"The ultimate musical island-hopping adventure!" Listen to new Nightwish single An Ocean Of Strange Islands now

(Image credit: Tim Tronckoe)

Symphonic metal masters Nightwish have unleashed a brand new single, the latest cut from imminent new album Yesterwynde. The track, titled An Ocean Of Strange Islands, is another meaty slice of bombastic metal grandeur, and comes accompanied by a cute lyric video that means you'll be singing along to the song's delightfully whimsical lyrics in no time.

"The song An Ocean Of Strange Islands gives you sheer heaviness with its massive guitars, epic orchestrations and phenomenal vocals by Floor Jansen," explains the band's keyboardist and head songwriter, Tuomas Holopainen. "Classic Nightwish at its best! An Ocean Of Strange Islands takes us on the ultimate musical island-hopping adventure, reminding the adventurer that happiness is most joyous when shared."

Listen to the new single below. The band's upcoming tenth studio album arrives September 20 via Nuclear Blast.

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Speaking exclusively to Metal Hammer in their latest issue, Nightwish singer Floor Jansen explains how making Yesterwynde was a unique experience for her following a turbulent few years which have included pregnancy, motherhood, her battle with breast cancer and the band's surprise hiatus from touring.

“I was pregnant, and before that there was the cancer, and then I had my baby and I was just really, really fucking tired, so I wasn’t there like I had been in the past,” she says. “The connection to the album is much less than it was before, because we haven’t been spending as much crazy time together as we usually would. That doesn’t mean I don’t give a shit – quite the opposite – but I’m still growing into what it means, and what it means to me.”

Nightwish fans can not only read more of that interview in the newest issue of Metal Hammer, but can pick up a special edition of the magazine featuring a limited edition cover variant that comes bundled with an exclusive Nightwish t-shirt, only available through the official Metal Hammer store. Order yours below.

Metal Hammer issue 391 in a bundle with a Mastodon Leviathan t-shirt — (Image credit: Future)

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.