NIGHTWISH Signs New Deal With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have inked a new European deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's new album, "Imaginarium", will be released in December. The U.S. version of the CD will be made available through Roadrunner Records.

Commented NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen: "We are very happy to continue working with the Nuclear Blast family! Our collaboration started on a friendship basis and continues to do so.

"I was utterly happy and relieved to see they truly understood what 'Imaginarium' is all about, and we seem to share similar profound enthusiasm towards it.

"I feel privileged working with such people who, despite the infinite maze of business they must handle properly, still have a huge heart for music itself. "

Added Andy Siry, head of A&R and label manager of Nuclear Blast: "We are very happy that NIGHTWISH and Nuclear Blast Records can continue as a team.

"NIGHTWISH became the biggest success of our label and everyone in the band, their management and crew also became trustful and close friends. For us, it is a pleasure to work with such highly gifted musicians and a genius like Tuomas Holopainen, as a songwriter and composer. We also thank King Foo Entertainment [NIGHTWISH's management company] for their belief and the great relationship between all of us.

"We are looking forward to the next releases with the band, starting with the upcoming masterpiece, 'Imaginarium', which is another big step for this visionary band, which is simply outstanding and brilliant."

NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to its new album, "Imaginarium", but also planning a movie of the same name. If all goes well, the film will arrive at some point in 2012.

NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginarium" world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.

Pictured below (left to right): Michael Langbein (Nuclear Blast), Toni Peiju (King Foo), Markus Klumpp (Nuclear Blast), Yorck Eysel (Nuclear Blast), Patrick Walch (Nuclear Blast), Andy Siry (Nuclear Blast), Ewo Pohjola (King Foo), Tuomas Holopainen (NIGHTWISH), Markus Wosgien (Nuclear Blast), Uwe Dannenmann (Nuclear Blast), Holger Tiefenbach (Nuclear Blast), Tobias Pfletschinger (Nuclear Blast)