Germany's Orkus Magazine recently caught up with NIGHTWISH keyboardist/founder Tuomas Holopainen to discuss the band's new album, Dark Passion Play.

Orkus: You have no doubt changed over the last couple years, having undergone some hard times. Was it hard to keep Nighwish alive during these times? Or was it the other way around: did Nightwish keep you alive?

Holopainen: "To put it simply: Dark Passion Play is the album that has saved my life. 2005 and the first months of 2006 were really very hard for me, not only concerning the band but also on a private level. Everything was hopeless. However, it was this hopelessness that made it so very easy for me to compose. I had exactly one place in the whole world to retreat to, and that place was in the songs of the new album. I would of course never have taken my life - I love life too much - but sometimes everything felt exclusively senseless and hopeless. At the beginning of 2006, there were two weeks were I simply did not leave the house. I woke up, worked on the songs for about twelve hours, watched a film, and then went back to sleep. Now and again I received a text message from my family, warning me not to go to the kiosks because the yellow press had once again dreamed up something new. So I created my own microcosm within the songs, and that was really the best thing to do in my situation."

The complete story can be found in the upcoming English language edition of Germany's goth culture magazine, Orkus. Go to this location for more information on the publication and to order.