Her sinister side in the second movement of The Greatest Show On Earth is a great example of how she adds some extra ‘oomph’ to this album’s overall heavier vibe.

Her soft, melodic delivery on Our Decades In The Sun is equally as effective as her dark and imperious intensity in Yours Is An Empty Hope and Weak Fantasy.

From a technicality standpoint, she clearly demonstrates that she is more than proficient with soaring highs, explosive belts, and seemingly effortless control between different stylings. Taking care to avoid the minefield that is comparing the band’s new vocalist to their previous ones (there has certainly been enough digital ink spilled on that topic), it is safe to say that Floor Jansen’s performance on Endless Forms is one of the stronger elements to the album. So, with the promising recent lineup changes, an 80 minute runtime, and a mammoth 24 minute closing track, the question stands: Is Endless Forms, Most Beautiful a game changer? The answer is a resounding and disappointing ‘no.’ Still, the album is a small step in the right direction. However, more often than not, they tend to resort to tired formulas, exhibit a disappointing penchant for unremarkable instrumental performances and rely on one-dimensional songwriting as a crutch. That being said, there are moments when the planets align - brief flashes of brilliance, like the heroic lead into the finale on Once’s Ghost Love Score or the remarkable use of the orchestra for effect on Dark Passion Play’s Poet And The Pendulum. It is apparent they have built an appetite for grand concept works but lack the execution to fully realize them, as seen on 2011’s Imaginaerum. They remain beset on all sides by self-imposed barriers that stunt their growth as a band and stifle their ambition. However, outside of this narrow fanbase, Nightwish have always broken little ground. Singers changed, fans were split, but Nightwish endured and still remain paragons of the surprisingly crowded genre. They shifted away from their acoustic folk origins to synthesizer-driven power metal on albums like Wishmaster, before eventually adding a full orchestra and settling into their own dark, cinematic brand of symphonic metal. Nightwish have certainly gone through some adjustments during their almost twenty year-long career. Review Summary: More focused and ambitious than their previous releases, Endless Forms almost breaks the familiar walls of mediocrity Nightwish have been trapped in.

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