Nightwish - Dark Chest of Wonders Live at Wacken 2013 | Metal Coach Reaction & Analysis

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Hey everyone and welcome back to another epic episode on metal nights with a metal coach with a rift train supreme and the music rocks. Tonight I'm breaking down the track Dark Chest of Wonders by Nightwish live at Vakan Open Air 2013. But before we get into this guys, please like, subscribe, hit that notification bell so you never miss another epic episode of Metal Knights with the Metal Coach. Here at Metal Lights, we are family. If you want to support the channel and you want to wear the colors, check out all the Metal Coach merch I have for you. Go pick up something cool for yourself. All the links are in the description of this video. All that and more when the metal coach returns coming up next.

[00:00:59]Welcome back to the show everyone. I'm your host Stephen the Metal Coach Holly.

[00:01:03]Tonight we are talking about Dark Chest of Wonders live from Vakan Open Air 2013 by Nightwish. Let's go ahead and introduce the band. You have Flora Yansen on lead vocals. You have Tuomas Hollow Pineman on keyboards. You have Impu Vorinian on lead guitars. You have Marco Hitalia on bass guitar. You have Yuka Navalinian on the drums. So, let's not wait any longer. Let's dive right in. Let's go check out Dark Chest of Wonders live from Vakan Open Air 2013 by Night Wish. Let's go.

[00:02:02]Heat. Heat.

[00:02:26]Heat.

[00:02:29]Heat.

[00:02:36]Heat. Heat.

[00:03:04]Heat. Heat.

[00:03:30]Heat. Heat.

[00:03:46]across the sea.

[00:03:57]>> Wow. Right from the start, this band hits the crowd with that massive wall of sound. The energy coming off that Vakan stage is unbelievable.

[00:04:10]You can immediately tell this is going to be one of those performances that the audience never forgets and they probably have not forgotten today. Let's go ahead and open up the breakdown. Let's talk about the vocals of Fury Jansen. Um she just absolutely dominates this performance from a stage presence and a vocal uh precision. Um, she just has such incredible command of the stage.

[00:04:37]Her vocal performance is powerful, emotional, technically impressive all at the same time. And that is special. What stands out most is how effortless she makes everything look and sound live.

[00:04:54]She moves between those soaring melodic passages and heavier vocal moments without losing her vocal control or her stage intensity.

[00:05:04]Now, talking about her stage presence, she is incredible. She's one of the best front women in the genre. She connects with the audience instantly, consistently, and performs with a ton of confidence. This performance shows exactly why she's become such an important part of Nightw Wish. Even though this was right at the beginning when she first came into the band, she doesn't just sing the songs, she brings them to life. And that's what I think has made her staying power in the band so important and what she does to the band overall to tracks now and from the past. Man, she is brilliant. Okay, let's go ahead and talk about the chorus because this is one of the biggest moments in the entire song. When the chorus hits live, the whole atmosphere of the performance changes. The crowd at Vakan literally freaking explodes.

[00:06:00]Singing along with every word and the combination of the orchestra sound, the guitars, the drums, the vocals creates that gigantic cinematic sound. And what I really love about the chorus in this performance is the sense of momentum.

[00:06:16]Every time it comes back around, it feels even bigger. The crowd's energy keeps building. And Nightwish knows exactly how to pull the audience deeper into the performance. They are a master of doing that. That's one of the things that this band does better than almost anybody in symphonic metal. They are great for a reason.

[00:06:37]Okay, now let's go ahead and dive into the rhythm section of Marco Hitalya and and Yuka Nalinian because they are absolutely locked and loaded throughout this track. Marco Hitalia brings that thick driven bass tone that gives the song weight and power underneath all that orchestration of that is going on around him. In music this layered, the bass can sometimes get buried, but Marco keeps everything grounded and heavy. And then you get his backing vocals that add that gritty edge that contrasts perfectly with Flor's cleaner vocal style. And that combination gives Night Wish a really unique sound that nobody else has. They are great.

[00:07:24]Then we got Yuka Novelinian on drums delivering a fantastic performance behind the kit. His double bass work is tight. His timing is rock solid. And he does a great job of balancing that aggression with control. And what makes his drumming so effective in Nightw Wish is his understanding of the dynamics of the track. He knows when to push the track hard and when to let the atmosphere of the track breathe. And that balance is incredibly important to symphonic metal, especially the me symphonic metal that Nightwish plays, man. Brilliant, brilliant um backbone of the band with this uh rhythm section. They're brilliant. Let's finish up the track. I will come back and break it all down for you. Let's do this metal coat style. Let's go.

[00:08:20]Heat. Heat. Heat.

[00:08:30]Heat.

[00:08:44]Heat.

[00:09:04]Heat. Heat.

[00:09:13]Heat. Heat.

[00:09:35]Heat.

[00:09:46]Heat.

[00:09:51]Yeah.

[00:09:54]Heat.

[00:10:04]Oh, heat, heat.

[00:10:38]Let me tell you what. Um, this band just knows how to bring you into a track and knows how to make it special feeling for you. You can feel it in the air. And I bet this was one of those special moments in metal history that would have been amazing to be at live. Um especially with the debut performance of Floransen. Um I think it would have been incredible. Um in all honesty um and then that one part that we get into right after the chorus where the music just gets real heavy. The the band is getting into it. A little breakdown. No vocals. You got you got floor head banging. You have the rest of the guys just getting into it. Just gets really heavy and intense. I love that moment because the the crowd is going freaking ballistic and it's great. Okay, let's go ahead and talk about the keyboard work of the mastermind himself to hollow opinion. Um he is the like I said the mastermind behind what happens with this band. He is the mastermind behind that cinematic side of Nightw Wish. His keyboard arrangements give this track its epic atmospheric and emotional feel.

[00:11:52]The orchestral layers throughout the performance make everything feel larger than life. Whether it's dramatic melodies, the choir effects, or the ambient textures underneath the wrist.

[00:12:04]Tuos creates that soundtracklike quality that separates Nightwish from so many other metal bands. His playing doesn't overpower the rest of the band. Instead, it enhances every section of the track and ties the entire performance together beautifully. That's why he is the mastermind and one of the greats.

[00:12:25]And now, of course, we got to talk about the guitar work of Impu Vinian. Impu delivers some fantastic rhythm guitar work throughout this performance. The riffs are crunchy, melodic, and incredibly tight. What really stands out about playing here is how well he balances that heaviness with the melodic elements. He understands exactly how to support the atmosphere of the song while still delivering that powerful guitar pieces that drive the music forward. His tone cuts through perfectly through the orchestral arrangements without sounding overly busy or cluttered. That restraint and precision are huge reasons why Nightwish sounds so massive live. Just an incredible, incredible guitar work by Impu Vinian here. Okay, one of the things that makes Nightw Wish live so special is that interaction between the band and the crowd because it just makes it a special experience. The audience at Falcon is completely connected to the performance from beginning to end. You see thousands of fans singing, cheering, raising fists, headbanging, feeding off every moment that's happening on stage.

[00:13:45]And the band feeds right back into that energy. Floor consistently interacting with the crowd. The band members are clearly enjoying themselves and the atmosphere atmosphere feels bigger than just a concert. It feels like a shared experience between the band and the fans. That's what's great about live metal shows and that's what it's all about. It's about energy. It's about connection. It's about emotion and creating moments people never forget.

[00:14:20]And Dark Chest of Wonders live at Vakan Open Air 2013 absolutely delivers on that. So there you go guys. Dark Chest of Wonders live from Vakan Open Air 2013 by Nightwish. Leave your thoughts in the comments section. I want to hear your take and your favorite moments from this epic live performance. Also guys, go make sure you support Nightwish by going to their official websites. Don't forget to follow them on all their socials. All the links are in the description of the video. I know they would appreciate it as much as I do.

[00:14:56]Guys, if Metal Knights is a part of your week, please like, subscribe, ring that notification bell, and join the Metal Coach family. And if you want to support the channel, you want to wear the color colors, go check out all the Metal Coach merch and pick up something cool for yourself, or simply buy me a cup of coffee to help build the channel, all the proceeds go right back to the channel. All the links are in the description of the video. And guys, also don't forget to let me know what you'd like for me to react to in the future.

[00:15:23]I'm on summer break. I have plenty of time. Bring it. Guys, I want to thank you for joining me tonight. And don't forget, as always, keep it fun, keep it metal, crank up something loud today.

[00:15:35]Keep the faith. And never let anyone make you feel afraid. Take care, guys.

[00:15:39]Keep it metal. I'll see you again really soon.