Anette Olzon's Strong: ex-Nightwish singer addresses her past

Former Nightwish frontwoman Anette Olzon harks back to her heavier side on Strong

Anette Olzon Strength album art detail
(Image: © Frontiers Music)

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

When Anette Olzon first embarked on a solo career, it was a tough sell. Following her acrimonious split from symphonic metal titans Nightwish in 2012, the Swedish singer turned away from metal, releasing her solo debut, Shine – an album of folky pop rock that stripped back the bombast, helmed by Celine Dion’s producer. It was the music in her heart, but it failed to ignite the interest of metal fans. Over the last four years, Anette’s work as one half of The Dark Element, her melodramatic collaboration with ex-Sonata Arctica guitarist Jani Liimatainen, seems to have rejuvenated her passion for heavy music. Just like TDE, her second solo album, Strong, comes off like a metal incarnation of Abba, with inescapable melodies juxtaposed against galloping guitars and synths. Opener Bye Bye Bye could be a Nightwish track, tinged with symphonic histrionics and eyebrow-raising lyrics that could easily be about her ill-fated time with the Finnish metallers: ‘Could I ever know what would come? / The day I got the call from you / Could anyone have told me before /That the end would be so cruel / I got screwed…’

While The Dark Element’s material sometimes lacked bite, the melodies on Strong are consistently arresting and impactful. Sick Of You’s Eurovision-esque sensibilities are swept away on producer and guitarist Magnus Karlsson’s squealing solo lines, and some monstrous vocals from the man himself add some deliciously weighty balance amid the pop sparkle. Similarly, the title track and Parasite take their nods from Dimmu Borgir’s icy keys and the earworm melodicism of In Flames. By the time Roll The Dice brings the album to a dramatic close, showing off Anette’s sweet yet impressive vocal range to the full, it’s clear the singer has turned in her best work since Nightwish’s Imaginaerum.

Anette Olzon's Strength is released on September 10 via Frontiers Music

Dannii Leivers

Danniii Leivers writes for Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, The Guardian, NME, Alternative Press, Rock Sound, The Line Of Best Fit and more. She loves the 90s, and is happy where the sea is bluest.

Read more
Marko Hietala – Roses From The Deep
“His vocals were often trammelled in Nightwish… but here he lets loose throughout”: Marko Hietala blends love and instinct on Roses From The Deep
Lacuna Coil press pic 2024
"Gothic metal’s crown isn’t going anywhere anytime soon." Lacuna Coil go heavier than ever on Sleepless Empire with help from guests Ash Costello and Randy Blythe
Arch Enemy posing in an alleyway
Arch Enemy promised they'd throw out the rule book for Blood Dynasty. They didn't go quite that far, but this is the boldest album of the Alissa White-Gluz era - and it kicks ass
Jonathan Hulten – Eyes Of The Living Night
“Sometimes his lyrics are so indistinct they may as well be wordless. Sometimes they are actually wordless”: Jonathan Hultén’s Eyes Of The Living Night is brilliant and beautiful
Spiritbox on the cover of the new issue of Metal Hammer
"A band who could contend with Bring Me The Horizon and Sleep Token as the next zeitgeist-setting metal act." Spiritbox have unleashed another absolute stunner with Tsunami Sea
Swallow The Sun in 2024
“I hate that I had to write the previous album. It became dangerous to play the music and stab myself in the heart”: Swallow The Sun had to escape from Juha Raivio’s personal hell. The solution was new album Shining
Latest in
Rick Astley and Rick Wakeman
“Rick Wakeman’s solo albums were just brilliant… when I heard he was doing Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, I bought 12 tickets”: Prog is the reason Rick Astley became a singer
Queen posing for a photograph in 1978
"Freddie’s ideas were off the wall and cheeky and different, and we tended to encourage them, but sometimes they were not brilliant.” Queen's Brian May reveals one of Freddie Mercury's grand ideas that got vetoed by the rest of the band
Mogwai
“The concept of cool and uncool is completely gone, which is good and bad… people are unashamedly listening to Rick Astley. You’ve got to draw a line somewhere!” Mogwai and the making of prog-curious album The Bad Fire
Adrian Smith performing with Iron Maiden in 2024
Adrian Smith names his favourite Iron Maiden song, even though it’s “awkward” to play
Robert Smith, Lauren Mayberry, Bono
How your purchase of albums by The Cure, U2, Chvrches and more on Record Store Day can help benefit children living in war zones worldwide
Cradle Of Filth performing in 2021 and Ed Sheeran in 2024
Cradle Of Filth’s singer claims Ed Sheeran tried to turn a Toys R Us into a live music venue
Latest in Review
/news/the-darkness-i-hate-myself
"When the storm clouds clear, the band’s innate pop sensibilities shine as brightly as ever": In a world of bread-and-butter rock bands, The Darkness remain the toast of the town
Sex Pistols at the RAH
"Open the dance floor, you’ll never get to do it again." Forget John Lydon's bitter and boring "karaoke" jibes, with Frank Carter up front, the Sex Pistols sound like the world's greatest punk band once more
Arch Enemy posing in an alleyway
Arch Enemy promised they'd throw out the rule book for Blood Dynasty. They didn't go quite that far, but this is the boldest album of the Alissa White-Gluz era - and it kicks ass
The Darkness press shot
"Not just one of the best British rock albums of all time, but one of the best debut albums ever made": That time The Darkness added a riot of colour to a grey musical landscape
Roger Waters - The Dark Side of the Moon Redux Deluxe Box Set
“The live recording sees the piece come to life… amid the sepulchral gloom there are moments of real beauty”: Roger Waters' Super Deluxe Box Set of his Dark Side Of The Moon Redux
Cradle Of Filth Press Shot 2025
Twiddly Iron Maiden harmonies, thrash riffs, horror, rapping (kind of) and sexy goth allure: The Screaming Of The Valkyries is peak Cradle Of Filth