labyrinth beneath London.
She was the one, now cold and gone. Ten silver bells marking your death, You will be lost in this Labyrinth of London.
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Northern Lights has always been my favourite of this series, but I enjoyed the other books, too. Lyra Belacqua lives in an alternate version of Oxford where everyone has their own daemon - a physical manifestation of their soul in the form of an animal. The books were based on Paradise Lost and focus on deconstructing the ideas of religion and original sin. An epic series deserves an epic song, so who better for the job than Epica, with The Divine Conspiracy?
Reach out, touch infinity Life is just a memory Time is not the entity Like it used to be The Divine Conspiracy Opens up reality Time is not the entity Like it claims to be
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Stardust is a beautifully illustrated novel about a boy named Tristan, who wishes to catch a falling star to give to his heart's desire. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work out as planned, because the fallen star has landed in the magical land of Faerie, and taken the form of a young woman named Yvaine. Delain's song captures the magic of the book with its stardust-sprinkled lyrics.
Bring me to life Bring me the starlight Bring me the sun and moon Release this star tonight
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5. A Song of Ice And Fire series by George R.R. Martin
Most people are familiar with ASOIAF thanks to HBO's Game of Thrones adapation. The epic saga of the war, politics and dragon births of Westeros spans 5 books so far, with a further 2 still to come. Within Temptation's Hand of Sorrow is actually based on a different fantasy series (Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy) but has always reminded me of the plight of Ned Stark, who becomes Hand of the King in the first book.
He's torn between his honour and the true love of his life He prayed for both but was denied So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind? So many years have passed, who are the noble and the wise? Will all our sins be justified?
The excellent Night Watch often tops polls for fans' favourite Discworld book. Hardened city watch chief Sam Vimes finds himself reliving The People's Revolution of the Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May - where the citizens demand "Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard-Boiled Egg!" In Pratchett's usual style, the novel is as much comic as it is dark and moving, with a serious undertone that will sweep you off your feet if you're not careful. Kamelot's Revolution is a great soundtrack to the revolution of Treacle Mine Road.
Light a fire in your hands To forge a future we can call our own So rise to the sound of revolution
This Gaiman classic is a loose retelling of The Jungle Book. When young Bod's family are killed by the sinister Jack, he crawls away from his home and into the nearby graveyard, where the ghosts agree to raise him as their own. It was the opening lines of Nightwish's deeply moving song about death Turn Loose The Mermaids that most reminded me of the book, depicting a child in a graveyard.
A kite above a graveyard grey At the end of the line far far away A child holding on to the magic of birth and awe
As a book by both of my all-time favourite writers, this was always bound to be on my list of most loved books. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (to give it its full title) is the perfect mix of Pratchett's comic genius and Gaiman's dark fantasy. It tells the story of the days leading up the apocalypse and the war between heaven and hell, as prophesied (remarkably accurately) by medieval witch Agnes Nutter. This song goes well with the book not just because of the title, but because of its story of a witch getting revenge on her captors, just as Agnes does.
I'm lucky with this final choice, in that the song is directly based on one of the books. The Tiffany Aching books are my absolutely favourites of the Discworld series. Tiffany is a young shepherd's daughter, who learns the ways of witchcraft. In the third book, she accidentally enters the dance of the seasons, only to find that the titular Wintersmith has fallen in love with her as he believes her to be the Summer Lady. Can she save the world from eternal winter? In this beautiful song, Sons of Seasons and Simone Simons sing of the Wintersmith and his love for Tiffany.
Winter's alive, splintered his soul No heartbeat inside Breathing the cold, uncertain stride Trying to feel, to be next to her.
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BONUS: As you may or may not know, I'm the author of the Scarlet and Ivy series. I couldn't resist picking a song for these books, too.
Scarlet and Ivy is the story of Ivy Grey, a young girl forced to take the place of her missing twin sister at the mysterious Rookwood School. While writing the upcoming third book, The Dance in the Dark, I often listened to Within Temptation's The Last Dance, which really captured the mood of the story for me.
She danced with you last night so you will remember All you have shared, a lifetime. Don’t be scared now, Close your eyes, She holds guard tonight. Go forward, No remorse, Life will take its course.
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What are your favourite books, and what songs do you associate with them? Let me know in the comments!
While we look forward to some of the exciting albums coming out in 2015, it's also good to take a look back at what we've enjoyed this year. Here are my picks - what are yours?
10. In This Moment - Black Widow
In This Moment's Maria Brink loves to challenge perceptions of what women in metal can be, and this album is a great example of that. Killer singles like Sex Metal Barbie, Sick Like Me and Big Bad Wolf dominate the record.
9. Amberian Dawn - Magic Forest
After reinventing their sound with new singer Capri, Amberian Dawn are sure to see more success. This fun and catchy dose of power metal is reminiscent of Nightwish. Check out the lead single, also titled Magic Forest and opener Cherish My Memory for a taster.
8. Amaranthe - Massive Addictive
You don't get much more fun and catchy than the poptastic Amaranthe. This album lives up to its title, with tons of upbeat tracks to give you motivation. Digital World and title track Massive Addictive are particular highlights.
7. Eluveitie - Origins
Eluveitie have outdone themselves with this beautiful record. Fans of the more melodic side of things will enjoy Anna Murphy's vocals on Call of the Mountains and Vianna, while those who like things heavier might like the brilliant King and Celtos.
6. Xandria - Sacrificium
Many questioned if Xandria could better their stellar Neverworld's End, but Sacrificium certainly at least equals it. New vocalist Dianne Van Giersbergen has a wonderful voice (even better live!). If you're not hooked by the epic opening title track, try the singles Nightfall and Dreamkeeper.
5. Within Temptation - Hydra
Although it has prompted many differences of opinion, Hydra is nonetheless one of the biggest hits of the year. In this record, Within Temptation try on all the different heads they can manage - whether it's metal, rock, pop or even rap. Whether they're successful or not is down to opinion, but tracks like Paradise (What About Us?) and Tell Me Why are a must-listen.
4. Delain - The Human Contradiction
With this album Delain were finally given the creative freedom that they've craved, and it totally paid off. This is quite possibly the best music the band have produced - heavier and darker whilst never losing their melodic roots. And there's a welcome return by Marco Hietala! To get a feel for this record, try Your Body is a Battleground and The Tragedy of the Commons.
3. Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo
This one is a grower, but now one I can't stop listening to. Broken Crown Halo brings Lacuna Coil back to top form. Strong lyrics and passion-infused music are what really sells this one - plus it's nice to see the band trying out some orchestral elements as well. Nothing Stands In Our Way is a great anthem, and there's also some more poignant and moving tracks like Victims and One Cold Day.
2. Epica - The Quantum Enigma
You may be surprised to see this in the number 2 spot. Almost universally acclaimed as the album of the year by many symphonic fans, it is certainly one of the best you will ever listen to. The compositions are excellent, buoyed up by great sound quality and mixing. The Quantum Enigma is inescapable - if you enjoy this genre, you need to give it a try. Check out The Fifth Guardian/Chemical Insomnia and Natural Corruption.
1. Tuomas Holopainen - The Life and Times of Scrooge
For me, there was no other choice for album of the year. I never could have predicted that I could feel so much love for a record about a cartoon duck... But The Life and Times of Scrooge simply has something that transcends music. It paints you a story with sound, creating a truly beautiful and unique adventure. This is a testament to Tuomas Holopainen's skill as a composer.
The best way to listen to this album is to play it all the way through headphones, preferably with no other distractions, to experience how emotional and evocative it is. To begin with, though, Cold Heart of the Klondike and The Last Sled are a great place to start.
There's only a few weeks left to go before Belgium's Metal Female Voices Fest returns - so let's celebrate with a list of 10 great songs from the bands who are playing. __________________________________________________________
Therion are well known in the symphonic metal genre for being among the first to pioneer the combination of classical music and heavy metal. This song, taken from 1998's Vovin album, is a great example of the style.
For a change of pace, how about another pioneering singer - this time it's Anneke Van Giersbergen, formerly of The Gathering and now solo. Anneke will be performing at the fest as part of The Sirens, a special group that also includes Liv Kristine and Kari Rueslåtten.
Dark Sarah is a cinematic metal project from former Amberian Dawn vocalist Heidi Parviainen - joined on this song by Manuela Kraller. This dramatic song is taken from Behind The Black Veil Episode 1, which was crowdfunded on Indiegogo. Dark Sarah will be making their debut live performance at MFVF. Does anyone else get a Phantom of the Opera vibe?
If you attended the festival's 10th anniversary back in 2012, you may have seen Diabulus In Musica. This year the Spanish band are back, bringing with them new songs from their latest record Argia. But for now we'll take a little voyage in time to two years ago with this song.
After going down a storm at last year's MFVF, symphonic metal stars Stream of Passion are back for more. Their latest album, A War of Our Own, was released independently after a succesful crowdfunding campaign. People who have not yet listened to the band may know singer/violinist Marcela Bovio from her other work with Ayreon and MaYaN.
Arkona are a folk metal band hailing from Russia, and are known for their use of their native language in their songs as well as traditional instruments and themes. Led by frontwoman Masha Scream, this song shows off both her clean and harsh vocals. Arkona also played the fest back in 2012.
This monster of a song is taken from Draconian's 2011 album A Rose For The Apocalypse, their last with Lisa Johansson on vocals (Lisa's final appearance was at MFVF 9 - she left to spend more time with family). Since then the band has recruited Heike Langhans and been working on new recordings. This year's fest will be Heike's debut with the band.
There will be a rare chance to see the elusive Sirenia at this year's MFVF! Although singer Ailyn has appeared before as part of the Eve's Apple group, the band's only previous show at the festival was back in 2007 with ex-vocalist Monika Pedersen. This melancholy fan-favourite epic is taken from their latest record Perils of the Deep Blue.
Another epic track for you now, in the form of Xandria's Sacrificium, from the album of the same name. This symphonic metal band have seen a great increase in popularity in recent years, and are sure to put on a great show. They will be bringing new frontwoman Dianne Van Giersbergen (no relation of Anneke) who is also known as the singer of Ex Libris.
And finally, Leaves' Eyes will be bringing us (arguably) the most special event of MFVF. The band are celebrating their 10 year anniversary with the Hymns of a Decade concert, which will feature a grand set, pyrotechnics, visual effects and surprise guests. Fans voted for their top 10 songs and among them was this beautiful classic. Enjoy this clip of the band's performance back at MFVF 8.
Will I be seeing any of you at the festival? Send me a comment or a tweet and let me know! If you haven't yet got tickets but are interested in going, you can check out my guide for all you need to know here.
Don't forget you can vote for your favourite MFVF band over in the sidebar!
Nightwish are perhaps the biggest band in symphonic metal, leaders in creating epic music. But that doesn't stop at their main songs - they have some truly brilliant bonus tracks that are must-listens.
For this article, I'm taking "bonus track" to mean any of Nightwish's songs that don't appear as a main track on a full studio album. So while some of these are bonuses, others are covers, or taken from EPs and singles. All these tracks should be available to buy digitally if you can't get hold of the original release.
This cover of a pop track by 80s Swedish singer Ankie Bagger was an odd choice for the band, but it actually works really well. Tarja Turunen sounds like she's having great fun on the vocals, and the track certainly seems to be a favourite of hers as she often still performs it in her live shows.
Available on: special editions of Wishmaster [normal version] + Deep Silent Complete single, Wishmastour 2000 compilation, special editions of the Bless The Child single, extended edition of the Highest Hopes compilation [heavy version] Sleepwalker is famous for being the song that Nightwish tried to enter in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000. Although they won the public vote, the jury overruled them. The song comes in two versions - a "normal version" with more overtly operatic vocals from Tarja and more electronic elements, and a "heavy version" with the rest of the band's instruments more prominent. Personally, I like the strangeness and slightly ethereal sound of the normal version.
Available on: special editions of Century Child, Ever Dream single, extended edition of the Highest Hopes compilation, Tales from the Elvenpath compilation
This lovely bonus track is a popular one amongst fans, and is a notably more upbeat track when compared to the rest of the Century Child album. The keyboard line of this song is often included by Tuomas Holopainen as part of a keyboard solo medley that he inserts into Planet Hell.
Nightwish fans are well aware of Last of the Wilds, the folky instrumental track from Dark Passion Play. But there is also this version, with vocals in Finnish from Indica's Jonsu. It was released as the third single from the album, but only in Finland. I find both versions of the song enjoyable to listen to... and I admit to regularly attempting to sing the lyrics, despite not speaking any Finnish (oops).
Tuomas has professed his admiration for composer Michael Nyman in the past, in particular this song (fun fact: Neil Gaiman loves listening to Michael Nyman music when he writes). He wrote and recorded his own version of it with lyrics for the Dark Passion Play sessions, with Anette Olzon on vocals. Fans were excited to hear a snippet of this cover (part of the soundtrack from Oscar-winning movie The Piano) closing one of the band's concerts, but sadly there was a long wait for its release as Nyman originally would not give his permission. The track is powerful and heartfelt, and with its beautiful lyrics - "a kindest heart made me believe the world as I wished it to be" - it makes a great wedding song.
Available on:Sleeping Sun (Four Ballads of the Eclipse) single, special editions of Oceanborn, Tales from the Elvenpath compilation [original version] + Sleeping Sun 2005 version single, Highest Hopes compilation [2005 version]
This track began life when Nightwish's record company asked Tuomas to write a song that could be released as a single, and dedicated to the eclipse. As a result, Tuomas has said that the song isn't one of his favourites, but as one of the band's best loved ballads it got a re-release and a new video in 2005 (shown above).
Available on:Amaranth single, Made In Hong Kong live/compilation EP
While Your Lips Are Still Red is notable for not featuring all of the members of Nightwish. Instead it was a composition by Tuomas and Marco Hietala, with Marco on vocals and Jukka Nevalainen on drums. It's a ballad again, and a lovely one at that. The song was used as part of the soundtrack for the Finnish movie Lieksa! (also known as The Matriarch), which is what you can see clips of in the video. The band have been said to refer to it as "the Finnish homo stalking video" - probably the less said about that, the better.
Available on:Over the Hills and Far Away EP, Highest Hopes compilation, Tales from the Elvenpath compilation
This energetic Gary Moore cover is a perennial fan favourite, and one that warranted headlining its own EP (which features another song that made this list...). It was released as a single with a full Viking-themed video. The song hit the Nightwish news once again in 2013 when Tarja chose it to perform as part of a special duet with new Nightwish singer Floor Jansen at Metal Female Voices Fest, uniting two of the band's eras.
10th Man Down is surely one of Tarja's most epic vocal performances. This track portrays the horrors of war, with guest vocals from Tapio Wilska (ex-Finntroll). It's hard to ignore lyrics like "they wait for me far back home, they wait with eyes turned away, they were the first ones to see, they are the last ones to bleed..." Sadly, this brilliant track never got a single release or a video, but many fans have requested for it to return for a live appearance now that Floor has joined the band.
Available on: special editions of Dark Passion Play, Bye Bye Beautiful single, Made in Hong Kong live/compilation EP
For me, Escapist deserves the top spot as not only an iconic Nightwish song but one of the only songs I have ever fallen instantly in love with. The moment I heard it it was on repeat for the rest of the day. The orchestra is just intense and the song itself manages to feel full of positive energy - an aspect which is perhaps what made Tuomas feel that it didn't fit with the main songs picked for Dark Passion Play. The epic conclusion to the song features some of Anette's strongest vocals. It's no wonder that many fans choose this as one of their top tracks from the band.
Now the list is complete, let me know - what are your favourite Nightwish bonus tracks? And which other bands do you think have treated us with excellent extras?
Symphonic metal is well known for its epic songs, and rightly so. There aren't many music genres where 10 minute long songs with orchestration and heavy guitars are common. Sometimes a song that feels epic may not even be that long, but just one that really resonates with you and gives you the shivers when your favourite part kicks in.
I've picked my personal top 10 of these tracks to share with you, with the only rule being that I could only choose one from each band. Here goes...
It's the opening of this song that really gets me. Clémentine's vocals are atmospheric and Georg's are so powerful. The video is well-done too, and tells the story of the infamous Elizabeth Bathory.
Although Tarja is perhaps best known for her Nightwish work, her solo career has definitely produced a few gems, and this is my favourite. It's a little darker and heavier than a lot of her songs, and the high notes between about 6:01 and 6:38 are stunning.
To get the full impact of this song, it's a good idea to listen to the into track When Time Fades Away first, so the video I've linked above includes both. Composer Jari Mäenpää combines folk and symphonic metal with oriental-inspired music for a truly monumental experience. Plus it's really, really hard not to sing along with the chorus...
As a Xandria fan, I didn't know what to expect when I first picked up Neverworld's End, the band's album with then new singer Manuela Kraller. But after this opening track, I knew that it was going to be a favourite. As openers go, it's a tough one to beat. "I was given the seal and the key, and I... will keep it... until... I die!"
This progressive song from After Forever's final album is their longest and perhaps most ambitious. Floor Jansen shows off her vocal technique to great effect in this dream-like musical journey.
From the gothic side of things, we have this fan favourite from Sirenia's latest album. Again, this is an unusually long track from the band but it, certainly proves that they can pull it off. It's an interesting mix with the heavier parts from Morten Veland and the haunting sadness whenever Ailyn's vocals come in.
This classic Leaves' Eyes track is an ode to the Norse goddess of love. I really like how it starts off understated and gradually builds - and it's great live, too. Plus Liv's voice is truly divine!
This song showcases just what WT can really do with symphonic metal. For me the most intense parts are the brilliant lead-in to the guitar solo starting at (in the video above) 5:27, and the huge conclusion starting at 6:14.
It's actually quite hard to find an Epica song that isn't epic - in fact it would be rather false advertising if it wasn't. So this was a tough choice, but in the end Kingdom of Heaven won out. This song is the longest on my list (not counting the Wintersun one which is two tracks), and it really feels like all of the band get room to show off their talents.
This top 10 would not be complete without what is probably one of the genre's most famous songs. An absolute classic from Nightwish's Once album with Tarja on vocals, it has had new life breathed into it by Floor Jansen's incredible performance. The video linked above really shows you the intense love that the fans feel for this song, and just how much the band enjoy performing it. For me, you cannot beat the orchestration in this song - it's absolutely spine-tingling.
And now my list is ended... Which epic songs would you add?
This blog is now closed! You can find me online @hapfairy or on my website www.sophiecleverly.com
Hi, I'm Sophie, I'm a British writer and I have an MA in Writing For Young People. My SCARLET AND IVY series is published by HarperCollins worldwide.
This blog contains news, reviews and articles about my musical genre of choice - symphonic metal. Expect appearances from other types of metal bands occasionally too. I also make wallpapers and other graphics.
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