In the following two-part video interview with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tuomas Holopainen from the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, FaceCulture spoke with Tuomas about not living a dream come true.

Other topics discussed include: Angels Fall First, a passion for songwriting, the Decades album, Oceanborn, the evolution of Nightwish, The Poet And The Pendulum, lineup changes, not being a control freak, his most essential songs, the big picture, band chemistry, writing new songs for Nightwish, and a lot more.

Tuomas Holopainen's 3-track demo earned him his first record deal with his freshly founded band Nightwish back in 1996. 20 years later - with over 2,000 shows played and more than 8 million records sold - Nightwish are the biggest European symphonic metal band. Reason enough for Nuclear Blast to celebrate this huge anniversary by releasing a 2CD compilation titled Decades, on March 9th.

Get your copy here, or at the Nightwish shop here. Or get the digital version, here. Check out three video trailers below.

Decades will be available as:

- 2CD-Jewelcase
- 2CD-DIGI
- 3LP BOX (different colors)
- 2CD-Earbook

Tracklisting:

CD1
"The Greatest Show On Earth"
"Élan"
"My Walden"
"Storytime"
"I Want My Tears Back"
"Amaranth"
"The Poet And The Pendulum"
"Nemo"
"Wish I Had An Angel"

CD2
"Ghost Love Score"
"Slaying The Dreamer"
"End Of All Hope"
"10th Man Down"
"The Kinslayer"
"Dead Boy’s Poem"
"Gethsemane"
"Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean"
"Sacrament Of Wilderness"
"Sleeping Sun"
"Elvenpath"
"The Carpenter"
"Nightwish" (demo)

3LP Box (33 RPM)

Side A
"The Greatest Show On Earth"

Side B
"Élan"
"My Walden"
"Storytime"
"I Want My Tears Back"
"Amaranth"

Side C
"The Poet And The Pendulum"
"Nemo"
"Wish I Had An Angel"

Side D
"Ghost Love Score"
"Slaying The Dreamer"
"End Of All Hope"
"10th Man Down"

Side E
"The Kinslayer"
"Dead Boy’s Poem"
"Gethsemane"
"Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean"

Side F
"Sacrament Of Wilderness"
"Sleeping Sun"
"Elvenpath"
"The Carpenter"
"Nightwish" (demo)

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

The release will be accompanied by a 9-month tour across the globe. After kicking off with 34 concerts in North America in March-April, the journey will continue with dozens of European festival and headline shows. On this tour, Nightwish will also be presenting a special set list, featuring rare material from the early years of their career. That's why these evenings will not only be special events for the fans, but also for the band themselves. Be prepared to hear a lot of old school material. All dates can be found below.

March
9 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
10 - Charlotte, NC - The Filmore
12 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
13 - Baltimore, MD - Lyric Theater
14 - New York, NY - Playstation Theater
16 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
17 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
18 - Albany, NY - The Egg
20 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
21 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
23 - Niagara Falls, NY - Rapids Theatre
24 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
25 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
26 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater
28 - Kalamazoo, MI - State Theatre
29 - St. Louis, MO - Touhill Performing Arts Center
30 - Minneapolis, MN - The Myth
31 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom

April
2 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
3 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
5 - Edmonton, AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
6 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
7 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theater
8 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
10 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
12 - Ventura, CA - The Majestic Ventura Theatre
13 - San Jose, CA - City National Civic
14 - Anaheim, CA - City National Grove
15 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
17 - Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory
18 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
19 - Mobile, AL - Saenger Theater
21 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
22 - Miami, FL - Olympia Theater

May
18 - Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Suurhall

June
1 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest Open Air
2 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - FortaRock
21 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell
24 - Clisson, France - Hellfest

July
6 - Kvinesdal, Norway - Norway Rock Festival
13 - Joensuu, Finland - Ilosaarirock
21 - Lahti, Finland - Mukkulan Tapahtumapuisto

August
3 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
7 - Schaffhausen, Switzerland - Stars in Town
9 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas del Rock
12 - Derby, UK - Bloodstock Open Air

November
2 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Partille Arena
5 - Berlin, Germany - Max-Schmeling-Halle
6 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclaycard Arena
7 - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto Arena
9 - Oberhausen, Germany - König-Pilsener-Arena
10 - Paris, France - AccorHotels Arena
11 - Geneva, Switzerland - Arena
13 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Incheba Expo Arena
14 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
16 - Leipzig, Germany - Arena
17 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
20 - Budapest, Hungary - Arena
22 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
23 - Nuremberg, Germany - Arena
24 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyer-Halle
27 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Saarlandhalle

December
4 - Milan, Italy - Medionalum Forum
5 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle