Finnish metallers NIGHTWISH are set to release their anxiously-awaited new album, Imaginaerum, on November 30th in Finland and December 2nd in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. Mainman Tuomas Holopainen has just written a short Imaginaerum update with first impressions from the set of the film that is currently in production and coincides with the album:

"Yesterday I had the chance to walk into the studio for the first time and see the set-up, props and dresses, and meet the actors. I was blown away by everything I saw, from the dedication of the people working there to the otherworldly atmosphere of the different stages. I had my make-up tests and dress fittings done, and truly enjoyed seeing myself as a gray and wrinkled 50-year-old. Ha! 4 years in the making, and finally Imaginaerum is coming alive in a most beautiful way. I can't help feeling completely awestruck and grateful for the chance of doing something that was nothing but an insane (but sincere) idea a few years ago."

The Imaginaerum film will be released sometime after the release of the album in 2012.

Imaginaerum director Stobe Harju checked in earlier this week with an update which can be read in its entirety here. An excerpt follows:

"Imaginaerum tells the story of an elderly composer, Tom, who suffers from severe dementia. As he has had the disease for years and has regressed into childhood, he remembers practically nothing from his adult life. His music, friends, all his past including the memory of his daughter are a blur in his fragile mind. All he has left is the imagination of a ten year old boy. As he drifts away into coma, it seems impossible to get back what he has lost. Or is it?"

Nightwish recently revealed the artwork and tracklisting for the album. About the cover Holopainen remarked:

"Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what Imaginaerum is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal. I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, "all this waiting for you, and you only" - feeling. All you need is the courage to enter."

Imaginaerum tracklist:

'Taikatalvi'

'Storytime'

'Ghost River'

'Slow, Love, Slow'

'I Want My Tears Back'

'Scaretale'

'Arabesque'

'Turn Loose The Mermaids'

'Rest Calm'

'The Crow, The Owl And The Dove'

'Last Ride Of The Day'

'Song Of Myself'

'Imaginaerum'

Holopainen comments about each track below:

'Taikatalvi'

"This world is but a canvas for our imagination."

'Storytime'

"How would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated Yuletide film? The meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and imagination. They are at the very core of humanity."

'Ghost River'

"LIFE is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors. Love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. And we need them all to survive and enjoy the journey. Good, Evil, Pain and Pleasure - members one of another."

'Slow, Love, Slow'

"Truest love needs no words, demands or promises. It is wordless territory, and thoroughly unconditional."

'I Want My Tears Back'

"Longing for things long gone, but still possible to bring back."

'Scaretale'

"Monsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and flesh-ripping harpies. A peak into childhood´s unforgettable nightmares- a vivid and twisted circus sideshow."

'Arabesque'

"A catharsis to a nightmare. Giving birth through a death-dance."

'Turn Loose The Mermaids'

"We quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last journey...forever now, a haunting moment of beauty and comfort."

'Rest Calm'

"Memories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. The sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and inspiration."

'The Crow, The Owl And The Dove'

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me Truth" - Henry David Thoreau

"Love is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper state."

'Last Ride Of The Day'

"The theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. It`s dark and the fireworks have just started. Moments such as these are portals to infinite dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos."

'Song Of Myself'

"Our homage and version of Walt Whitman`s transcendental celebration of life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis."

'Imaginaerum'

"Thank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning…"

Nightwish will release their new single, 'Storytime', on Friday, November 11th. The single is available as a pre-sale as CD (digipak) and 10'' MLP (gatefold) versions.