Title: Imaginaerum

Type: Studio Album

Artist: Nightwish (band)

Genre: Metal

Subgenre: Symphonic Metal

Release Date: November 30, 2011

Label: Nuclear Blast, Roadrunner

Tracklist: 1. Taikatalvi

                      2. Storytime

                      3. Ghost River

                      4. Slow, Love, Slow

                      5. I Want My Tears Back

                      6. Scaretale

                      7. Arabesque (instrumental)

                      8. Turn Loose the Mermaids

                      9. Rest Calm

                      10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove

                      11. Last Ride of the Day

                      12. Song of Myself

                       13. Imaginaerum (instrumental)

A special 2-CD edition includes instrumental versions of the songs.

All tracks were written by Tuomas Holopainen, Marco Hietala and Pip Williams.

Lineup: Anette Olzon (vocals)

                 Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards, piano)

                  Emppu Vuorinen (guitars)

                  Marco Hietala (bass, vocals)

                 Jukka Nevalainen (drums, percussion)

Additional musicians: Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, vocals, bodhran, bouzouki)

                                                 Dermot Crehan (hardanger fiddle)

                                                 Dirk Campbell (sorna)

                                                 Guy Barker (solo trumpet)

                                                 Paul Clarvis and Stephen Henderson (ethnic percussion)

                                                 Pekka Kuusisto (violin)

                                                 Kai Hahto (percussion)

                                                 "The loved ones & the fellowship" (credited fro reciting stanzas in "Song Of Myself")

                                                 Metro Voices (choir)

                                                 Jenny O'Grady (choir leader)

                                                 The Young Musicians London (choir)

                                                 Lynda Richardson (choir leader)

                                                 London Philharmonic Orchestra (orchestral parts)

                                                 Thomas Bowes (orchestra leader)

                                                  James Shearman (orchestra conductor)

 Imaginaerum is the seventh studio album by the Finnish metal band Nightwish. According to Tuomas Holopainen, it is a concept album that tells the story of an old composer who is reminiscing of his youth on his deathbed. The album was produced alongside a film of the same name, which was directed by Stobe Harju, who directed the music video for "The Islander", a song from Nightwish's sixth studio album Dark Passion Play.

 After its release, Imaginaerum received much critical acclaim, and peaked at high spots in European and North American music charts. German music magazine Sonic Seducer described it as the band's best album, and it was chosen as album of the month by Dutch metal magazine Aardschok Magazine. The album has gone 3x Platinum in Finland and Gold in Germany, Greece, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden.

 Imaginaerum was Nightwish's second and last album to feature Swedish singer Anette Olzon as the lead vocalist. Olzon was fired in late 2012, during the band's Imaginaerum World Tour, and replaced with the band's current lead vocalist, Dutch singer Floor Jansen.