Nightwish's Tuomas Holopainen says Yesterwynde is "probably the biggest album" they've ever made

Earlier this year, symphonic metal megastars Nightwish officially announced their eagerly anticipated new album Yesterwynde . Due for release on September 20, it will serve as the band's first full-length album in four and a half years, with fans getting a preview of what to expect from the record in the form of recent lead single Perfume Of The Timeless , which arrived last month.

Speaking to Metal Hammer' s Dave Everley in an exclusive new interview in Hammer 's latest issue , Nightwish mastermind and band leader Tuomas Holopainen certainly isn't mincing his words when it comes to the scale and grandeur of the Finns' tenth album.

“It’s probably the biggest album we’ve done," he says. "It complements the lyrics and the stories we want to tell. In the song An Ocean Of Strange Islands , there are more than 600 tracks. That’s a lot. It was hell for the mixing engineer.

“The major theme of the album is time - going back in time, recognising your own mortality," he continues. "It’s about history, being human, but it’s optimistic. Despite all the bad stuff, we have the chance as a species to get together and survive. That’s the core message and essence of the album.” Read more from Tuomas in Metal Hammer 's new issue, out now and starring Ghost on the cover.

Yesterwynde will mark Nightwish's first album since their surprise announcement that they will be retiring from touring for the foreseeable future . Explaining their decision in a statement released last year, the band said: "The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects.

Nightwish Yesterwynde tracklist

1. Yesterwynde
2. An Ocean Of Strange Islands
3. The Antikythera Mechanism
4. The Day Of...
5. Perfume Of The Timeless
6. Sway
7. The Children Of 'Ata
8. Something Whispered Follow Me
9. Spider Silk
10. Hiraeth
11. The Weave
12. Lanternlight