Nightwish’s eighth studio album Endless Forms Most Beautiful featured the voice and writings of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. The record explored the concept that poetry exists within science. Ahead of the 2015 release, bandleader Tuomas Holopainen and Professor Dawkins discussed their collaboration with Prog, detailing how they got together and what they hoped to achieve.
Tuomas Holopainen studied biology at university, before his plans were changed by the success of Nightwish’s debut album Angels Fall First. “That took over my life,” says the bandleader, somewhat understating the career that was to follow.
When it came to 2015 album Endless Forms Most Beutiful, Holopainen returned to that early passion. “I’m intrigued by evolution, the natural world and the cosmos,” he says. “I had the idea of doing a massive song about the evolution of life. I called it The Greatest Show On Earth – which is the title of one of Richard Dawkins’ books. So it appeared to be a perfect match.
Article continues below“I sent a handwritten letter – because I thought it was more likely to be read – asking him if he’d guest on the album. Two weeks later I got an email back.”
“I long ago forgot how to write!” laughs Dawkins. “I will admit I had never heard of Nightwish before I got the request. But my assistant had, and said they were very good, so I agreed to be involved.”
Dawkins spent an hour in an English studio to track his spoken-word contributions to the album. “It was only for an hour, but in that time we got about 30 passages recorded,” says Holopainen. “I then selected what I thought worked best with the music. But the rest won’t be discarded – some will be incorporated into the live show.”
The parties hope their collaboration will prove to be symbiotic. As Dawkins insists: “Science should be an inspiration to musicians. I’ve always emphasised the importance of the poetic approach to science. I’ve never been a fan of the hands-on approach, where you have to experiment with a Bunsen burner. For me, that misses the point. What we should be celebrating is the poetry within reality.”
“I would love to believe Nightwish fans will be inspired by this album to read some of Richard’s books,” Holopainen says. “Science was always the catalyst here. Praising the natural world, making science more approachable; more poetic.”
“The reverse might also be possible,” Dawkins adds. “There could be those who’ve read some of my books who’ll now listen to this album. I’d say it’s a healthy relationship between science and music.”
When he recorded his narration, he hadn’t heard a note of the music –something Holopainen enforced. “I wanted him to come to it fresh; no preconceptions,” the musician explains.
“The music was already set in stone, but I’m a fan both of his voice and what he says. I didn’t want anything tailored to suit what was already there – and because of this, the performance is more powerful.”
He furiously debunks the claim that Dawkins’ presence is purely to stir up controversy. “There have been people on Facebook who’ve suggested the only reason he’s here is for shock value, and to piss off religious people.”
“I’ve never done anything to cause shock,” interjects Dawkins. “This is science. It’s not being done to annoy religion.”
Holopainen adds: “The thing is, if you want to scare people these days, forget about Satan and drugs. Bring on the evolutionary biologist. What he has to say really scares some people!”
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