Editing Nightwish (section)

===2006–2009: Arrival of Anette Olzon and ''Dark Passion Play''===
{{Main|Dark Passion Play}}

To find a replacement for Turunen as the female vocalist of the band, on 17 March 2006, the band allowed interested vocalists to send in demo tapes as an audition for the spot.<ref name="tape">{{cite web |work=Nightwish.com |title=Nightmail – April 2006 |url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/community/nightmail?month=04&year=2006 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102063215/http://nightwish.com/en/community/nightmail?month=04&year=2006 |archive-date=January 2, 2010 }}</ref> During this time, speculation emerged about who would eventually be chosen and the band stated on their website that fans should not believe any source other than the band itself for information regarding the new vocalist.<ref name="nw bio" /> In the end, the 35-year-old Alyson Avenue's ex-lead singer, [[Anette Olzon]], from Sweden, was chosen.<ref name="anette">{{cite web |work=Nightwish.com |title=The New Singer |url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=05&year=2007 |date=May 24, 2007 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105103607/http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=05&year=2007 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In September 2006, the band entered the studio to record their sixth studio album, ''[[Dark Passion Play]]''.<ref name="nw bio" /> In May, next year, Anette Olzon was announced to replace Turunen. Holopainen has said in interviews that he did not wish to reveal her identity until new material was available because he did not want fans judging her by nothing more than a picture, or past work.<ref name="anette" />
The day after this revealing, 25 May 2007, charity single "[[Eva (Nightwish song)|Eva]]" was released for download only as the first offering from the new album, and the first featuring Olzon.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} It was originally scheduled for release on 30 May, but the date was changed because of a leak on a British music download site.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} On June 13, Nightwish revealed the title and artwork for the new album on their official website, as well as the name and cover of the second single (this time CD), "[[Amaranth (song)|Amaranth]]";<ref name="amaranth">{{cite web |work=MetalFromFinland.com |title=Nightwish's 'Amaranth' Single Available As Flower-Fragrance-Shaped Picture Disc |url=http://www.metalfromfinland.com/news/2010-01-29_11:19/nightwishs_amaranth_single_available_as_flowerfragranceshaped_picture_disc |date=January 29, 2010 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302021004/http://www.metalfromfinland.com/news/2010-01-29_11:19/nightwishs_amaranth_single_available_as_flowerfragranceshaped_picture_disc/ |archive-date=March 2, 2010 }}</ref> it was released in Finland on August 22 and included a bonus track entitled "[[While Your Lips Are Still Red]]" written by Tuomas as the main theme for the upcoming Finnish feature film ''Lieksa!''.<ref name="amaranth" /> The single achieved gold status in Finland after less than two days in stores.<ref name="sales fin" />
[[File:Nightwish em sessão de autógrafos.jpg|thumb|left|Nightwish at signing session in [[Hamburg]], 2007]]

''[[Dark Passion Play]]'' was released around Europe in the last week of September 2007, in the UK on October 1 and the United States on October 2. It was awarded double platinum in Finland the second day after its release<ref name="sales fin" /> and took the number one position on the charts of Germany,<ref name="ger charts"/> Finland,<ref name="fin charts" /> Switzerland,<ref name="swi charts">{{cite web |url=http://hitparade.ch/search.asp?search=nightwish&cat=a |title=Nightwish charts in Switzerland |access-date=June 1, 2010| work=HitParade.ch}}</ref> Hungary<ref name="hun charts"/> and Croatia<ref name="cro charts">{{cite web |url=http://www.hdu.hr/ |title=Croatian Music Industry |access-date=June 1, 2010 |work=HDU.ht |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423202227/https://hdu.hr/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and got in top 100 in other 16 countries, including the United States.<ref name="billboard">{{cite web |work=Nightwish.com |title=Chart positions and Gold Awards |url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=10&year=2007 |date=October 11, 2007 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102065113/http://nightwish.com/en/news/archive?month=10&year=2007 |archive-date=January 2, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''Dark Passion Play'' broke the band's previous record for Finland's most expensive audio recording, with the final production cost coming in at over 500,000 euros (twice the cost of ''Once'', the previous record-setter, and approximately $675,000).

On this album, male vocalist [[Marko Hietala]] had more freedom in the use of his voice: he sings backup on the songs "Cadence of Her Last Breath" and "Sahara", lead vocals on the songs "[[The Islander (song)|The Islander]]", "Master Passion Greed" and "[[While Your Lips Are Still Red]]" and chorus on the songs "[[Bye Bye Beautiful]]" and "7 Days to the Wolves".<ref name="nw bio"/> He also sings one part in "The Poet and the Pendulum", besides singing backup in the chorus. Before the band found the new singer and the album was recorded, Marko sang on all the demo versions. Holopainen also sang on the demo versions of "Bye Bye Beautiful" and "Master Passion Greed" but these songs have never been released.<ref name="nw bio"/>

On 22 September 2007, the band hosted a secret concert at Rock Café in [[Tallinn]], Estonia, disguising itself as a Nightwish [[cover band]] called Nachtwasser.<ref>{{cite news|work=Blabbermouth.net |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=81338 |title=Nightwish performs secret gig in Estonia |date=September 23, 2007 |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011071711/http://roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=81338 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> Their first official concert with Olzon was in [[Tel Aviv]], Israel, on 6 October 2007.<ref>{{cite news|work=RoadRunnerRecords.com |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=82280 |title=Nightwish performs first official concert with new singer |date=October 6, 2007 |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011004826/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=82280 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref> The ''Dark Passion Play'' tour thus started, visiting the United States, Canada, most of Europe, Asia, and Australia.<ref name="dpptour">{{cite web |url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/live/archive?year=2007 |title=Nightwish Live −2007 |access-date=July 10, 2010 |work=Nightwish.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616051646/http://www.nightwish.com/en/live/archive?year=2007 |archive-date=June 16, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="dpptour3">{{cite web |url=http://www.nightwish.com/en/live/archive?year=2008 |title=Nightwish Live −2008 |access-date=July 10, 2010 |work=Nightwish.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718001429/http://www.nightwish.com/en/live/archive?year=2008 |archive-date=July 18, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Blabbermouth.net |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=82169 |title=Nightwish Australian tour dates announced |date=October 5, 2007 |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011084519/http://roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=82169 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:Nightwish Paris 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|Nightwish live in Paris, France, on 6 April 2008]]
The third single of the album was "[[Erämaan viimeinen]]", a previously unreleased vocal version of the instrumental "Last of the Wilds". It was released in Finland only on 5 December 2007.<ref name="jonsu">{{cite news|work = ProQuest|title = Ferguson, Tom. "Global Pulse". Billboard- The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment Aug 07 2010: 26–7. ProQuest.|date = August 7, 2010|id = {{ProQuest|820997410}}}}</ref> On this song, Jonsu of the Finnish pop and rock band [[Indica (Finnish band)|Indica]] performs the Finnish vocals.<ref name="jonsu" /> "[[Bye Bye Beautiful]]", the fourth single, was released on 15 February 2008, and concerns the 2005 dismissal of Turunen, as does one other song on the album ("Master Passion Greed"). The single includes yet another bonus track, "Escapist", which is also included on the Japanese version of ''Dark Passion Play''.<ref name="nwshop">{{cite web |title=Dark Passion Play= JPN Version |work=NwShop.fi |url=http://www.nwshop.fi/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=196964&from=startpage&lang=en |access-date=October 30, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081105073925/http://www.nwshop.fi/productinfo.cfm?tuotenumero=196964&from=startpage&lang=en |archive-date=November 5, 2008 }}</ref> Within a week after the release, the fifth single was announced to be "[[The Islander (song)|The Islander]]". It was released over a month after the release of its music video, shot in late 2007 in [[Rovaniemi]] in Finnish [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]].<ref name="nw bio"/>

The Dark Passion Play tour turned out to be Nightwish's longest tour yet, lasting from late 2007 to September 2009, when it ended with a concert in Hartwall Arena – the band's second concert there – with the band [[Apocalyptica]].

On 6 March 2009,<ref name="kong">{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nightwish-made-in-hong-kong-cover-artwork-revealed/|title=Nightwish: 'Made In Hong Kong' Cover Artwork Revealed|date=January 7, 2009|work=blabbermouth.net}}</ref> Nightwish released a new live [[Extended play|EP]]/DVD entitled ''[[Made in Hong Kong (And in Various Other Places)]]''. The eight live tracks were recorded during the "[[Dark Passion Play]] World Tour" in 2007–2008, and the album also includes one [[B-side]] from the "[[Bye Bye Beautiful]]" single, one B-side from the "[[Amaranth (song)|Amaranth]]" single, a previously unreleased demo version of "Cadence of Her Last Breath", and a bonus DVD with three music videos as well as a 37-minute documentary called ''[[Back in the Day is Now]]''.<ref name="kong" />