Forever Autumn

Now Playing: Dancer in the Dark

推荐：
Sail Away              Don't Let Go
No Fear        Dancer in the Dark

    12年前的一个冬天，4个拥有同样理想的16岁的少年满怀抱负和憧憬齐聚在芬兰的赫尔辛基，组成了一支摇滚乐队(主唱Lauri,吉他手Pauli、鼓手Aki、贝斯Eero)，并给自己取名：Rasmus（雷斯魔）。12年前的他们年少痴狂，装扮张扬。如今的他们依然特立独行，其貌不扬。正因为这种略带叛逆的风格，掠获了无数乐迷的尖叫。
      上帝也特别垂青这4个年轻的孩子，发行的第一张专辑便席卷芬兰乐坛，之后的艺途之路更是一帆风顺。他们不仅成为芬兰葛莱美奖-EMMA奖的常客，每张专辑都有金唱片和白金的销量，更是提升到和呛红辣椒，Roxette，HIM同台竞技的地位。（呵呵，他们出道比Nightwish还早四年）
      初识他们是他们于03年发行的第五张专辑《Dead Letters》中的首支单曲In The Shadows，那发自心底的呐喊，那激昂的旋律和强有力的鼓点迅速征服了听者的耳朵。其实，熟知的几个芬兰的乐队：夜愿，To Die For和HIM的旋律都非常不错，一方水土养一方人，或许正是由于北欧得天独厚的人文背景、地域特色以及众多优秀金属摇滚乐队的熏陶使他们对于音符旋律的掌控有特别强的能力，虽然Rasmus并不能算是一支金属乐队，但他们的摇滚的基调和绚烂的旋律还是非常浓烈的。
     《Hide From The Sun》是他们05年发行的专辑，就如同专辑名所描述的那样隐藏在阴暗中，他们在乐队的形象包装上依旧走那种仿哥特的鬼魅阴森的路线。推荐的Sail Away和Don't Let Go是这张专辑中个人觉得较出色的两首抒情摇滚。No Fear和Dancer in The Dark则是他们那种比较典型的摇滚风格，和In The Shadows一样，都是令人激动令人振奋的佳作。

P.S. Dancer in the Dark[黑暗中的舞者]是作为Bonus Track收录在欧版的《Hide From The Sun》中，网路上比较难找，大家若是觉得好听希望及早保存，链接的时效很难保证。

It`s time to choose whether the story of Nightwish ends here or whether it will still continue an undetermined period of time. We`ve been working with this creation for 9 years and we are not ready to give up yet. Nightwish is a way of life, something to live for, and we`re certain we can`t let it go.

Equally certain is the fact that we cannot go on with you and Marcelo any longer. During the last year something sad happened, which I`ve been going over in my head every single day, morning and night. Your attitude and behavior don`t go with Nightwish anymore. There are characteristics I would never have believed to see in my old dear friend.
People who don`t talk with each other for a year do not belong in the same band.

We are involved in an industry where the business-side of things is a necessary evil and something to worry about all the time. We are also a band which has always done music from the heart, because of friendship and the music itself. The mental satisfaction should always be more important than money! Nightwish is a band, it`s an emotion.
To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with those emotions have become much more important. You feel that you have sacrificed yourself and your musical career for Nightwish, rather than thinking what it has given to you.
This attitude was clearly shown to me in the two things you said to me in an airplane in Toronto: ”I don`t need Nightwish anymore.” and ”Remember, Tuomas, that I could leave this band at any time, giving you only one day`s warning in advance”.
I can`t simply write any more songs for you to sing.

You have said yourself that you are merely a ”guest musician” in Nightwish. Now that visit ends and we will continue Nightwish with a new female vocalist.
We`re sure this is an equally big relief to you as it is for us. We have all been feeling bad long enough.

You told us that no matter what, the next Nightwish album will be your last one. However, the rest of us want to continue as long as the fire burns. So there`s no sense in doing that next album with you, either.
The four of us have been going over this situation countless times and we have realized that this is the thing we want to do in life. It´s all we can do. In December 2004, in Germany, you said that you will never tour again for more than two weeks at a time. You also said that we can forget about U.S. and Australia because the fees and the sizes of venues are too small.

In interviews I`ve mentioned that if Tarja leaves, that would be the end of the band. I understand that people will think this way. Nightwish is, however, a scenery of my soul and I`m not ready to let go because of one person. A person who wants to focus her creativity to somewhere else, a person whose values don`t match mine.

We were never bothered by the fact that you didn`t participate in writing/arranging songs, you never in 9 years came to rehearse the songs with us before going to the studio. Not the fact that while on tour you always wanted to fly, separately from us with your husband. Not the fact that you are an undisputable front image of the band.
We accepted and felt ok about everything except greed, underestimating the fans, and breaking promises. It was agreed by the five of us that Nightwish would be the priority in everything that we do during 2004-2005. Still so many things were more important to you. The ultimate example being the already sold-out show in Oslo, which you wanted to cancel because you needed to rehearse for your solo concerts, meet frieds and go to the movies. Those were the words Marcelo used in an e-mail explaining the cancellation. This being just one example of so many. I couldn`t think of a worse way of being selfish and dismissing our fans.

Nightwish is a way of life and a job with many obligations. To each other and to the fans. With you we can`t take care of those duties anymore.

Deep within we don`t know which one of you drove us to this point. Somehow Marcelo has changed you from the lovely girl you were into a diva, who doesn`t think or act the way she used to. You are too sure of your irreplaceableness and status.

It`s obvious that you blame your stress and misery on us four. And you think we don`t respect or listen to you. Belive us; We have always had the uppermost respect towards you as a wonderful vocalist and as a friend. And very often during the past couple of years the plans were made according to your decisions only. You were always the only one who wanted more money from the shows.
This ”compensation and more money from everything” –attitude is the fact that we are most disappointed of!

We wish that from now on you will listen to your heart instead of Marcelo. Cultural differences combined with greed, opportunism and love is a dangerous combination. Do not wither yourself.

This decision is not something we are especially proud of but you gave us no choice. The gap between us is too wide. And the decision is made by us four unanimously. We are beyond the point where things could be settled by talking.

All the best for your life and career,

Tuomas

Emppu Jukka Marco

Ps. This is an open letter for everybody.