Nightwish: Time Well Spent

Troy Donockley is “racked with gratitude for every day of consciousness”. He’s quick-witted and always up for a laugh at his own expense, but there’s no cynicism to be found. His world is full of magic and colour, and he’s acutely aware of how lucky he is – in the grand scheme of things – to be alive. He is the multi-hyphenate musical talent of NIGHTWISH, credited with singing, the Uilleann pipes, the bouzukui, the bodhran, the aerophone, and more. While Tuomas Holopainen is the main songwriter, Troy is an ‘enthusiastic contributor’ in the editing process, and plays a key role as a native English speaker in shaping the band’s lyrics.

Troy’s profound sense of wonder at his own existence is woven into the band’s magnificent tenth album, Yesterwynde. Lead single Perfume Of The Timeless marvels at the unbroken chain across millennia required for our births, its chorus going: “We are because of a million loves.”

Yesterwynde forms the third part of what Troy calls an unintentional trilogy exploring our place in the universe. “Endless Forms Most Beautiful was evolution and natural selection; Human :||: Nature was humanity and its place among evolution; Yesterwynde is our relationship with time itself and our ancestors.”

But he wasn’t always as zen as he is today. Before “waking up” in his early 20s and choosing a mindful path through life, he was bombarded by fear – of a new ice age, nuclear winter, or the hole in the ozone layer. It seemed as if everything was trying to kill him and the rest of humanity too. But every fear he’d ever been fed had never come to pass, he realised. He replaced the noise of doomsayers with honing his musicianship; the former never did him any good, he says, and his virtuosity across a variety of instruments speaks for itself. He is never preachy, but the message is clear: spend life immobile and petrified, or make something of your time.

NIGHTWISH tackle this ever-present anxiety on The Day Of…, in which frontwoman Floor Jansen heralds the end of days, from the second coming and alien invasions to Y2K and AI. Fear-mongering is present throughout the history of civilisation, and on Yesterwynde, the band contextualise it alongside humanity’s perseverance. In his younger days, Troy says he was “being scared needlessly” and “miserable for no good reason”. Although much more equipped to deal with the fear now, he still feels it hurtling towards him every day. A quote from Labour MP and committed socialist Tony Benn is responsible for The Day Of… in which he said: “I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all frighten people and secondly, demoralise them.”

The internet is the perfect breeding ground for this kind of societal unease, and Troy has seen tension in our culture amplify over the years. He remembers being in the pub with his dad, watching men argue over something, only to move on with, “well I don’t agree with all of that, but do you want another pint?” Now, he says it’s more like “I don’t agree at all. I hope you die.” But he’s optimistic, especially about future generations who he thinks will tire of all the screaming. The resurgence of vinyl is a way of reconnecting with something we have lost, he says, something tactile that in turn is a reaction against the loneliness of living online among the negativity. In a way only a member of NIGHTWISH could do, he says young people are connecting with their ancestors and yearning for what they had.

He used to check out reactions to NIGHTWISH’s music, but has long given up doing so. It was fun for a while he says, but sums up what he’d see as “this is the best song I’ve ever heard. Next comment. This is the shittest song I’ve ever heard. Next comment. Bring back Tarja, Floor’s shit. Next comment. Floor is the greatest singer on earth. Next comment. NIGHTWISH died years ago.” It is a waste of time, he decided, and there’s nothing he can do about it: “I’ve got hummus to make and bread to bake!”

Online communities scour interviews with band members for breadcrumbs about the state of NIGHTWISH, given the rotten luck they’ve had over the years with interpersonal drama and departures. What is the mood of NIGHTWISH in 2024, according to Troy? “Tired, but happy.”

Although the band have decided not to tour Yesterwynde, he stresses it is not the end, and he is certain these songs will be played live at some point. Without going into too much detail, he talks of burnout and the immense effort a world tour takes. Not for the first time on this promotional cycle, he hints at 2026, the band’s 30th anniversary. “Something monumental might happen,” he says. “And then again, nothing might happen!”

When they do hit the road again, they will have to contend with the absence of Marko Hietala, whose gruff voice was a perfect metallic counterpoint to all of NIGHTWISH’s front-women. Troy says it was terrifying stepping up as the male lead on Yesterwynde, and it came at the insistence of his bandmates who had become used to hearing him sing these new songs in their demo forms.

He considers Marko one of the greatest rock singers ever, and is quick to note he would never attempt to cover for what Marko can do. “I’m not gonna be singing Wish I Had An Angel or anything like that.” Across Yesterwynde, Troy says he bounces in and out of songs as a bloke duetting with Floor, who he also declares one of the greatest singers on earth. He is harsh on himself; Marko is missed on Yesterwynde, but Troy’s features are tasteful and complementary. Aware of his limits in a metal band with his softer tone, he is an expert at making harmonies sing.

His journey since being introduced to the band during Dark Passion Play’s recording sessions 17 years ago has been “wonderful”. After that initial meeting they bonded in an “extraordinarily deep way” at the hotel bar. Opportunities kept coming his way and he kept saying yes, until he was invited to join the band in 2012. “How could you say no, really?” Today, he says the band feel untouchable. Even after the ‘cataclysm’ of Marko’s departure, everyone is still in love with making music as part of NIGHTWISH.

If Troy could ask one thing of us, it’d be to listen to Yesterwynde with headphones on – preferably with a glass of wine, by the fireplace. “You’ve got to listen to the thing as a whole,” he says. “In solitude, to get the best out of it.”

Time and what we make of it is a recurring theme in talking with Troy. He still seems deeply changed by reclaiming his time in his youth. Now his band are contemplating how precious it is and the power we have to do with it what we want. In Yesterwynde’s making-of documentary released in short parts on YouTube, Troy says he just wants to make music that gives him goosebumps every now and then. On Yesterwynde, he says it happens too many times to name them all. Time well spent.

Yesterwynde is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

Like NIGHTWISH on Facebook.