A postscript to this: Nightwish's first post-Tarja album was my favorite metal album of 2007; Tarja's first post-Nightwish solo album was not.

There was a long feature on Nightwish in the UK heavy metal magazine Kerrang! a few weeks ago. In it, the journalist described how, when he was interviewing Tarja, her husband sat in the room with the two of them, staring unwaveringly at the hapless journo for the entire duration of the interview. He asked Tarja about this, and she said that something along the lines of it just being what he did, but the journalist's comment was something to the effect of "it was just plain rude".  

The whole story is bizarre beyond belief - the description of the band "inviting" Tarja backstage after the concert, as if she didn't generally associate with them, for example. Reading between the lines, Tarja seems to have been a separate entity from "the band" for a long time. What a shame.  

I guess my overall view is that it's probably easier to replace a classically-trained singer than your average heavy metal shrieker or growler - there is a degree of consistency in the sound of operatic vocalists that is lacking in rock vocalists, but even so - Tarja will be a tough act to follow.

This whole thing is way too painfully Spinal Tap. Tarja's public handling of it is more dignified than the band's, but that doesn't mean her private behavior wasn't exactly as divisive as they intimate.  

Given that I'm never likely to learn the truth, I guess I will have to side with the band on the practical grounds that new Nightwish music with another singer seems more likely to appeal to me than Tarja's solo work.  

But just in case neither one pans out, my current runners-up to Nightwish in the same general style are Darkwell, Asrai and Epica.

Tarja responds.

Wow, what a really terrible idea to post that letter in public. Translated into two additional languages, no less. Eek. I have no insight into their problems, but I can't think of any way in which posting that letter could improve them more than not posting it.  

Nightwish with a different singer will be a new thing. Might be a great thing, might be a mediocre thing. I guess we'll find out.

I today discovered the somewhat shocking news that Nightwish have sacked Tarja Tarunen, their lead singer. I discovered Nightwish after glenn recommended them, ordered all their albums on import, and thought they were one of the most original bands I'd ever heard. A large proportion of that originality came from Tarja and her voice, and I find it difficult to imagine Nightwish carrying on without her.  

Her departure was shocking enough, but the most surprising aspect was the band's decision to publish the letter sacking her on their website - I understand that at the end of the final concert on their current tour, they handed her an envelope and asked her not to open it until the next day. To see the acrimony officially published is just bizarre. One of my other favorite bands, Karnataka, split up last year for "personal reasons", and a dignified silence has been maintained by the ex-members about the reasons - the openness of the Nightwish letter suggests deep wounds in the band, with Tarja cast as the instigator.  

Just wondering how glenn (or anyone else, come to that) feels about this, and what people feel the future now holds for the band.  

(Oh, and to follow up on the mention above, anyone who hasn't heard it really should check out Karnataka's album "Delicate Flame Of Desire" - imagine Marillion fronted by Julianne Regan of All About Eve.) Why do all the bands I *really* love implode like this?