It is incredible to believe that seventeen years have passed since Anette Olzon made her debut with Nightwish on the formidable Dark Passion Play. While different in style to her predecessor in that band, fans of the that album acknowledge the significant positive contribution she made to Nightwish’s sound at that time. Having already released solo albums as well as material with Allen/Olzon, Ultima Grace and The Dark Element, she has been quite prolific over the last seven years. Now, Olzon prepares to release her latest solo album, Rapture.
Opening track Heed The Call is reminiscent of the aforementioned Dark Passion Play with its orchestral adornments, driving bass and Olzon’s voice as resplendently effervescent as it has ever been. “Heed the Call is a culmination of passion, energy, and creative expression, and I truly hope you'll enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to life,” says Olzon. Rich in allegory about the direction of modern society and the need for moral or spiritual reckoning it may be but Heed The Call delivers its message with a polished almost joyful sheen, making it a rousing call to arms rather than a depressing take on the problems the world is currently facing. Heed the call / Trumpet shakes in discord / What they´ve built will crumble down / As the heavens sound its horn.
Title track Rapture begins with mournful piano until driving riffs soon pick up the baton. Like Heed The Call – and indeed much of the album - there is a dichotomy between the sophisticated, catchy musical structures and the darker lyrics within. A meditation on divine judgement, the end of the world and the contrasting fates of the faithful and the unrighteous, it uses stark imagery to evoke a sense of awe and solemnity regarding these eschatological events. As four winds clear the dark / With every trumpet roar / The dead will rise again / To be judged at heaven’s door / The world will come to end / Thy kingdoms crumble down / In rapture we’ll ascend / In grace of heavens crowns. The lamenting piano returns bringing vulnerability to balance the bold power of much of the track. Day of the Wrath and Requiem continue in a similar vein and the established formula of the album is clearly evident. However, both tracks are slightly heavier and make more use of the growling vocals of Johan Husgafvel - Olzon’s husband - that are sprinkled across the album. These include the rumbling bellow on Day of The Wrath accompanied by blistering double kick drumming from Anders Köllerfors. Blow the horn let it rain / Save your pennies for the river Styx / Sound the horn cleansed by flames / Rejoice the apocalypse.
Arise begins more ethereally than any track thus far with Olzon’s vocalisations drifting mysteriously above gentle piano and strings. Forty-five seconds in, chugging but melodic guitar riffs join and there are sections of genuinely heaviness within the song; however, the chorus returns us to a style extremely similar to those that have come before. There is no doubt that Olzon is a gifted singer and her performances are exquisite throughout but there is little variation across the album in terms of song structure or the musical tropes that she understands so well. Take A Stand revisits well trodden lyrical territory for any fan of rock or metal music, attacking the fraudulent and devious nature that is associated with so many of our elected officials. In the halls of power / Where battles are fought / Politicians stand / Craving more power / They speak of change / And better days / Saying change will come / It won’t come till people bow.
Cast Evil Out – which calls for us to awaken to love and righteousness and choose a better path - and Greedy World - a critique of the excesses of materialism and self-centred attitudes – both encourage us to find the better versions of ourselves and expound the belief that the world can be changed once person at a time. Greedy World ramps up the symphonic embellishments of Olzon’s sound. The delivery of the chorus and a well-crafted guitar solo (from guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Magnus Karlsson) allows for some departure from now familiar elements.
Ballad Hear My Song completely changes the tone of the album and another song of this nature earlier in the album might have broken up the similarity of the opening eight songs. Lyrically conveying a sense of comfort, protection and a presence offering guidance and solace, the track highlights just what a superb vocalist Olzon truly is. When the star shines bright / Know it’s me / I’m here always / No need for your fear / Close your eyes / Hear my voice. Swelling orchestral embroideries and Karlsson’s soaring guitar solo extracts the most pathos possible and it is almost impossible not to be drawn in. Head Up High returns to the rebellious lyrics and quicker tempo of previous tracks and final track We Search For Peace offers a final cry of defiance to those that believe we cannot ever truly find happiness.
Rapture - Olzon’s third solo album - sees her finding a balance between powerful orchestral leanings and melodic symphonic / power metal. Individually, each song contains enough memorable hooks and dynamic choruses to please many fans of the singer and of the genre as a whole. There is no doubt that the album is well produced, slickly played and beautifully sung but listening to Rapture in its entirety, Hear My Voice aside, there is little to separate the songs in structure and technique and the tracks sometimes merge into one. How much the album will stand up to repeated listens will be down to the individual listener. Olzon deserves immense respect for everything she has achieved in a range of musical outlets and Rapture – which is not a poor album in any way - certainly encapsulates what she is best known for. While lyrically it is a strong statement, more unexpected turns, variations or refreshing deviations could have made it a great album rather than simply a collection of similar sounding good songs.
Rapture is released on 10th May 2024 on Frontiers Music.