LIVE REVIEW: Nightwish @ Manchester Arena, Manchester

There was a collective buzz filling the air at Manchester Arena. One of anticipation. The other in excitement. Even, there were elements of affirmation. Bringing the Finnish crown to their metal mass, a lot of expectations were waiting for the duo in newcomers BEAST IN BLACK and crowned symphonic metal storytellers NIGHTWISH.

Only having released their 2017 debut album Berserker, in which five of their songs were inspired from the Japanese anime Berserk, it was clear to see why their comrades in NIGHTWISH asked homeboys BEAST IN BLACK to bring their sounds to the onlooking spectators. The Finns flavour to the addictive hits from their debut such as the fist-pumping Blood Of A Lion, electrically charged The Fifth Angel and the EDM-style infused Crazy, Mad, Insane. It even gave the audience the opportunity to let the lights shine with the intense Ghost In The Rain. Manchester got a taster of new material from their upcoming 2019 release From Hell With Love, the track Eternal Fire, thinking what if EUROPE and JUDAS PRIEST clashed heads! Ending their enjoyable hour with hit song Blind & Frozen and epic closer End Of The World, BEAST IN BLACK were having the time of their lives and the perfect choice of support getting the crowd thoroughly in the mood to witness the headliners.

Rating: 8/10

“We’re going to go on a road trip down memory lane with you – are you ready?” exclaims Floor Jansen as over the course of two hours, NIGHTWISH took their crew on a collective journey witnessing their twenty years of sonic anecdotes. Bringing Manchester into a collective roar, there was no denying that their fans were thirsty for the recognisable tracks such as Dark Chest of Wonders, heart-pumping Wish I Had An Angel and the epic Nemo. Pleasant sounds from Gethsemane and Elan had the crowd singing from their lungs. There were even some charming surprises from noticeable tracks The Carpenter, The Sacrament of Wilderness, Dead Man’s Poem and The Kinslayer into the mix giving a sensual flow of wonderment.

As each progressive song chimed away, this brought more light into why Floor Jansen will remain the chosen one, and debatably the original, after predecessor Tarja Turunen and before Anette Olzon jumped the ship. Floor Jansen had grace. She had an undeniable magnetic chemistry and warmth into their majestic song catalogue, further igniting NIGHTWISH’s aural story on levels that the pyrotechnics cannot match. As the show approached its crescendo with the three-part epic saga The Greatest Show On Earth reciting life as we know it and ending the cold night on a high with Ghost Love Score, there was no denying that every member of NIGHTWISH were the memory makers demonstrating charisma and a united musicianship. Their new chapter awaits.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: