Nightwish’s Elan wasn’t first single choice
Mainman Tuomas Holopainen wanted to use Edema Ruh as lead track from upcoming album instead
Select the newsletters you’d like to receive. Then, add your email to sign up.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
Louder
Louder’s weekly newsletter is jam-packed with the team’s personal highlights from the last seven days, including features, breaking news, reviews and tons of juicy exclusives from the world of alternative music.
Every Friday
Classic Rock
The Classic Rock newsletter is an essential read for the discerning rock fan. Every week we bring you the news, reviews and the very best features and interviews from our extensive archive. Written by rock fans for rock fans.
Every Friday
Metal Hammer
For the last four decades Metal Hammer has been the world’s greatest metal magazine. Created by metalheads for metalheads, ‘Hammer takes you behind the scenes, closer to the action, and nearer to the bands that you love the most.
Every Friday
Prog
The Prog newsletter brings you the very best of Prog Magazine and our website, every Friday. We'll deliver you the very latest news from the Prog universe, informative features and archive material from Prog’s impressive vault.
Nightwish have revealed that recently released single Elan wasn’t their first choice to promote their upcoming album Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
And mainman Tuomas Holopainen says he’d decided on track Edema Ruh but was talked into changing his mind by band members Marco Hietala and Troy Donockley.
He says: “Choosing the single from the album was really easy – it was clear it was going to be Edema Ruh. But after two weeks of rehearsing, Marco and Troy asked, ‘How about Elan for the first single?’ They liked the chorus and Marco thought it was a better song.
“At the at point we had already started writing the script for the video specifically for the other song. The question was, ‘Can we still change the single at this point?’ We could, and Marco and Troy were right.”
The track was leaked online ahead of its official release earlier this month, with Holopainen saying he and the band felt “violated” by the move.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful launches on March 30 via Nuclear Blast and they’ve lined up a show at London’s Wembley Arena on December 19. They dropped into TeamRock Radio last week to talk about the album. The show is now available to hear on demand.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful tracklist
- Shudder Before The Beautiful 2. Weak Fantasy 3. Elan 4. Yours Is An Empty Hope 5. Our Decades In the Sun 6. My Walden 7. Endless Forms Most Beautiful 8. Edema Ruh 9. Alpenglow 10. The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula 11. The Greatest Show On Earth
The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.
